I voted Saturday. I responded to a universal mailing from the Secretary of State's office, indicating I wanted a mail-in ballot. The pandemic has blunted my decades-long pleasure of going to the local polling place and participating with others in my community in one of the greatest gifts of living in a democracy. I filled …
Category: Politics
Markey, Kennedy fight nasty with 20 days left
Two genuinely decent men and upstanding elected officials got really unpleasant in Tuesday night's U.S. Senate debate. Four-term Congressman Joe Kennedy III had a more polished and coherent presentation than in previous debates. Four decade former Congressman, now Senator Ed Markey, after a slow start, finished strong. But the whole event just made me want …
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Biden chooses Harris, an unexpectedly pleasing choice
I was never a big fan of Kamala Harris when she was running for President. Yet I am surprisingly pleased by her selection to be Joe Biden's rnning mate. The former California Attorney General and San Francisco district attorney, she was a tough-on-crime prosecutor (too tough, say some), and is a seasoned campaigner. As US …
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“Women’s issues” front and center with Mermell, Grossman in 4th CD race
Two women stand out in the crowded race to fill Joe Kennedy's 4th district seat in Congess- Jesse Mermell and Becky Grossman. Mermell, from Brookline, has paid her dues in politics and public affairs for 20 years. Grossman, from Newton, is a relative newcomer to elected office. Mermell headed the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus and …
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The Greek Connection is available – finally!!!!
What do Doris Kearns Goodwin, Sy Hersh, Mitch Zuckoff, and Steve Kinzer and other illustrious authors have in common? They're all high on "The Greek Connection: the Life of Elias Demetracopoulos and the Untold Story of Watergate." Goodwin calls it "a magnificent work..... "a sweeping biography of an absolutely captivating figure who captures our attention …
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Donald Trump Deepens Descent into Darkness
Throwing around the word fascist should be as heavy a lift as heaving a manhole cover like a discus. It can't be done lightly. But Donald Trump's love of authoritarian dictators, modeling their behavior, becomes more deeply troubling every day. His sending unrequested federal military personnel into crowds of protesters in Portland, Oregon, evokes images …
Statues of limitations: which stay, which go
When the statue of Iraqi despot Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003, it was easy to join the chorus of cheers. He was a repressive tyrant who killed an estimated 250,000 of his own people. Easy, too, was the destruction of statues of Communist dictator Joseph Stalin, responsible for the deaths of millions of Russians …
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Looking for the Best on July 4th
Politics isn't everything. On a holiday like July 4th, celebrating our nation's independence and its brilliant founding documents, it is tempting to recount the myriad ways that our President has trampled on the promises made therein. Unsparingly, he sucks the joy out of our lives, most recently yesterday at Mt. Rushmore standing before the greats …
Another escape into books
When I found myself agreeing with President Trump that the media were making too much of his super-cautious walking down a ramp at West Point, I knew I needed a break from media coverage. Yes, he might well have been wearing shoes with smooth leather soles that didn't grip the slope the way rubber soles …
Kennedy’s real reason for the Senate race?
What's the real reason Congressman Joe Kennedy is challenging Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey this year? It may well be that he fears if he waited for an open race for the Senate, after Markey or Senator Elizabeth Warren, he might have to run against Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. Pressley spoke Friday to a virtual meeting of …
Marjorie Arons-Barron 