Once again, Iraq and Afghanistan are making headlines nearly every day. But while most media attention focuses on car bombings and combat casualties, other disturbing events in the region are slipping through the news cycle almost unnoticed.

A short item that caught my attention on October...

The newspaper pundit who is squarely on target these days when it comes to speaking the unpleasant truth about Iraq and Afghanistan is George Will, and I hope all war hawks are paying close attention to his columns.

Unlike many commentators, he understands that historical facts can't be...

Nothing like a town hall meeting about health care reform to get people all riled up. This is what life in a free society is all about, you know, public forums where citizens can wave signs of protest and shout "You're a liar!" at their elected representatives.

...

As Iraq continues its tumultuous journey into the post-Saddam era, I can't help but think back to a now-famous assertion made by former Vice-President Dick Cheney. Appearing on the March 16, 2003 edition of Meet the Press, Cheney and host Tim Russert were discussing what kind of reception our troops...

I've made it through the first half of 2009 without being tainted by
scandal, sparking a controversy, or otherwise stumbling into the glaring
spotlight of unwanted public scrutiny.

In this era of instant news cycles and global media coverage, it's not
easy to lurk unobtrusively...

U.S. District Judge Denny Chin cited the unprecedented nature of the
multibillion-dollar fraud as he sentenced (Bernard) Madoff to the maximum of
150 years in prison.......

"Here the message must be sent that Mr. Madoff's crimes were extraordinarily evil..." said Chin.

(Madoff) showed no emotion......

Greetings! This is your official check-out notification. We hope your
stay on the world has been pleasant. Now it's over. Finito. No more
tomorrows for the human race. Sorry for the lack of any prior indication
the end was near, but in our experience we've found...

Right now would be a good time for President Obama to install some gigantic fans outside the White House so he can blow away all the hot air coming from critics who think he's wimping out on the Iranian election conflict.

Obama has called for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad...

By now, millions of Americans are familiar with a question posed by General David Petraeus back in 2003, not long after coalition forces had toppled Saddam Hussein. Patraeus was talking with a reporter and said, "Tell me, how does this end?"

While Congress and President Obama navigate...

Some reports gave that statistic a slightly positive spin; it's the lowest number of...

Now that previously secret Bush administration memos have been made public, we all know that terrorism suspects were repeatedly brutalized during interrogations. Former Vice-President Cheney is on the record saying the harsh treatment was justified (although he still won't call it torture). So here's what I want to know:...

With mortgage rates at historic lows and "For Sale" signs displayed on almost every street in America, 2009 could be a great year for house hunters to snap up big bargains.

Just remember to take your time. This isn't the Oklahoma land rush. In the real estate...

The selection process demands an early start. Sifting through all the options can take weeks. Long ago summer camp stopped...

So you're finally going to tackle that big weekend project you've been putting off. Spring is the time for new beginnings, right? All winter long your confidence level has been rising. Perhaps you've been inspired by those TV commercials for a hardware chain that promotes the mantra, "You can do...

I had a gigantic blow out with my daughter last night and she didn't like it one damn bit but hey, it's my house and my rules, and I just said, "Pal, you can scream and yell until your face turns blue but from now on this place is a...

I remember the early 1980s, when the country was struggling through an economic slump and President Reagan tried to put some positive spin on the situation by holding up a newspaper in front of reporters and displaying the "help wanted" ads. He was trying to show that plenty of jobs...

The spam filter on my e-mail system works great. It turns away about 97-percent of junk messages, which is perfect for my world. If the filter blocked all the mass mailings I'd feel isolated from one of the most vibrant sectors of the cyber-universe. Maybe I'm just an easy mark,...