Archive By Section - Columnists
True patriotism is commitment to nation’s ideals
Patriotism. Nationalism. Militarism. Fascism. It's a slippery slope from the "P" at the start of patriotism to the "m" at the end of fascism. But slip-sliding away we've been, and it's strange to think we've welcomed our slide from liberty with our very own votes. Artifacts of liberty's decline abound, from "Patriot Acts" violating privacies to news of American military "prison ships" secretly detaining "war on terror" prisoners indefinitely, without trial. All the while, public ...
How to choose the local judges
Let's be honest. Who really cares about the judges on a ballot? I'm sure many of us simply guess at or skip the folks listed in the "Judicial" portion of our ballots. Does it matter which lying lawyer gets elected to the bench?
Can you go home again?
Is the old adage "you can never go home again" actually true? Nostalgia has a way of sneaking up on us at times, but recently, it knocked me over. I was compelled to do more than just reminisce about the "good old days." Feeling a strong yearning to visit my childhood home in the Santa Clarita Valley, I packed up the kids and husband and headed west. Now my husband has his need for annual ...
Take the city out to the ball game
Baseball is an American tradition that dates back to the 18th century, when amateurs played a baseball-like game by their own informal rules using improvised equipment. In the late 19th century, baseball was widely and officially recognized as the national sport of the United States.
Polluted water shouldn't count — and it doesn't
I applaud all the interest in our water quality, and truly hope those wanting more information about the process and timing of the groundwater cleanup contact our water agencies. There is a wealth of information available and it's quite fascinating.
They show what it means to give back
May is gone and June has arrived, bringing graduations, Father's Day and the countdown to Fourth of July. I have a wedding anniversary this month, too. It's hard for me to comprehend that I've been married 30-plus years! Kudos to good citizens Poole and Shaffery
10 reasons to go to Central Park today
As of 9 a.m. today, thousands of Santa Clarita Valley residents will be excitedly joining together at Central Park.
Winds of change buffet Santa Clarita
If you have ever attended or watched a City Council meeting, you undoubtedly have observed a cast of "usual suspects" who appear when the council is voting on a proposed development. This group opposes virtually every development. Over the last couple of years something has changed. Before I go any further, let me say the purpose of this op-ed piece is to not talk about the merits of each issue raised - those issues each ...
Supreme Court another reason to vote Republican
An interesting editorial appeared recently in the Los Angeles Times. It was titled "A vote against history" and referenced the Supreme Court decision that upheld Indiana's requirement for voter identification.
Halloween monsters in May
It's almost summertime - time for swimming pools, time for beach parties and time for barbecues. My 4-year-old son says it's time for Halloween.
Can biofuel solve our energy crisis?
With gas more than $4 per gallon, we are now all looking at ways to conserve or convert our energy use away from this expensive source. Environmentalists and others have long been concerned about our dependence on oil. Remember the hoopla over the secret energy meetings held among White House higher-ups early in 2000? The rising gas prices were easily predictable, and everyone wanted our government to do something about it. The solution did not lie in ...
Revolt against $4 tomatoes
Mother's Day. Rushing through Pavilions, gathering groceries for our barbecue just one hour before folks hit the front door. Today's menu: burgers and dogs, baked beans, chips and salsa. And we plan to do the burgers up right, what with big beefsteak tomato slices, white onions, crisp lettuce, American cheese - the works.
Knowing more about our judges
In just a week, California's citizens will be voting for various political candidates-including individuals who want to serve as superior court judges in Los Angeles County.
Imagining the world without America's sacrifices
It is truly a wonderful life we lead in the Santa Clarita Valley and in this great country of ours! We are blessed with an abundance of resources and an ample array of individual freedoms to take advantage of those resources as the spirit moves us. That we take such a notion for granted is a tribute to the individuals who secured such freedoms for us - the American soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast ...
McCain masters political comebacks
In the 1992 Democratic New Hampshire primary, while drafting a concession speech to massage a draining eight-point second -place finish, Clinton speechwriter Paul Begala concocted a line that maneuvered the Gennifer-Flowers-draf- letter-drenched Bill Clinton into the primary's seeming winner. By spinning a second place finish that had actually fizzled from a 2-point lead on Jan. 19, according to a Boston Globe poll, into the magical circus tent voila of "the comeback kid," the Clinton campaign ...
Articles by Section - Columnists
Byron York: Winning Hispanic vote not enough for GOP
After six months of mulling over November's election results, many Republicans remain convinced that the party's only path to future victory is to improve the GOP's appeal to Hispanic voters.
Michael Berger: Bill helps colleges meet student needs
Higher education is undergoing significant changes such as we've never seen before. And while we're charging forward to integrate technology in the classroom, offer online learning, and enhance the academic support available to students outside of the classroom, we find ourselves being held back by a relic of the past.
David Hegg: We need a society of heroes
The past months have been a constant barrage of stories about tragedy. Horror in Newtown, bombs in Boston, flooding in the Midwest, fires in SoCal … all bringing loss of life, loss of property, and loss of our sense of wellbeing. But in every case there were also stories of exceptional devotion to duty, to courage, and to an essential ingredient in healthy society: sacrificial service.
Tim Myers: A battle in a war already lost
On May 2, 2013, I took the day off from work to watch the Foothill League tennis tournament. (Results of this tournament posted elsewhere in the pages of this newspaper. Just sayin'!)
Peter Funt: The wider our options the more narrow our interests
I've never heard a hotel guest argue that he should pay less if he declines to swim in the pool. And I've yet to encounter a coffee drinker who believes a latte would be cheaper if shops quit providing wi-fi to customers who don't use it.
Marsha McLean: Live from City Hall
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Santa Clarita will be on center stage with an international audience. We are thrilled to have been selected as a host city for the 2013 Amgen Tour of California with both a Start and Finish stage.
Rick Jensen: Do we still need Dept. of Education?
When executives of corporations are caught aiding and abetting criminal behavior of their employees, the executives are prosecuted and the businesses are destroyed.
Tammy Messina: Intolerance fuels hate and bigotry
Hate. It's a strong word. It's a strong emotion. And it's often used to describe Republicans.
Jason Stanford: Will Obama beat the 6-year itch?
If the 2010 elections weren't bad enough for Democrats, here comes the "six-year itch."
Tom Purcell: No-fault Internet addiction
nline chat host: Good morning, cyber pals. As you know, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the psychiatric "bible," is to be released this month.
Will Durst: To drone or not to drone
Put on your tinfoil hats, everybody. Or didn't you get the memo? It's paranoia time in America again.
Gary Horton: Victimhood: the new secret to success
Picture a modern-day Adonis with flowing, jet-black hair and rugged features for which women swoon. Picture an entrepreneur – a master of his own high-tech business.
Jim Mullen: It’s time for spotty training
My wife and I forgot to have children. We are so busy going to movies, plays and concerts, buying nice things for the house, taking long vacations without looking at a school calendar, reading all the latest best-sellers and going to restaurants with nice white tablecloths that it simply slipped our minds.
Rick Jensen: A slippery slope
Your 9 year-old daughter runs out of a public swimming pool shower, crying because a 45 year-old naked man is lounging in the sauna, "full monty." You call the police. The police arrest you for violating the man's rights and send both you and your daughter to "behavior modification counseling."
David Hegg: Ethics and a quality life
The basic question in the study of ethics has always been that of determining right and wrong, moral and immoral. Some find right to be that which aligns with authoritative truth or standard, while others base morality on the consequences of individual actions. The former - deontologists - and the latter - consequentialists - have argued back and forth for centuries, and the battle rages on today in academia.
