Philosopher George Santayana famously said in 1905 that "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Winston Churchill liked the lesson so well that 43 years later he intoned, "Those who cannot learn from history are condemned to repeat it." Either wording, we get the idea. Would that Donald Trump were as …
Impeachment inquiry: serious subject demands decorum
Since becoming president Donald Trump has given members of Congress ample reasons to deem him unfit for office. Time and again his behavior has clearly met the Constitutional standard of high crimes and misdemeanors worthy of an impeachment trial. Only hard political calculations kept the House from taking action. Now, after revelations that President Trump …
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Climate demonstrators need to vote
Photos and videos of about four million people around the world rallying last week to urge action on climate change were inspiring. Thankfully, global warming is no longer a marginal issue. From a quarter of a million demonstrating in New York City to young girls leaving their school in Kabul, Afghanistan despite the danger, to thousands …
Responsibility to impeach: how to make it count
Six months ago, I agreed with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's disinclination to impeach President Trump. As she put it, “unless there’s something that’s so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country.” Besides, she added, “He’s just not worth it.” It was, I agreed, …
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Dem debate 3: is there a winner in the bunch?
Most days I am seething and grinding my teeth. Sometimes Donald Trump makes me feel like Jean Giraudoux' Madwoman of Chaillot, about a disillusioned idealist who wants to "rescue humanity from the scheming and corrupt developers." Words fail me. Tearing my hair out will be useless. Work, study and other civic commitments are but a …
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“Project Look Out:” changing driving behavior
Remember the old days when the term "designated driver" evoked A.J. Foyt or Mario Andretti? By the 1980's, however, we learned that "designated driver" meant the guy (or gal) at the party who wouldn't drink so someone would be around to drive home sober. The idea of designated driver was the result of a …
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Mass. Senate race: an embarrassment of riches?
No one has a right to hold onto an office in perpetuity, but having served a long time shouldn't necessarily be a disqualifier. Senator Ed Markey has been in public office nearly half a century. The one-term+ US Senator has been in Washington for 43 years, both as a member of the House and of …
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Political wheeling and dealing flirts with criminal
You scratch my back; I'll scratch yours has always been one of the rules of the political road in Boston. Behaviors can be very subtle but still powerful, their meaning clear. As alderman, state rep and state senator, Martin Lomasney used to say, "Don't write when you can talk; don't talk when you can nod; …
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Trump on gun violence: judge him by his actions
In a speech prepared for him to read from the Oval Office, President Trump has condemned the shootings in Dayton and El Paso, calling for unity in opposing hatred, white supremacists, violence, especially on the internet and social media, and promising additional resources for the FBI in addressing domestic terrorism. It approached presidential in content …
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Summer reading and escape from Donald Trump
The lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer demand relief from the news, and summer reading could be just the antidote. The following are some suggestions: Non-Fiction: Tara Westover’s memoir Educated is one of the most gripping books I have read in a long time, possibly ever. Against all odds, Westover grew up in a Mormon …
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Marjorie Arons-Barron 