Articles

Column - Mr. President, don't let bloodhounds salivate

This is my open letter to President Barack Obama: Dear Mr. President, Why are you playing right into the hands of your enemies?

Column - U.S. history is riddled with school shootings

Ever since the slaughter of innocents at Sandy Hook Elementary School, I cringe every time there is a breaking news bulletin on TV, fearing it might be news of another school shooting.

Column - the great George Jones sang what he lived

George Jones, the greatest country singer of all time, was a cat with nine lives; at least.

Column - Boston wins; terrorists lose - again

What does Chechnya have to do with runners and spectators in the Boston Marathon? For that matter, what does Chechnya have to do with the United States or anything else other than Russia? The Boston bombings typify, once again, the insanely twisted thinking of terrorists.

Column - Franson isn't Santa; she's Chicken Little

Why is it that legislators like Rep. Mary Franson never squawk about the massive wage raises of white-collar workers, CEOs and Wall Street gamblers/thieves and how those massive wages help create a lopsided, unhealthy economic system?

Column - Two thumbs up for Roger Ebert

News of Ebert’s death last Thursday left me sad but launched a wave of good memories. For so many years, one of my weekly-ritual popcorn pleasures was to watch Siskel and Ebert at the Movies with hosts Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. Many times, I actually made a big bowl of popcorn to enjoy while watching that show.

Column - If not Obamacare, then what?

As implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act approaches, Obama-haters are licking their chops, hoping to see it nose-dive. One of those detractors is our very own Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Stillwater), who delivered recently in the U.S. House of Representatives what may be the most ludicrous speech in recent memory.

Column - Bridges help people cross rivers

Did you know that Lady Diana was still alive before she died? I didn’t, either. Not until the other day, when I saw a headline that stated: Diana was still alive hours before she died Shocking. Just imagine, alive, then dead.

Column - Who would oppose raising minimum wage?

Who but Scrooge himself could possibly oppose raising the federal minimum wage? President Obama called for raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour. If anything in this world is reasonable, it’s that.

Column - I'm hungry so let's eat Grandma

Hey, I have a good idea: Let’s eat Grandma. Whoops!, I mean to say: Let’s eat, Grandma.

Columns

Column - Vicious invasion makes me a prisoner

Ever since the invasion began 10 days ago, I have become a virtual prisoner of my house. As soon as I go outdoors, they attack like kamikaze pilots from Hell. The invaders, I finally learned, are called "false Japanese beetles."

Column - Don't write off Palin, yet

Just about all the political pundits claim Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has just committed political suicide.

Column - We should learn from Jackson's sad story

Childhood cannot be “skipped.” When it is, complications gather like hungry wolves. Poor Michael Jackson. It’s no wonder he founded “Neverland,” an amusement park, an artificial paradise, where he could act out with other children what he never had, what was denied to him with such cruelty.

Column - Same old myths muddy debate over healthcare

Does anybody remember “Harry and Louise?” Let me refresh your minds. Harry, the old man, and Louise, his middle-aged daughter (actors both), were the ones who creased their worried brows in oft-repeated commercials in 1993-94.

Column - Learning - a lifelong lesson

Years ago – too many years ago! – I used to sit in college classrooms and think to myself, “Gee, this lecture is so interesting. What a shame we have to be tested on it.”

Column - When we begin to act, sound like our parents

Our parents warned us, but we didn’t listen. “Someday,” they’d say, wagging a finger, “You’re going to be just like us.” We’d laugh at such a preposterous notion.

Column - Harmless actions can have deadly results

Inattention is killing us. The major cause of roadway deaths and injuries is now various forms of inattention.

Column - List of characters should be required in novels

There ought to be a law – well, at least a “literary” law – that all novels must be published with a “List of Characters” at the very front of the book.

Column - Flu warnings worth it

Ever hear about the boy who cried, “Wolf!”? Well, what about the boy who cried, “Virus!”? Is the kid a fool? Will we listen? Should we care? We won’t know.

Column – Interrogation or torture?

How would you feel if, while being forcibly drowned, the people doing it kept telling you they are using only “enhanced interrogation techniques?” That phrase is the innocuous “substitute” for torture, as used by members of the Bush Administration.