There’s no reason for the Republicans to hit the panic button — yet. For all its barrier-breaking history, Barack Obama’s landslide electoral victory over John McCain may be nothing more remarkable...
May the flag of freedom never fall
I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed, a democracy in a republic, a...
Presidential politics find balance
The U.S. president is our most distant, inaccessible political leader, yet Americans take the presidential election very personally. Such is the power of mass media. I don’t pay much attention to ...
Democratic President for democracy
On the evening of November 4, 2008, as the world awaited the outcome of what may have been the most historic presidential election in our nation’s history, I sat in my recliner with my two dogs sl...
The Declaration of Independence
What is the Declaration of Independence and its significance in the history of our nation? Thomas Jefferson wrote this manuscript explaining why it was written. The Declaration of Independence, el...
And the greatest of these is love
By the time you receive this newspaper, the election will be decided. (Unless something odd happens in Florida or some other state, like in the Bush vs. Gore election.) But since our newspaper is ...
Childhood illiteracy initiates reform
We now all seem to be in agreement that early childhood illiteracy is a root cause of Mississippi’s problems. Waving a magic wand and eliminating single-parent households is not a viable solution...
A few weeks ago, I visited with some folks who rolled into Columbia by car and RV to participate in and listen to the music at the Bluegrass Festival. When I arrived at the festival site I was imp...
A generation ago, the public’s perception of single motherhood was largely that of a teenager who made a mistake and got pregnant in high school. In response, policymakers focused almost all of th...
Growing up in a suburbia Texas town means I lived amid rows and rows of houses, with plenty of neighbors, good and bad. It also meant it was the perfect environment for Halloween. I didn’t have to ...
Doug Rule has got to be one of the nicest guys in the world. He manages the Emmerich Newspapers Inc. 401K plan, which has lost quite a bit of value. I find it difficult to curse and stomp my feet ...
Thank goodness for Tivo! We don’t watch a lot of television in the Johnson household, but it doesn’t take much these days to encounter a political candidate’s advertisement on the small screen. ...
“It is instructive that in those nations which have adopted socialism either under a communist banner or the banner of a welfare state a kind of state capitalism ensues. Government becomes ever mor...
The Christian Science Monitor - If he is to satisfy the disparate, eager hopes of Americans, Barack Obama needs to wear more hats than Queen Elizabeth II. One of them will be as a "science president," supporting basic research and science education that will benefit the public good long after he leaves office.
The Christian Science Monitor - If Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes secretary of State, it could not have escaped the attention of the Clinton and Obama camps that this might turn out to be a nifty launching pad for her to make another run at the presidency in 2012.
The Christian Science Monitor - In the past few weeks, a failed state that was forgotten for more than a decade once again made the world take notice. While Somalia's weak transitional government fails to assert control on land, a band of highly organized pirates have taken firm control of the country's sea lanes.