Archive By Section - Columnists
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.
Don’t suspend federal gas tax
With the recent surge in gas prices, talk of suspending the federal gas tax is again making the rounds.
What is it to be a man?
'You'll be sorry," was the accurate prediction sounding off from the guys sitting on the barracks' steps as our ragged lot passed by. We were brand new recruits at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Station in Manhattan Beach, in Brooklyn, N.Y. It was early June 1945.
Pros and cons of June propositions
There are two ballot propositions in the upcoming June 3 election that involve state constitutional amendments:
What I learned during the city council campaign
Being Mayor Bob Kellar's campaign consultant, I enjoyed an inside view of the longest council campaign (15 months) in Santa Clarita's history.
Let's help keep our city clean
Taking pride in the place where you live stems from each individual's sense of personal responsibility and desire for constant improvement.
Welcome to SCV May: Yuccas are in bloom!
My favorite time of the year is when the yuccas are in bloom - and blooming they are, right now. Those big, fluffy white flowers look like popcorn on a stick. I find them beautiful and fascinating. McWilliams image seminar
Articles by Section - Columnists
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.
Timothy Myers: Let the good times roll again!
One of my coworkers during my time working for Ernst & Young found himself working for KB Homes during the middle of the residential real estate boom, putting together the analyses or so-called "land packages" for the acquisition of property for the building of tract homes.
Peter Funt: Rambunctious raccoons are laughing at me
Our backyard is filled with the pleasing sounds of spring created by birds, frogs, crickets and teens down the street testing their new cars. But lately there are also the haunting sounds of raccoons laughing at me.
