The trouble with freedom of speech is that it is indelibly linked to the freedom to misinterpret, especially with sound bytes and slogans. For example, a common bumper sticker implores readers to "Take America Back." At first glance who could argue? Are there any middle class working Americans who don't …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
As a new school year approaches with one public education issue after another, it seems parents might find it useful to put aside politics and focus on what their children really need to succeed in school - and I'm not talking paper and pencils.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Idolatry is almost as amusing as it is bemusing. Take the Reagan Republicans for example. Their devotion to our 40th president is so misguided it would be laughable if it weren't dangerous.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound? If a woman dies in cyberspace but not in the real world, should she be mourned?
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 11 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
What's with all the uproar about Paul Ryan being a liar? He's just doing the duplicitous work of his profession, using the language of modern politics to mislead rather than to lead. They all do it.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Anyone who has read the enlightening editorial in the Press on July 29th must now realize the terrible threat posed by the International Baccalaureate program.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
There is no denying that we aren't the country we once were - but we continue to deny it anyway. That's because when people in denial are told they are in denial they simply deny it.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
There is no denying that we aren’t the country we once were—but we continue to deny it anyway. That’s because when people in denial are told they are in denial they simply deny it.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
Another Idaho tax protester has made the news for not paying his taxes - and this time it isn't an elected official. Shouldn't it make us proud that our citizens are following the examples of our leaders? After all, if it is an admirable thing to stand up for your …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 12 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Given its magnanimous etymology it is surprising that the word public has acquired any negative connotations. Then again, considering the polarized ideologies so prevalent in modern politics, it isn't too surprising that so many of our elected representatives have demonized the word and deified its opposite: private.
The Academy Award winning 1965 film "Dr. Zhivago" contains a poignant scene that forms a fearful premonition in 2011. In that scene arrogant, wealthy Russians dine in an expensive upstairs Moscow restaurant mocking the poor protesters on the street below. If that scene of unrest is transferred to today's Wall …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
If the next cup of tea you drink leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, there's a good reason: It's a hangover from the tea party they just had in Washington, D.C. It isn't the first tea party to leave historic after-effects on this country, but it may turn out …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Anyone who values the First Amendment should also value Voltaire and Mark Twain, for both men gave us wise words regarding freedom of speech. I revisited their wisdom after a "My Turn" article published about a month ago caused a barrage of negative responses in this paper.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO
Philanthropy can't trump hypocrisy. Kids are smart enough to sense this even if they lack the education to do anything about it. And they will tell adults, in a variety of ways, how hard it is to swallow a lecture from someone whose words and actions are disconnected. That's why …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Most Americans see an oxymoron when the words "tax" and "happiness" appear in the same line, but that apparently isn't true of those northern countries that gave the world the Vikings and pickled herring. In a recent worldwide survey to determine the happiest people on the planet, Denmark and its …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
Human thought has isolated three basic types of irony: There's verbal irony, in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant (think politics). Then there's dramatic irony, in which the audience has information the characters don't (think Wall Street insiders). Finally, there's situational irony, in which the …
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
We in Idaho should be very proud of the quality of the elected officials we send to represent us in Boise and in Washington. They have our best interests in mind and do not embarrass us in any way. But that was not always the case.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
Sometimes opportunity knocks, and sometimes it knocks down the door. For those who would like to rid society of the evil known as public education, the door is now rattling.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
