Archive By Section - Columnists
For crying out loud, let the man sleep
Patient safety advocates say even more reforms are needed - stat! As of July 1, the Accreditation Council For Graduate Medical Education has decreed that first-year hospital residents (a.k.a. interns) can work no more than 16 hours in a shift. Second- and third-year residents, however, are still allowed to work a grueling 28 hours without sleep. Common sense tells most of us the value of 40 winks, but there are actually forces vehemently opposing any ...
We're carried away with correctness
According to a shocking news report, California legislators have enacted legislation that gives the state the dubious distinction of being the first state in the nation to require public schools to include the contributions of gays and lesbians in their social studies curriculum.
History repeats itself in court
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody? Casey Anthony was acquitted of murder and manslaughter and child abuse by her Florida jury Tuesday in a verdict shown on live TV. Prosecutors didn't come away empty-handed. She was convicted of lying to police and ordered to surrender her Heisman Trophy to Fred Goldman. New York prosecutors were set to drop rape charges against IMF former chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn based on accusations by a hotel maid. ...
Americans need to remain free
Once upon a time, people's hands were busy putting food on the table and they were too busy or too proud to consider extending those same hands out to the government for a handout.
Space is still the final frontier
When I was a child, hearing Miss Nancy conduct calisthenics on TV's Romper Room ("Bend and stretch…reach for the stars…") planted ideas about the wonders of the universe.
Don't bet on keeping your insurance
Ah, the words that come back to bite you. Remember the famous statement prior to passage of what is now called Obamacare: "If you like your health care plan, you can keep it"? Whoops! Give President Obama credit; he doubtlessly believed that promise when he said it. However, I didn't and said so. Why? Employers and health care providers told me that when the majority of the provisions of "Obamacare" would take effect, it would ...
Leading from behind is just weird
Just before my early morning run this morning, a young boy, three-foot-nothing, wearing shorts and a helmet whizzed past me on his scooter, and then abruptly stopped and backed up - when he saw me stuff a 20-pound terrier into my backpack.
Tea Party continues to shape politics
Speculation is running rampant about why House Majority Leader Eric Cantor walked out of debt ceiling talks with Democrats. Most of the speculation is credited by pundits to insider maneuvering between Speaker John Boehner and Cantor.
Doobie Frank pushes for state pot control
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody? U.S. Congressman Barney Frank introduced a bill Thursday that removes marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances so that the states may regulate marijuana the way they do alcohol. This'll save lives. Even a Jackass isn't going to be killed driving nine miles an hour. The FDA ordered cigarette manufacturers to display photos of throat cancer sufferers on every pack of cigarettes. Bar owners applauded the ...
Jon Huntsman is no Ronald Reagan
All of a sudden the "kept media" is all agog over one Jon (not John) Huntsman, recently retired from his Obama administration post as U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, provoking the president to joke that he was "sure that him having worked so well for me will be a great asset in any Republican primary."
Ill wind does blow some good blow
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody? Hurricane Beatriz pounded Mexico's Pacific coast with high winds and driving rainstorms Tuesday. Winds were clocked blowing out of the south at 100 miles an hour. In San Diego people were holding paper bags up in the air and catching enough cocaine to make a house payment. President Obama made a prime time address Wednesday to announce a gradual U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. The good news ...
'Democracy' doesn't equal 'happiness'
The whole idea of a democracy is accepting you'll never fully get your own way in government.
It's time to rethink Romney
Reading Al Gore's comments on Mitt Romney we were reminded of all of the reason's we don't trust the man: "Good for Mitt Romney though we've long passed the point where weak lip-service is enough on the Climate Crisis. While other Republicans are running from the truth, he is sticking to his guns in the face of the anti-science wing of the Republican Party."
Don't drop Romney because he's a Mormon
If your party nominated a generally well-qualified person for president who happened to be Mormon, would you vote for that person?
Father's Day isn't one side fits all
Due to varying family circumstances, Father's Day is not a "one size fits all" holiday. Different individuals greet the day with warmth, melancholy, numbness, or anger.
Articles by Section - Columnists
How Banning Three Useful Words Undermines Immigration Reform
On April 2, 2013, the Associated Press announced amendments to its style book, effectively banning the use of the word "illegal" to describe a person as in "an illegal immigrant." This announcement was followed by similar pronouncements from other news sources, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Denver Post.
More ‘flap’ over IRS audits
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody?
Mister, Mister
Here's a little game I invented the other day after phoning the water company to complain about my bill and hearing an overly-chipper woman say, "Hi, Peter. How may I help you?"
Father’s Day: Can It Survive?
My son Gideon (age nine) assures me that he will be a good father someday, but will that be an empty accomplishment? In another 20 years or so will there even be a Father's Day?
How Darrell Issa Undermines the GOP’s IRS Issue
Quick: someone call a chiropractor for California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa. He's overreached so far his arm may separate from his shoulder. Even some key figures in his party are suggesting he needs an adjustment. F-a-s-t.
You’re being audited, no joke
HOLLYWOOD--God bless America, and how's everybody?
The Games Behind the Olympics Games
Washington, D.C., is in the grip of scandals, the economy is stumbling and a host of other challenges are weighing me down - which is why I prefer to dwell on more obscure subjects, such as a battle raging behind the scenes over the 2020 Olympics.
Obama and the Media: Biting the Hand that Feeds Him
Since the Obama administration has confessed to spying on journalists at the Associated Press and Fox News, have you noticed there are more stories about the Obama scandals in the news?
What Is a Journalist?
As amateur news hounds gain power and influence through social media, the definition of "journalist" has ripened for philosophical debate. But now it's becoming a legal issue – one that could hamper efforts to protect the news profession at the very time federal lawmakers are awakening to the need to do so.
