Americans are hurting as their country descends into dysfunction, polarization and widespread anger. Democrats are feeling an extra dose of despair with the elevation of the intemperate and partisan Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. But Democrats can make up lost ground — if they’re smart. If they’re smart, they’ll proceed in a cool, calm […]
Op-Eds
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Kavanaugh's opponents have nothing on him
Brett Kavanaugh gave high-profile testimony that very few people seem to have paid attention to in any detail. The media is now engaged in a full-court press to establish that Kavanaugh drank to excess — when he admitted in his testimony that he drank to excess. In his opening statement in the Senate hearing, Kavanaugh […]
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Christine Blasey Ford’s case continues to provide doubts
WASHINGTON — At a rally in Mississippi on Tuesday, President Trump ridiculed Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony last week to the Senate Judiciary Committee. “‘I had one beer,’” Trump said. “‘How did you get home?’ ‘I don’t remember.’ ‘How’d you get there?’ ‘I don’t remember.’ ‘Where is the place?’ ‘I don’t remember.’ ‘How many years ago […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
The real victim of the Kavanaugh mess
NEW YORK — The most consequential casualty of the recent confirmation battle is not Christine Blasey Ford or Brett Kavanaugh. It is the Supreme Court and, thus, American democracy. The court was one of the last bastions in Washington that towered above the political fray. It is now part of the dysfunction that has overwhelmed […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Republican Party has lost its way
The other day, a woman confessed to me that she’s a Republican. Republicans may bristle at the verb, but it’s used advisedly. The lady admitted her party affiliation the way you would some personal failing. “I don’t tell a lot of people,” she said, “but …” In fairness, her reticence might have been in part […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
The USMCA has the potential to do great things
In baseball, when a team trades a player to another team each side expects a benefit in return. Not so in recent years when it comes to trade agreements between the U.S. and other countries. President Trump has been right in his criticism of NAFTA and other trade deals that have left the United States […]
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There's more to the South than prejudice and accents
“Honey,” the telephone operator in Nashville told my wife, “y’all dahllin’ too fayast.” That was Marilyn’s welcome to the South. On her first day at work at the Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University, her calls didn’t go through. So she called the operator, who said to slow down her dialing finger. Remember rotary […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Perspective, sj-web
I've met people of all stripes, and I have my motorcycle to thank
Late fall lowers my spirits for a lot of reasons, but one of the saddest comes on that dreaded day when it’s time to winterize the motorcycle and put it away until spring. It’s almost a half century since I bought my first bike, and now the season’s end comes with a little extra wistfulness, […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Universal home care program a major step forward
With a citizen initiative on the ballot for this November, Maine is poised to become a national leader in the critical debate about how to provide care for a rapidly aging population and how to ensure those who provide care earn a decent living. There is little question about the need for action — the […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
It is in our interest to save other species
The dusky gopher frog is a tiny thing. Once thriving in the longleaf pine forests of the South, only about 250 remain in the wild, in Mississippi. The endangered frog could soon disappear forever if the U.S. Supreme Court rules against a plan to preserve breeding ponds in Louisiana. The dispute centers on the Endangered […]