Posted November 30, 2023in Morain
News coverage of Gaza and Ukraine understandably focuses on how their respective wars are progressing. Bulletins report the advance and retreat of battle fronts, the tally of dead troops and civilians, the extent of damage to homes and hospitals and other buildings, the displacement of residents, and other visible evidence
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Posted November 23, 2023in Morain
The Israel-Palestine conflict is among the world’s oldest, longest-lasting, and most intractable. Now officially 75 years old, dating from the creation of Israel in 1948, its actual origins predate that year by many decades, going back at least to the late 19th Century. And its causes continue today for essentially
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Posted November 16, 2023in Morain
Rooting for one political side or the other in America today increasingly resembles rooting for a sports team. They’re not the same thing. On the surface they do appear similar: the cheering crowds, the yard signs and bumper stickers, the media coverage, the fan clothing, the arguments over coffee or
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Posted November 09, 2023in Morain
“Nightmarish” accurately describes the challenges both Israel and the Palestinian residents of Gaza confront in the Israel-Hamas war, now more than a month old. The Biden Administration no doubt perceives it similarly. The surprise breach of Israeli guard posts along the Gaza border by Hamas commandos on Oct. 7 caught
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Posted November 02, 2023in Morain
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; . . .” So says the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The 14thAmendment extended its authority to the various states, so for the past 155 years or so it’s served as basic law
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Posted October 19, 2023in Morain
Not surprisingly, America’s uncertain political situation fosters anxiety among its citizens. And it does the same for citizens of other nations, friend and adversary alike. It unsettles an already fraught future for the planet. Rarely has the United States government been both so deeply and so evenly divided. We’ve
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Posted October 12, 2023in Morain
How long since you’ve read a story from an actual news conference with the United States President or the Iowa Governor? Or since you’ve viewed one on TV? Probably quite a while, and If you remember one, it probably took place quite a while after the one before that. It
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Posted October 05, 2023in Morain
Congress kicked the can down the road again. But that was better than the alternative. Last Saturday, Sept. 30, the absolute deadline before failure to act would have “shut the government down,” the House and then the Senate finally approved a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep federal spending going for
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Posted September 21, 2023in Morain
Republican Speaker of the U.S. House Kevin McCarthy last week announced an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Democrats should reply, “Bring it on.” It’s no secret how McCarthy’s announcement came about. The hard-right wing of his party in the House had threatened to depose him as speaker if he
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Posted September 14, 2023in Morain
In last week’s column I discussed whether age limits are appropriate for federal officials: the President, members of Congress, and judges. This week it’s term limits: should the nation change its current laws governing the length of terms for those officials? The short answer is “yes,” but you’ll have
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