Archive By Section - Columnists
Eternal questions are still asked
Monday morning, when I found out that America's public enemy number one had met his demise at the hands of an elite military unit, my first unfiltered, reactionary words were, "That's great." It was a simple statement, devoid of much, if any, emotion.
Our economy is still tanking, folks
Obama Economy is Making You Poor By Floyd and Mary Beth Brown While Barack Obama spends his time running victory laps around the country over the killing of Osama Bin Laden, the American economy is careening toward a dangerous cliff. Royal Weddings, Obama's multiple birth certificates, and absurd arguments about the NFL lockout dominate the news while daily Americans get poorer. <p ...
We celebrate much, but not death
I will not cry. I will not shed a single tear. I will not mourn the father of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden. But I refuse to celebrate his death. It disheartens me that many in our society have become so insensitive to the gravity of our actions, insensitive to what it means to assassinate or kill. I do not question the necessity of removing terroristic threats, only our reaction to the violence. Perhaps television, movies ...
Time to try a little gratitude
Osama bin Laden was killed at the age of 54 on Sunday, in the northern Pakistan city of Abbottabad by U.S. intelligence forces who had been tracking a courier that was known to live there.
Success started a long time ago
"If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." - Isaac Newton
Target number one was even better
HOLLYWOOD God bless America, and how's everybody? President Obama announced that U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden Sunday, then he gave himself credit for analyzing intelligence, organizing the mission and giving the kill order. The play didn't quite go as the president diagrammed. The intended target was Donald Trump. Obama ordered U.S. Navy Seals to chopper into Pakistan and kill bin Laden Sunday after discovering his hideout last fall. Why did he wait so long? ...
Sometimes you just need chicken soup
For awhile in 2005, I carried around a white, cotton handkerchief that was worn soft from use after my father, Dabney, died suddenly and quietly at the age of 81.
More than a chip off the old block
"I am blessed," said Great Bend artist Chet Cale earlier this week. He uttered these words with the utmost sincerity standing in the middle of his Stone Street Arts studio. As he spoke, a sun already defused by the clouds, flooded the room with a soft light. The larger-than-life-sized statue of micro chip innovator Jack Kilby and the statues of two children surrounded Cale, as did the eclectic collection of other sculptures, drawings, photographs, tools ...
President is running out of gas
Halfway through his term in office, President Barack Obama faces a crisis that could most probably doom his chances of being re-elected - he's running out of gas.
Take kids to school Thursday
Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day ought to be expanded. One day every April - this year, it'll be on Thursday - parents bring their kids to workplaces to help them "envision their future and begin steps toward their end goals." It's a great program, but why limit it to kids 8 to 18? In these difficult economic times, we middle-aged people need dreams and aspirations, too. That's why, every year, I spend ...
No royal wedding invite for the Prez
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody? Buckingham Palace published the Royal Wedding guest list on Friday and it does not include President Obama. Only crowned heads of state are invited. Obama's only credential would be that he once joined in a shoot-around with the Sacramento Kings. The King of Bahrain scored an invite to the Royal Wedding Friday despite his human rights record. All kings were invited. We haven't had a crowned head ...
Easter ideas go haywire
At Easter, I am more than a little dismayed by some of the mistaken notions circulating in the nation's Sunday schools.
Easter is an opportunity for change
There are certain times throughout the year that lend themselves to reflecting on what has been and creating a new plan for what will come next.
At least Ryan has a real plan
There is a struggle now being waged in Washington, the outcome of which will determine whether the nation's economy will grow or continue to falter.
Sometimes irony can be pretty ironic -- Brown
Oh, the irony of poetic justice. Every once in a while it happens. In the Bible story of Esther, Jew hater Haman was hung on the same gallows he'd originally set up to hang Queen Esther's Jewish uncle. In the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade movie, the Nazi double agent who claimed to "believe" in the grail, but secretly loved the swastika, fell to her death after greedily reaching for the grail. After November ...
Articles by Section - Columnists
Will Obama Beat the 6-Year Itch?
If the 2010 elections weren't bad enough for Democrats, here comes the "six-year itch." With the exception of Bill Clinton's second term, the party that controls the White House loses seats in congress six years into a presidency. But there's a gathering sense among Democratic consultants who work on congressional campaigns that their party could buck the trend in 2014 for a number of reasons, not least because Barack Obama is finally fired up and ...
No-Fault Internet Addiction
Online chat host: Good morning, cyber pals. As you know, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the psychiatric "bible," is to be released this month. It will include "Internet-Use Disorder" - also referred to as Internet addiction - as a condition recommended for further psychiatric study. Our guest today is Dr. Adam Von Cybercruncher, America's leading authority on Internet addiction.
Droning On
Put on your tinfoil hats everybody. Or didn't you get the memo? Its paranoia time in America again. Maybe it's the spring that brings out the crazy in our legislators. Of course, that would assume a semblance of sanity the other three seasons, and nobody wants to bet anything more than lunch money on that proposition.
FCC Must Run Honest Auctions
"America's global leadership in mobile, and the strategic bandwidth advantage so many have worked hard to create, is being threatened by the looming spectrum crunch," recently departed Federal Communications (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski said.
Will George W. Bush and A.J. Clemente Get Mulligans?
When should you give someone a mulligan? Should you give a former President a mulligan for a good chunk of his 8 years in office? Should you give a young broadcaster a mulligan when he doesn't realize his mike is on and he says words more suitable for a Chris Rock routine?
Out of the Closet and into Identity Politics
I've never sought the spotlight.
Come on guys, keep those doors open
Sunshine Week, the national initiative by journalists to assure that sunshine illuminates every crevasse in the halls of officialdom, runs March 10-16. During that week, newspapers traditionally run editorials and columns extolling the importance of open government as it relates to our freedoms as Americans.
