A gorgeous day and a cruise of Boston Harbor celebrates how far we have come in creating a world class destination. A two-hour sail on the 80-foot schooner Adirondack III is a treat accessible to everyone from Rowes Wharf. For me, as a journalist who covered harbor issues during the '80's and '90's, there was particular …
Continue reading Boston Harbor cruise says a lot about the Hub
Times have changed for Sixth district Congressman John Tierney, and things are looking good. This, though he faces a rerun of the 2012 challenge from Republican Richard Tisei and, in the September primary, four challengers within his own party. Tierney went through a few miserable years, thanks to his wife's legal troubles (She pled guilty to helping …
The whole smarmy business makes you want to take a shower, but the racketeering and conspiracy trial of former Probation Commissioner Jack O'Brien and two top aides was more than just your garden variety patronage. As the Globe's Tom Farragher put it, it was "patronage on steroids and ... criminal." Nepotism, cronyism, getting a job because of whom …
President Obama said again today that Israel has a right to defend itself against the 1500 missiles Hamas has recently lobbed from Gaza into Israel and tunnel incursions to kill and capture Israeli citizens. But this morning he expressed concern about "the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives." The Hamas missiles …
A sovereign nation must be able to control its borders. The United States cannot simply throw open the gates and let anyone come in, even children. That said, there needs to be a humane approach to the nearly 60,000 often-unaccompanied alien children that have crossed our southern border. Deval Patrick seems heading in a rational and …
Continue reading Child illegals: creating a haven, but for how long?
When the cat's away, the mice will play. In terms of congressional financing, the cat is public disclosure. Given the do-nothing Congress' indifference to its abysmal public image, I probably shouldn't be shocked that the House has just quietly watered down its rules for reporting trips taken by legislators that are paid for by private groups. Since …
Every summer I offer up some of the books I've read in the past year and happily invite readers' recommendations to me. I'm always on the prowl for a good read. This summer's book review will be in two parts. First, the non-fiction. If you're looking for light summer reading, do not try to read …
Continue reading Books to escape from Benghazi, Boko Haram, Boehner, biz cycle etc, pt. 1
Ann Coulter must have been hit on the head by a soccer ball, and it was no planned header. Her recent column , a screed against the sport and America's growing interest in it, seems unhinged. She asserts that this is a sign of our nation's moral decay, that the only reason we are interested …
Question for gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley: if you knew that the legitimacy of the casino repeal referendum would end up at the Supreme Judicial Court regardless of how you decided on its constitutionality and you're supposedly fine with its being on the November ballot, why did you come down on the side of corporate interests rather than …
Continue reading Snake eyes for Coakley on casino referendum
I rarely agree with (Wisconsin GOP Congressman) Paul Ryan, but in this recent kerfuffle over "lost" IRS emails, he struck a responsive chord. Speaking to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen at a House Oversight Committee hearing, Ryan said "you can reach into the lives of hardworking American taxpayers and, with a letter, an phone call …
Marjorie Arons-Barron 