Opinion

Cell phones plus driving equal danger

I know we have more urgent issues than what I’m going to vent about, but I think it’s a part of why our country is in such dire straights these days. I speak of greed and selfishness. It trickles all the way down to the way we conduct ourselves in our automobiles.

Vintage or outmoded? You be the judge

The other day, I noticed that the laptop computer I use for writing this column was behaving differently. The words were repetitive and repetitive; the writing had occasional mizpelings — and many of the paragraphs ended in mid-senten.

Fix financial crisis, not the blame

When John McCain or Barack Obama wins the presidential election come November, one is going to inherit a nation full of angry, tired and fed up people.

How to drive a liberal woman crazy

I understand why some people oppose John McCain’s running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, and why they disagree with her. But I’m astonished at the brazen hypocrisy of liberals (most of them women) who are seething with anger and hatred towards her. I’ve been around politics for 30 years and I’ve never seen such unhinged hypocrisy in all my life.

‘…You say you hit a pergola?’

Last week, a semi-trailer truck clipped a corner of the historic downtown Pioneer Square pergola in Seattle. Luckily, the pergola wasn’t badly damaged and only needed some paint touchups. It was a far luckier outcome than what happened back in 2001 when a semi-truck driver from Greensburg, Pa., also clipped the pergola and caused the entire structure to collapse in ruin in the wee hours of the morning.

Good police work takes community

Each year when we have National Night Out festivities, we are reminded of the important role our residents have in crime prevention and keeping our city safe. (Incidentally, save the date - Aug. 4, 2009 has been set for next year’s event).

  • Sep 23, 2008
  • BY Wire Service

Winners and losers, what does it mean?

I was sitting in the stands a couple of weeks ago when the Huskies football team saw a potential victory evaporate faster than spilled beer on a hot sidewalk – all because of a referee’s call. A fan sitting just behind me meant to shout, “This is an outrage!” But instead, the words came out, “This is bull___!”

Obama, McCain both worthy of respect

In a few weeks we will decide who will lead our nation for the next four years. And for the first time in eight years I can start to respect the office of the President again. Both senators McCain and Obama have earned the respect of the nation by fighting battles both here and abroad, and it will be a tight race come November.

Event was reminder of small-town roots

It was a soft fall evening Friday in downtown Kent. It was the kind of night that just invited being outside.

Hello? Teachers’ strikes are illegal

Now that the Bellevue teachers’ strike is over, it’s time to ask and answer a simple question: are teachers’ strikes acceptable?

Old age didn’t slow down the pranks

My granduncle was the oldest man I had ever seen. His name was Father William Cashman, and I guessed his age at 500 or 600 years, but that was just a guess. He may have been older.

Kent police chief: Skagit shootings remind us of dangers of police work

Last week’s tragic news that six people, including a Skagit County Sheriff’s Deputy, were slain by an apparently mentally unstable man from the Mount Vernon area, brings to light some difficult but important facts about law enforcement and the job of police officers.

  • Sep 10, 2008
  • BY Wire Service

TV news: Stop the pandering, please

When the last balloon fell from the rafters in Minnesota at the Republican National Convention last week, the bile from my stomach started to rise up. I was sickened by the so called television “news” on every major network, peeling candidates apart like an onion, rarely discussing politics, but “experience.”

And if elected as your president …

I suppose this is coming a bit late in the game, but I don’t have much going on right now - so I have decided to run for president.

Who will win, come November

Election day is still a couple months away but I’m ready to make some predictions on how our state will vote. I think Washington will cast its votes for Democrat Barack Obama for president and Republican Dino Rossi for governor. Here’s why.

Sound Transit 2: Why we need it

More transit options may be coming your way. Last week, the Sound Transit board of directors decided to move a measure to this November’s ballot that will ask the region if they want to fund a significant expansion of bus and rail service.

  • Sep 2, 2008
  • BY Wire Service

We can learn from losing

As I watched the Little League World Series last week, I was reminded of my glory days as 10-year-old. Playing baseball in the spring and summer months from dawn till way past dusk, getting dirty and catching heck from my mom for coming home late and missing another fine tuna casserole. As I watched today’s youth, and a fine team from Mill Creek do battle against the world, I remembered the great and sublime gifts that competition gave me as a kid.

Bigfoot makes less-sizable impression

You might have seen the news story last week: A couple of guys from Georgia told people that they had a found the body of a dead Bigfoot – and they were going to show it at a press conference, proving once and for all that such a creature really existed.

What police are doing about gangs

It is both perception and reality that gangs, and the violence associated with them, have been increasing recently. This week I want to offer a few perspectives on the phenomenon of gangs and what we are doing about it.

  • Aug 29, 2008
  • BY Wire Service

Japan trip took on personal meaning

Most people who write for newspapers dread being part of their stories.