Archive By Section - Columnists
RIP George Jones
Even back in 1980 when George "The Possum" Jones received a Grammy Award, I regarded him as an old fogey who should step aside for the younger set, such as, well, um, Kenny Rogers.
Liberals Only Seem to Care When Kids Are Killed By Bullets
President Obama receives reports that 20 children and 6 adults have been murdered at the Sandy Hook Elementary School and decides the country needs national standards for gun accessories to protect our children. Limit ammunition capacities for rifle magazines. Outlaw triggers and stocks on rifles that look like pistols. Push for legislation requiring all law-abiding citizens to go through background checks and have the information stored for future reference.
Tail-Sucking Mobius Loop
F. Scott Fitzgerald famously uttered, "There are no second acts in American lives," but bless his heart, the besotted scribe seems blissfully unaware of the loophole large enough to taxi a C-130 through that exists for American politicians. These people are as indomitable as a mule falling off a bridge. More oblivious than a blind tortoise humping a rock. Limber like a deboned eel.
Lessons Learned in Boston
The beautiful Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Center for Public Affairs in Simi Valley, Calif., was the last place I expected to be reminded of the violence that paralyzed the city of Boston last week and turned it into a mini-Baghdad.
Will Rubio Becoming Yet Another Candidate for Whom I Cannot Vote?
There are times when the words "never" and "always" are the only ones that work. In my case, "never" is becoming the word I must use to describe how I feel about certain candidates for high office. For example, I voted four times for a Bush and once for a McCain - something I will never do again.
But, can he check out a book
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody? The George W. Bush Presidential Library opened at Southern Methodist University in Dallas on Thursday. It's a fitting tribute to all he got done as president. The library promises to be a repository of the world's largest collection of books about brush-clearing. The Bible mini-series that aired on the History Channel will be re-edited into a three-hour movie and released. Theater owners are wary about booking it. ...
Boston Marathon Bombing: Was Twitter For the Birds or Revolutionary?
When James French became the last person to be executed in 1966 under Oklahoma's death penalty law, he uttered these famous last words (no joke) that quickly belong to the ages: "Hey fellas," he shouted to reporters there to witness his electrocution. "How about this for a headline for tomorrow's paper? 'French Fries!'"
Beware the American Prom
Proms sure have gotten expensive these days. According to the San Jose Mercury News, high school kids spend nearly $4 billion annually for dresses, accessories, flowers, beauty products, limos and other prom-related items. The average couple spends upward of $1,000 for the one-time event. That got me thinking about my own prom in 1980. I didn't know my date very well. She was in my photography class, pretty and, more important, available. We arranged a ...
Boots in Boston
Riveted to our screens, we learned last week of the enormous value of social media and surveillance video when tragedy strikes. But -- and this second point is as significant as the first -- we were also reminded of the importance of established, well-funded, conventional media, without which the big picture would have had gaping holes.
Lobbyists versus Sick People
What if you had to choose between making insurance more affordable for Americans with pre-existing conditions or funding lobbyists and political hacks? That's the decision the House will face when it considers H.R. 1549, the Helping Sick Americans Now Act, sponsored by Rep. Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania. It should be an easy choice.
Amnesty with secure borders – this time I mean it, Charlie Brown
Poor, sappy Charlie Brown. Year after year, Lucy promises that she will not yank away the football as Charlie tries to kick it. "This time I really mean it," Lucy assures him, but as we all know, it is a trick.
Is that a double letter score?
HOLLYWOOD--God bless America, and how's everybody? The Boston bombers were revealed to be two Chechen brothers Friday. The Chechens are Muslim and white. This allows Republicans to blame the Democrats for being soft on al-Qaeda and the Democrats to blame the Republicans for turning a blind eye to the Klan. Boston police tracked down and killed one of the two bombing supects Friday as the brother got away. It was a long night. The cops ...
The Will to Win
A Boston firefighter, one of many who rushed in to aid bomb victims last Monday, told a TV interviewer, "We will win. I promise you, we will win."
