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EDITORIAL |
A WEEK OF GLOBE EDITORIALS
State to Pike: Don't drop dead
THE PATRICK administration is seeking the power to help out the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority by co-signing for some of its debt. Unfortunately, the Legislature has no good choice but to adopt the proposal before adjourning later this month. (Boston Globe, 12 a.m.)
Syria's winding road to peace
PRESIDENT BASHAR Assad of Syria received a splashy welcome in Paris last weekend at a meeting hosted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Assad gave interviews, received visits from notables, and was perched on the reviewing stand for a Bastille Day celebration. At a time when his regime is conducting talks with Israel through Turkish go-betweens, Assad was being shown that ... (Boston Globe, 12 a.m.)
Prosecution vs. privacy
TUCKED AWAY in an uncontroversial bill lengthening sentences for sex offenders in Massachusetts is a provision that expands the right of law enforcement officials to poke around - at their own discretion - in citizens' telephone, e-mail, and Internet records. Governor Patrick should tell legislators to drop or scale back this clause before he signs the overall bill. (Boston Globe, 12 a.m.)
A weight on the Fire Dept.
AT THIS point, Boston taxpayers should understand that they will be given no quarter by Firefighters Local 718. Residents appalled by abuses of accidental disability retirement by firefighters must look to lawmakers, law enforcement, and even private investigators for any hope of rescue from practices that drain city coffers and undermine public safety. (Boston Globe, 7/18/08)
A strange kind of hero
WHEN ISRAEL swapped prisoners and corpses this week with the Lebanese Shi'ite movement Hezbollah, a flood of propaganda immediately followed. Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, depicted the return of five prisoners and the remains of 199 Lebanese killed in the 2006 war with Israel as a way of achieving Hezbollah's original goal when it kidnapped two Israeli soldiers - an act ... (Boston Globe, 7/18/08)
Sri Lanka's forgotten conflict
PARTISANS of human rights have been rightly outraged this year by the behavior of ruthless regimes in Burma, Zimbabwe, and Sudan. But when the government of Sri Lanka was stripped of its seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council this spring - a body that includes Saudi Arabia, Cuba, and Russia among its members - hardly anyone noticed, outside ... (Boston Globe, 7/17/08)
Art for our sake
NEW YORK CITY has four new waterfalls, part of a temporary public art installation created by Denmark-born artist Olafur Eliasson. Between 90 and 120 feet tall, the waterfalls churn 2 million gallons of water an hour in a roaring cascade that seems from this distance to ask: How's the public art in Boston? (Boston Globe, 7/17/08)
A weight on the Fire Dept.
AT THIS point, Boston taxpayers should understand that they will be given no quarter by Firefighters Local 718. Residents appalled by abuses of accidental disability retirement by firefighters must look to lawmakers, law enforcement, and even private investigators for any hope of rescue from practices that drain city coffers and undermine public safety. (Boston Globe, 7/17/08)
A strange kind of hero
WHEN ISRAEL swapped of prisoners and corpses this week with the Lebanese Shi’ite movement Hezbollah, a flood of propaganda immediately followed. Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, depicted the return of five prisoners and the remains of 199 Lebanese killed in the 2006 war with Israel as a way of achieving Hezbollah’s original goal when it kidnapped two Israeli soldiers — an ... (Boston Globe, 7/17/08)
Better care, without a mandate
IN THE several years since the Massachusetts Nurses Association began pressing for a law setting minimum staffing levels for nurses at acute-care hospitals, patients have gained access to an enormous amount of information about internal hospital operations. In addition to public data required by state and federal agencies, hospitals in this state report voluntarily through a program of the Massachusetts ... (Boston Globe, 7/17/08)
Better care, without a mandate
IN THE several years since the Massachusetts Nurses Association began pressing for a law setting minimum staffing levels for nurses at acute-care hospitals, patients have gained access to an enormous amount of information about internal hospital operations. In addition to public data required by state and federal agencies, hospitals in this state report voluntarily through a program of the Massachusetts ... (Boston Globe, 7/16/08)
Sharpen the shears, just in case
GOVERNOR PATRICK needs new tools to deal with economic threats that, if left unchecked, could lead to a fiscal fiasco in 2009. Business-as-usual practices on Beacon Hill can't cope with what the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation fears is a budget that is $1 billion out of balance. (Boston Globe, 7/16/08)
Saving Fannie and Freddie
WITH ITS decision this week to rescue the mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac , the Bush administration once again acknowledged that - one way or another - the federal government was bound to intervene heavily in the nation's vast, complex financial markets. (Boston Globe, 7/16/08)
Fist-bump fury
