Category Archives: Commentary

Mexico, on $5 a Day

2/15/2001 – 4:23 pm

In the 1960s, a different kind of travel guide appeared in American bookstores, with titles like “Europe on $5 a day.” Overseas travel, which until then had been the province of the wealthy, was now within the grasp of working-class Americans. Hoi polloi fanned out in every direction, children and grandchildren of immigrants, going back […]

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American Heritage

2/8/2001 – 4:21 pm

It’s been snowing off and on all week in northern New England, piling on top of the accumulated drifts and mounds. We shovel our way to the street, then the city plow comes along and pushes it all back in, heavier than before. Rooftop shoveling is a popular pastime for the anxious homeowner; the snowpack […]

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The Age of Unlightenment

2/1/2001 – 4:19 pm

Here’s how things worked in the bad old days: you flipped a switch on the wall and the lights came on. Between 1900 and 2000, electricity went from a luxury to a necessity upon which life as we know it depends. The same evolution will probably take place with the Internet in this century. Cable […]

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89637-132

1/25/2001 – 4:17 pm

In the waning hours of the Clinton presidency, the ultimate news was about legal bargaining, which may be the true Clinton legacy. The soon-to-be ex-president cut a deal with special prosecutor Robert Ray. In his statement, Bill Clinton continued to dispense words carefully and the tone was petulant rather than penitent, evidence that personal morality […]

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Pro-Criminal

1/18/2001 – 4:15 pm

The president, Republicans keep saying, should have the right to pick a cabinet whose members reflect his views. In the case of George W. Bush, perhaps we should amend the axiom to say a president should have the right to pick a cabinet whose members reflect the views of the people who financed his election. […]

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Search and Destroy

1/11/2001 – 4:13 pm

The prospective Bush administration is off to a blazing start, but the heat and light this week are generated by the Linda Chavez nomination going down in flames. At what was probably the last press conference of her political career, the now-defunct nominee for labor secretary portrayed herself as a victim of head-hunting politics, predicting […]

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Cleaning Up The Mess

1/4/2001 – 4:11 pm

Let’s get back to work, shall we? The administration is turning over in less than three weeks, President Clinton is still groping for a legacy and he’s turning to ecumenism for help. Southern Baptist Clinton is throwing a Hail Mary pass and he’s hoping a Muslim and Jew will catch it. If Bill gets a […]

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