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Boston: Talk is cheap on the inauguration stage

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Boston: Talk is cheap on the inauguration stage


Contributing Columnist Talmage Boston(Michael Hogue)

At his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021, 78-year-old Joe Biden gave a 21-minute speech crafted by a team of speechwriters that included Pulitzer-winning historian Jon Meacham. Biden called for national unity; referenced Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and Arlington National Cemetery; quoted St. Augustine and the Bible; and ended by asking God to bless America and our troops.

The address had its eloquent moments, though because inauguration speeches have become largely formulaic, it probably could have been written by the use of artificial intelligence.

Later today, Jan. 20, 2025, 78-year-old Donald Trump will give his Second Inaugural Address. Eight years ago, he gave a 1,433-word speech that lasted 16 minutes. In it, he focused on the “American carnage” that he believed had been caused by “a small group of politicians in the nation’s capital” who had ignored “the forgotten men and women of our country,” failed to prioritize the doctrine of “America first,” and lacked “a total allegiance to the United States of America.” He said his presidency would change all that.

Like Biden and most past presidents, Trump ended by saying he would rely on God in his leadership of the nation and claimed his goal would be to achieve national unity.

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As we look back at the last eight years and compare the words in the last two inaugural addresses against the deeds that transpired over the course of the two men’s presidencies, some important questions come to mind.

Will Trump suffer cognitive decline between the ages of 78 and 82 as Biden did?

Will Republicans, with their slim majorities in the House and Senate, be able to achieve Trump’s objectives, or will they be so divided, as congressional Democrats were for much of Biden’s presidency, that they can’t achieve their desired agenda?

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Will Trump listen to the advice of others during his second term, or will he be a force only unto himself like he was before?

Does the rest of the world have high hopes, complete dread or something in between for how America’s foreign policy will unfold during Trump’s second term?

Strong, hopeful inaugural messages often become empty promises when a president’s performance fails to hit the mark. Not surprisingly, the best remembered phrases from the prior inaugurations have come from our greatest presidents. Why? Because they had the wherewithal to follow through on their opening-bell aspirations, and their speeches were most definitely not formulaic.

George Washington in 1789, speaking to a fragile new nation that sought to establish a better form of government: “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”

Thomas Jefferson in 1801, speaking to a polarized country reeling in the aftermath of the recently expired Sedition Act and a narrow election result that had required six days and 36 ballots in the House of Representatives before it was resolved: “Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same principle. We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.”

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Abraham Lincoln in 1861, when seven states had already seceded from the union and a civil war loomed: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when touched again, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, speaking at the height of the Great Depression as he planned to implement his New Deal programs: “First of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

John F. Kennedy in 1961, speaking at the height of the Cold War as he planned to move forward with his creation of the Peace Corps in an effort to build American prestige in developing countries: “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

The words from history’s inaugural addresses can only have lasting impact when a president does what it takes to fulfill the promises contained in his opening message, as Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Kennedy succeeded in doing.

As with his and Biden’s prior addresses, Trump’s speech today will be praised by many and criticized by many soon after he delivers it. But his ultimate legacy will be judged by history solely on the basis of his deeds.

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Boston, MA

Boston rebels against Trump immigration policies with an ‘ICE Tea Party’ – The Boston Globe

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Boston rebels against Trump immigration policies with an ‘ICE Tea Party’ – The Boston Globe


This time, the people marched in resistance to the harsh treatment of immigrants by the Trump administration.

“We descend from Immigrants and Revolutionaries,” read a battle cry beamed onto the side of the brick meeting house Tuesday.

“The society that stops seeing the people at the grocery line or the people that ride the bus with us, as human beings with beating hearts, then it’s not far off before our society devolves into no society at all,” Gilberto Calderin, director of advocacy at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition said to the crowd of hundreds.

The protest was organized by activist groups Boston Indivisible and Mass 50501, and began at the Irish Famine Memorial Plaza, just steps from the meeting house.

