Secretary of State John Kerry prompted a diplomatic gasp and a Ted Cruz hissy fit by warning of the dangers of apartheid if Israel and the Palestinians can't achieve a workable two-state solution. Kerry's private comment was uncharacteristically undiplomatic but not without truth. A Boston Globe editorial sums up succinctly Israel's dilemma if a two-state solution fails …
Continue reading Kerry said the “A” word; so have many Israelis
Reports of rape and sexual assault were up 50 percent last year, according to a Pentagon study released on Thursday. What's unclear is whether that reflects more reporting or more assaults. And what of the record in bringing justice to victims (of both sexes, by the way)? Recently, the U. S. Navy reassigned a Blue Angels …
On May 5, the state's Supreme Judicial Court will take up the question of Attorney General Martha Coakley's rejection of a ballot referendum to repeal the Massachusetts casino law. She concluded in December, 2011 that the referendum should be a no-go. The repeal, it seems, would break the implied contract between the gaming (the industry's preferred synonym for …
Continue reading Pol ties to gambling have implications for state races
The latest bad news from the Middle East is that the Palestinian Authority (the Fatah faction) has entered a "unity pact" with militant group Hamas, which has pledged never to recognize the right of Israel to exist. The talks were set to end next week, and, even before the "unity pact," it was highly uncertain …
Continue reading Palestine/Israel negotiations: no partners for peace
Life has taken a Cold War Turn, and I find myself almost missing Ronald Reagan and his willingness to stand up to the Russians. Ten years ago, Ukraine was the third most powerful nuclear power in the world. It dismantled its nuclear arsenal in exchange for the Budapest Memorandum "commitment" by Russia, Britain and the …
Don't read this if you're tired of the non-stop coverage of the Marathon bombing. Don't read it if you're not touched in some way by the tragedy that befell individual runners and bystanders or disturbed by the assault on our community. Have there been efforts to capitalize on the grief and memorialization of the event? The profit …
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is, indeed, a controversial figure, especially for the vehemence with which she has criticized Islamic fundamentalism. Just read her memoir Infidel, and you'll understand why. Her childhood was spent in Somalia, Saudi Arabia and Kenya, where she survived genital mutilation, physical and emotional abuse, parental attempts at forced marriage and all the forms …
Four months ago, when the Oxford English Dictionary named "selfie" the 2013 word of the year, I had never even heard of it. In the last couple of days, it's almost all I've heard. Of course, there was the selfie taken by President Obama of himself and Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, a comely lass, …
Despite a hailstorm today, little green shoots are starting to poke their heads up in our yard, tomorrow is April 1st and the baseball season has officially started. I'm poised to wrest control of my garden from the rabbits and welcome the season with a clean slate. Except for the Remy factor. When Jerry Remy started broadcasting from spring training, …
On April 19 last year, longtime political activist, former elected official and Watertown resident Warren Tolman found himself 300 yards from the capture of Marathon bomber Zhokar Tsarnaev. With a helicopter roaring overhead, police on both sides of his driveway and in his backyard, Tolman listened as a swat team worked its way through his basement searching for the …
Continue reading Running for A.G. – a familiar face stands out
Marjorie Arons-Barron 