A scorpion asks a frog to take it across the river. The frog fears the scorpion will sting him. The scorpion talks a good line, saying that, if he did sting the frog, they'd both drown. So, in the spirit of collaboration, the frog consents. Mid-stream, the scorpion does sting the frog. As they're going …
Climate change is real, Mr. President
As the polar vortex is about to recede, for now, we're still stupefied by our esteemed President. He, who considers himself the smartest man in the world, recently tweeted, "What the hell is going on with Global Warming? Please come back fast, we need you!" But less stupid individuals than he are puzzled about how …
Banning hand-held cellphones, finally?
I continue to be shocked by the extreme road rage exhibited Friday on the Mass. Pike by Mark Paul Fitzgerald, 37, of Ashland, and Richard Kamrowski, a 65-year-old Framingham man . After a side-swiping encounter, after which SUV driver Fitzgerald refused to exchange information with Kamrowski, the older man grabbed a water bottle from Fitzgerald's …
Cong. Lori Trahan: up close and personable
Newly elected Massachusetts 3rd district Congresswoman Lori Trahan has a warm smile and comes across as intelligent, charming, and poised. As a former chief of staff to Congressman Marty Meehan, Trahan also brings a dimension of Capitol Hill experience not typical of your usual breathless freshman Congressperson. She spoke yesterday for the first time to …
Walsh’s “State-of-the-City”: a clarion call
If you want to hear everything our national government now is not, listen to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh's state-of-the-city address. In a rousing half-hour speech at Symphony Hall, he credibly held out Boston as a model to be emulated nationally. It was a spirited reminder of how pathetically the federal government is failing to meet …
Continue reading Walsh’s “State-of-the-City”: a clarion call
Getting beyond the wall
It's motif #1, the President bragging about having the biggest, being the smartest, (“I alone can fix it,”), master negotiator and uber deal maker. We can dispute his hyperbolic claims, but we all can agree that under his leadership Americans now have the longest-lasting (partial) government shutdown in our nation's history. 800,000 government workers and …
Elizabeth Warren: U.S. President or Massachusetts Senator?
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren's first televised interview as a nearly announced presidential candidate was with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow. The interaction was about as challenging as a Donald Trump interview with Sean Hannity. From there, she went on to Iowa, where the questions got a little bit tougher and are just a foretaste of what she …
Continue reading Elizabeth Warren: U.S. President or Massachusetts Senator?
Return to checks and balances brings hope
I have to post quickly before events reactivate the despair and cynicism of the last two years. I felt a smile emerge when watching the swearing-in of Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Imagine the pleasure of hearing about Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution, establishing the Congress as a coequal branch …
If it’s good enough for Taegan Goddard, it’s good enough for me
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire is one of our best portals to reliable news sources, with postings throughout the day. One of today's posts reflects my own Trump/news fatigue, and Goddard's short-term solution to it. In a note to his readers, Goddard wrote, "Folks, I’m exhausted. The crushing amount of political news over the last three years …
Continue reading If it’s good enough for Taegan Goddard, it’s good enough for me
Listening to Ann Coulter not Jim Mattis: a recipe for disaster
The menacing lion-like creature shook his orange mane, growled and chased me down the hill leading to the road where our house is. I sat bolt upright in bed, realizing it was just a bad dream that had disturbed my sleep. Later, in light of day, I realized our living nightmare is much more dangerous …
Continue reading Listening to Ann Coulter not Jim Mattis: a recipe for disaster
Marjorie Arons-Barron 