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The lively crowd held up signs, waved American flags, and chanted during the march along Milk Street and Congress Street to the harbor.

Janet England of Brighton held a sign that read, “Democracy Needs Courage.”

The protesters, she said are “true patriots because we want freedom and democracy.”

“Although protest is a long game, we can’t give up. If you think about women’s suffrage, gay rights, the civil rights movement, it took years, but we just can’t give up,” she said.

Gloria Krusemeyer, from Alrington, used a walker to join the march.

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“I’m irritated that I haven’t done more, and I’m just lucky that I can walk fast enough to be doing this,” she said.

Rick Mueller, from Cambridge, was dressed as Uncle Sam and held a large sign that read, “Liberty and Justice For All.”

“We’re fighting for America, so I’m gonna be America,” he said of his costume.

He handed small American flags out to protesters who waved them enthusiastically.

Ice dumping duties was limited to volunteers and select people.

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Among them was Sarah, a mother who brought her 4-year-old daughter, Fiona.

Sarah declined to share her last name for her daughter’s safety.

After throwing ice into the harbor, Fiona shyly said that she wanted to come to the protest to “help families stay together.”

Through tears, Sarah said her decision to bring along Fiona came from wanting to teach her daughter to care about people from all walks of life.

“Kindness and compassion are things we learn in kindergarten and she will be in kindergarten so it’s really important for her to be kind and compassionate,” Sarah said, kissing her daughter’s check.

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Likewise, Sara Sievers, from Cambridge, brought her parents, sister, her nephews and niece to dump ice.

“I think this is one of the most brutal regimes we’ve had in this country, and I want my niece and nephew to remember that it’s important to protest, and that we in Boston are part of a proud tradition of dumping things into the harbor with which we disagree,” Sievers said.

The family wore costumes of historical figures including Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and King Charles.

As the protest came to a close, Martha Laposata, spokesperson for Boston Indivisible said she wanted protestors to walk away knowing their voices matter.

“We cannot stand down,” Laposata said. “When people rise up against an authoritarian government, if they stay consistent and they keep growing, ultimately an authoritarian government will stand down.”

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Camille Bugayong can be reached at camille.bugayong@globe.com.





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Boston, MA

MIT professor shot and killed in his Brookline home

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MIT professor shot and killed in his Brookline home


Crime

Nuno F.G. Loureiro, 47, was pronounced dead on Tuesday after being shot on Monday night.

Nuno F.G. Loureiro, 47, was fatally shot at his home in Brookline on Monday, police said. MIT

An MIT professor was shot and killed in Brookline on Monday night.

Brookline police responded a report of a man shot in his home on Gibbs Street, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office.

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Nuno F.G. Loureiro, 47, was transported to a local hospital and was pronounced dead on Tuesday morning, the DA says.

Loureiro was the director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center and a professor of nuclear science and engineering and physics. Originally from Portugal, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs announced his death in a regulatory hearing before the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities on Tuesday, according to CNN.

“Sadly, I can confirm that Professor Nuno Loureiro, who died early this morning, was a current MIT faculty member in the departments of Nuclear Science & Engineering and Physics, as well as the Director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center. Our deepest sympathies are with his family, students, colleagues, and all those who are grieving,” an MIT spokesperson wrote in a statement.

In January, Loureiro was honored as one of nearly 400 scientists and engineers with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from former president Joe Biden.

The investigation into the homicide remains ongoing. No further information was released.

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Brookline police investigate shooting that wounded man

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Brookline police investigate shooting that wounded man


A man was hospitalized after being shot Monday night in Brookline, Massachusetts.

The shooting happened on Gibbs Street. There was a large police presence at the scene.

The victim was brought to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. His condition was not known.

Police said the victim was shot three times and grazed by another round.

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Authorities did not say if any arrests had been made.

No further information was immediately available.



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