The Phoenix posted the tenth annual Muzzle Awards. The listing, compiled by Media Nation blogger Dan Kennedy, showcases the offenses against free speech by local individuals and organizations. An apropos way to celebrate liberty for the Fourth of July. He gets the Muzzle this year by stifling the free speech of former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami by refusing to provide state-police protection to the visiting former head of state. Boston Police stepped up to provide......

This morning on NPR's Morning Edition the money race was quantified in numbers. Since it was NPR they needed something other than visual aids to make the point. What better way to make that point than to use music? The brothers Gibb classic “Staying Alive” was used, for every one second played the candidate indicated had raised $2 million dollars. For some of the candidates, like Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, and Bill Richardson the clips......

Since Mitt Romney has long since made it clear that he's, like, so over Massachusetts, Bostonist is seldom surprised to see our dear governor make important policy pronouncements while visiting other states. But now he's taking it to the next level, with surprise visits to Iraq and Afghanistan. This makes us wonder: Can anyone make a surprise visit to a war zone? First, it was just the President, then the Vice President, then cabinet members.......

The funny thing about Massachusetts politics, Bostonist has found, is that even when we are distracted by exciting stuff like the repatriation of accused murderers/internet smut-peddlers/would-be patrons of escort services, the internecine squabbles keep cooking along. So as you spend the long weekend in reverent remembrance of Presidents Washington and Lincoln, don't forget that today is also the 385th anniversary of the election of the first military captain of Plymouth Colony. With that in mind,......

Boy oh boy, Mitt is really pulling out all the stops these days. After announcing he wouldn't seek reelection because he'd accomplished everything he set out to do, the governor tells the Globe today that the liberal Massachusetts media unfairly characterize him as conservative, and tells the Herald he wishes he'd never run for office in this dumb Commonwealth anyway. Um, thanks, Guv. That really gives us a lot of faith that your heart will......