Excerpts from recent Minnesota editorials
"Extremely careless." That's a label no candidate for public office wants to carry into the homestretch of a campaign - especially a candidate already struggling to build trust with voters.
Category Archives: Opinion
How Israel Is Losing America
The late American diplomat George Ball once argued that Israel needed to be saved from its own suicidal policies "in spite of herself." In a 1977 Foreign Affairs article, he called for an even-handed push by the United States for an Arab-Israeli peace.
Why Trump calls Warren ‘Pocahontas’
"Crooked Hillary is wheeling out one of the least productive senators in the U.S. Senate, goofy Elizabeth Warren, who lied on heritage." "Pocahontas is not happy, she's not happy.
Commentary: Hillary Clinton, commander in chief
For six years, I had consistently supported the policies of President Bill Clinton. I still remember the bitter taunts thrown at Rep. Marjorie Margolies Mezvinsky on the floor of the House as she cast a courageous vote in support of Clinton's 1993 budget.
EDITORIAL: Only the facts? a ” FBI findings leave additional questions
But in providing Ms. Clinton this hall pass, the director ventured into opinion: “Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case.” Laws protecting classified information were potentially violated; but nothing to see here, move along despite a “federal statute making it a felony to mishandle classified information either intentionally or in a grossly negligent way, or a second statute making it a misdemeanor to knowingly remove classified information from appropriate systems or storage facilities."
Should the Hillary Clinton email controversy be over?: Question of the Week
The controversy over Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of state took a sharp turn Tuesday when the FBI said it won't recommend criminal charges against the Democratic presidential candidate. While saying Clinton's actions were “extremely careless” and risked letting classified information fall into enemy hands, FBI Director James Comey said his agency's investigation found no evidence Clinton and her staff intended to violate secrecy laws and that “no reasonable prosecutor” would file charges.
Your Opinion: Reeves’ ruling failed test of the Constitution
We have been robbed. Federal District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled June 27 the part of our new "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act" that exempts county clerks from having to issue same-sex marriage licenses when it violates their religious beliefs violates the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage.
Editorial Roundup: Bloomberg View a ” Congress plays partisan politics while Zika spreads
Congress is giving the Aedes aegypti mosquito every chance to gain an advantage in the fight against the Zika virus. No one knows exactly when the first such mosquito will transmit the virus inside the U.S., but it might happen before lawmakers manage to pass a bill to pay for its prevention and control.
Chris Honor : Bernie Sanders’ last windmill
Since Bernie Sanders first stepped forward and announced his candidacy for POTUS I've followed his campaign with more than a passing interest. It's like he walked out of the tall corn in “A Field of Dreams” and unexpectedly brought the heat.
Sunday’s letters: Clinton’s actions disqualify her from office
Hillary Clinton did break the letter of the law. But unless she deliberately acted in a way to allow unauthorized people to have the classified materials, a prosecutor would almost always refuse to indict.
EDITORIAL: Preserving a rite of passage
Litigation over abortion threatens to go on forever, and it probably will. Feminists see abortion almost as a rite of female passage; others as an offense against nature, if not against God.
Sid Salter: Blame game, posturing don’t solve issues
The actual judicial decision written by U.S. District Carlton Reeves in striking down Mississippi's House Bill 1523 was eloquent, persuasive, and powerful - and at the same time, the ruling itself was entirely predictable and in keeping with the prevailing federal judicial winds. The ruling is written in such a way as to withstand the scrutiny of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Gov. Rauner can’t beat Illinois’ emperor
For the past year or so, I've been a staunch supporter of Gov. Bruce Rauner 's "turnaround agenda" for the state of Illinois. His willingness to stand up to the unions and the Democratic-machine-led House and Senate gave me reason to hope.
Christine Flowers, of the Philadelphia Daily News, is an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service.
I vowed I would never vote for Donald Trump. I have written, at last count, seven columns explaining why he repulses me.
Political Winners & Losers: There’s still no budget, but at least they had fireworks
Good Sunday Morning, all. We hope you're enjoying your long holiday weekend. From our beachfront redoubt, here's the skinny on who's winning and who's losing this weekend.
EDITORIAL: The importance of NAFTA to the RGV
Residents of the Rio Grande Valley are intimately familiar with one of the most significant election-year issues - immigration - and are probably better informed than many Americans about the implications of this complex topic. But last week, another issue in the national campaign came to the fore that could have a significant and potentially catastrophic impact on our region if we don't pay attention to its implications: free trade with Mexico.
COMMENTARY: Defining US patriotism
Politicians these days fling the word about wildly and loosely. We see "patriotism" coded, for instance, to mean America nationalism - we're better than everyone else and we need to show them.
Suffocating in fact-free cocoons
Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin were operating in a "fact-free cocoon" of partisan prejudice when they claimed that voter fraud was a major problem in their state, wrote federal judge Richard Posner in 2014. "If the Wisconsin legislature says witches are a problem, shall Wisconsin courts be permitted to conduct witch trials?" Posner is a conservative appointed by Ronald Reagan.
Restoring a Diversitya To The Supreme Court
Liberals talk a great deal about "diversity" these days, so it is ironic that so many have lined up in favor of President Barack Obama's pick for the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland. On important measures, Garland would render the Court less diverse than it is now.
Governor removes budget excuses: Legislature should act on revenue measures in special session
During his campaign and throughout his term as governor so far, Gov. Bill Walker has frequently said he wasn't governing to be re-elected.