Archive By Section - Columnists
Helping the less fortunate
My sister, Cathy Horton Bagnall, recently passed away after a long, stoic battle with Machado-Joseph Disease. Cathy, once active and vibrant, had been reduced by this inherited illness to a life defined by paralysis, wheelchairs and hospital beds.
Bribery in politics unacceptable
An American tourist might be appalled by the way police take bribes throughout much of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Local customs in these parts of the world not only permit but condone payoffs to the police.
Idealism vs. realism in politics
It was November 1979. I was a major in the U.S. Air Force assigned to the office of the Secretary of Defense and had just been ordered by my boss to report to the Joint Operations Center in the bowels of the Pentagon to join a Crisis Action Team - or CAT, as we called it.
The things you learn when you tear apart our dropout numbers
Let us return to the topic of dropout rates in the Hart District. Over the past two weeks I further analyzed the public dropout data from the state Department of Education and spoke to representatives of the Hart district and of Opportunities for Learning, the district alternative high school charter school. I determined the Hart district accurately reported dropout data based upon the rules of the Education Department. I also concluded one could legitimately level ...
On Michael Phelps and the latest Breakfast of Champions
The Summer Olympics has always made for favorite family viewing at our house. Seeing the greatest athletes from around the world unite - along with the heartwarming reminder that grassy fields are far better unifiers than battlefields ever will be - definitely makes for spectator excitement and renewed hope for the Family of Man (and Woman). Speaking of hope, Michael Phelps' eight gold medals won in Beijing shines as a huge ray of optimism over ...
Old time fun at Silents
Is there a finer event in the Santa Clarita Valley than Silents Under the Stars? Where else can you have some of the tastiest barbecue (from Rattler's) and watch a silent Western starring Bill Hart set to an original score, while munching popcorn as the gentle breezes caress you as they move across La Loma de los Vientos (the Hill of the Winds)?
Life stranger than fiction
In one of the greatest cinematic accomplishments of the 20th century, "Men in Black" (1997), J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are chasing dangerous aliens around New York City. At one point, they lose the trail of their nemesis and are forced to consult the "hot sheets" - supermarket tabloids.
What’s found at the park stays
At the park the other day my 5-year-old son found a pine cone that he wanted to take home. I told him that what we find at the park stays at the park. Without even asking why, he dropped the pine cone, and we went home. Good boy.
Steelhead could return to local river
On July 25, the National Marine Fisheries Service issued a document that could eventually return steelhead salmon to the Santa Clara River.
Bush may create new Cold War
The far right neoconservatives continue to get what they absolutely need to satisfy their basic needs: An enemy!
‘Assuming facts not in evidence’
Law school only teaches three things that one cannot learn elsewhere: The Rule Against Perpetuities, the Hearsay Rule, and my personal favorite: "Assuming Facts not in Evidence."
Buyoff or bunkum? Try buyoff
Well, folks, if you're not outraged by the buying of Councilwoman Laurie Ender's election seat, then we're all in trouble.
ISO: A magic wand for Santa Clarita’s seniors
Among the numerous reporter note pad destinations I've known through the years, one has always held a special place in my heart: The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center.
Our son’s in kindergarten
My 5-year-old son started kindergarten on Wednesday, and my wife and I were among the 2 million parents there to say goodbye forever to our precious little offspring.
My stimulus check right about now
This never happens to me. I got $1,800 from the U.S. Treasury as part of the "Economic Stimulus" program that was recently enacted. But it is still sitting in our checking account. I've been thinking about it, and I'm not sure why it is still there.
Articles by Section - Columnists
Helen Harwood: SCV Voices
I do wish sometimes that some of your regular contributors to The Signal's Letters to the Editor would spend less time writing unsubstantiated clichés and more time reading up on economics.
Danny Tyree: Candy capitulation: say it ain’t so!
According to ABC News, you should probably get ready for a take-no-prisoners "This is your brain on nougat" campaign.
Byron York: Has Obama overplayed his hand in sequester?
Nine months ago, Barack Obama likened his Republican opposition to an illness. If he could just defeat Mitt Romney, Obama said, then the illness might subside. "I believe that if we're successful in this election - when we're successful in this election - that the fever may break," Obama told a fundraiser in Minneapolis last June.
Tammy Messina: Defending the Second Amendment
Most of us have never had to fight for our freedom. We don't even know what that looks like. In our lifetime, we've always had the right to say what we want and do what we want, as long as we operate inside the law. Many of those who've emigrated from other countries do know what it's like to live without those freedoms and how precious they are once obtained.
Joe Gandelman: Political gridlock
An old vaudeville joke went like this: "Do I look like an idiot? Do I look like a jerk who doesn't know what's going on? Do you think I'm dumb? Don't answer that!"
Kevin Bayona: Is the red menace back?
We don't hear much from Russia these days, but rest assured the Russian Federation is on the move across Eurasia and the world as its pugnacious leader, Vladimir Putin, vies to return Russia to the glory days of the Soviet Union.
Gary Horton: Incompetent staff make it a bad cruise
Cruise ships have become popular vacation scenes over the past decade. A chance to leisurely enjoy freedom of the open seas as ship's staff cater to whims and needs!
Tom Purcell: My parents school the Senate
"All right," said my mother, standing before the members of the U.S. Senate, "it's time for you to get your act together."
Jonathan Kraut: Heroes or vicitms?
I am having a problem with associating the term "hero" with every law-enforcement officer and government employee who has been harmed or died on duty.
Steve Lunetta: Obama's folly
The irony is astounding. The sequestration plan that appears to be a machination by President Obama's White House is now coming back to haunt him big time.
Donna Brazile: Right to vote isn't a racial entitlement
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Shelby County v. Holder - a challenge to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, specifically Section 5, which requires states and localities with a history of voting discrimination against racial and language minorities to get "pre-approved" by the federal government before changing how elections are conducted or voters are registered.
David Hegg: Choosing Chastity
I may be asked to turn in my man card for this, but here goes. On a getaway for my wife's birthday, I joined her to watch an episode of The Bachelor.
Kathryn Pisaro: Protect music programs in Newhall School District
On Tuesday, the school board for the Newhall School District is going to be asked to cut a music teacher from our already-reduced music program.
Frank Ferry: Live from City Hall
"Government, at its core, is about doing together what we can't do alone. It's why we believe that citizen engagement is vital. ..."
