Today, Saturday, December 3, 2016, is Fidel Castro’s funeral. On six occasions, our C.I.A. attempted to assassinate him. Our Government has a long history of overthrowing governments it doesn’t like, especially in Central and South America. Fidel Castro and his Communist Government survived, in spite of our Government arming and
I guess I should start out by defining this term “democracy,” which is thrown around a lot and much abused. As a young man, I left the shelter of a Franciscan seminary and joined the Korean conflict in order to fight Communism and make the world safe for democracy. After
Editor’s note: The first Presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, on Monday, September 26, 2016, delivered the largest-ever TV audience for a Presidential debate. Viewership for the ad-supported broadcast and cable networks, as well as PBS, reached 84 million, according to Nielsen numbers. That figure reflects the average total number
Tuesday, September 13, 2016, was the day to stand with the Dakota Sioux in protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline. Rev. Jorge Montes of Clinton, IA, sent out a last minute e-mail, announcing that he would lead the protest on the dike near the Showboat Theatre, from 5:00 p.m. to midnight.
You know it is election season when you hear the same stupid slogans over and over again, to the point you are about to barf! Presidential candidate Donald Trump touts, “Make America Great Again!” as if we know exactly what that means! Does that translate to more tax breaks for
A cursory review of U. S. foreign policy will reveal one stupid disaster after another! Donald Trump and his wall at the Mexican border sounds stupid, is stupid. But [it is] probably not as disastrous as [President Lyndon] Johnson’s escalation of the war in Vietnam or [President Richard] Nixon’s bombing
Let me count the ways. Most obviously, the Department of Justice seeks to charge her for some violation of the law regarding her e-mails. That’s too easy. Anyway, the matter is out of her hands. Maybe she’ll embellish a story like being under fire while landing in Bosnia. That was
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
Column by Michael Reagan “You can’t be a Trump Republican and a Ronald Reagan Republican.” That’s the tweet I sent to Jeb Bush the other day, when virtually the entire planet was united in bashing Donald Trump’s call for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration to the USA. I also
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