Archive By Section - Columnists
A letter to a new grandson
Dear Brayden Jay: You came into the world on Nov. 1, 2008, exactly 20 years after the birth of your Uncle Chip. Poppa appreciates this since it makes it easy to remember the birthday! I view your baby pictures available on the Internet and see the determined look of your mother, our beautiful and intelligent second daughter, and feel the great joy at the second grandchild brought into the world. Our children and grandchildren provide ...
SCV honors its veterans
Veterans Day was first incorporated by President Wilson as Armistice Day in 1919 at the end of World War I. The implementation of an armistice, which is a temporary cessation of hostilities, came with the final peace treaty, the infamous Treaty of Versailles, which was signed in 1919 between the Allies and Germany at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of November 1918. President Wilson said when he proclaimed the first Armistice Day, "To ...
Christmas around the corner
I know, I know... it was a shock to the season to walk into several retail stores around town the day after Halloween and see Christmas trees in full bulb-blazing glory. I'm not trying to give you sleepless nights, but Christmas is merely 46 days away!
On houseguests and $50 soap
An old friend from bachelorhood called and said he'd be in town on business, asked if he could stay at my place so he wouldn't have to pay for a hotel room. The guy was financially struggling. My wife and I said no.
It is time to reinvent ourselves
Ryan Leaf was one of the most highly rated college quarterbacks in history. Along with his contemporary, Peyton Manning, Leaf was heralded as a sure-fire hit in the NFL: the stuff of legends.
Fun is a ‘drag’
When I was a kid, I never got tired of playing with my Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars. When my mom dragged me to the store, I always had at least two toy vehicles tucked in my pocket for a race down the cashier's two-lane countertop.
Politics both here and abroad
Staring at the wreckage of the 2008 political process, I wonder how we got into this situation.
Here's hoping for some change
Today we have a new president-elect and a new direction. In our own uniquely American way, we have had quite an amazing bloodless revolution for change in our government. The opposing parties, instead of shooting it out at each other to kill every last rival, praised each other in genuinely heartfelt and eloquent concession and victory speeches meant to heal rifts and bring our country back together. What an incredible process we have.
Power pole giants need to be stopped
As giant power lines come marching through the north end of our valley, and even those who lobby consistently for more and more growth cry foul at the loss of their views and damage to their neighborhoods, maybe it is time to look at the bigger picture.
Voting - a cathartic experience
On Monday morning, syndicated columnist Reg Henry predicted, in his humorously folksy fashion, a tidy victory for Barack Obama.
A bad call, calling us to reconsider
For a moment, let's all suppose we're all young soccer moms. And let's suppose that we've got four kids, three at home - one is a newborn with profound disabilities.
‘Swiftboating’ comes to Senate District 19 race
When it comes to political campaigns, informed voters pay attention to the media - but herein lies the problem. How do voters know if certain patterns of persuasion/fallacies are being used by pundits in the media and politics to sway their opinions?
Belcaro vs. Edison: People over profits
I'm usually not one for conspiracies, but the evidence shows that Southern California Edison and the California Public Utilities Commission are in cahoots to destroy the visual landscape of Santa Clarita Valley.
Heart of the West: Thanks to those who made it happen
Happy last day of August to the Santa Clarita Valley. I hope everyone is enjoying the official "last" weekend of summer, although school has been in session in the SCV for a few weeks. A special Happy Birthday wish to my husband, Keith, who celebrates his "double nickle" birthday today!
Welcome to county regulation
Question: How can one get approval for a 110-student private school in a converted six-bedroom house in Castaic in four to five months without notifying the neighbors or the quisling town council?
Articles by Section - Columnists
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.
Live from City Hall
For the past few months, the city of Santa Clarita has hosted a series of local town hall meetings in Saugus, Canyon Country and Newhall to share important community information and hear from community members regarding issues of importance to them.
Kevin D. Korenthal: Make all marriages civil unions
Rights, as established by the Constitution of the United States of America, are greatly misunderstood.
Leyla Ramos: Veterans deserve more employment
When our veterans come home from war, they are greeted by "welcome home" signs, banners, applause, hugs and cheers. The popular line "Thank you for your service" is heard time and time again.
Tom Purcell: Reverse psychology vs. the Nanny State
Get this: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to ban the sale of cigarettes - now legal to people at age 18 - to people younger than 21.
George Runner: Obama steals California Gov. Jerry Brown’s playbook
Given California's chronic problems, it's hard to imagine anyone sees our state as a model - but it's clear the Obama administration does.
Kevin Bayona: Bush legacy hinges on his war on terror
The 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush, was recently honored with the dedication of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.
Jason Stanford: The revised legacy of George W. Bush
New polls show that George W. Bush is not as unpopular now as when he left office. That bodes well for a public examination of his legacy, but it's difficult to look back on his presidency as something other than a preventable catastrophe.
The Village Idiot: Tv or no TV?
Remember when TV used to sign off for the night? No infomercials, no reruns, no experimental public-access foolishness - nothing at all but snow. Or, if you were lucky, a test pattern.
Tina Dupuy: The Theory of Relative Laziness
My working theory - you could call it a philosophy, or a freestanding reason of how the world works - is what I call the Theory of Relative Laziness.
Charlie Vignola: America worried about the wrong things
America has always had a propensity to whip itself into a frenzy about the wrong things, but seldom has it been so clear as it has been the last few weeks, particularly in the wake of the Boston Marathon Bombings.
