He had much in common with me - a middle aged man who wanted to do as much as he could for his children; a social man who enjoyed chatting with all types of people; a former high school football player who missed that excitement and camaraderie; a man blessed with a supportive family but who nonetheless had bouts of feeling unworthy. He even shared a first name - Timothy (or "Tim" to his friends and "Timmy" to his older family members).The man in question was the late Tim ... Read Full Story

Should President Bush attend the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, as planned? Or by doing so, is that seen as some kind of implicit endorsement of China's reprehensible policies toward Tibet, Darfur and Burma?I say, keep the diplomatic channels open. Not only the Chinese government, but more importantly the vast majority of Chinese people are taking great pride in their role as host of the 2008 Summer Olympics. If President Bush were to renege on his commitment to attend the op... Read Full Story

Former Massachusetts Governor and Democratic Presidential Candidate Michael Dukakis is now lobbying to do away with the Electoral College system of electing the U.S. President and switching it with a straight tally of the popular vote. Will the Electoral College system soon give way to a simple counting of popular votes? Should the Electoral College system be replaced?Sorry Mr. Dukakis, I don't see that happening. Indeed, I'm having a difficult time understanding your argument abo... Read Full Story

Are the sanctions to be imposed by the G-8 nations on Robert Mugabe and his inner circle a sufficient response by the U.S. to the situation in Zimbabwe? Should the U.S. and it's allies do more to attempt to oust Mugabe and end the suffering of his opponents? Clearly, the recent "election" in Zimbabwe was a sham, the continued rule of Mugabe is illegitimate and the country's economy is on the brink of total collapse. The U.S. and Britain were correct to make Zimbabwe a maj... Read Full Story

Should President Bush attend the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, as planned? Or by doing so, is that seen as some kind of implicit endorsement of China's reprehensible policies toward Tibet, Darfur and Burma?I say, keep the diplomatic channels open. Not only the Chinese government, but more importantly the vast majority of Chinese people are taking great pride in their role as host of the 2008 Summer Olympics. If President Bush were to renege on his commitment to attend the... Read Full Story

Should President George W. Bush be given any credit for the recent move of the North Koreans to start dismantling their nuclear facilities?To me, the answer is clearly "yes," although I don't foresee that happening, at least not until the waning days of his Presidency after the November election. Read Full Story

Was the majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court logical in ignoring the prefatory language about "a well-regulated militia" in it's recently released opinion about the 2nd amendment?Probably not. Remember, the U.S. Supreme Court has blundered before ( Dred Scott v. Sanford and Plessy v. Ferguson come to mind). Nevertheless, it's probably better to err on the side of individual freedom when it's a question of government power vs. individual freedom. Now we'll awa... Read Full Story

The City of Newton Massachusetts is taking ample flak over the $197.5 million price tag for the new high school it's in the process of building. Given that seemingly exorbitant amount, Newton is an easy target. But is Newton being unfairly attacked?Consider the story in the Boston Globe's ''Globe West" section this past Sunday June 22nd by Rachana Rathi. The new Newton North High School will house nearly 20% more students than Wellesley's $159 million new high school ... Read Full Story

The City of Newton Massachusetts is taking ample flak over the $197.5 million price tag for the new high school it's in the process of building. Given that seemingly exorbitant amount, Newton is an easy target. But is Newton being unfairly attacked?Consider the story in the Boston Globe's ''Globe West" section this past Sunday June 22nd by Rachana Rathi. The new Newton North High School will house nearly 20% more students than Wellesley's $159 million new high school ... Read Full Story

Let's discuss the current Presidential election. It's come down, of course, to Barack Obama as the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party and John McCain in the same position for the Republican Party. Both have from time to time exhibited certain "maverick" style elements that seem to be lurking within their personalities: Obama with his early stance against the U.S. military involvement in Iraq and with his initial support of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright; McCain earlier i... Read Full Story