Archive By Section - Columnists
Oh, to be a cool, hooker-rolling thug
Like bloodthirsty spectators at the Colosseum in ancient Rome, many Americans today seek their jollies through carnage and depravity. But instead of lions and slaves going at it for the crowds, now it's violence and titillation-steeped virtual reality video games. One new "adventure" game that has captured the retail marketplace is Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto (GTA) IV. A financial blockbuster, it has raked in a whopping $500 million in its first week alone.
A short history of Hillary’s lies
"Hillary has always been a liar - why all the fuss about her sniper kerfuffle?" Why, after a lifetime of lying (oops, excuse me - misspeaking), is Hillary Clinton's whopper with respect to her Tuzla airport landing creating such a stir? I suppose the real question is: Why, all of a sudden, is the media exposing her mendacity when they have buried it on every previous occasion? The answer is quite simple - she's running ...
It's a bird, it's a plane ... it's dad!
Family men are action heroes. We face a horrible, treacherous nemesis, far worse than other super heroes must face. We must stand up against the dreaded Domestic Gremlin, a creature not seen, but one that endangers our precious domesticated lifestyle, causing kitchen appliances to malfunction, allowing critters and other unsightly creatures to enter wife- and kid-inhabited living quarters.
High rises and CEQA
Did you buy into an older, established neighborhood in the belief that you would be safe from bulldozers and houses abandoned to subprime mortgages? Did you check the city zoning ordinances and thought you knew what was planned for this neighborhood? Or have you just lived there for 20 or so years in the belief that life would go on as it had been planned when you moved in?
Who to choose for Republican Central Committee
The comedian Yakov Smirnov once said, "In America, its always easy to find party. In Soviet Union, Party always finds you."
More appreciative of the goodness we have around us
Last Friday was a rough one. I'm in the landscape business - married to the housing industry - and as most know, housing isn't the cheeriest spot in the economy right now. It's akin to tap dancing atop a minefield. There's stress, and then more stress - like a "super-unglue" against healthy living. So, limping home from work, I looked forward to soul-replenishing relaxation with Carrie. We'd light up the fireplace. Pop open the Sauvignon ...
Media Vultures and Rev. Wright
Most parents will recognize a common excuse used in childhood: "Johnny told me to do it." And the parents' rebuttal, "If Johnny told you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?" This lesson is usually lost on the young child, but it manages to sleep within his consciousness until he is old enough to understand its wisdom. Now that the talking heads on 24/7 news outlets have a new victim to slay - ...
Young conservatives unite!
It's no secret that Ronald Reagan is my hero. For as long as I can remember, I have appreciated the ideals of the conservative movement, and I sincerely believe that if more voters my age (the coveted Gen-Xers) truly understood those values and the long-term implications of the policies generated by those positions, more would support conservative causes and candidates.
No need for so-called code of ethics in SCV
Puls•kamp•er•ie –noun 1. the ability to make the people believe you addressed a problem while actually doing nothing. 2. actions taken by a group of people to prevent the true nature of their endeavors from escaping their group, or becoming well know to the public: "The staff members used Puskamperie to keep the facts from reaching the newspapers."
Mother's Day ramblings and beauty tips
What makes a mother feel beautiful? A pre-Mother's Day TV commercial promoting (what else?) Mother's Day commercialism is currently attempting to answer that question. In doing so, that particular jewelry store ad is venturing into some potentially dangerous psychological territory. In the commercial, a pretty, smiling woman is seen with her two little girls. They have just polished their Mommy's nails. Not a perfect job, but it's the thought, right?
What do you want for Mother's Day?
'What do you want for Mother's Day?" I asked my wife earlier this week. "I don't need anything," she said. "Do you want to do something for Mother's Day?" I asked. "Anything you want to do, we'll do it."
The first Mother's Day I'm alone
There is not a day that goes by when I do not think about the one person who made all the difference in my life. And at this time of year, the days seem to be strung together by a seamless, bittersweet preoccupation with yesterday. "Bitter" because death brings the weight of days lost; "sweet" because it somehow refines yesterday's memories to help one see just how good things really were. Those memories then become ...
SCV Sheriff's Station grows to fit time's needs
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station opened its doors on May 8, 1972, with Sheriff Coffeen officiating at the ceremony. Explorer Scouts conducted tours of the station and included demonstrations of computerized and expanded traffic record systems. Copies of historic dockets and cases dating back to the early 1900s were on display. Now here we are in 2008, still in the same building. Though the laws and method of operations have changed to fit our ...
Choose Prop. 99 over Prop 98
There are two propositions on your June ballot that you will probably need some background on in order to cast an informed vote. These are Propositions 98 and 99. Proposition 98 is the California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act, and Proposition 99 is the Homeowners Protection Act. The purpose of both ballot measures is to amend current eminent domain laws to restrict government's use of eminent domain authority.
Supreme Court saves the day
What a great country this is! Just when it appears that the politically correct leftists are about to exchange our hard-fought American democracy for Third World socialism, the U.S. Supreme Court steps up to save the day.
Articles by Section - Columnists
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.
David Hegg: Ethically Speaking
Sometimes it turns out that famous clichés are just plain wrong, or at least wrong in enough important situations to make them suspect. One with which I particularly disagree is "Familiarity breeds contempt." I know what it is supposed to identify, and I flatly disagree. Familiarity, with the right people, in the right way, and for the right reasons, actually breeds contentment.
Steve and Cokie Roberts: Fixing Fox and the GOP
Roger Ailes, the head of Fox News Channel, is a very smart man. And he knows how to count, a skill that has apparently eluded many of his fellow conservatives.
Edward Headington: In honor of Presidents' Day 2013
Presidents' Day is a time set aside to celebrate the legacies of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and also remember all of the Presidents of the United States (POTUS) that have made our nation great.
Steve Lunetta: The case against Democrats
A friend of mine recently sent me one of those political emails that screams for fact-checking. You know the ones I mean - "Obama is really a space alien and we have proof!" or "Hilary Clinton Smokes Pot with Harry Reid."
Michael Reagan: Making Sense
Our failure in chief gave us his annual blurred vision of America again Tuesday night.
Diana West: Why aren't feathers flying over Brennan nomination?
We all know what happens when the fox guards the chicken coop - or do we?
Marsha McLean: Live from City Hall
One of the comments I often hear from people who visit Santa Clarita for the first time is how beautiful our city looks.
Daryl Cagle: That First Amendment can be soooooo annoying
I syndicate the cartoons of Rick McKee, the brilliant, conservative cartoonist from The Augusta Chronicle, to newspapers around the world.
Tim Myers: Competition is the spice of local life
Our youngest son, a senior at Valencia High School, ain't happy.
