Opinion
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 903
Escape from New York and Southwest Airlines
In the 1980s, I repeatedly watched a recorded copy of the film "Escape from New York" on my family's Panasonic VCR – complete with tuning knobs the size of hubcaps. Little did I know that I would...
Buck v. Bell: The Supreme Court upholds forced sterilization
In a tragic, landmark ruling of historic dimensions, the Supreme Court, in 1927, in an opinion written by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, upheld the forced sterilization of a Virginia woman erroneously characterized by the state as...
Playing politics with public notices
We’re only a few days into the state legislative session, and North Dakota newspaper publishers find themselves thrust into a battle to protect the public’s access to information. Senate Bill (SB)...
Giving up on your 2023 reading list yet?
"Time Enough at Last." The new year reminds me of that classic "Twilight Zone" episode starring Burgess Meredith as a put-upon bookworm. (No, he wasn't reading on the wing of an airplane! Get your...
Powell v. McCormack: Confining Congress to the Constitution
Congressman-Elect, George Santos’s (R-NY) sweeping distortions of his personal and professional biography has triggered nationwide calls for the House of Representatives to prevent him from assuming his seat in the 118th Congress. Americans have...
Collegiate Congratulations: Call for submissions
We’re in the last week of holiday break for my college-aged daughter, and I’m wondering how it went so quickly. We’ve gone over her grades from her first semester as a full-time college student,...
How Barbara Walters crafter her incomparable career
Barbara Walters might never have become a powerful force in broadcast journalism had she lacked the chutzpah to extract a promise from her bosses at NBC News in 1973. As she explained it to me, she...
At year's end: A duty to protect our constitutional democracy
In this season of peace, remembrance and celebration, we are beckoned by the ghosts of 1776 and 1787 to recall the historic work of this nation’s founders in establishing a republic grounded in the aspirational principles of liberty, equality and s...
The calm after the storm
This Christmas was definitely one to remember for some, and not necessarily in a great way. Some didn’t make it home due to the ridiculous weather we’ve been having. Others I know were sick with...
Cold enough for you?
I won't hazard a guess as to whether it achieves immortality like "grassy knoll" or "hanging chads," but surely the phrase "bomb cyclone storm" will remain in the public consciousness of those who...
We the People: Law and history reject unlimited legislative power
For the generation that framed and adopted the Constitution, legislative despotism was not merely theoretical, but real. The Founders’ fears were drawn from their experience under Parliament, which saddled an aspiring Republic with laws that...
A resolution worth keeping
New year’s resolutions - who actually sticks to them anyway? I’ve said for years that there is no reason to make one if I don’t plan to keep it. Thus, I haven’t made any resolutions for...
Hope is all we have
I’m filled with a renewed sense of hope all of the sudden. Truthfully, I don’t know why I feel such hopefulness. Last Friday I went to the hospital to have a hernia surgically repaired. T...
We the People: December 26, 2022
Constitutionally speaking, a former President may be prosecuted It is unclear if the Department of Justice will charge former President Donald Trump with four crimes referred by the January 6 Committee, but there should be no doubt,...
Wishing you grace and peace this Christmas
Through all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I have to keep reminding myself to take work and life one step at a time. “Do one thing well, and then move on to the next,” I think....
Christmas lights: A judgmental guide
One of my fondest childhood memories of Christmas in the 1970’s was riding around in the family station wagon, “Bessie,” to look at Christmas lights while I whined to my parents about needing a snack – again. There was something magical ab...
We the People: December 19, 2022
Donald Trump’s call to terminate the constitution As the entire world knows by now, former President Donald Trump, the presumptive leader of the Republican Party, has called for the “termination” of the Constitution to overturn the 2020...
The little girl that changed my thoughts
By the time this reaches homes and newsstands this weekend, I’ll have had a meeting with the professionals at one of the state’s largest medical centers. I’ve been meeting with them for months...
Have you hugged a Santa impersonator lately?
It has been years since my family last dealt with the "pictures with Santa" pageantry, but Saint Nick impersonators remain an integral part of Christmas for Americans. Parents feel compelled to honor...
Lynch v. Donnelly: Christmas Creche and the Constitution
The public role of religion in American life, long a challenging issue for the Supreme Court in its interpretation of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, commanded nationwide attention in 1984 when a lawsuit was brought against Pawtucket,...
Finding joy in the local experience
A fledgling caterer lands a foundation gala and falls for her client's nephew, who is assigned to make sure the meal goes perfectly. An owner of a farm and home goods store tries to convince a...
Digging the return to vinyl
Vinyl records are making a comeback, and it’s not just nostalgic old fogies who are driving the trend. According to Readers Digest UK, millennial and Gen Z consumers are digging the distinct sound...
Near v. Minnesota: Bulwark of press freedom
At this juncture in American history, when the citizenry seems to require frequent reminders of the landmark decisions and actions that poured and preserved the foundation of our constitutional democracy, we would do well to recall the transformative...
Mom pride at courtside
As I write this, I’m preparing to sleep in my own bed for the first time since Wednesday (and it’s Sunday). Armed with my media pass, new Rocket gear and Erik Gjovik’s Nikon camera, I spent the...
Guest: Rethink the Click - Support small this season
Online shopping is so convenient. Just open a browser and click a couple of times and your holiday gifts could be on their way. But this holiday season we're asking you to rethink the click and suppor...