Senators dodging action on Garland hardly “principled”

Have you heard the latest?  Senate President Mitch McConnell says the 24 Republican Senators who are up for reelection this fall will not vote on anything from now until January 3, 2017, when those elected this November take office.  Nor will they hold hearings on various appropriations, criminal justice reform, immigration, or any other legislation …

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Brussels attack plays into Trump

Secure the checkpoints. Close the borders. Keep all Muslims out. Is anyone  surprised to hear such calls from Donald Trump?  The unspeakable horrors of the terrorist bombings today in Brussels strikes fear in all our hearts. We're coming up on the third anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. In Greater Boston, we know the chaos and …

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Marijuana legalization in Mass. – high or low?

I've often thought that, for an adult, getting mildly exhilarated without the caloric intake of wine or other alcoholic beverage would be a good thing.  And doesn't the government already intrude either directly or indirectly in too many of our personal decisions?  So why not legalize marijuana, as a referendum on the Massachusetts ballot in November …

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Hillary is her own worst enemy

Lincoln/Douglas it was not. Last night's Hillary Clinton/Bernie Sanders face-off in Florida was substantive but problematic. The debate was feisty, often angry, occasionally misleading but, like the one in Flint, Michigan the week before,  on a much higher level than GOP debates, but that's not a high bar. Clinton is engaging, smart and the most …

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Can you say President Trump?

I hope Les Moonves is happy.  The head of CBS said that Donald Trump is great for business."Donald's place in this election is a good thing,"  Moonves said at a conference Monday in San Francisco. Trump's circus-like antics have been great for ratings, and that means business for the media.  "Bring it on, Donald. Keep …

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The other man in my life

For the past seven years, there's been a second man in my life. His name? Elias P. Demetracopoulos, hereinafter referred to as Elias.  I never met the man, but he figured importantly in our household.  My husband, Jim Barron, is writing a biography about the life and times of Elias, an independent journalist, a fighter for freedom …

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GOP candidates make U.S. a laughingstock

"Listen to this guy. He has one idea and repeats it over and over again."                                                                                                                   "No, you're the one who repeats himself. You have nothing to say."                                                                                                              "You can't be trusted.  You  lie."                                                                                                                                                          "You're the liar."                                                                                                                                  "So's your mother." Why don't you take it outside, fellas. If you watched the last GOP "debate" before …

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Apple versus national security: a tough call

A relaxing Florida vacation has made me even more of a techno-peasant than I usually am. The issue that now challenges me is the dilemma presented by Apple's refusal to comply with the U.S. government's request to facilitate access to the contents of the iPhone of Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the two San Bernadino terrorists, now …

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Granite State results for real – finally

Remember when it seemed fairly certain that voters in November would have to choose between Clinton and Bush dynasties?  Over the last nine months, voter anger and dissatisfaction have laid waste to that aura of inevitability on both sides of the aisle. Among the big winners Tuesday night were the pollsters. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders went into New …

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Suffolk trustees botch the job

Suffolk University board members should be ashamed of  themselves. They are passing up the chance to put the school back on the map as a proud and storied urban university and a meaningful player in greater Boston's civic life. Its inbred board, concerned only about its own power, has launched an attack to undermine the school's new …

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