Backtalk: 12/24/2016

A DRESSING DOWN: What is someone from Burlington doing as a student at An Wang School? How come she didn't have a phone number for her mother? And isn't it time that we stopped sending our children to school in their pajamas? There was a time when girls had to wear a dress, or skirt and blouse, in the classroom. Now they are taught to be lazy in their school attire.

A wish list for next legislative session

With the 2016 election over and the jockeying well underway for position and power, we are being treated to various Kansas politicians - from the governor on down - determined to dampen our holiday spirits. In an effort to maintain some happiness and good humor in this season, it seems appropriate to send Santa a last minute wish list for the good people of Kansas.

Abe’s peaceful visit to Pearl Harbor will send a powerful message

On Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will stand with President Barack Obama in honouring the more than 2,000 U.S. soldiers killed in his country's Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, a date that lives in infamy, if not controversy. As the first Japanese leader to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, the resting place of many of the U.S. Marines killed in the attack, Mr. Abe is taking a giant step forward that none of his postwar predecessors felt his country was ready or secure enough to watch its prime minister make.

How do other countries elect presidents without an electoral college?

Now that the long, ridiculous campaign for "Hamilton Electors" to flip the presidential election has ended, so has the debate about why the Electoral College exists. For our collective sanity, this is a good thing - rarely are debates less edifying and more circular than this one.

Your Turn: December 25

Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders campaign protest during the Democratic National Convention in July 26, infuriated by reports that 60,000 emails were stolen by Russian hackers from the email account of John Podesta, campaign chairman for Hillary Clinton. A reader says U.S. intelligence officials must investigate the hacking.

Who’s to blame for Hillary Clinton’s loss? She is

The party that has had a decadeslong soft spot toward Moscow and been reluctant to believe that the Kremlin might have aggressive intentions or, say, cheat on an arms-control agreement, is in a frenzy over Russian hacking that supposedly denied Hillary the victory that was rightfully hers. John Podesta , the chairman of a Hillary campaign that considered accepting the results of an election part of American writ as of about two months ago, refused several times on "Meet the Press" last week to say the presidential election was "free and fair."

James Gill: What to do with death row? Some say speed it up, others say kill it

Advocate staff photo by Richard Alan Hannon -- An aerial view of the offices and death row area of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, shot in 2011. Advocate staff photo by Richard Alan Hannon -- An aerial view of the offices and death row area of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, shot in 2011.

Keep pets safe during holidays

As we celebrate joyfully with friends and family this holiday season, American Humane, the country's first national humane organization, reminds pet owners to take safety steps to ensure that the holidays are just as merry for their furry friends. When you deck the halls, keep in mind that many holiday decorations can be dangerous for your pet.

Trump can’t force ‘sanctuary cities’ to enforce his deportation plans

Cities and public universities are exercising their constitutional authority when they declare themselves " sanctuaries " in response to Donald Trump's vow to deport 2 million to 3 million immigrants upon taking office next month. Trump has threatened to force state and local governments to implement his deportation policies, including by taking away federal funds, but such actions would be unconstitutional and likely halted by the courts.

Why the white working class votes against itself

Maybe they believed any Big Government expansions would disproportionately go to the "wrong" kinds of people - that is, people unlike themselves. Hillary Clinton's unexpected loss, particularly in traditionally blue strongholds, has led to lots of rumination about what the Democrats must do to reclaim their political territory.