At long last, I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel. And no, it isn’t an oncoming train. For what seems like decades, I have been complaining about the conservative editorial stance of the T&G. From what I understand, that is a legacy of the original owners and publishers. That’s OK, I can accept that not everybody is a liberal like me. It just had galled me that over the last decade or so, since Chris Sinacola was elevated from columnist (anyone remember Sina-cism?) up through the ranks to editor, the conservative flavor had seemed to me to become the bitter bile of right-wing extremism, what with Sinacola as the editor and David Hitch providing the illustrations.

I found it upsetting that the only major print news source in Central Massachusetts had that stance. You read it, or you wait a week for Worcester Magazine, or that other one, InCity Times. Both of which are mainly entertainment and special features and editorials. Now under new ownership, while bowing to the economic realities of running print media in this day, the publisher seems to be moving toward the center. Imagine, in the main editorial last week was a feature from the New York Times!! Other than conservative David Brooks’ column, I can’t imagine anything from NYT seeing print under Sinacola’s stewardship.

Sinacola is already gone and Hitch is set to leave in July. I wish Mr. Sinacola well, as he seemed like a decent person and never did me any harm. I hope he lands on his feet. I don’t feel so charitable to David Hitch, but I wish him no harm nonetheless.

Let freedom ring and let the paper start reflecting the values of the majority of subscribers.

We are now in the 21st century. Many things have changed since I grew up during the last century. Digital media has become a fact of life, like radio and television were in my adolescence. Now, the younger generations are growing up with the new technologies, and I imagine they would think, like I did about television,  “Wow, how did you live in the old days without cell phones and computers?” You know, like most other things, there are pluses and minuses. The pluses are obvious. Being able to place and receive a call to anywhere from anywhere. In an emergency situation, that could be invaluable. Being able to click on a search engine on the computer and look up virtually anything. Being a person of great factual knowledge is no longer very important. But then you have the rude cell phone users who will pull their phone out while you are talking to them to receive a call. And those who endanger others as well as themselves by cell phone use while driving a car.

There is an old saying that I think is true. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Here in the new digital age, we have Islamic radicals who are trying to take us back to the seventh century. Among their methods are ancient forms of torture and execution, Meanwhile, they are very adept at using modern technology to advance their cause. And here, in the good old U. S. of A., we have modern-day lynching of black people by the police. We have a political party that wants to eliminate many of the protections of voting rights and social safety nets that were constructed in the last century. There are many people here who think that the right of personal firearm ownership is one of the Ten Commandments. As though we were still fighting off Indians two centuries ago. Show me a person who thinks they need a gun, and I will show you either a person who leads a very dangerous life where police won’t be able to help, or a zealot who puts his own desires ahead of the good of society.

The bottom line is things on the surface change, but beneath, where we inhabit our inner lives, nothing changes. Ever.

I, like every politics junkie, am watching the entrants into the 2016 presidential election.

On the Democratic side, the Hillary juggernaut is the only candidate of any significance. However, on the Republican side, the number of candidates is 19 as of now. Honestly, I find this more entertaining than any reality show on TV.  The only one of the bunch that has showed any possibility of electability has been Jeb Bush. Recently, he shot himself in the foot by declaring that, if he had it to do over again, he would follow his brother G. W.’s disastrous entry into Iraq. It is now time to call in the hired clowns to dance on stage while Jeb speaks, because he has joined the ranks of the clown car passengers. I can’t add anything to what has been written and spoken by numerous pundits about Jeb. I will just say that money can’t buy brains.

If the conservatives in this country prevail and elect one of these clowns to lead America for the next four years, those who believe in prayer had better start praying. We will need any help we can get.