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
Cher Gilmore: Celebrating good news on Earth Day
On this 43rd anniversary of the first Earth Day, several recent good news events for the environment are worth celebrating:
David Hegg: Find grace in tolerance and disagreement
During the recent edition of college basketball's championship tournament I took great pleasure in cheering for my team. And, we did pretty well, but lost in the Elite Eight round.
Phil Kerpen: Sick people versus lobbyists
What if you had to choose between making insurance more affordable for Americans with pre-existing conditions or funding lobbyists and political hacks? That's the decision the House will face when it considers H.R. 1549, the Helping Sick Americans Now Act, sponsored by Rep. Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania. It should be an easy choice.
Tim Myers: Setting a bad example
I often utilize the term "geography" partisan. The definition of a geography partisan? An elected official or someone who aspires to elective office who adopts a party label pretty much solely because that party stands dominant in the particular area where the individual lives.
Dick Cesaroni: Congress, listen to the voters, not the NRA
I am a wavering Republican. By that I mean I am at the crossroads of going to the right, left or just canceling my participation all together.
Frank Ferry: Live from City Hall
In Santa Clarita you know you can shop for the latest styles or eat at a terrific restaurant, but did you also know that you can enjoy some of the best hiking in the region on oak-shaded trails with creeks and waterfalls?
What other abuse can be heaped on Castaic?
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority has plans to place a carpool lane on Interstate 5 northbound from Highway 14 to Parker Road in Castaic. In fact, a Metro committee approved the plan - as a toll road - this week.
Right Here Right Now: Ending bad finance deals in education
In a rare display of solidarity, the California Assembly approved AB 182 by a vote of 73-0.
Kevin Bayona: What happens after Boston?
The bombings in Boston are beyond what I ever thought I would see in an American city.
Jim Mullen: Algebra comes in handy
Pop quiz: How often do you use algebra, trigonometry and calculus as an adult? Most of us would say "never"! The folks who do use advanced math would say that without it, you wouldn't have cellphones and Wi-Fi and TV and weather satellites and GPS and Google and nuclear power and a gazillion other things that make modern life worth living. And for a change, both camps would be right.
Gary Horton: Timeless lessons to be remembered
Last week our Starbucks friend Herman invited Carrie and me to attend a special Holocaust memorial service at Santa Clarita Valley's Congregation Beth Shalom.
Maria Gutzeit: California needs to improve business attitude
My one-word summary of the community lobby day put on by Assemblyman Scott Wilk. R-Santa Clarita, and KHTS radio last month?
Peter Funt: Steal this video
Back in 1971 when the hippie revolution's Pied Piper, Abbie Hoffman, authored "Steal This Book," he got the very outrage he sought. Thirty publishing houses rejected it and, when the book finally came out, more than a dozen newspapers refused to print ads to promote it.
Kevin Buck: It's been a long and winding road
Over the course of a lifetime I have observed, joined, written about and learned much from political battles.
David Hegg: Ethically Speaking
The existence of evil in our world has been the grounds for some of the greatest questions we humans ever ask. Why did tragedy take the life of someone so young? Why did a stray bullet hit an innocent bystander? Why did my father die of Alzheimer's?
