Presidential concerns; Massachusetts is going to the dogs

A young soldier’s death sheds light upon the injustice of the many troops dying for the U.S. in Iraq who are not even Americans in a New York Times article today. The Times effectively uses Corporal Juan Mariel Alcantara as a symbol for the 21,000 troops in his position by putting his life into general terms: at 22, he “was old enough to have talked about going to college…, to have a fiancée…to have sought American citizenship.” The bittersweet image of his family’s grief at his citizenship ceremony and his mother’s inability to look at the projected photo of President Bush underscores the irony of their desire for Alcantara to become a citizen of a country whose leader they blame for his death.

Alongside its chronicles of dissatisfaction with the outgoing President Bush, the media keeps a close watch on the 2008 presidential candidates. The latest news today is Senator Hillary Clinton’s health care proposal. The Washington Post’s coverage of her announcement in Iowa brings up her past failure as First Lady in creating universal healthcare and highlights her emphasis on a system that will create “choice” but no additional bureaucracy. The Post article provides plenty of analysis of the announcement by turning to academics, political strategists and political rivals for comments.

In Boston, the number of stabbings is on the rise, according to a Boston Globe article today. The article compares statistics between shootings and stabbings in the city from this year to last and includes informative comments from law enforcement officials that link the increase directly to gang leaders’ instructions to avoid imprisonment for possession of a firearm. The observation at the end of the article that one could legally carry a sword or a machete strengthens the point made that it may be time to update laws that ban carrying certain types of knives.

South of the city, The Patriot Ledger reports on a Raynham man’s hope to bypass Governor Patrick’s refusal to allow slot machines at dog tracks by making a bid to open a casino resort at his dog track, Raynham Park. The article offers little in the way of news, aside from the Raynham track owner’s intentions, and mainly reiterates the decisions already made by the governor and their intended consequences. It might be a useful recap for those who have not been following the story, but otherwise gives little new information.