Archive By Section - Columnists
Washington deserves his own day -- Floyd and Mary Beth Brown
"If we do this - change the date of the Washington holiday celebration - 10 years from now our school children will not know what Feb. 22 means. They will not know or care when George Washington was born. They will know that in the middle of February they will have a three-day weekend for some reason. This will come."
Nothing's funny about Egyptian attack
On Feb. 11, CBS Chief Foreign Correspondent Lara Logan was in Tahrir Square covering the celebration after Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak announced that he would step down.
Local leaders work to save Kansas products
Chances are you're serving up some home-grown dinner on your kitchen table tonight. Kansas farmers and ranchers consistently rank at the top in wheat, sorghum and beef production, with corn and soybeans following close behind. We even have a few folks growing cotton now. Kansas farmers produce this not just for us, but for millions around the globe who depend on us for a safe and affordable food and fiber supply. In fact, Kansas exports ...
Romance has disappeared from our lives
We sure could use some more romance right about now - particularly among our younger people.
These cuts are just a start -- Elijah Friedeman
One of the major concerns coming from conservatives following the mid-term elections was whether or not the new, Republican-led Congress would stick to their espoused principles once in power.
Transparency continues to be important
A recurrent cry among Republicans during their successful campaign to take control of the House of Representatives was for greater transparency in the workings of Congress. Frequently citing the closed-door process by which elements of the healthcare legislation were approved, newly elected members pledged to make their deliberations more open to public scrutiny.
Lohan learns you gotta have priorities
HOLLYWOOD — God bless America, and how’s everybody? Lindsay Lohan sashayed into Los Angeles court Wednesday to face felony charges of grand theft. She looked just sensational after 100 days of sobriety. Many of her closest friends are worried that her shoplifting is starting to get in the way of her drinking. Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller filed their final divorce papers Friday in L.A. The last straw for her was the ambulance call two ...
Don't be SAD you missed Valentine's Day -- Thacker
Was yesterday a holiday or something? Many of my friends - even those in relationships - took some time out Monday to gripe about Valentine's Day.
Huckabee looks to the future of Israel -- Browns
On a beautifully calm winter day near the Sea of Galilee, Gov. Mike Huckabee shared with a group of Americans his concern for the future of Israel.
Business actually has to make sense -- Argus Hamilton
BEVERLY HILLS - God bless America, and how's everybody? President Obama addressed an Internet convention in Michigan on Thursday where he urged the computer and software industry to use their huge profits to hire more workers. His plea fell on deaf ears. Only the U.S. government hires more people than it needs. GOP Congressman Chris Lee resigned after he got caught sending shirtless photos of himself to a woman online. He'd been warned by leadership ...
So long Jerry, you will be missed
– 30 – To most of you reading this column, the above number is merely the number after 29 and before 31. But, to those of us who worked our way up through the newspaper business back in the day, it means much more. Back when we typed our stories on a typewriter, and even in the early electronic era, "30" at the bottom of a page of copy meant the end. <p ...
Let’s get healthy — tomorrow -- Argus Hamilton
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody? The White House published its Super Bowl party menu Tuesday offering food from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. They had bratwurst, kielbasa, potatoes and pizza. What Americans love about Michelle Obama is that her Healthy Food Initiative starts tomorrow. Michelle Obama revealed Tuesday that her husband has made it one year without smoking a cigarette. The withdrawal is brutal. Charlie Sheen lets everyone think he has a problem with ...
Government smoke get in your eyes -- Elijah Friedeman
Last week, the New York City council approved a ban on smoking in the city's parks and on its beaches. Surprisingly, considering the nanny-state mentality of New York City, one-fourth of the city council actually voted against the ban.
It’s time to walk like an Egyptian -- Will Durst
The whole world holds its breath as we view through splayed fingers the unrest that is the Egyptian uprising.
Even cold can't stop Super Bowl sleeze -- Argus Hamilton
BEVERLY HILLS - God bless America, and how's everybody? The Super Bowl today is a match-up between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers in Dallas. The record-low temperatures and electricity outages didn't stop the party. Dancers all week got $100 tips for stripping down to their long johns. The Pittsburgh Steelers will attempt to win the team's seventh Lombardi Trophy at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas today. However, for the first time there'll be ...
Articles by Section - Columnists
Environmentally Disastrous Bullet Train May Be Dead at Last
Environmentalists and budget critics of California's proposed bullet train may be breathing a sigh of relief.
Close Enough for Government Work
President Obama's "Mission Accomplished" moment: "We have met the goal" of fixing the Healthcare.Gov website.
Gender Differences Hard Wired
A new study has come out that finds men and women really do think differently.
Women and the GOP: Apologies Don’t Matter Without Change
After losing the Virginia governor's race because single women voted for the Democrat by a margin of 42 points, Republicans have found the solution. They will teach their candidates how to, in Speaker John Boehner's words, "be a little more sensitive" to the ladies. But Republicans painting over policy differences with pretty words piles insult on top of offense and will do little to close the gender gap.
Holiday Jeer: Google’s Pay-to-Fleece Game
A hundred years ago, business tycoon Samuel Insull consolidated smaller utility companies to form the behemoth (albeit public charity-sounding) Commonwealth Edison. Because of the infrastructure needed to provide energy to an increasingly power-hunger public, Insull and others argued that Commonwealth Edison was a natural monopoly; inherently one company had to dominate the market. This battle cry enabled a mere 10 utility systems to control three-quarters of the nation's electricity business by the time FDR was ...
Through the Looking Glass
What compromises must we make when it comes to our security on the one hand, and our privacy on the other? Personally, I'm far less concerned about being tracked by the National Security Agency than I am about being monitored by, say, Google.
Earning Our Trust
Trust ain't what it used to be in America.
Saying goodbye to a great man
God bless America, and how's everybody?
Do Journalists Really Need Drones?
Back in elementary school when I was hand-writing my newspaper The Lewisburg Snoopy Nose, I never dreamed what sort of tools journalists would be using today.
Black Friday and the Darkness in America’s Soul
Clearly, it MUST have been a video produced by America's enemies, a vicious piece of propaganda that was so outlandish it would have brought laughs 10 years ago. No one except indoctrinated citizens of communist countries would ever believe it.
Jimmy Kimmel Trips and Viewers Fall
In the week following Halloween, Jimmy Kimmel's stunt involving kids and their candy climbed to over 20 million views on YouTube. But public fascination with the gag doesn't change the fact that it is cruel and sadistic. It underscores the worst elements of mass media and social media, and the incendiary possibilities of combining the two.
Pop goes the holiday shopping stress
God bless America, and how's everybody?
Texas Versus California
Here we go again. Pointing to a conservative study, Gov. Rick Perry proclaimed, "The discussion's over. The debate's over. The proof is in. Texas wins." And who did we beat? California, of course. It's enough to make you wonder if little Ricky got enough love growing up on the dirt farm. Someone get this kid a 4-H ribbon so the grownups can talk, because we've got some work to do.
Dog Days of Obamacare
I've heard a lot of interesting stories of people trying, and failing, to sign up for ObamaCare, but this one takes the cake.
Thanksgiving 2013
Ahh. Thanksgiving. Best Holiday Ever! Love it all. The fact that a national holiday falls not on a Monday but a Thursday. How wacky is that? A regular Thursday in dead-solid center fall. Where the weather could be 80 and sunny, or 20 and snowing. Or, in certain parts of the Midwest, both.
