Archive for the ‘Opinion’ Category
For those watching the election returns at Richard Tisei’s election-night party at the Peabody Marriott or with Scott Brown at Boston’s Park Plaza, the message was clear: moderate candidates are not welcome in Massachusetts, at least not if you have an “R” next to your name. Tuesday’s election was a victory for those who believe […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 4 Comments
Tags: Democrat, election, John F. Kennedy, MA, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Politics, Rebublican, Richard Tisei, Scott Brown, Tea Party, Wakefield Daily Item
No Shame in Voting for Moderates
Call me a homer. Call me provincial. You can even call me a Republican if it makes you happy and you don’t care much about accuracy. But on Tuesday, Nov. 6, I’ll be voting for the two moderate candidates from Wakefield, Massachusetts: Scott Brown and Richard Tisei, over their extremely partisan opponents. Tisei lives in […]
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Tags: 2012 election, bipartisan, campaign, candidates, Democrat, election, election Senate Congress, gridlock, MA, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, moderates, partisan, political party, politician, Politics, Republican, Richard Tisei, Scott Brown, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Item
Self-intervention
I admit that I am powerless over the Internet. There, I’ve said it. They say that admitting you have a problem is the first step toward recovery. I wish it were that easy. I thank my higher power that I don’t have a smartphone. I’d be one of those people at social events with my […]
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Tags: adiction, Internet, Internet addiction, Jon Stewart, Mark Sardella, net addiction, online, Scott Brown, smartphone, smartphones, tweet, Twitter, Wakefield Daily Item
Two Guys From Wakefield
Things are looking up for two of Wakefield’s most favored political sons, Scott Brown and Richard Tisei. Brown had a good debate Monday night at UMass Lowell. They’ll never admit it, but you could tell that the Elizabeth Warren people thought she lost because they were complaining bitterly about moderator David Gregory. The side that […]
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Tags: Congress, congressman, election, Elizabeth Warren, John Tierney, MA, Mark Sardella, Richard Tisei, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Scott Brown, Senate, senator, Tea Party, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Massachusetts
Pot Law Takes a Hit
When the Board of Selectmen last week moved to use zoning to nip in the bud any chance of a medical marijuana dispensary opening in Wakefield Massachusetts, they were not alone. Many Massachusetts cities and towns have put in motion measures to stem the possibility of a pot store opening in their communities. This widespread […]
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Tags: Ballot Questions, cannabis, Daily Item, election, elections, herb, marihuana, marijuana, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, medical marijuana, pot, vote, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Massachusetts, weed
Extreme Moderates
“Why are there no moderate Republicans?” That’s the lament we hear with increasing frequency from some quarters as the fall election season heats up. Meanwhile, many of the same people who decry this supposed lack of moderation are working overtime to paint a couple of true moderates as “extreme.” Last year, Congressional Quarterly ranked Scott […]
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Tags: Congress, Democrats, election, elections, John Tierney, Mark Sardella, moderate, moderates, Politics, Republican, Republicans, Richard Tisei, Scott Brown, Senate, Senator Scott Brown, Twitter, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Mass, Wakefield Massachusetts
As you read this, I’m hoppin’ a freight train box car and heading out to Britt, Iowa for the National Hobo Convention. It’s no joke. There really is a National Hobo Convention. It’s been held in Britt, Iowa on the second weekend in August since 1900. “The National Hobo Convention,” the description goes, “celebrates current […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Humor, Opinion | 1 Comment
Tags: Britt IA, Britt Iowa, Daily Item, hobo, Hobo Convention, hoboes, Mark Sardella, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Item
Marching Orders
I love a parade. I’m especially fond of the Wakefield, MA Independence Day Parade, having attended most of them since the Eisenhower Administration. Over the years, I became less interested in the clowns and more interested in the politicians. In other words, my tastes haven’t changed very much. The 2012 Wakefield Independence Day Parade featured […]
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Tags: Daily Item, Donald Wong, Elizabeth Warren, Fourth of July, holiday, John Tierney, July 4, Mark Sardella, Parade, parades, Peter Koutoujian, politicians, Richard Tisei, Sen. Scott Brown, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Independence Day Parade, Wakefield Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Massachusetts
The New Drug Culture
Full disclosure: this column was written under the influence of performance enhancing drugs: the caffeine from two cups of Stop & Shop brand coffee. Especially when it comes to caffeine, the drug culture has come out of the closet. Just look at the advertising campaigns for caffeine containing products. They are now promoted far more […]
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Keep Neighborhood Polling Places
Largely ignored in all the excitement over the margin of victory in the June 9 Special Election was the fact that the decision to build a new Galvin Middle School was made by a minority of the town’s voters. Less than one-third of those eligible weighed in with a vote. If you count only the […]
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Tags: Daily Item, election, elections, Galvin, Galvin Middle School, Galvinize, Galvinize Wakefield, Mark Sardella, polling places, Proposition 2 1/2, school, schools, tax, taxes, vote, voters, votes, voting, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Massachusetts
Mark Sardella 