Boston Herald editorial by Kerry about youth violence and tax cuts

[Mass]

Written in cooperation with an Episcopal minister, it is about violence in society in general. Read it completely as the 4 paragraphs rule does not allow to post all that is important.

Given the news these last days in MA (and I would guess we are not the only ones), this is very timely, but why is it that Kerry's editorials are in the Herald and never in the Globe (this makes me read the Herald, that I would not read otherwise).

http://news.bostonherald.com/opinion/view.bg?articleid=120775

Crime woes need united effort
By John Kerry and Bob Massie
Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Over the last few weeks, as we celebrated our holidays and the hope of a New Year, we also had to face the shock of crime and violent death right here in Boston. This problem won’t go away unless we learn the sobering lessons of these events and make a different kind of New Year’s resolution — one that involves all of us.
We have fought too hard and come too far in the struggle to rebuild our communities to allow those gains to slip away because of callous indifference. We already saw what happened in New Orleans. Year after year of fiscal neglect wore away both the physical foundation of the levees and the social structure of public safety.
We are beginning to see similar erosion here in Massachusetts, where federal cut-backs in the most basic forms of support — for job training, for schools, for community policing — have worn down our levees of protection so much that violence is now spilling over the edges and carrying away our young men.
...
But restoring funding to crucial programs is not enough. Every one of us — every public official and police officer, every parent and teacher, every songwriter and filmmaker, every worker and business leader, and every young person, stretching toward adulthood — must make a commitment to repudiate the allure of violence and brutality.

[Luftmensch067]

1. Thanks for the heads up, Mass!

This looks really good and, as you say, sadly timely. I am glad to see this and every excellent op ed that JK writes, but I agree that having to read the horrid Herald is cruel and unusual punishment!!! :)

[jenndar]

11. Maybe when we feel like it's useless

to stick up for JK in JK-hostile environments, we can remember that he has to do the same thing, haha! Go JK!

[whometense]

12. Good point!

Including having to appear before the Boston Herald editorial board x(

[whometense]

2. I love the way

he leaves us these items to tide us over while he's away. :loveya:

[ProSense]

3. Thanks Mass. A terrific statement.

JK got to me again. His compassion and common sense does it every time. The Best part:

The great spiritual traditions of the world all teach that human beings are in the greatest moral danger when their hearts grow hard, when they are no longer bothered by the cries of the widow and the orphan, when they no longer hunger for justice, when the rich man no longer sees Lazarus at his gate. They all teach that our obligation is not lecturing others how to behave, but striving to renew our own hearts and practices.

This is what Bush and everyone around him fail to understand. So, how is that bogus gang initiative? Oh, Mrs. Bush Jr.! Where are you?

[beachmom]

9. That paragraph is EXACTLY as I feel.

If you think about it, it is SO easy to judge others, and is completely gratifying to the ego (that person over there is SO immoral, which means I'm MUCH more moral). But to go inside yourself, and ask the question, where can I do better? How can I show more compassion? THAT is tough and requires a lifelong commitment. That paragraph goes beyond politics, and would work as an inspirational message in any church, synagogue, mosque, or self help book!

Thanks for posting.

[ProSense]

10. I completely agree! n/t

[jenndar]

13. I think this is why we are supporting JK

and not somebody else. He leads by example.

[karynnj]

4. Why is he not President? Mass, thanks for the link

This is how a President would engage religious leaders - to help people who need it, bring people together and to get us back to real values - not to divide us.

Hasn't he been involved in fighting this type of violence since he was a prosceutor?

[TayTay]

5. He probably submits stuff to the BGlobe

but they don't publish. Hey, they had to adopt the NYTimes practice of running interest group ads on the OpEd page recently and they also recently 'retired' a lot of their long-time columnists. The BGlobe is probably reserving space on OpEd to one or two a month.

I see more OpEd from Teddy and Jk in the Lowell Sun that in the BGlobe. (And more coverage as well. Okay more coverage of one Senator anyway. Sigh!)

[whometense]

7. Including (sniff!) Tom Oliphant.

I haven't found a thing worth reading in weeks. He is really going to be missed.

[rox63]

6. That's my president!

:loveya:

[wisteria]

8. Good op-ed and good thoughts and ideas. It all makes so much

sense.