Thoughts and prayers not enough

January 17, 2020

Fort Worth faithful may feel a little more wary entering houses of worship, with events at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement lingering in the rear-view. Just over two weeks ago, a gunman killed two worshippers during services before he was shot dead by a member of the church’s security team. The event was immediately heralded as a victory by many Second Amendment activists. They’ve rightly commended the quick thinking and action of Jack Wilson, the security team leader who shot gunman Keith Thomas Kinnunen within six seconds. Of course, Wilson isn’t just an ...

Dollar General part of Americana worth celebrating

January 16, 2020

TARRS, Pa. Five years ago, the plot of land where the Dollar General store sits on Glades Pike was just that: a plot of pastoral greenery located near a row of neatly kept homes in an unincorporated village that once briefly boomed as a coal town. The store’s familiar yellow sign with bold, all-capitalized black letters sits slightly back from rolling Pennsylvania Route 31, which runs parallel to both the turnpike and the Lincoln Highway. For many people in the area, the store serves as a quick stop for a forgotten grocery staple. These places match the service provided by the ...

Do Canadians want to defer to Harry and Meghan?

January 15, 2020

One thing Canadians tend to be is sensible. And so it is surprising how many would consider making Prince Harry and his wife, the former Meghan Markle, king and queen of Canada. Harry is a beneficiary of the lucky genes club, and Meghan was TV actress from Los Angeles. Do Canadians really want to defer to these two, even under their current titles, His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex? A writer for Toronto’s The Globe and Mail called their possible part-time residence in Canada “the fairy-tale ending we all deserve.” Ottawa needs ...

What I would like to hear from candidates

January 14, 2020

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s strategy of holding on to the two weak articles of impeachment against President Trump was starting to rattle some Democrats, who felt they were losing the political battle. Last Wednesday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., told reporters, “If we’re going to do it, she should send them over,” adding, “I don’t see what good delay does.” On Friday, Pelosi sent a letter to her Democratic colleagues that announced she was preparing to send the two articles of impeachment to the Senate this week. “I will be consulting with you at our Tuesday House ...

Eternal battle: Revenue vs. virtue

January 14, 2020

Donald J. Boudreaux and Adam C. Pritchard Tribune News Service Alcohol prohibition became the law of the land 100 years ago — on Jan. 16, 1920 — following ratification of the 18th Amendment and enactment of the Volstead Act. Progressivism played a driving role, with Americans possessed by reformist fervor set to cure the ills of society by banning the manufacture and sale of liquor. Today, reformers are pushing in a seemingly opposite direction, seeking to undo a longstanding ban on marijuana. What lessons do the demise of alcohol prohibition provide for modern-day marijuana ...

What in the world just happened here?

January 13, 2020

So what in the world just happened here? That’s the question of the moment as we struggle to get our heads around the latest head-snapping episode in the bizarre presidency of Donald Trump. In the last few days, we’ve seen: 1) a U.S. drone strike in Iraq, killing Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force; 2) Trump’s justification of the killing on grounds that Soleimani, architect of hundreds of American military casualties, was planning imminent violence; 3) bellicose threats from Trump to bomb Iranian cultural sites; 4) vows of revenge from Tehran, and, 5) Iranian ...