In the first year of his presidency George W. Bush was forced to confront the crisis of global terrorism. He responded by aggrandizing his power as president under the theory of a "unitary executive." The controversial and thoroughly repudiated policies that resulted, including warrantless surveillance of Americans' phone conversations, torture, and disregard for the basic constitutional rights of detainees, represented the most sweeping assertion of unchecked executive power in generations. ...more

January 3, 2009

I saw the cartoon in this morning's paper regarding all the persons and institutions who have been regularly denigrating President Bush the past eight years: Dan Rather the disgraced CBS anchor who couldn't take the heat of criticism; Nancy Pelosi, the mistress of vacuous statements and for us, unfortunately, the Speaker of the House; Harry Reid, the double dealing Senate Majority Leader; The New York Times, one of the most un-American newspapers in the country; MSNBC representing the left-biased television media and of course, Hollywood, the land of make-believe and immorality. ...more

January 1, 2009

The recent reporting concerning presidential pardons and the involvement of the Justice Department overlooks the fact that the pardoning power is given to the president by the Constitution and it is without limit or qualification. ...more

December 31, 2008

After reading Bud Morgan's recent editorial titled, "Doesn't anyone apologize anymore?" I am compelled to point out that the precondition for an apology is the recognition that one had done something inappropriate, a breach of manners, a mistake, a faux pas. However, the current style of "in your face" deception currently in vogue does not admit error, as amply demonstrated by our soon to be replaced president and vice president. When asked what he considered to be his greatest mistake, President Bush was hard pressed to find any fault or flaw in his disastrous administration. When the absence of WMDs in Iraq was called to his attention, his response was "So what?" Apologize? ...more

December 30, 2008

Rick E. Rockwell plopped his large frame down in front of his laptop, next to a foot-wide sheaf of unpaid bills still in their envelopes, lined up like an accordion on his desk. He logged into his bank account to see if his unemployment check had been deposited yet. ...more

December 29, 2008

President-elect Barack Obama's administration needs to monitor war spending much more closely than the current White House has, according to a new study that criticized President Bush's approach to funding the Iraq and Afghanistan wars - a bill that is projected to approach nearly $1 trillion next year. ...more

December 26, 2008

It's Cold Up Here We were checking the temperature at Ruskin, near Kings Point where we spent some winters, and noted that on Dec. 20 at 12:50 pm, the temperature was 65 degrees F. The temperature in North York, Ontario, was just under 7 degrees. Oh lucky you! ...more

December 24, 2008

Observation of the bickering and machination these past four weeks on the issue of "bailing out" the auto industry should cause grave concern about the future of this country. The outrageous attacks on the CEOs, unions and employees certainly verify the mean-spirited, hard-nosed and imperialistic image of the Republican Party. It is now crystal-clear that cheap labor and poverty wages are the core of "conservative" policy. ...more

December 24, 2008

A Hilo Chevrolet dealer who tried to crush his Asian auto competition found the stunt a little harder to pull off than expected. ...more

December 21, 2008

Hands Free A Must I do agree that driving with a cell phone at any age is dangerous. May I say hazardous to your health? ...more

December 16, 2008