'Short Sharp Shocked' singer told to shut up
Folk Singer Michelle Shocked was performing at Yoshi's in San Francisco on St. Patrick's Day when she said: "If someone would be so gracious as to please tweet out 'Michelle Shocked just said from stage, God hates f-----s.' Would you do it now?"
The will to win
A Boston firefighter, one of many who rushed in to aid bomb victims last Monday, told a TV interviewer, "We will win. I promise you, we will win." As a first responder, he's a genuine hero. But his prediction, while understandable, is vague and even misguided. We are increasingly a nation focused on winning at a time when the world around us doesn't often allow it. Perhaps by the time you read this, authorities will ...
Articles by Section - Columnists
Man Bags for the Modern Male
Exclusive Excerpt from: "Comical Sense: A Lone Humorist Takes on a World Gone Nutty!" by Tom Purcell
Watch the High Stakes Political and Media Credibility Game
Forget the political "blame game." The biggest game in town now is the credibility game -- a high-stakes exercise that will end with America's political middle deciding who is trustworthy and who isn't. Some key players:
Can I take a deduction for that?
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody?
Learning From the Rise and Fall of Michelle Rhee
At some point, we need to stop believing in miracles, at least in education. While we're still getting over the RICO indictments handed down in the Atlanta cheating scandal comes the revelation that the success Michelle Rhee achieved as the "no excuses" superintendent of Washington, D.C.'s public schools was the product of massive cheating. Those asking why Rhee isn't under indictment just like her former colleague in Atlanta are missing the bigger question: If she's ...
Benghazi Smoke Screen
Up until about an hour ago, most Americans thought Benghazi was the guy who palled around with John Cassavetes back in the '60s, but now it's obvious we're talking about the foreign policy arm of a multi-ramped tar pit the president has found himself swimming -- up to his armpits. Yes, friends, it's pity time at the White House.
Scandal Advice from the Master
Bill Clinton, wearing a white toga and a crown of gold, sat in a garden while attractive women fed him grapes. President Obama, having just suffered the most devastating week of his presidency, sat nearby, seeking advice in the art of telling whoppers. Using the Socratic method of teaching, Clinton began to tutor his new student.
Our zoo is famous and other local news
Tying up a few loose ends on stories that didn't make the front page:
IRS Scandal another Reason Why We Need the Fair Tax
"It will create a bureaucracy with the efficiency of the Post Office, the frugality of the Pentagon and the compassion of the IRS."– Mantra of those who opposed HillaryCare in the 1990s.
The Government Can’t Be Trusted With Our Health
"We have a large government," political consultant David Axelrod offered as a plea of ignorance to all of the scandals swirling around his boss. "Part of being president is there's so much beneath you that you can't know because the government is so vast." And yet, thanks to Axelrod and Obama, we now stand on the precipice of the largest expansion of government power in almost half a century: Obamacare, officially known as the Patient ...
Speech to the Best Graduating Class Ever
Students, faculty, family members and friends, it is my great honor to deliver your commencement speech today.
Gang of Eight: Never Have So Few Told So Many Lies
For three more weeks, the Senate Judiciary Committee will debate the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act, S. 744. During the 45 years I've studied Washington politics, including 25 years of editorializing on the dreary subject, I can say without hesitation that no more anti-American legislation has ever been introduced.
The Second Term Curse Crashes Down on Barack Obama
You might say that May 10, 2013 was when the "second term curse" officially struck President Barack Obama -- and that May 13 was when it flattened him. Obama's administration has been hit with a triple whammy blast from a massive political stun gun.
It’s Harvest Time in Washington
Not even Barack Obama can defy the laws of physics.
The Batty Battalion
You do realize that Washington, D.C. is not the real world, don't you? It's a state of mind. An altered state of mind. Where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Slammed when you stand and rammed when you run. Berated if you lie and lambasted for the truth. Where even the slightest of breeze can carry the pollen of disaster. And the pack on top knows the best way to avoid ...
