After George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin, a narrative quickly emerged that Zimmerman “profiled” Martin, that he considered Martin suspicious merely because of the color of his skin and the fact that he was wearing a hoodie. Leaving aside the question of whether that narrative is accurate in the particular case of the Zimmerman / Martin… Read More: On the rationality and wrong of racism »
I’ve spent some time taking a look at all of the declared candidates for Boston’s mayoral election. Here are my initial reactions, for those who might be curious. People worth considering All of these are people I’d be happy to see elected. John Connolly (Web site.) Current City Councillor. I very much liked what he… Read More: My current take on Boston’s mayoral candidates »
The privacy of our email is protected by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, passed in 1986, which requires law-enforcement officials to obtain a warrant to intercept and read private email. However, the law has a critical flaw: it does not require a warrant for emails “left on servers” for more than 180 days. This made… Read More: Amend the ECPA to protect email privacy! »
I know there’s probably no point, but I finally snapped and dished some truth to some Israel haters in my Facebook feed. What finally set me off was this comment: “I find it inescapable that the Israelis took Palestine from the folks who were living there in 1946. Out of that injustice springs the current… Read More: Some truths about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict »
Question 3 on the Massachusetts ballot in 2012 proposes to allow marijuana to be cultivated and sold in Massachusetts for the use of qualifying patients. To qualify, a patient must have been diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition, such as cancer, glaucoma, HIV-positive status or AIDS, hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, or multiple… Read More: Vote YES on Massachusetts Question 3 (“Medical Marijuana”) »
Ballet Question 2 this year in Massachusetts proposes a “Death with Dignity” law, mirroring similar laws which have been enacted in two other states, Oregon (14 years) and Washington (3 years). Though I support the right of individuals to choose to end their lives at a time of their own choosing, I cannot support the… Read More: Vote NO on Massachusetts Question 2 (“Death with Dignity”) »
I recommend a vote of NO on Massachusetts 2012 Question 1, the “Right to Repair” initiative. Its purported goal is to ensure that independent automobile repair facilities have access to the same diagnostic information as car dealerships, so that consumers can have their cars maintained and repaired by whomever they want. This is a laudable… Read More: Vote NO on Massachusetts Question 1 »
UPDATE: The Salt Lake Tribune endorsed George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, so contrary to what I wrote below, it probably is sort of a big deal that they endorsed Obama in 2012. I think what I said about the other newspapers listed below still stands, though I’d be happy to be proven wrong. I… Read More: Salty endorsements »
To:askamy@tribune.com Amy, Responding to “Confused Neighbor,” you wrote, “Sophisticated people living in a country devoted to free speech should be able to tolerate different — or even offensive — perspectives without wanting to leave the country, but you don’t seem able to see things this way. This is something for you to work on.” Rather… Read More: Why gays talk about leaving the country if Romney gets… »
Dear Mayor Menino, A small, vocal group of parents with children at the Mission Hill School have been waging a campaign to derail the BPS administration’s plan to relocate the school to Jamaica Plain. I am writing in opposition to their campaign and in support of the relocation plan as proposed by Dr. Johnson.