President John F. Kennedy was one among many to remind us that America’s is “a government of laws, not of men.” That truism underpinning our system of justice has been built into our federal and state governments since before we had either. In 1780, John Adams based the constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on […]
Op-Eds
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Can our country stand divided?
It is unfortunate today that we hear from high places encouragement of hate and violence that emanate from both sides of the aisle and, particularly, from the media. President Donald Trump with his lack of humility, the immediate hostility from the leadership of the Democrats and their allies in the compliant media, stir impulses of […]
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Green New Deal totally infeasible
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s so-called Green New Deal makes the obligatory nod to the original New Deal, but FDR’s handiwork is much too modest an antecedent. The Green New Deal calls for a top-down revolution in the operation of American society so sweeping that it would be disturbing if it weren’t so wholly ridiculous. It shows all […]
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Foreigners teach Americans how to shape up
The kids are bratty, the parents fighting, the homes a mess. It’s remarkable how American domestic life can breed so much dissatisfaction amid so much plenty. Foreigners have made an industry of observing this paradox and offering Americans fixes. Restoring tranquility and, frankly, dignity is the goal. Start with the Japanese commissar of decluttering, Marie […]
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China-U.S. trade war difficult to resolve
WASHINGTON — American officials traveled to China this week in an effort to end the bitter trade war between the two countries. The main obstacle to a settlement is natural rivalry: The United States is trying to protect its position as the most important superpower; and China is serving notice that it covets that status […]
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What's the point of a carbon tax rebate?
DUBLIN, Ireland — The Irish government is proposing rebates to a carbon tax it recently imposed to households that comply with what it considers “low-carbon lifestyles.” The rebate, according to Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, might be in the form of a check, an increase in welfare benefits or a tax credit for people who live […]
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Situation in Congo could turn nasty
If you advocate electric vehicles and dote on cellphones whose manufacture depends on Congo’s minerals, then the Democratic Republic of Congo’s flawed Dec. 30 presidential election matters because it can affect your digital lifestyle. Congo’s stability also matters if you value human life. In Congo’s last civil war (Great Congo War, 1996-2003) some three million […]
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Obscenity is not just a set of words
As a general rule, I don’t curse a lot. I’ve found that I can usually express myself effectively enough without it. And it’s always seemed to me that foul language, used ubiquitously, loses its primary value, i.e., its ability to shock or to state a thing with force. How seriously should anyone take the F-bomb […]
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Trump wins by being presidential
WASHINGTON — President Trump did something Tuesday night that he has rarely done since taking office: He used the presidential bully pulpit to reach beyond his hardcore base of supporters to make his case to the American people as a whole. Speaking from the Oval Office for the first time during his presidency, Trump embraced […]
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There’s a better way to enforce immigration
We who follow immigration policy closely know that the wall is a dumb idea. Closing much of the government over it is dumber still. Why is the wall a dumb idea? It would be expensive. It would be unsightly. It would be environmentally destructive. More to this point, it would be ineffective. First off, an […]