It's the next phase of silly season. U.S. Senate candidates Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren are to-ing and fro-ing about how often they'll debate one another and in what settings. So far, she has agreed to four televised debates and he, to two televised debates and two radio debates. Included among those she has agreed is one …
The Greek election matters to us
Forget Romney and Obama for now. The greatest immediate impact on the U.S. economy, beyond the control of either nominee, could be what happens Sunday in the Greek run-off election. On that day, millions of Greek voters will choose from among a group of flawed and untrustworthy leaders a party (or coalition of parties) to lead …
Niki Tsongas builds bipartisanship, one small step at a time
Three-term 5th district Congresswoman Niki Tsongas marches to a slightly different drummer than her colleague Mike Capuano, the subject of yesterday's blog posting. Her rhythm is not a march exactly, more a step-by-step piecing together of small scale bipartisan initiatives in an environment in which bipartisanship is an unnatural act. Tsongas knows that, as one individual, she …
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Cong. Mike Capuano, a liberal and proud of it
Mike Capuano is not apologetic about his belief in government. He doesn't try to cast himself as a progressive or any other adjective that cloaks his unabashed liberalism as anything other than what it is- an admiration for what government, however flawed, can do to help people. He deplores the mire in which Congressional lawmaking …
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Hillary Clinton challenges global women leaders
"Democracy is a new thing in my country," Naheed Farid, the youngest member of the Afghanistan parliament, said to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday morning at Wellesley College. "Don't you think that after 2014 there will be disaster for democracy in the region?" she asserted. Clinton, along with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, made the answer very clear …
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A more sensible approach to sugary beverages
Shortly after my blog criticizing New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed ban on sugary drinks in containers of more than 16 oz, I read the Boston Globe's Yvonne Abraham piece offering an alternative solution, and it's worth passing along. Massachusetts exempts most food products from the state sales tax, now at 6.25 percent. Given how …
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Conviction in text-driving killing should be a wake-up call
Aaron Deveau was only 17 when he crossed the center line while texting and killed Daniel Bowley, Jr. of New Hampshire, the father of three grown children. Deveau, now 18 years old, is the first person to be convicted under a law making it a crime to injure someone while texting. Even without the specific texting …
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Bloomberg is for marijuana and against sugary drinks
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg yesterday urged the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana. This follows on the heels of last week's move to ban the sale of sugary drinks in cups exceeding 16 ounces. At first, this looks contradictory: pot's okay but not a big container of sugary beverage. Enough mayoral micromanaging! Still, let's look …
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With public figures, the personal gestures can unsettle
In 1978, I was covering Republican U. S. Senator Ed Brooke’s reelection campaign for the Boston Phoenix. Both on primary and election day, I was glued to him. Where he went, I went. Sometimes it was meet-and-greets with people. Sometimes it was consultations with staff. The possibility of defeat hung in the air, but he …
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False accusers deserve equal justice
Former football star Brian Banks of Long Beach, California got a really raw deal. What happened to him is shocking and outrageous. A stupid, unthinking woman accused him of rape. Except in 2003, Wanetta Gibson,15, was a stupid, unthinking girl. Back then, Banks, a young black man, was a high school senior and star football player, hoping to play pro …
Marjorie Arons-Barron 