Show trial begins on same day as China trade deal

January 21, 2020

The contrast could not have been starker. One picture showed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi smiling as she signed (with numerous pens) two articles of impeachment against President Trump. She passed out the pens like souvenirs to fellow Democrats. They were embossed in gold with her signature and rested on silver trays. The other picture was of President Trump signing phase one of a new trade deal with China. Which picture depicted events of greater long-term benefit to Americans? Unless you are a rank partisan out to remove President Trump from office by whatever means, the obvious answer ...

She’s becoming her grandma

January 21, 2020

As I stood at the stove last Sunday afternoon, cooking sausage, I realized I was: 1) wearing an old robe 2) with an apron over it and 3) had on a sweater over the whole thing. I am my own grandma. The only thing missing was a tissue tucked into my sleeve. It was not a casual omission. Unlike everybody else’s ethnic grandmother — “ethnic” here meaning grandmas who did not read Emily Post or dine off the fine china they inherited, or who were rarely glimpsed chewing on a toothpick secured right behind their bridgework — my Sicilian grandmother never had a Kleenex tucked into ...

GAO found Trump did break laws

January 20, 2020

One of the core defenses of President Trump’s behavior toward Ukraine is the “no harm, no foul” argument, and it goes something like this: Regardless of anything President Trump or his minions said or did, Ukraine got its security assistance without having to announce an investigation into Joe Biden. So move along! But, as reported last month, Ukraine still hadn’t received more than $20 million of the military aid. And besides, some of Trump’s critics said, the administration didn’t have the authority to hold the aid the way it did. Thursday morning, the Government ...

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 ...