Commentary, perspective, and point-of-view from the Globe's columnists and editorial-page editors and writers.
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July 7, 2006
Ethanol is back in the news with a new US Department of Energy study that underscores what the Natural Resources Defense Council has been saying for some time: so-called cellulosic ethanol has real promise as an alternative liquid fuel for the US.
Or as the study puts it, in government reportese: ``Fuels derived from cellulosic biomass -- the fibrous, wood, and generally inedible portions of plant matter -- offer an alternative to conventional energy sources that supports national economic growth, national energy security, and environmental goals.'' The current corn ethanol program in the US has more limited potential, the study says, but it predicts that that industry ``will jump start a greatly expanded ethanol industry that includes cellulosic ethanol as a major transportation fuel.''
Those interested in the potential of ethanol can read the report.
July 6, 2006
Massachusetts voters may remember Jack E. Robinson, a black Republican who ran a couple of hapless campaigns for the US Senate in 2000 and 2002, and who doesn’t seem any likelier to succeed in his race this year for the Ninth Congressional District seat held by Democrat Stephen Lynch.
But he isn’t the only black Republican named Robinson running for Congress this year. Meet Vernon Robinson, a graduate of the Air Force Academy and eight-year member of the Winston-Salem City Council, who won a May primary to become the Republican nominee in North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District this fall, squaring off against the Democratic incumbent, Brad Miller. A staunch conservative, Robinson is also airing what has to be one of the feistiest, no-holds-barred political commercials anywhere this political season. It starts with “The Twilight Zone,” ends with “Leave It To Beaver,” and manages to hit every conservative hot button from gay marriage to abortion to illegal immigration – with irreverent swipes at Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton along with way. See it for yourself.
Posted by Jeff Jacoby at 05:32 PM
July 6, 2006
As I've noted in a previous post, Deval Patrick's tenacious team of volunteers has been after me to get off my butt and go out to campaign or canvass for their candidate. (Their requests come because I signed up on Patrick's Website so campaign manager John Walsh could show me how the organization is using the Internet to recruit and direct volunteers.)
Give Patrick's team this: They just won't take no -- or rather, no response -- for an answer.
Their latest entreaty came just before the Fourth of July weekend. Was it just my imagination, or did the caller's crisp, matter-of-fact tone carry just the slightest soupcon of disappointment with me?
``Scot, this is Deborah Shaw calling from the Deval Patrick campaign. We only have 11 weeks left to the primary and we are really anxious to finish our canvassing in Charlestown, so we are hoping that you can possibly join us.''
This time, it was not just one specific day that Team Patrick had in mind. Rather, there was an entire menu of dates to dodge.
Sunday, July 2, was the first, ``or if that is not convenient for you'' -- now, just what was implied by that? -- the 12th, the 18th, or the 25th.
As it happens, July 2 was so windy and warm that I found myself consumed with sudden and unanticipated windsurfing, um, obligations, so much so that the (disappointed) expectations of the Patrick campaign never crossed my mind.
Yet once back at work, Deborah's message confronted me like an overdue parking ticket.
``So give me a call so I can chat with you about whether or not you are willing to do some canvassing, and if so, what dates,'' it concluded.
What could one do, but call her to note that I was a journalist who had given my phone number merely for demonstration purposes? And to ask a question that has been much on my mind: Exactly how many times does the Patrick campaign plan to canvass Charlestown, anyway?
``We'll probably do the three we have scheduled, and we are trying to schedule another in the next few weeks,'' Deborah replied. (I'm sad to report that there are apparently no plans in the works for ``Drinks-on-Deval'' events I have previously suggested as an alternative to passing out campaign literature in the hot summer sun.)
I had hardly hung up from our call when Deborah, a retired consultant -- a retired consultant who, just for the record, seemed to be enjoying a canvassing-free day down on the Cape -- called back.
So would I be coming, she asked? Apparently in doing my interview with her, I had forgotten to note that journalists generally don't go out and canvass for candidates.
Told that, Deborah remained undeterred. ``Well,'' said she, ``eventually you have to go into the polls. I hope we have impressed you with our persistence.''
Now there's something one couldn't help but agree with.
July 5, 2006
In last month’s gubernatorial debate, the three Democratic candidates upheld their values in perfect unison. Chris Gabrieli, Tom Reilly, and Deval Patrick shared similar responses on issues ranging from abortion to higher education. The trio echoed each other's opinions and nods. There was little excitement in the first half.
The second half was more thrilling. The moderator, anxious for answers, demanded that each man state why their opponents should lose. For a high school student such as myself, this prompt was much more interesting than health care for businesses. It sounded juicy and I was ready to hear why Gabrieli, Reilly, or Patrick deserved my parents’ votes. I was ready to see these politicians as people. But the three candidates maneuvered their way out of a full-frontal confrontation and focused on their own strengths instead. Typical politics. The worst part is that the candidates were so focused on reciting their résumés that they failed to fully reveal who they are.
The one-minute closings offered a long awaited opportunity to understand more about them. Reilly’s sixty seconds included his tale of nearly flunking out of high school and screamed “I can relate to all your troubles, because I’ve been there.” In his extensive effort to relate to the viewers, Reilly must have forgotten that it is smarter to hide his weaknesses than to advertise them.
Gabrieli, whose size is especially intimidating to a petite 5-foot-2 high school junior, did not take full advantage of the opportunity. He talked about his charitable work in community organizations, including his own Massachusetts 2020, which increases after school opportunities for kids. No one can deny his contribution to the state, but this could be read about in a report. In the end, I still wanted to know more about him and to understand what experiences have influenced his current views.
Patrick talked about his background as well as his wide range of accomplishments, his humble origins and great successes. His path through education to his present achievements is inspiring. His example is an antidote to the all too familiar complaint that education is not worth the investment, and his story should motivate the state to support education rather than cut its funding. Now, that is a smart politician.
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