07/08/2017   Blog

Donald Trump is angry.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is angry.

And, most of all, Kellyanne Conway is angry.

They are all angry because the White House press corps, the national columnists, the local and regional editorial boards, and most galling of all, the independent fact check sites around the country have decided to call out each and every lie this President and his White House utter.

Big or small, the universal commitment is to the truth.

And in the case of this President and this White House, the truth hurts.

Kellyanne Conway says this decision by the media to demand the truth 100% of the time is somehow unpatriotic.

I say, this decision to demand the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth 100% of the time is the most patriotic thing the press can do!

So what has the President lied about?

It is easier to list what he hasn’t lied about.

The President lied about the size of his inaugural crowds.

07/02/2017   Blog

July 4 is almost here, and with it comes my personal list of some of my favorite recent reads, as well as a special list of some of my all-time favorite history books in order to remind all of us that it hasn’t always been just about Donald Trump.

If in the past you enjoyed the writings of either Joseph Wambaugh (the Onion Fields) or Robert Daly (Prince of the City), than you won’t be able to put down The Force, by Don Winslow.

In a world that revels in black and white, this book proves it’s still the grays that gives us pause and helps us think.

A different kind of Black and white is at the center of He calls me by lightning – the life of Caliph Washington and the forgotten Saga of Jim Crow, Southern Justice, and the Death Penalty by Jonathan Bass.

This book chronicles the nightmare of being innocent in a Kafka-like world, whose goal is convicting someone, not achieving justice.

06/25/2017   Blog

Please explain to me how the leadership in US Senate realistically expects to cobble together 50 of their colleagues willing to say yes to the monstrosity they have constructed in secret and labeled Trump Care. 

Please explain to me how Donald Trump can triumphantly proclaim in a tweet the accuracy of a single outlier poll that had him at an embarrassingly mediocre 50% favorable and 50% unfavorable, and then turn around and either ignore or call fake any and all of the DOZENS of other independent surveys which in the aggregate show him actually recording an abysmal 37% favorable and a horrific 56% unfavorable.

Please explain to me why Wonder Woman works so well as a film while Superman versus Batman was unwatchable.

Please explain to me why people choose to go to horrific places like North Korea and then seem surprised when awful and terrible things happen to them while they are there.

06/13/2017   Blog

Somewhere in political heaven, where all former chief executives reside, the fifteenth President of the United States James Buchanan (1857-1861), long considered by historians to have been the worst president ever, is smiling and receiving ‘high fives’ from the other members of the exclusive Previous Presidents Club.

The reason for his celebration is that after only 150 days in office, it’s pretty clear to him and his fellow club mates that he is about to experience an upgrade to the slot as second worst President ever.

Put aside the disastrous missteps of the previous week in Europe or the oncoming tsunami that is the Russian investigation.

06/07/2017   Blog

The Gallop Poll has been around for decades.

Its numbers are produced without thoughts of ideology, ethnicity, or gender bias.

Right after his inauguration in January, 2017 the Gallop numbers reported President Donald Trump had a favorable rating of 45% and an unfavorable rating of 48%, which was the lowest starting point for any president in their polling history.

This week, prior to the Comey hearings starting, the Gallop Poll numbers on President Trump had dipped to 37% favorable and 57% unfavorable, an aggregate loss of 17 points since January.

Why the downturn?

06/02/2017   Blog

Somewhere in political heaven, where all former chief executives reside, the 15th President of the United States James Buchanan (1857-1861), long considered by historians to have been the worst president ever, is smiling and receiving "high fives" from the other members of the exclusive Previous Presidents Club. 

The reason for his celebration is that after only 150 days in office, it's pretty clear to him and his fellow clubmates that he is about to experience an upgrade to the slot as second-worst president ever. 

05/27/2017   Blog

Word is on the very first day of President Donald Trumps "excellent adventure" overseas, his retinue of hangers-on and quislings began whispering in the ears of the hated media that the man who claimed Hillary Clinton didn't have the "stamina" to be president was himself already "exhausted," and thus physically incapable of delivering a highly anticipated address to his hosts in the early evening of the second day of his visit.

 

04/22/2016   Blog

A Documentary Grows With Each Mass Shooting

A new film about gun violence has a simple concept and a brief running time, but its makers intend it to be nothing less than a living document of the cycle of violence.
Called “Speaking Is Difficult,” the movie pairs recent footage of sites where mass shootings occurred — some locations look unremarkable; others clearly reflect the gruesome events — with audio of the 911 calls made at the time.

02/26/2016   Blog

A story of true courage, resilency and determination.

Published by Stonehill College, February 13, 2016

While playing hockey four years ago, Matt Brown went from being a competitive athlete to using a wheelchair. That spinal cord injury notwithstanding, Brown is now in his second year at Stonehill and very engaged in all aspects of campus life. Recently, he gave the keynote address at Stonehill’s Annual Conference on Diversity and Inclusion and the message he delivered to his fellow students was powerful and uplifting.

“Remember, if you need help, lean on those around you and you can overcome anything. Don't let the negative win and stay positive. Keep your eyes on the prize and work hard and you will get there.” Those words by Brown helped kick off the conference held this past Friday.

02/15/2016   Blog

Now this is what it's all about!!!

STOUGHTON, Mass.As Canton hockey coach Brian Shuman talked to his team after Saturday’s game, he pointed at “Matty” Marcone, the team’s manager.

Watch the report

“You know you’re practicing Monday, right?” he asked the senior student. “Do you also know you’re playing in the game Tuesday against Stoughton?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a lot of people texting me about that,” Marcone replied, causing his coach and Canton teammates to erupt in laughter.