Our question of the day: Who — or what — should take the blame? The reference is to last week’s act of domestic terrorism at a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs. Authorities say three people were killed and nine wounded by Robert Dear, an eccentric, 57-year-old recluse. After his arrest, he is reported to […]
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West in denial over Muslim immigrants
FRANKFURT — In an ironic twist, Germany, which in the last century twice invaded other countries, contributing to two world wars, is now being invaded by hordes of Muslims. According to Pew Research Center, there are 4,760,000 Muslims in Germany, about 5.8 percent of its population, and that number is steadily growing. The Wall Street […]
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Millennials need to push for their future
WASHINGTON — An enduring puzzle of our politics is why there isn’t more generational conflict. By all rights, younger Americans should be resentful. Not only have they been tossed into the worst economy since the 1930s, but there’s an informal consensus that the government, whatever else it does, should protect every cent of Social Security […]
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The United States of contradictions
WASHINGTON — With election year a month away, American politics is caught up in tensions, ironies, and a certain amount of sheer madness. On the one hand: The U.S. economy is a marvel, driven forward by technological innovation, the promises of Big Data and Advanced Manufacturing, a relative independence in energy supply, and a population […]
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ISIS terrorists are enemies of civilization
The Paris attacks have occasioned a wide-ranging debate about what they mean and how to respond, involving Islam and its role, military strategy and, oddly enough, how Muslims in New Jersey reacted to Sept. 11 (thanks, Donald Trump). It’s all very interesting and, for the most part, quite important. At bottom, though, the import of […]
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Feelings of separateness on the rise
NEW YORK — The recent controversies on American campuses from Yale to the University of Missouri have been sad to watch. They reveal a country of chasms, in which ethnic and racial groups see, experience and speak of the world so differently. I find it difficult to comment confidently on what triggered the outrage among […]
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Kasich’s idea to promote U.S. values unworkable
Conservatives are supposed to be against big government and opposed to the left’s belief that problems can and should be solved by Washington. Which is why Ohio governor and Republican presidential candidate John Kasich’s proposal to create a new government agency to promote “Judeo-Christian values” is a really bad idea. Put aside for a moment […]
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Obama’s lack of action led to today’s Syrian refugee plight
WASHINGTON — The Syrian refugee debate has become a national embarrassment. It begins with a president, desperate to deflect attention from the collapse of his foreign policy, retreating to his one safe zone — ad hominem attacks on critics, this time for lack of compassion toward Syrian widows and orphans. This, without a glimmer of […]
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Let’s not defeat outselves
WASHINGTON — The recent terrorist attacks have called forth predictable demands from our nation’s politicians, particularly President Obama’s opponents, for American leadership in the world. Here’s what these politicians don’t talk about: the image of our country they themselves create in the way they manage — or mismanage — the work of governing. For several […]
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Are you happy, and how would you know?
Like many others, I can’t resist academic studies on happiness. They often come up with persuasive reasons some seem to be happier than others. I’m always on the lookout for pointers. That said, there’s no happy-mometer to push under someone’s tongue to measure contentment with scientific confidence. So some skepticism is warranted. Of course, the […]