“Bless your heart” is a phrase I got to know well when I moved from the Northeast to the South several years ago. Though often spoken in soft, sympathetic tones, there was nothing blessed about the sentiment. And when those three syllables were delivered in an email, usually after I wrote a column a reader […]
Opinion: We Just Can’t Shake That Old-Time Religion Read More »
It may be a museum that makes viewers want to look away, with its solemn memorial to the thousands of men, women and children murdered — lynched — in countless acts of domestic terrorism. But facing truth must come before reconciliation, before Americans can clearly see where the tribalism that continues to threaten unity can
Opinion: America’s Future Depends on Clearly Seeing Its Past Read More »
It is months away from November 2018, but that doesn’t stop predictions not only for the midterms but also for President Donald Trump’s re-election chances in 2020. But while the world of politics is preoccupied with whether a blue wave is inevitable or a figment of hopeful Democrats’ imagination, events outside the bubble might shift the electorate
Opinion: When the World of Politics Collides With the Real One Read More »
A U.S. House race in South Carolina may depend on how you define the word “brandish,” as in, what exactly do you call it when Republican Congressman Ralph Norman pulls out his gunin a Rock Hill diner meet-and-greet with constituents? Though the state’s law enforcement division and attorney general have concluded “this is not a prosecutable offense,” Republicans and Democrats
Opinion: Showing Your Gun — A New Campaign Strategy? Read More »
Belief in the separation of church and state has turned out to be situational, depending on what issue you want the government to highlight or ignore — abortion rights or aid to the poor, criminal justice reform or same-sex marriage — and which faith you favor. This is a time of year that challenges that
Opinion: Taking the Lessons of the Holy Season and MLK — but Not to Heart Read More »
It was partly partisan politics that drove protesters and counterprotesters in the global “March for Our Lives” on Saturday. Many who traveled to Washington or their town squares demanded action on school safety, gun control and more. But to Washington lawmakers, of both parties and on either side of the gun issue, who just managed to pass
Opinion: It’s the Action of Youth That Shames Lawmakers Read More »
Russian president Vladimir Putin easily cruised to a fourth term this past weekend, surprising absolutely no one. The only nail-biters were how many people would head to the polls — always unpredictable when the victor is certain — and how completely Putin would trounce the token opposition. Now, presumably, the newly re-elected leader can turn his attention to meddling
Opinion: Putin’s Job Is Easy When Americans Do It for Him Read More »
The election for a congressional seat in Pennsylvania is over, yet not over, as absentee ballots were still being tallied on Wednesday and the wrangling haThe election for a congressional seat in Pennsylvania was over, yet not over, on Wednesday, with all eyes on the few hundred votes that gave Democrat Conor Lamb an initial edge
Opinion: Not the Pennsylvania Message You’d Expect, but One Heard Around the World Read More »
Do you remember “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”? I certainly do. It was my go-to and much appreciated moment of calm when my son was small. And I was as much of a fan as he was. The PBS show celebrated the 50th anniversary of its national broadcast debut with a special, “It’s You I Like,” which
Opinion: Lawmakers Not Fit to Wear Mister Rogers’ Cardigan Read More »
Was Donald Trump among the movie fans pushing the latest entry in the Marvel universe to box office records this past weekend? Where else would the president have gotten the idea to play superhero, rushing to meet an active shooter — as he said he would have at a Florida high school — with only his
Opinion: The President’s ‘Black Panther’ Suit — Lessons From ‘Wakanda’ to the U.S. Read More »
