As for the regular people living in Montana, the right wing that yaps about freedom is fencing them off. In the end, though, they get what they elect.

Perhaps we need to train and equip national guard and police forces to identify and destroy terror cells preparing to launch Hamas-style atrocity attacks in the U.S. — potentially in concert with Iranian, Chinese and Russian international aggression.

If Israel goes into Gaza, it will be blamed for killing civilians. No matter that Hamas uses them as human shields and has prevented many from leaving Gaza for that purpose. If Israel fails to go in, it risks repeated attacks in the future, as it has in the past. It is almost a no-win situation.

This is the status quo our gun culture has created. If the shooting doesn’t take place up the street, Americans are increasingly inured to the phenomenon. Yes, it’s remarkable that one day you’re just a guy who struggles with depression; the next, you’re the criminal that right wingers say we need even more guns to protect ourselves against.

If you follow the news, you know the demand for counseling at all levels has at least doubled since COVID-19 hit. And stories abound of people trying for a year or more for an appointment. We clearly need a bigger system. And that’s going to take more money and time than we’d like.

Judge Tanya Chutkan is hearing the January 6 case against Trump brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith and has decided to partially muzzle Trump with an order that is nonsensical and possibly unconstitutional.

Because he knew what he was doing, Kenneth Chesebro proved himself more ethically vacant than the Trumpian mobs. He applied oily legal arguments made potent by an elite education. Supporting an insurrection against the United States, he undoubtedly figured, could be a good career move.

It’s time to renovate the government, public schools and universities. If that means starting over, so be it. We can’t go on like this. If we do, disaster awaits, because the history of nations that ignore the house equivalent of a cracked foundation or leaky roof are doomed to self-destruction.

The Federal Elections Commission recently ruled that it has no jurisdiction over state referendum campaigns, creating this dangerous loophole that allows foreign governments — and entities they control — to spend in referendum campaigns unless explicitly prohibited by state law.