Gavin McInnes is selling a marketable product. The pose of the right-wing provocateur and founder of the group the Proud Boys is that he’s simply a defender of normality and old-fashioned male fellowship, when what gives his cause its frisson of excitement is violence. McInnes is enjoying a media moment. After he gave a speech […]
Op-Eds
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Question 5 — an investment in Maine's future
On Nov. 6, voters will have an opportunity to invest $15 million in Maine’s community colleges by voting “Yes” on Question 5. Question 5 will make important investments in community colleges across the state — expanding educational opportunities, increasing access for students, and helping to ensure that businesses can hire workers who have the skills […]
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How not to modernize Saudi Arabia
WASHINGTON — If, as appears increasingly likely, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, then he has joined Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un among the ranks of rogue leaders who assassinate their critics on foreign soil. The only difference is that the Russian president and North Korean leader […]
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Why should I vote?
We live in a great democracy and yet, even with constant urging to “get out and vote,” rarely do we see voter turnouts that reach 50 percent of the eligible electorate. Why don’t people vote? Or, maybe it is the corollary argument — why do people vote? Let’s look at avoiders first. Sadly, perhaps almost […]
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What Khashoggi's apparent murder says about Saudi Arabia — and America
NEW YORK — The apparent murder of Jamal Khashoggi tells us something important about Saudi Arabia. But it also tells us something important about America. First Saudi Arabia. As has been often noted, Jamal Khashoggi used to be part of the Saudi establishment. Although not a member of the House of Saud, he was well-born […]
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Why vote for Democrats?
Given what the Trump administration is saying are record achievements for a president at this stage in office, why would anyone consider voting for Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections? Writing in The Washington Examiner, Paul Bedard lists 289 accomplishments of the Trump administration, beginning with the obvious one, the economy: “They include 173 major […]
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A walk down memory lane … with Stevie, Aretha, Gladys …
Boy, this takes me back. That’s what I kept thinking the other night as I paged through a new coffee table book, “Soul R&B Funk: Photographs 1972-1982” by my friend and former colleague, Bruce W. Talamon. Another friend had sent it for my birthday — thanks, Herschel — and I opened it up, intending to […]
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Double-standard double down
Harvey Weinstein. Bill Cosby. Roy Moore. The list of men disgraced (finally) by their assumption of male privilege over the bodies of women grew for months. So much so that it was hardly news when another man harassed his way onto the list. After Cosby, whom many of us had thought of as “America’s dad,” […]
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Have some respect for Sen. Collins’ rights
My grandfather was a Republican, an admirer of Margaret Chase Smith. My father was a Democrat, an Ed Muskie man. In spite of this, the political discussions in our home respected the right of others to have opposing views. Or what Sen. Smith called, “the basic principles of Americanism — the right to criticize; the […]
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Italy's debt has become an economic and political monster
WASHINGTON — Just when it seemed safe not to worry about the next financial crisis, up pops Italy. “In Italy, lavish plans may propel next crisis,” warned The New York Times. Or, “Italy’s budget rattles financial markets on debt crisis fears,” said Sky News. Exactly how a crisis might emerge isn’t clear. Would Italian interest […]