Massachusetts-centric commentary, activism, and calls to action.

User Submissions See all

• Strategic virtues of the minority party: Transparency, civility, and campus equality

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on November 29, 2025
  The minority party in politics often benefits from norms like transparency and civility; these rules prevent the majority party from steamrolling them. However, if manipulated strategically, these ... (Read more)
  tags: rhetoric strategy transparency power principle

• Another swing and a miss for Battenfield

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on November 23, 2025
  Boston Herald opinion columnist Joe Battenfield and I agree on one thing for certain: the Mass GOP doesn’t appeal to Massachusetts voters, which makes state elections less competitive. That’s where... (Read more)
  tags: elections massgop herald opinion republican

• Are Massachusetts Republicans stronger on transparency?

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on November 21, 2025
  Earlier this week, I officially launched the Beacon Hill Compliance Tracker to the public, with the help of local grassroots leaders. A big question on my mind lately has been what constitutes ethi... (Read more)
  tags: transparency civics massgop hypocrisy technology

• Fear and free speech at Boston College

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on November 07, 2025
  If the best defense of your speech is “I have the right to say it”, your ideas probably stink. Too often, people respond to criticism with a reminder that they have freedom of speech without consid... (Read more)
  tags: speech accountability neutrality responsibility campus

• Splinter Separation of powers is not separation from accountability

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on November 01, 2025
  Massachusetts voters asked for transparency last November and have yet to see it. The last time I wrote about this, I hammered a few key points: The voters demanded it Transparency is necessary for... (Read more)
  tags: legislature transparency oversight audit democracy

• Opacity and ragebait in online Massachusetts media

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on October 29, 2025
  Rage-bait is not the same thing as fake news—but they’re best friends. The online age has inspired e-outlets that masquerade as news sites, replacing research and understanding with the journalisti... (Read more)
  tags: transparency outrage propaganda journalism misinformation

• Transparency as a step, not as a destination

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on October 24, 2025
  Advocating for transparency alone isn’t the endgame, it’s the start of accountability. Whether it’s a candidate obscuring their views or Beacon Hill’s leaders, when critical information is obscured... (Read more)
  tags: legislature transparency activism reform compliance

• Transparency as a civic duty and mechanism of community trust

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on October 23, 2025
  Elections aren’t just about policies; they’re also about trust and consent to lead. When candidates hide what they believe to fit the district they’re running in, voters lose the ability to make an... (Read more)
  tags: transparency local newton elections lgbtq

• I created a Beacon Hill legislative compliance dashboard. What does responsible use look like?

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on October 22, 2025
  I created a Beacon Hill compliance tracker to track legislative compliance in Massachusetts state government! You can view it at https://BeaconHillTracker.org/. I’ve been wanting to contribute to t... (Read more)
  tags: legislature transparency activism watchdog compliance

• Partial arguments do not justify placebo policies

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on October 21, 2025
  Policies don’t work in fragments. When considering the impact of a bill, it’s important to take all its aspects into account, not just the appealing pieces. More than that, we have to be honest abo... (Read more)
  tags: local newton parking nimby housing

• Journalistic preemptive discrediting in the absence of substance

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on October 20, 2025
  Sometimes, journalists can’t challenge a protest’s ideals, so they poison the well before the first step. Last week, I talked about my experience at the “No Kings” rally in Boston—specifically, how... (Read more)
  tags: rhetoric civics protest herald framing

• How does "No Kings" make sense in light of the fact the president was elected?

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on October 19, 2025
  Yesterday, I attended the “No Kings” protest in Boston. Though I don’t support the current administration, I had to grapple with a critical question: Why attend a “No Kings” protest when Trump won ... (Read more)
  tags: activism overreach constitution protest resist

• You, the reader, are closer in status to an illegal immigrant than to a billionaire president

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on October 17, 2025
  John Bolton’s surrender to the Justice Department should be a warning to Republicans everywhere: you’re only on “the inside” until you’re not, and if John Bolton can be ousted from “the inside”, no... (Read more)
  tags: rhetoric ice immigration john bolton justice

• The impossible choice faced by Mass health orgs: Help some, or help none

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on October 15, 2025
  ErinInTheMorning, a trans rights blog, recently posted about Fenway Health (Boston-based non-profit LGBTQ health center) kowtowing to the demands of the executive branch: In a move that shocked fam... (Read more)
  tags: boston lgbtq healthcare federal harvard

• Massachusetts legislature transparency: Don't just flip the seat, fix the problem

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on October 12, 2025
  Massachusetts State Committeewoman Kathleen Lynch (R) recently sent out an email to constituents hammering the transparency issue on Beacon Hill. I myself have written a few posts here about some o... (Read more)
  tags: legislature politics strategy transparency beacon hill

• A quick look at Howie Carr's formula for hitting word limits

  ➕ 1

  💬 0
  By 📝 massandra on October 11, 2025
  Today, I stumbled across an opinion article on the Boston Herald by right-wing Massachusetts commentator Howie Carr about a person who punched a cop during a protest. The Boston Police report detai... (Read more)
  tags: outrage distraction boston herald incite howie carr

See all posts →