Dallas, TX- Eyes in Massachusetts are on Tea Party candidate, former police officer, Jeff Perry, who is giving Democrat Bill Keating a run for his money in the 10th Congressional district. There's another Perry in Texas, also trying to capitalize on Tea Party discontent, who bears watching.Out here, where the spaces are large and the …
Gubernatorial debate: time to focus debate where it counts
It may not be politically correct to support the exclusion of Jill Stein from the WTTK gubernatorial debate, as in, who are the media to determine that a candidate doesn’t cross the threshold of credibility. Remembering how soft candidate support often is and Scott Brow’s decisive late surge, it may be slightly illogical to say …
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Making Head Start Kids Part of the Brady Bunch
Tom Brady has a head start on a wonderful life. He has the golden touch. But why couldn’t he also give a head start to the program by that name? Monday’s Boston Herald had an interesting juxtaposition, a story about a huge Head Start backlog in Massachusetts opposite a Peter Gelzinis column noting how Tom Brady, …
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Governor’s Debate – sparring, with the fight to come
Contrary to the prevailing wisdom, I believe that Governor Deval Patrick came out of Tuesday night’s debate as the winner. Why? Because people are often guided by their impressions more than the substance of candidates’ arguments. Cahill proved likable enough to be Mr. Geniality to the Scott Brown crowd. And, if Cahill solidifies his support, …
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Obama Oval Office Speech: Mission Not Accomplished
President Obama’s Oval Office address, just the second he has made in his half term, was dramatically underwhelming. There was nothing new and little, if anything, that was emotionally stirring. We knew that our combat troops had been removed from Iraq, as he had pledged as a candidate. But we also know that Iraq’s democracy …
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Thirsting for Leadership on the Economy
I am not an economist, nor do I play one on TV. I am struggling along with others to understand all the moving – and not moving – parts. And I am yearning for President Obama to outline a bold and comprehensive approach to solidifying gains and moving forward.Today’s “hastily arranged” Rose Garden speech by …
"The Mosque" near Ground Zero: a battle of the heart, head and gut
Sorting out my feelings about the so-called "Mosque" near Ground Zero has been an odyssey of heart, gut and head. The journey has not been easy.Some 9/11 survivors are genuinely aghast at the location of this proposed Islamic community center. There’s precedent for this reaction. When Carmelite nuns sought to establish a convent near Auschwitz, protests …
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Down-ballot Auditor’s Race Deserves Our Attention
Say the word “auditor,” and you probably think sweaty palms, sleepless nights and maybe a nervous tic. But the race for state auditor has nothing directly to do with your tax returns or individual finances. The words “state auditor” should, if the job is done right, be reassuring for every taxpayer in the Commonwealth. It’s …
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Pakistan flood challenges compassion fatigue and local politics
ABC news calls the Pakistani flooding “the worst floods in memory.” Fourteen million homeless. Six million children affected. Sixteen percent of the country under water due to two weeks of monsoon rains, which have created literally hundreds of lakes, some the size of the state of Delaware. It’s hard to get one’s mind around the …
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Remembering August 3rd and Silent Cal’s Values of the Past
Eight-seven years ago yesterday, then-Vice President Calvin Coolidge was visiting his father, Colonel John Coolidge, in the tiny Vermont village of Plymouth Notch when word arrived that President Warren Harding had died. By the light of a kerosene lamp, John Coolidge, who was a notary public, swore in his son as the 30th President of …
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Marjorie Arons-Barron 