Nearly three dozen men sit on death row in Arkansas, where capital punishment has been suspended since 2005. Unless clemency is granted, seven of them, an eighth man was granted a temporary reprieve, will be given lethal injections all within a 10-day period, between April 17 and 27. Why so many? Why the rush? The […]
Cal Thomas
Posted inOp-Eds
Middle East’s siren call will capture Trump
In Greek mythology, sirens were beautiful creatures that lured sailors to their doom with their hypnotic voices. In Homer’s epic, “The Odyssey,” ships came to ruin on jagged reefs, following siren song, the pull of the beautiful voices so strong that the hero Odysseus, in order not to succumb, commanded that his crew lash him […]
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Posted inOp-Eds
Mike Pence sets high standards for himself
Millennials and others of a certain age have not lived in a time when fidelity was universally valued and mostly supported by culture — though sometimes hypocritically — and its opposite was roundly condemned. There was even a time when a divorced person could not expect to become president, though plenty of married presidents managed […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Republicans have the power, they should use it
What goes around comes around is one of life’s undeniable truisms and never more than in the politics of Washington, D.C. (the “D.C.” increasingly standing for dysfunctional city). Last week was Cherry Blossom week in D.C. This week it’s Neil Gorsuch week. Republicans must now decide whether to use the “nuclear option,” a parliamentary procedure […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Former congressman acknowledges current Congressional dysfunction
Tony Hall served in Congress for nearly 24 years, representing Ohio’s 3rd District. The Democrat left in 2002 to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, appointed by President George W. Bush. Hall laments how corrosive contemporary politics has become and tells me he couldn’t get elected in […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Policy might win where personality did not
In the aftermath of the debacle over the Republican effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, President Trump can learn a valuable lesson that will serve him well in the next battle over tax reform and other issues. The president was elected largely on the force of his strong personality and vague promises to fix things […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
What about protection from illegal immigrants?
A rough translation of Maryland’s state motto is “Strong Deeds, Gentle Words.” In the case of a 14-year-old girl who was recently raped and sodomized in a restroom at Rockville High School by two males students, both immigrants, one facing a deportation hearing, that motto in practice has been reversed. The police report of the […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web, Uncategorized
Republicans must get health care right
Readers of a certain age may recall ads for Ivory Soap, which claimed to be 99 and 44/100ths percent pure. If the soap could have reached 100 percent purity, the company would likely have made the claim. Purity, apparently, is what some conservative Republicans are demanding in a health insurance bill, which likely will be […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web, Uncategorized
Trump's budget proposal presents an historic opportunity
“No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth!” — Ronald Reagan President Trump presented his first budget to Congress Thursday. It is, as The Washington Post points out, “historic” because, if adopted, […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web, Uncategorized
Cuomo's plan won't end poverty in Brooklyn
Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to spend $1.4 billion of New York’s resources to solve the persistent problem of poverty in central Brooklyn. If he wins legislative approval, Cuomo, a Democrat, intends to spend the money on affordable housing, job training, anti-violence programs, recreational space, even obesity. Some cynics suggest the proposal is targeted at boosting […]