Archive By Section - Columns
Pious baloney 2.0
WASHINGTON -- One thing we've learned since the Republican primary season began: There's an awful lot of pious baloney out there.
A really long week
When I woke up a week ago this morning, I knew I would have a busy week. I just didn't know how busy.
Where’s the truth?
Over the Christmas break, I spent a couple hours cleaning up my office and sorting through all the stuff I've accumulated since the summer. One of the folders I found contained a report from an organization called the South Carolinians for Responsible Government (SCRG). This group is headquartered in Columbia and is reportedly funded in large part by out-of-state money. The SCRG is best known for its advocacy for school choice/tax credit legislation. These folks have a wealth of resources. At a hearing I attended during last year's General Assembly, the SCRG had three staff members, an ...
Why Obama’s ‘recess’ battle matters
It's easy to ignore President Barack Obama's dispute with Senate Republicans over his recess appointments if you don't care what the government is doing with your money.
Washington’s anti-S.C. disposition
If you pay attention to the news -- and if you're reading this community newspaper it's likely that you do -- you're probably aware that the federal government just rejected South Carolina's recently-passed "Voter ID" law, which would require voters to present photo identification before casting a ballot in an election.
Find the positive around you
Gratitude, says Deborah Norville, will make your life happier and more fulfilling.
Has Ron Paul thought of this?
Dear voter: Are you dissatisfied with the possible presidential choices facing you in November? How about, say, a Ron Paul-Hillary Clinton ticket?
Extracurricular programs help shape lives
In celebration of 100 years of shaping the lives of young women, Girl Scouts will reveal a new smile-shaped confection. The powdered sugar-dusted lemon cookie, called "Savannah Smile," honors Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low's birthplace of Savannah, Ga.
Clash of the nice guys
WASHINGTON -- Iowa front-runners Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have a little problem. Both are too nice to be mean to each other.
Lack of offseason moves may doom Atlanta’s divisional chances
After experiencing historic collapses during the end of last year's regular season, the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox were undoubtedly feeling a bit shaky heading into this winter's offseason.
The Rubio factor
WASHINGTON -- The great thing about Iowa is that no matter whom the voters selected in their neighborhood huddles, it doesn't really matter. Placing in Iowa might land one a talk show (see Mike Huckabee), but the preferences of a handful of Americans belonging to a committed, ideological subset of a committed, ideological party do not a national trend suggest. The presumptive candidate proceeds apace.
A little bit of this, a little bit of that
For some reason, I had a very hard time coming up with a single topic to write about this week. So, I'll pull a "Noted and passed" and mention a little bit of a whole lotta that.
‘Swing’ voters, still partisan
Voters are a tough bunch to satisfy these days. The number of people who are registered to vote as Democrat or Republican has plunged by 2.5 million since 2008, according to a new tally. Independent ranks have grown. Nonetheless, studies show, most independents still vote overwhelmingly for one party or the other, even if they don't want to admit that in public.
There's more to life...
Mrs. Margaret, our accountant, and I were discussing where the year had gone last week and we agreed that things just move so fast these days that we don't take the time to appreciate what matters anymore.
'Tell Johnnie I'm okay'
Having the opportunity each month to write on an array of topics continues to deliver to me absolute satisfaction. Chosen subject matter usually encompasses certain resolute thoughts that have incited my interest or stirred my conscience in some manner. This month has proven to be no different except for, perhaps, the degree in which my awareness and inference of a fastidious topic has been kindled; the painstaking topic of war. Last week, we took in the Stephen Spielberg movie, "War Horse." The story has a universal message; one that portrays to its viewers the horror of war in which men ...
Articles by Section - Columns
Butterflies are free
As I have written here at least once before, only to be proven wrong, Spring is finally here. I really hope I am right this time, but I guess we're never completely immune in April to a cold front coming through that would bring a rainy day or two and then the drop in temperature that always follows. But, let's keep the optimism up and say, with faith, that Spring really is here to stay.
Grandmother Hillary
WASHINGTON -- The word is out that Chelsea Clinton is with child, making the favorite Democratic presidential nominee a soon-to-be grandmother.
A simple phone call
It was a simple phone call, out of the blue, from someone I'd known years before.
Sticking up for the Pine tree
Nothing quite marks spring here in South Carolina like the blooming of daffodils and dogwoods, the fluttering of robins and the release of the pine pollen. Each spring as I walk my dog through the woods during the height of pine pollen release, my footsteps stir the airy spores and coat my shoes. Is it annoying? You betcha. But you know this is the natural order of things and one of Mother Nature's most basic processes, reproduction.
Got Putin, yet?
WASHINGTON -- The new "agreement" between Russia, the U.S. and our allies is exactly what the former KGB agent ordered.
Just keep walking
Sylvia Plath said, in her autobiographical novel The Bell Jar, "There must be quite a few things a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them." While I do fully agree with the literary force of genius that is Plath, if that had been my statement, I would have written it: "There must be quite a few things a hot bath or a long walk won't cure, but I don't know many of them."
Giving Back
Recently, I was listening to a talk radio host railing about how public schools "no longer teach values." This issue seems to be a mantra of sorts for some folks in the media, many of whom I suspect haven't been anywhere near a public school in years. As someone who is in public schools every day, I can't for the life of me figure out what this view is based on. I know it's not based on reality.
Easter Memories and Hope
It is each of the many Easters of my life that I remember more clearly than any other holiday. Christmases blur together with only a few standing out in my memory such as the one when it snowed all day, the year I lost my voice completely, and the two times that I wasn't home – one working in Washington, D.C. and another in London.
Noted and passed - April 21, 2014
** Thomas Ravenel, the former state treasurer who served prison time for cocaine distribution, now stars in a reality television show called "Southern Charm." Ravenel stumbles through the show in a haze of alcohol and bad judgment. He and his girlfriend, who's 30 years his junior, recently had a baby in Florida. Ravenel says he intends to revive his political career by running for the U. S. Senate from the Palmetto State. The guys in Vegas would probably lay some long odds on his chances for success.
Page 1 of 1
Contents of this site are © Copyright 2014 Chronicle Independent All rights reserved. Privacy policy and Terms of service
