Quad-City Times Bureau Chief Dan Petrella quotes Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner as saying, “It’s a huge issue (referring to a recent Supreme Court ruling), this decision to force government employees, taxpayer employees, to pay union dues, and to be in a union that they may not agree with. I think
I’m glad there is now a Black History month. The story of African Americans in the U. S. A. needs to be told and remembered, in the same way the Shoah needs to be told and remembered. Likewise, let us not forget the tragic experience of the Native Americans. To
On Friday, January 29, 2016, Senator Marco Rubio visited Clinton, IA, searching for voters who will caucus for him. I went early in order to get a front row seat at Vista Grande. As it turned out, there were enough seats for everyone. He had about a fifth of the
Editor’s note: On Saturday, January 23, 2016, Democratic Party Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders met the public in Clinton, IA, at separate town hall meetings. Hillary Clinton’s Clinton, IA, rally was at 1:30 p.m. The Secret Service screened everyone. She started on time. The [Eagle Heights Elementary
Anyone watching the second Democratic debate [Saturday, December 19, 2015,] surely noticed that there was a distinct difference in policy between the boys [Bernie Sanders, center, and Martin O’Malley] and Hillary Clinton, when it comes to reforming Wall Street. So the questions are: what is the difference? and why does
Editor’s note: Elizabeth Warren wrote this letter to Dr. Arthur Donart, Thomson, IL, on Thursday, November 19, 2015. Arthur, Over the past four years, millions of people have fled their homes in Syria, running for their lives. In recent months, the steady stream of refugees has been a flood that
Honoring our veterans is a “should,” whereas, preying on them is a “should not.” Patriotism consists of defending our Country and its values of democracy, civil rights, and the common good. Patriotism is not blind. It means criticizing our Government for its failure to honor our Country’s ideals. It also
When you are wrong about the Bible, people get hurt. This is especially true when you are a preacher. This is even more severe when a teaching of the church is based on an erroneous interpretation of Scripture–Old Testament or New. History is full of examples. Let me cite a
The Clinton, IA, Democratic Party held its annual Labor Day picnic at the Eagle Point Park lodge this Sunday, September 6, 2015. Local labor leaders and politicians were in abundance. I attended in my clerical attire, as a reminder that, since Pope Leo XIII, the Roman Catholic Church has supported
The State of Illinois is in poor fiscal shape; there’s no disagreement about that. The State needs about $4 billion dollars more than it is expected to take in this year. Had Governor Bruce Rauner agreed to extend the expired income tax increase, the State would only be short $1
For too long, we have looked the other way and have been “politically correct,” by not being honest about the Confederate flag. We have not wanted to hurt others’ feelings. Perhaps we thought the problem would eventually go away. It hasn’t gone away–any more than the racism it represents. One
It seems like the daily news regularly reports that some jihadi somewhere blows himself/herself up killing countless others in the name of God and their religion. Jihadi, or jihadist, refers to a person who believes that an Islamic State governing the entire community of Muslims must be created, and that
We all know people who are a pain. We even know groups of people who are a pain. What we don’t know is necessarily how to get rid of the pain. However, the Mexican Government has the solution. Mysteriously, the people who are a pain in the neck simply disappear.
Senate Republicans like Lindsey Graham have been advocating that President Barack Obama send arms to the “Free Syrian Army,” refusing to admit that there is no such thing as a “Free Syrian Army,” although it sounds good. Now these chicken-hawks are pressuring the President to send arms to the new
A panel of experts–people knowledgeable about the area, its people, and its problems–is very much in agreement that a military solution, by itself, to the challenge of ISIS, a.k.a. ISIL, is no solution at all. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is a terrorist jihadist rebel group. A