C’mon judge; you’re kidding

Have you ever noticed just how quickly “big news stories” can disappear from the front pages of newspapers or from television or other news sources? For weeks after Tyler Clementi jumped from the George Washington Bridge, the media was all over the case. Gay bullying came to the fore once again. It had been nearly [...]

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An age old problem comes to light

It must be one of the ways in which society has developed…bullying, that is.  We have entered the fourth decade of acknowledging that bullying is a “serious” problem, if not worldwide then at least in most of the civilized world. It was in 1970 that Swedish psychology professor, Dan Olweus, began studying the problems along [...]

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What’s a little pain?

Juli and I just returned from food shopping. She did the shopping at both Costco and Roche Brothers; I don’t go into stores much anymore because I don’t walk all that well. Helluva an admission for someone who still considers himself to be in reasonably good health, but there it is. The irony of it [...]

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It wasn’t a victory for anyone

Wouldn’t you love to have been a fly on the wall as the Republican House members debated what to do yesterday? All week John Boehner and company have been saying that nothing could be done unless the Senate was called back. After approving a 60 day extension on tax cuts for the middle class and [...]

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Mr. Freeman is right!

I like Morgan Freeman. L liked him even before he became an Oscar winner…for whatever that’s worth.  He can play any role, take the lead or be a supporting member of the cast. I don’t recall a movie – even Kevin Costner’s “Robin Hood” – in which I didn’t find Freeman to play his role [...]

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What an idiot!

When 56 members of Congress can hold the rest of the nation hostage, that is a form of terrorism, period, end of report. Recently, one Ryan Rhodes, founder of Iowa’s Tea Party, confronted President Barack Obama in the rudest, crudest, most malicious, vicious, and ignorant manner possible. The President was, in fact, stumping in Iowa; [...]

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Wake up, dipsticks!

The subject is getting tiresome. The players are becoming boring. They’re all expecting some deus ex machina to be inserted by some unknown party who will bring the drama to its successful conclusion, where everyone can shake hands and congratulate the other on bringing the crisis to a close. Here’s a clue: It’s not going [...]

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Just another slap on the wrist

So the South Hadley six walk out of the courtroom with a slap on the wrist. “Oh, we didn’t know.” “Oh, we’re so sorry. “Oh, I didn’t realize…” Oh, bullshit! I’m not privy to what was said or what was done by which of these kids; however, something was said or done that pushed Phoebe [...]

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What will the New Year bring?

Well okay! The lame ducks have gone home for the holidays; Republicans clapping their hands and salivating over the thoughts of how different things will be when the 112th Congress takes its seats early next month. The 111th closed with a bi-partisan bang which I’m not certain anyone believed was possible. While no one is [...]

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When will they learn?

When will they learn? Who will teach them wrong from right? Who was the ringleader and what was she thinking…or was she thinking at all? Bullying legislation has been enacted. Hazing rituals have been forbidden by high school rules as well as by the rules of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and yet, several [...]

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