A FRESH ROUND of campaign offend-o-rama has been triggered by a New Yorker magazine cover that mocks right-wing slanders of Barack and Michelle Obama. The couple, he in Muslim garb, she in camo with automatic weapon, stand in the Oval Office knuckle-bumping under a portrait of Osama bin Laden and in front of a flag-burning fireplace. A host of commentators ... (Boston Globe, 7/16/08)
Art for our sake
NEW YORK CITY has four new waterfalls, part of a temporary public art installation created by Denmark-born artist Olafur Eliasson. Between 90 and 120 feet tall, the waterfalls churn 2 million gallons of water an hour in a roaring cascade that seems from this distance to ask: How’s the public art in Boston? (Boston Globe, 7/16/08)
Indictment for genocide
WHEN THE chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court presented evidence yesterday in support of an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan, he touched off a clash between two principles. The bedrock of the ICC is the pursuit of justice for genocide and crimes against humanity. That differs from the mission of the peacekeeper, the humanitarian aid ... (Boston Globe, 7/15/08)
Saving Fannie and Freddie
WITH ITS decision this week to rescue the mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Bush administration once again acknowledged that — one way or another — the federal government was bound to intervene heavily in the nation’s vast, complex financial markets. (Boston Globe, 7/15/08)
On health, Patrick makes a tough choice
THE GOOD news is that enrollment in the state's new subsidized health insurance program has greatly exceeded projections. The bad news is that this has raised the first-year cost of Commonwealth Care from an expected $472 million to $630 million. To fill the gap, the Patrick administration has devised a plan that spreads the pain relatively equally among health reform's ... (Boston Globe, 7/15/08)
Sharpen the shears, just in case
GOVERNOR PATRICK needs new tools to deal with economic threats that, if left unchecked, could lead to a fiscal fiasco in 2009. Business-as-usual practices on Beacon Hill can’t cope with what the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation fears is a budget that is $1 billion out of balance. (Boston Globe, 7/15/08)
Fist-bump fury
A FRESH ROUND of campaign offend-o-rama has been triggered by a New Yorker magazine cover that mocks right-wing slanders of Barack and Michelle Obama. The couple, he in Muslim garb, she in camo with automatic weapon, stand in the Oval Office knuckle-bumping under a portrait of Osama bin Laden and in front of a flag-burning fireplace. A host of commentators ... (Boston Globe, 7/15/08)
A long way since 1913
BY SOME odd twist of events, the best-known act of the Massachusetts Legislature of 1913 is a law denying marriage licenses to nonresident couples if their union would be illegal in their home states. (Boston Globe, 7/15/08)
Fuel for thought
EUROPEAN OFFICIALS have the foresight and flexibility to admit that the world's romance with biofuels is going sour. Why can't the United States do the same? (Boston Globe, 7/14/08)
Indictment for genocide
WHEN THE chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court presented evidence yesterday in support of an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan, he touched off a clash between two principles. The bedrock of the ICC is the pursuit of justice for genocide and crimes against humanity. That differs from the mission of the peacekeeper, the humanitarian aid ... (Boston Globe, 7/14/08)
A long way since 1913
BY SOME odd twist of events, the best-known act of the Massachusetts Legislature of 1913 is a law denying marriage licenses to nonresident couples if their union would be illegal in their home states. (Boston Globe, 7/14/08)
Patrick makes a tough choice
THE GOOD news is that enrollment in the state’s new subsidized health insurance program has greatly exceeded projections. The bad news is that this has raised the first-year cost of Commonwealth Care from an expected $472 million to $630 million. To fill the gap, the Patrick administration has devised a plan that spreads the pain relatively equally among health reform’s ... (Boston Globe, 7/14/08)
Broad horizons on the harbor
A SMALL kiosk on downtown Boston's Long Wharf now serves as the main gateway to the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation area. This makes about as much sense as placing a single turnstile at the entrance to the Grand Canyon. But a new portal may finally be opening to the 34-island harbor park system. (Boston Globe, 7/14/08)
Not budget-busters
ONE SURE way to hold down health insurance premiums in Massachusetts would be simply to cut out coverage for all injuries and illnesses. To keep insurers from giving into that temptation, the state Legislature requires them to cover certain services, from mental health care to diabetes treatment to mammograms. Still, whenever such proposals arise, the chorus from insurers is the ... (Boston Globe, 7/13/08)
Strike up the broadband
IN MANY of the nation's metropolitan areas, people race around the Web on broadband roadways built on cable, fiber optics, DSL, and wireless systems. In coffee shops or in the privacy of their own homes, users can shop, attend college, and run businesses. (Boston Globe, 7/13/08)
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