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Columns/Opinion

Kavanaugh reboot: Democrats could plead insanity

When the Supreme Court, under a previous ideological majority, was handing down decisions favorable to the left, Democrats were fine with deferring to that third branch of government to achieve what they declined to produce in legislation. Some Democrats in conservative states took the position that it wasn’t their fault that cases voters regarded as constitutionally wrong and morally unprincipled were being decided. Blame the justices, not them. The assault on the court has become worse now that Democrats see their primary avenue to legal and cultural change slipping away. The ...

Cruelty knows no categories

Until recently, I had not agreed with Trump administration officials on anything having to do with immigration. But on Sept. 9, the acting chief of Customs and Border Protection, Mark Morgan, said at a news conference that it would be “appropriate” to extend temporary protected status (TPS) to Bahamians in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Dorian, and that “history” supported the use of TPS in situations such as this. He was right. President Trump, of course, lost no time in shooting down the idea, warning of the “very bad people” from the Bahamas who would hurt U.S. ...

Celebrating Buckwheat season is a Preston County tradition

Buckwheat season is upon us. This week, folks will dig into traditional buckwheat cakes and sausage, watch King Buckwheat and Queen Ceres float by in the parade, admire one another’s exhibits and generally enjoy our county’s 78-year-old tradition. As I understand our history, buckwheat played a part in West Virginia’s slow recovery after the Great Depression. A fast-growing, easy-to-cultivate cereal, buckwheat provided good animal feed and a backup for when other crops failed. After buckwheat harvest, farmers could relax and enjoy a respite. In 1938, residents of Preston ...

We’re told our institutions will save us

Once upon a time, there was an ideal. It was called the United States of America. And in 2016, the presidency of the United States was captured by the flamboyantly incompetent star of a TV reality show, a man who doesn’t believe in any ideal beyond his own enrichment and aggrandizement. Some shaken observers assured us everything would be all right. The institutions of democracy — the courts, the Congress, the media and the agencies of the government — would save America from the worst consequences of one of its worst decisions. “The Guardrails Hold,” exulted the headline ...

It’s past time to get rid of nuclear arms

Sept. 26 is International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, a day designated by the United Nations to draw attention to one of its oldest goals: Achieving global nuclear disarmament. It is also the founding mission of my organization, Physicians for Social Responsibility. Nuclear weapons make us less, not more, safe. Since their existence, they’ve posed one of the gravest threats to public health and human survival. According to U.N. estimates, 14,500 nuclear weapons remain. That’s enough to completely destroy the Earth. Very few people want a nuclear war to ...

A music born out of hard times

I’ve spent the past couple of years working on a new album on my experiences over the last 62 years, from childhood to the trials of adult life in marriage and parenthood. After the components of an album come together the lyrics, music, production, sometimes even the artwork — you still need a title. Record companies often encourage you to use a song title, maybe a phrase. But that didn’t work here. How do you sum up a work that tries to capture who you are? As I was mulling this over, I started screening an early copy of Ken Burns’ documentary series, “Country Music.” ...