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Letter to the editor
Dear Editor: “The Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty-seven and of the independence of the United States of America the twelfth” (quoting the Constitution of the United States of America) was the date the Constitution …
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Why’d the Tea Party play nice?
Remember that time the Tea Party Republicans in Congress almost forced the United States to default on its debt obligations by refusing to raise the debt ceiling? Remember how the government’s inability to, well, govern drove Standard & Poor’s to downgrade our credit rating for …
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Breeding the desire to win
The gentle lapping of the waves against our bow seemed to arouse the sleepy dawn. Soon little colorful songbirds began to rustle about, calling excitedly from the brush tops along the grassy banks. The cares and hustle of the far off big city seemed to …
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More notes from students
Most of my college students are bright and fun to teach, and work hard. But each semester I get interesting letters, emails, and phone calls from a few students. I save these, and occasionally I compile them into a column. The last couple of years …
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Che and the EPA
On Sept. 13, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sent an internal email to its staff under the subject line “Hispanic Heritage Month.” The email, obtained by The Weekly Standard magazine, featured a picture of infamous communist butcher Che Guevara with the slogan “hasta la victoria …
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New phone is (almost) too smart for me
I am not smarter than a fifth-grader but I could be a millionaire by now. Just over a week ago, I hit a deer on the way to the babysitter. The deer did one of those rabbit things, where she couldn’t make up her mind …
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Effect of immigration on American workers
Here are a few indisputable statistics about immigration and the United States’ job market. Each new legal immigrant receives work authorization. According to the Department of Homeland Security’s most recent report, “U.S. Legal Permanent Residents, 2011” a monthly average of 75,000 legal permanent residents “may …
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What a feeling
The thought of picking up a pen or pencil in my right hand and use it just as I do in my left is inconceivable to me. And if I ever want to know what it’s like to ride a bicycle, I probably won’t unless …
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Bonnie and Clyde in Arkansas
Bonnie and Clyde’s crime spree lasted only two years, but the Texas-based Barrow Gang was held responsible for 13 murders, plus numerous robberies, kidnappings and car thefts. One of the murders occurred in Crawford County, near Alma, Arks. In early June 1933, Bonnie Parker was …
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Secrets to being helpful rather than critical
Have you ever experienced any of these scenarios? You have an idea or project you’re excited about. You work on it. You share it with someone you care about, whereupon your friend (colleague, boss, spouse, or parent) takes one look at the report (essay, business …
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Union Army, Navy destroying river ports
One hundred fifty years ago, the Union Army and Navy were ridding the South of valuable river ports on the Mississippi River. Because the “Mighty Mississip” was so valuable for trade and communication in the South, every attempt was made to keep the Southern people, …
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First on the scene makes for a long day
Wednesday marked another first in my life and at my age — there’s not a lot of firsts left. I did my very first on-the-scene story. Three-year-old Landen Trammell from Onia had been missing since Tuesday. The next morning when I came into work, I …
