opinion

“I hate snakes!” It’s a great laugh line delivered by Indiana Jones on quests for rare archeological artifacts when he suddenly finds himself defenseless — surrounded by vipers. Somehow, he always manages to survive the experience. The scenes should serve as a primer for U.S. presidents promising to deliver great …

We all know politics can get crazy, but when a candidate in 2010 for the U.S. Senate has to defend herself against allegations that she is a “witch,” we have reached an all time low. Whoever said words could never hurt you, did not know what they are talking about. …

With Congressional Republicans and the president vowing an end to earmarks and pressure being exerted on the Congressional Democratic leadership to fall in line, many are lauding earmark reform as a fiscally responsible good governance measure. It’s debatable how much money will actually be saved in the national budget. What …

As we head into the holidays we enter a time when stress, expectations and strained family relationships can strip the joy and meaning out of the season. Learning to pace ourselves and focusing on the very reason we celebrate can launch us on a path toward deeper meaning, closer relationships …

Remember those bumper stickers informing us that “dissent is the highest form of patriotism”? According to Hillary Clinton, that is only true when a Republican occupies the White House. At least that is the implication of an exchange our Secretary of State had with a senator during testimony on Capitol …

The mood of the country is shifting sharply against the Democratic Party, which swept into power on wave elections in 2006 and 2008, and has now apparently used its total control over Washington to dig the country into an ever-growing mess and lose the confidence of the American people. It …

In the crucial bellwether state of Ohio, the Democratic governor has created a heavily partisan committee that may be able to tip the scales in favor of Democrats in the upcoming 2010 census.What makes this situation particularly worrisome is that the man tapped to run the committee is current state …

The writer C.S. Lewis once aptly likened we humans to that individual who “after falling off his horse on the right, falls off it next time on the left.” It’s a perfect description of our bipolar popular culture which is producing in increasing numbers, young women who are either battling …

The decision to award Barack Obama the Nobel Prize rewards him for not being George W. Bush and for his aspirations rather than his achievements, his promise rather than his performance. The committee was rewarding America’s welcome change of tone under the eloquent young president and encouraging his commitment to …

Ladies and gentlemen, those of us here at the main office are pleased to announce that the Peoples Weekly Brief (voted America’s favorite column two years running as tallied by the Spenkman-Wanker Polling Institute) is back on line. After a lengthy hiatus, during which I toiled on a book of …