Archive By Section - Columnists
Run them out on a rail
Finally had enough? Have you lost so much, suffered so much, that you're ready to cry "Uncle!" on the excesses of these past terrible eight years? You're not alone. Regular readers know that Carrie and I make a morning practice of visiting with gregarious friends at the Granary Square Starbucks. Over hundreds of cups of Pike's Place Roast for me, and soy chai lattes for Carrie, we've assimilated into a raucous group of witty, irreverent, and ...
The transition to transformation
I have watched many election nights in my lifetime, and none comes close to matching the joy, relief and satisfaction I felt on Nov. 4, 2008.
General election, general intolerance
The nation spoke on Nov. 4. The 2008 election cycle will be forever marked in history for the incredible voter turnout and the election of the nation's first African-American president.
A lesson in history
One must have the gift of a storyteller and a wide breadth of knowledge to provide historical narratives for future generations.
We haven't seen much change yet
"Political campaigns are designedly made into emotional orgies which endeavor to distract attention from the real issues involved."
Concern is not extremism
When asked whether Santa Clarita would employ eminent domain for the seizure of private residential property as a means of furthering the Newhall Redevelopment Project, Paul Brotzman expressly stated that the city "doesn't have the legal authority to acquire private property."
Unions take aim at statewide volunteers
From fires and earthquakes in the West to tornadoes, blizzards and hurricanes in the East, the United States has to contend with many different types of natural disasters. The one constant to all these disasters is that the aid of volunteers greatly enhances the ability of our local, state and federal governments to respond to these crises.
Buy a tree for a needy family
Tomorrow is Dec. 1. Somehow - and I'm not exactly sure how this happened - 2009 is just 31 days away.
Bizarre to some but delicious to others
Cow's urine tonic. Grilled cave bat. Raw camel with spice sauce. Donkey penis soup. Braised pig's tongue with hair moss. Barbecued bat. Roasted crickets. Flame-broiled guinea pig. Fried chicken uterus. Cup 'o fresh goat's blood. Cow vein stew. Crispy fried grasshoppers. Lamb eyeballs. Steamed wasp larvae. Duckling on a stick. Live beating frog heart. Sperm chowder. Snail caviar. Toasted tarantulas.
John Boston's very own $250B bailout
"No satirist shall be left behind." - The Dubyuh In a move characterized as "bizarre" and "startling" by world economic gurus, outgoing Secretary of the Treasury Henry "Pat" Paulson announced yet another bailout yesterday. The Federal government will be earmarking some $250 billion toward bailing out John Boston. This marks the first time a private citizen will be the recipient of funds heretofore reserved for bloated mega multinational corporations and outdated Detroit automakers. "The rules ...
The cleanup plan is a reality
Once upon a time, there was a factory where they made things that explode. It was on a 996-acre piece of property in the center of our valley, and people who lived here became accustomed to the sounds of explosions as factory workers tested their wares - military flares, fireworks, munitions and the like. The Bermite munitions manufacturing plant - later to be known as Whittaker-Bermite - was a key player in the Santa Clarita ...
The pantheon of suburbia: high school football
For the last two weeks I spent some time watching and re-watching YouTube videos of reaction to Barack Obama's presidential victory, particularly international reaction.
New library can invigorate Newhall
Public libraries exemplify all that is good in America. As Walter Cronkite said, "Whatever the cost of funding our libraries, it is cheap compared to the cost of an ignorant nation."
Fixing Newhall: Bigger project than imagined
If there is one blot on the otherwise pristine visage commending Santa Clarita, argument would say that Newhall is it.
Hart district numbers just don’t add up
A small lesson in political code speak: When an elected official states, "We must come together in a bipartisan way to solve this problem rather than dwelling on the causes," that individual really mean, "Please pretend my political party did not screw things up so badly."
Articles by Section - Columnists
Tim Myers: No money, no county
I love history. I plan to purchase the Blu-Ray of the recent film "Lincoln" and rewatch certain key scenes 100 times in a row, unapologetically.
Bob Kellar: Live from City Hall
In Santa Clarita, the arts influence our community's quality of life. Without even realizing it, the arts act as an economic driver - creating and supporting jobs, generating revenue and serving as a cornerstone of the tourism industry.
Steven and Cokie Roberts: Voting reform
"Obama's proposed voting commission under partisan fire from both sides."
Alice Khosravy: California is at bottom for business
Just a few short days ago the lanterns fell, bringing an end to Chinese New Year season for 2013.
Joe Gandelman: America’s poop deck politics
It's the ultimate stomach turner: how Carnival's 893-foot-long cruise ship Triumph, along with its 4,200 passengers, was stranded due to a fuel engine leak for five days with no food, little water and few working bathrooms.
Kevin Bayona: China's rise is challenge to U.S.
The start of the 21st century has brought with it an avalanche of international problems such as war, economic recession, nuclear proliferation, and rising global competitors. Although all these issues merit individual attention and consideration, I think the unrelenting rise of China presents the largest and most significant global challenge to the United States.
Gary Horton: Life can be a sound track by the B-52’s
It's sometime in the late 1980s and our family and friends are piled inside our Ford cruiser van heading off to a family ski trip to Lake Tahoe - or to a Boy Scout boating trip at Lake Mead - or some other fun teen-friendly vacation destination.
Kevin Buck: Straw men live in glass houses
Webster's dictionary has several different definitions for the word socialism. The one conservative fear and loathe the most is:
Tom Purcell: A nail in the coffin of Americans' rights
oy, do I feel sorry for smokers these days.
