The public airing of grievances may not quite be the linchpin of our democracy, but it certainly can be one of its vital and more vibrant aspects. It is, of course, no replacement for the ballot box or the jury box when it comes to affecting genuine change in our governments, but it absolutely is […]

A preemptive strike is only ever any good if: A) It hits its intended target, and B) There is actually something there to preempt. Anything else is just going off half-cocked. The necessity of a preemptive strike, meanwhile, is almost always negated when avenues of communication are open and clear and free of the debris […]

Of all the things politicians should not be allowed to do – profit, either generously or modestly, from their positions; use the influence of their power to obtain an economic benefit for a family member; make laws that benefit only themselves, family members or business associates; employ mistresses in high-wage, low-labor government jobs – the […]

Once upon a time (and a very fine time it was, for newspaper editors), in a county not so very far away, there was a school board of trustees whose behavior redefined the word ‘deplorable.’ The results, of course, were predictable. Failing or floundering schools, facilities fallen into disrepair, test scores that disappeared off the […]

The decline of Fairfield Memorial Hospital has been agonizing to witness, and over the last three years that decline has, under the leadership of its Board of Directors, accelerated at an almost sickening pace. No one single factor is solely to blame for the hospital’s state of affairs, but among them certainly are politics. Ruthless […]

The Tyranny of the Melanocytes is a disease of the mind. These microscopic manufacturers of melanin have, since the earliest incarnations of Man, cast us all in heterogeneous shades of light-reflecting epidermis. These tricks of light have then hypnotized the mind, causing each to view its variant as The Other. It is difficult to imagine […]

When those charged with enforcing the law take it upon themselves to parse the finer points of our statutes, ordinances and codes, interpreting the law for themselves, it is not unlike a registered nurse performing open heart surgery. It is dangerous and it should be avoided entirely. The law is a malleable, yet delicate thing. […]

It is easy to blame others when things aren’t going your way. Particularly when the ‘others’ are the Media. No one likes those guys. And while the Media with a capital “M” may indeed be to blame for some unpleasant things (“Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” for example), the News Media can hardly be blamed […]

We hold to a higher standard those who are, either directly or indirectly, responsible for the welfare, education and societal assimilation of our children. The onus on educators, school staff and administrators and school board members is a heavy one, and the vast majority of them carry it well. Yet, when one of them stumbles […]

A government, any government, will do exactly as much or as little as its people allow. Angry citizens who blame the government for its dysfunctional behavior, for its inability to work together for the benefit of the Greater Good, for its unwillingness to compromise, are really only blaming themselves. A government is only an extension […]