A couple of weeks back I posted a column regarding the erosion of individual privacy that is coming as a result of the war on terrorism. Read the L.A. Times take on the subject. I found their editorial to be ho-hum, never-mind-me evaluation of this issue. The threat to American citizens is real given the…
Op-Ed Blog
Democrats Energy Boondoggle Done
Democrats have been rebuffed in their attempt to force V.P. Dick Cheny to reveal the details of meetings held with energy officials by a federal district court. Read the CNN.com story. In and of itself, this ruling is proper. National security is hardly at stake in the matter and Congress has no business meddling in…
Trent Lott: How Could You?
Trent Lott’s foolish remarks gushing his support for Strom Thurmond are generating calls for his scalp. Predictably, these come from minority group. Read the N.Y. Times story. Trent, Trent, how could you be so stupid? Above all people, a U.S. senator should know that it is acceptable for minorities to criticize whites and pursue racist…
Police Convicted in Kmart Arrests
The Houston police scandal that bloomed as a result of the mass arrest of approximately 300 people loitering around a Kmart store has resulted in two convictions of police officers. Read the story in the Houston Chronicle.. Obviously it was stupid. But was it really wrong? Here are the present results of the Chronicle poll….
A Better Way
The so-called ladies trying to crash the gates at Augusta National could take a lesson from Suzy Whaley. She’s about to be the first woman to play a PGA event, the Greater Hartford Open. Read the MSNBC.com story. OK, it’s not 100% on the level, Suzy did play from the women’s tees during the qualifying…
Police Arrest Wrong Man, Don’t Fess Up
Harris County Sheriffs arrested Edward Riley for no reason. Read about how police agencies are passing the buck and the blame for his arrest. Thom Marshall of the Houston Chronicle says this type of screw-up demands an internal investigation. What do you think? The victim in the case certainly has a right to his anger….
Ex-CBS Exec Quits Augusta
The Augusta National Golf Club has suffered its first defection. Read about it on MSNBC.com. Apparently Mr. Wyman does not respect the right of private organizations to choose their own members. That’s his privilege. However, in agitating for CBS to join in a boycott of Augusta is going too far. It is doubtful he will…
Affirmative Action Under Review
The U.S. Supreme Court will re-think Affirmative Action by mid-next year. Read the MSNBC.com story. My guess is that they will restrict the use of race as a valid criterion in evaluating college applications. The constitutionality of AA has always been questioned, and with good reason. Twenty-five years of illogical thinking is enough.
No More Miranda Warnings?
An appeal to the Supreme Court of an Oxnard, CA excessive force case in which a man who fought with police was shot by police could have wide-ranging impact on our legal system, including a possible rollback of the Miranda requirement. Read the story on Yahoo.com. This basic right of citizens being questioned by police…
Shuttle to Space Station
Liftoff of NASA’s fifth and final shuttle mission of the year happens Monday. Read about it on MSNBC.com. The space shuttle is cool. It’s about the best thing the U.S.A. has going in the space department these days. Not that it’s a bad thing, but in the last twenty years, haven’t we moved past it?…