Monthly Archives: April 2010

Touring America's heartland through the headlines

Posted on April 28, 2010 by

Third in an occasional series Arizona seemed a lot less contentious then. When Kathy and I first dipped into the state’s northeast corner in the summer of 1974, the only menaces I worried about were black widow spiders and heat … Continue reading →

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Arizona's immigration law: Who will be the next target?

Posted on April 25, 2010 by

Our Pledge of Allegiance ends with the words, “with liberty and justice for all.” To me, both these concepts, liberty and justice, rely on the notions of equal treatment. In American jurisprudence, that means “innocent until proven guilty.” On Friday, Arizona’s governor … Continue reading →

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Mayor goes far beyond the call of public service

Posted on April 23, 2010 by

This is a story of courage and profound humanity.  In the petty, nasty, calculating and self-serving world that too often passes for American politics today, it gives pause, reminds us that as human beings we can do better, be better, … Continue reading →

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Don't be too quick to count out the Democrats in November

Posted on April 22, 2010 by

When Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown came from nowhere to win the state’s special U.S. Senate election, pundits pronounced health care dead.  That’s worth keeping in mind when you read the dire pronouncements and predictions by pundits and political analysts alike … Continue reading →

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So what, again, are those quotation marks supposed to mean?

Posted on April 20, 2010 by

I got back into town just in time for the debut of my friend and colleague Mark Leccese’s new Boston Globe blog on pols and the news media.  Mark is a season ticket kind of guy,  so it’s only natural … Continue reading →

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The Tea Party brews up a Boston Banner Day

Posted on April 14, 2010 by

When Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Express descended on the Boston Common today, this liberal city not only survived the onslaught but managed to exercise  a sort of rough-edged democracy with a hint of humor and a modicum of … Continue reading →

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Touring America's heartland through the headlines

Posted on April 13, 2010 by

This is the second in an occasional series. They call Missouri the Show Me state. Stubborn and cussedly independent folk live here. I know this well. I’ve been married to one for 38 years, and she’s still trying to domesticate … Continue reading →

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Sarah P. is coming to town

Posted on April 13, 2010 by

Sometimes politics truly can create strange bedfellows. Sarah Palin and her Tea Party Express will converge across from my office on the Boston Common tomorrow and I, for one, wouldn’t miss it for the world.  Neither apparently would Timothy Cahill, … Continue reading →

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Do readers belong at The Times news meetings?

Posted on April 12, 2010 by

Peek into any print newsroom in America and you’ll hear reporters saying sometimes mocking or jaded things around the water fountain that they would never dream of uttering in public, on air or in print. The journalists I worked with … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, media coverage, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Violent war images are news, not 'snuff'

Posted on April 8, 2010 by

My True/Slant colleague Susannah Breslin yesterday wrote a provocative essay that suggests the leaked video of an American military helicopter mowing down a dozen people in Iraq, including two Reuters news service employees, had made its way around the world … Continue reading →

Posted in American wars, Media, media coverage | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments