boonvilledailynews.com http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/section/columns boonvilledailynews.com delivers up-to-the-minute news and information on the latest top stories, weather, entertainment, politics and more. Fri, 24 May 2013 12:48:25 +0000 Michael Gerson: Baseless fears of Common Core http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130524/NEWS/130529723/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Fri, 24 May 2013 1:23:00 +0000

By Michael Gerson, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130524/NEWS/130529723/1008/OPINION E.J. Dionne: Is democracy in trouble? http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130523/NEWS/130529724/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 23 May 2013 1:00:00 +0000

By E.J. Dionne, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130523/NEWS/130529724/1008/OPINION
Our circumstances certainly have their own particular disabilities: a radicalization of conservative politics, over-the-top mistrust of President Obama on the right, [...]]]> Esther Cepeda: Missing school -- for vacation http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130522/NEWS/130529725/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 22 May 2013 1:01:00 +0000

By Esther Cepeda, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130522/NEWS/130529725/1008/OPINION
It’s that time. If you’re a teacher in a school with a large concentration of Hispanic students, you’re doing end-of-year reviews and preparing for final exams -- and you have kids trickling up to you to let you know they won’t be around for them.

This also happens at the beginning of the school year and during the holidays as parents take their children out of classes for long family trips. But I can tell you from first-hand experience that there’s nothing worse than [...]]]> George Will: On immigration, ghosts of Christmas past http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130519/NEWS/130519190/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Sun, 19 May 2013 1:07:00 +0000

By George Will, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130519/NEWS/130519190/1008/OPINION


Last week, a disagreement between two conservative think tanks erupted when the Heritage Foundation excoriated the immigration reform [...]]]> Kathleen Parker: Benghazi redacted http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130518/NEWS/130519193/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Sat, 18 May 2013 1:03:00 +0000

By Kathleen Parker, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130518/NEWS/130519193/1008/OPINION


This, we are supposed to accept, is the conclusion to be drawn about the terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, despite congressional testimony suggesting that significant efforts were made to camouflage those mistakes.



As Democrats and Republicans alike know all too well: It’s always the cover-up.



Yet in this case, where so clearly the State Department and others in the Obama administration took [...]]]> Dana Milbank: Asleep at the wheel http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130517/NEWS/130519195/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Fri, 17 May 2013 1:01:00 +0000

By Dana Milbank, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130517/NEWS/130519195/1008/OPINION


Late Monday came the breathtaking news of a full-frontal assault on the First Amendment by his administration: word that the Justice Department had gone on a fishing expedition through months of phone records of Associated Press reporters.



And yet President Obama reacted much as he did to the equally astonishing revelation on Friday that the IRS had targeted conservative [...]]]> Michael Gerson: The IRS needs an audit http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130516/NEWS/130519617/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 16 May 2013 1:35:00 +0000

By Michael Gerson, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130516/NEWS/130519617/1008/OPINION


The IRS has managed a similar confirmation. For years, tea party and patriot groups have breathlessly alleged that federal bureaucrats were [...]]]> E.J. Dionne: ‘Slow-motion mass murders’ http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130515/NEWS/130519618/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 15 May 2013 1:32:00 +0000

By E.J. Dionne, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130515/NEWS/130519618/1008/OPINION


Massacres and terrorist incidents cannot be ignored, but the day-to-day toll from gun violence is often swept aside. Politicians who tout themselves as advocates of law and order don’t want to be unmasked as caring even more about their ratings from gun lobbyists.



And opponents of the most moderate gun reforms engage in a shameless game of bait-and-switch. Because [...]]]> Esther Cepeda: Iron Man’s healthy conversion http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130514/NEWS/130519621/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Tue, 14 May 2013 1:01:00 +0000

By Esther Cepeda, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130514/NEWS/130519621/1008/OPINION


In the third “Iron Man” -- a series that spent its first two installments glorifying the reckless life of a spoiled, rich genius -- Stark, the man inside the metallic exoskeleton, seems to have finally taken a turn toward wellness.



No spoiler alerts are needed for me to point out that, though subtle, Stark set beautiful examples of healthful eating throughout this latest episode. [...]]]> Charles Krauthammer: Pink line over Damascus http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130513/NEWS/130519996/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Mon, 13 May 2013 1:55:00 +0000

By Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130513/NEWS/130519996/1008/OPINION


The next day Jay Carney said precisely the opposite: “Red line” was intended and deliberate. [...]]]> Michael Gerson: The fog on Benghazi http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130512/NEWS/130519997/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Sun, 12 May 2013 1:51:00 +0000

By Michael Gerson, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130512/NEWS/130519997/1008/OPINION


Recent congressional testimony by Gregory Hicks, Stevens’ deputy in Libya, established one point beyond doubt: Those closest to the attacks were not confused about their nature. They were responding to a coordinated [...]]]> Dana Milbank: Red-card this term http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130511/NEWS/130519998/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Sat, 11 May 2013 1:41:00 +0000

By Dana Milbank, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130511/NEWS/130519998/1008/OPINION


The president had played this game many times before. “I have made clear that the use of chemical weapons is a game-changer,” he said in March, in one of his administration’s many repetitions of the term.



But what game does Obama propose to change? “By game-changer,” ABC News’ [...]]]> Kathleen Parker: Prude or prudent? http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130510/NEWS/130519999/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Fri, 10 May 2013 1:01:00 +0000

By Kathleen Parker, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130510/NEWS/130519999/1008/OPINION


As so often happens with contemporary debate, arguments being proffered in support of allowing teenagers as young as 15 (and possibly younger) to buy the “morning-after pill” without adult supervision are false on their premise.



Here’s an experiment to demonstrate.



Question 1: Do you think that women should have access to Plan B, also known as the morning- [...]]]> E.J. Dionne: Obama’s wake-up call http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130509/NEWS/130509062/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 9 May 2013 1:00:00 +0000

By E.J. Dionne, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130509/NEWS/130509062/1008/OPINION


You can argue that this perception isn’t fair. The Affordable Care Act, if it’s implemented well, will improve a lot of lives. The economy is adding jobs, not [...]]]> Esther Cepeda: Accommodation nation http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130508/NEWS/130509069/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 8 May 2013 1:01:00 +0000

By Esther Cepeda, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130508/NEWS/130509069/1008/OPINION


Let me illustrate:



While earning my master’s in special education, I became aware that the 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act gave equal protection to children with disabilities.



This important piece of legislation opened doors [...]]]> George Will: Why judicial activism matters http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130507/NEWS/130509274/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Tue, 7 May 2013 1:01:00 +0000

By George Will, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130507/NEWS/130509274/1008/OPINION


But under today’s regulatory state, which Madison could hardly have imagined, the legislature, although still a source of much mischief, is not the principal threat to liberty. Suppose a federal executive department flagrantly abused its regulatory powers for the unmistakable purpose of [...]]]> Kathleen Parker: The Bush I knew http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130505/NEWS/130509995/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Sun, 5 May 2013 2:32:00 +0000

By Kathleen Parker, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130505/NEWS/130509995/1008/OPINION


During the dedication of his library at Southern Methodist University, nary a word was spoken about the most controversial aspect of his tenure, the Iraq invasion. All living presidents were in attendance and made only generic references to mistakes and regrets familiar to all. Of course Bush famously [...]]]> Dana Milbank: Washington at its best -- and worst http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130504/NEWS/130509996/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Sat, 4 May 2013 2:28:00 +0000

By Dana Milbank, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130504/NEWS/130509996/1008/OPINION


Most of the country sees the worst part: the triumph of money and power.



For the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner Saturday and its related soirees, media companies and lobbyists spend many millions of dollars to fete Hollywood celebrities and politicians. The dinner’s charitable origins were long ago lost, replaced by a desire of [...]]]> E.J. Dionne: The economic whodunit http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130503/NEWS/130509997/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Fri, 3 May 2013 2:24:00 +0000

By E. J. Dionne, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130503/NEWS/130509997/1008/OPINION


And since last week saw a cross-party celebration of the opening of George W. Bush’s presidential library, I’d add a second mystery: Why is it that conservative Republicans who freely cut taxes while backing two wars in the [...]]]> Esther Cepeda: Shrugging off words that hurt http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130502/NEWS/130509998/1008/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 2 May 2013 2:20:00 +0000

By Esther Cepeda, Washington Post

 http://www.boonvilledailynews.com/article/20130502/NEWS/130509998/1008/OPINION


This is not a trivial question. As Hispanics start populating academia, newsrooms, boardrooms and courtrooms across the country, they face the tricky terrain of interacting with people who have different backgrounds and upbringings. And sometimes those folks say the craziest things.



Recently, the Chicana writer and Huffington Post blogger Michele [...]]]>