Governor Charlie Baker's life is a balancing act - a Republican in an overwhelmingly Democratic state, a reasonable and enlightened moderate while the top of his party is anything but. With an entirely blue Congressional delegation, he will be, for better or worse, this state's interlocutor with a potentially vengeful Trump administration. He took a rhetorical …
Continue reading Charlie Baker on tightrope, moves carefully
I hate being in large crowds but had to be at Boston Common yesterday for the local version of the Women's March occurring in hundreds of cities around the nation and on all continents. As with anti-Vietnam War marches in the late sixties and early seventies, this was a time to stand up and be …
The newly elected president of Gambia had to be sworn in in Senegal, and Senegalese and other African military may be needed to force Gambia's despotic president to relinquish power he's held for 22 years. It was quite a contrast to events at the same time in Washington. The peaceful transition of power from one President of the United States to the …
Continue reading President Trump little changed from candidate Trump
So, Ringling Bros. is closing down the circus after 146 years. But, in this inaugural week, the circus hasn't left town. We can't be sure where the lions and trapeze artists are going, but we certainly know where the elephants and marquis clown are headed. And it's not to entertain little children. Until now, I never understood fear …
Continue reading Black arm bands not boycott for inauguration protest
"When they go low, we go high," is Michelle Obama's credo. Last night, her husband exemplified that commitment. He spoke to the best that is in the American people, the power of faith, the ability of ordinary people to come together over shared values. We will remain the most powerful and respected nation on earth …
Continue reading Obama still stands for hope, alloyed with action
Was it 50 or 60 times the GOP has voted to end Obamacare? With an incoming President who has called the law "a disaster," the oft-repeated move can now become reality, and the Republicans own it. But their move to repeal and, over several years, replace the Affordable Care Act is a recipe for chaos. …
Continue reading Mend it, don’t end it, and call it Trumpcare
Donald Trump's egregiously right-wing nominee to be ambassador to Israel, his diplomatically challenged bankruptcy lawyer David Friedman, may please Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But his nomination doesn't augur well for growing divisions within the American Jewish community or American-Israeli relations. In addition to enthusiastically embracing unlimited West Bank settlement expansion and opposing a two-state solution to …
Continue reading Settlements bad; UN Resolution doesn’t help
As befits the season, here are some little gifts, selected headlines I'd like to see next year. I have little expectation they will top newspapers or tease newscasts. Still, a gal can dream. Please add your own in the comments section below. President Trump, recognizing nation's division, names Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. President Trump reforms Affordable Care …
Shortly before Elizabeth Warren announced her Senate candidacy, my husband asked her what past senators were her consumer protection role models and where on the spectrum between William Proxmire and Phil Hart she'd place herself. Proxmire was a maverick legislator, renowned for creating the Golden Fleece Award, sarcastically given to public officials who wasted taxpayer money, and for being unwilling to play …
The world was simpler when Donald Trump was merely spouting off slogans or saying offensive things at rallies. But every day brings worse news. The three a.m. tweets, which once showcased his ignorance and lack of discipline, now have real-life consequences, and they're not for the faint of heart. Trump's leadership picks are grotesque, a story of crony capitalism. It …
Continue reading Donald Trump: the gift that keeps on giving
Marjorie Arons-Barron 