Sound Off for Dec. 21: Greener pastures

Now that the electoral vote is in, I would like to quote from a notorious American patriot: “At this point, what difference does it make?” Are you hearing footsteps, Coach Payton? There are jobs open in Jacksonville and Los Angeles. Better dust off your resumA .

Journal Junction for December 21

I see where West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey wants to have EPA rules relaxed for coal surface mining, compared to saving our streams for drinking water, coal still seems to be the number one topic in getting this state going. Are we not smart enough to look for other industry to take its place? I still believe in saving the environment, not destroying it.

What Others Say: Passage of Cures Act is great news

The so-called “do nothing” Congress has done something very special before taking its end-of-the-year holiday break. Both the House and Senate approved the far-reaching 21st Century Cures Act, which includes key funding for Alzheimer’s research, mental health treatment and to battle the scourge of opioid addiction.

What Others Say: Passage of Cures Act is great news

The so-called “do nothing” Congress has done something very special before taking its end-of-the-year holiday break. Both the House and Senate approved the far-reaching 21st Century Cures Act, which includes key funding for Alzheimer’s research, mental health treatment and to battle the scourge of opioid addiction.

The Democrats and their ‘Cry Me a River’ song

When will it end for the Democrats and their ilk to stop the whining, crying and the-sky-is-falling childish tantrums? Evidently, Hillary Clinton and her cohorts will not cease and desist in their obsessive hatred of Donald Trump and conservative Republicans, as evidenced by their numerous false attempts to derail Trump’s presidency before it begins. If such came to be, then, my fellow Americans, World War II would be a skirmish compared to the very real possibility of what could transpire here in the United States.

An abuse of public trust in North Carolina

Roy Cooper greets supporters during an election party hosted by the North Carolina Democratic Party at the Raleigh Marriott City Center in downtown Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. Roy Cooper greets supporters during an election party hosted by the North Carolina Democratic Party at the Raleigh Marriott City Center in downtown Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016.

Jackie Evancho is a performer with talent and class

PG columnist Tony Norman’s slight regarding Jackie Evancho’s selection to sing the national anthem at the 2017 presidential inauguration is laughable . Donald Trump couldn’t get Beyonce or Katie Perry? Quite possibly the new administration simply chose to have a performer who arguably may be the best pure singing talent today.

Editorial: Snapshots from the nation’s press

This image released last Thursday by Aleppo 24 shows residents gathered near green government buses for evacuation from eastern Aleppo, Syria. Allegations that the Russian government tried to influence America’s election are extraordinarily serious – “the political equivalent to 9/11,” according to Michael Morell, the former acting director of the CIA.

The Trump Cabinet: Bonfire of the agencies

Democrats spent the first two decades of the post-Cold War era rather relaxed about Russian provocations and revanchism. President Barack Obama famously mocked Mitt Romney in 2012 for suggesting that Russia was our principal geopolitical adversary.

The New York Times And Me

I gave up reading The New York Times after getting fed up with its biased reporting and the blatant editorializing in its news pages circa the late eighties and early nineties when the Times did everything it could to bring down the Reagan presidency and demolish the presidency of the elder Bush. Yet in the run-up to this most recent presidential election I found myself reading the Times again, partly because a Facebook correspondent called me out on disparaging the Times’s recent coverage when I was no longer a regular reader and partly because a neighbor asked me to take her paper in while she was away.

Paul Choiniere

To continue reading up to 10 premium articles, you must register , or sign up and take advantage of this exclusive offer: While many focus on holiday preparations, it is that time of year for a crusty old political writer such as myself to take stock of the political scene and where things may be headed. Not to be a complete pre-recovery Scrooge, however, I tuned the radio to some Christmas tunes while writing.

Op-ed: Red flags over Trump Towers

There is a really good reason to support Senate confirmation of Rex Tillerson to be President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state: Tony Perkins opposes him. Perkins is the president of the Family Research Council, otherwise known as the Bedroom Busybodies.

Monday’s letters: Focus on fixing cyber security

Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta is the kind of behavior that the United States needs to address, but the hype about it is poorly focused. First, the hacking effort was likely expected by cyber security folks, but apparently not sufficiently by the DNC and Podesta to take even modest precautions: Shame on the DNC and Podesta.

Don’t shoot the messenger

It is difficult to divine whether Gov. Sam Brownback enjoys living in a state of denial – or if he actually believes repeating misleading statements often enough will convince Kansans they are true.

More thoughts about Hillary’s loss

The Marshall Independent published two columns from syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts and, more recently, an opinion from a Redwood Falls subscriber. The common thread seems to be that Trump won the election, but didn’t deserve to! Nowhere was Hillary Clinton’s loss even mentioned let alone reasons for such loss presented despite all the ares of obvious concern, for example, economy, trade, wages, etc.

Opinions

As we report in today’s edition, in the wake of the state’s presidential recount, county, city, and town clerks are being inundated with open-records requests related to the election, and some of the requests are quite significant. Friday, December 16, 2016 In his upcoming budget proposal, Gov. Scott Walker is proposing to establish a series of sunrise and sunset review commissions that would analyze proposed and existing occupational licenses to see if they are needed, or if they are too restrictive, and we think it is a good proposal that is long overdue.