GOP Takeover & the Future of Congressional Oversight
With just about every Midterm Election poll forecasting Hurricane Katrina-like destruction for Congressional Democrats and a prospective GOP takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives, it begs the question, “What will change?” Speaker in waiting, Rep. John Boehner (R-OH),...
DetailsLighting the Fires of Hate in Gainesville
It never ceases to amaze me the people who proclaim to be representatives of God but are so willing to unleash hate. As disturbed as I am by such behavior, I am even more disturbed that there are people...
DetailsFive Years Later, Gulf Coast Reflections – Part Four
Lake Charles, Southwest LouisianaIn a state as disaster prone as Louisiana has been over the past few years, it's hard to remember that when something bad does occur, it doesn't impact everyone. I was reminded of this when I...
DetailsQuestions to Secretary Napolitano About Using Predator UAVs for Border Enforcement
The announcement Monday afternoon by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano that Predator B unmanned aerial vehicles will begin patrolling the skies over American's Southwest border, funded in part by the latest $600 million infusion of cash from Congress, ought...
DetailsFive Years Later, Gulf Coast Reflections – Part Three
Bay St. Louis, Waveland and Gulfport, MississippiIt's hard to say what the real ground zero of Hurricane Katrina was. For most Americans, they think of the City of New Orleans. They remember the raw and emotionally powerful images of...
DetailsFive Years Later, Gulf Coast Reflections – Part Two
Plaquemines ParishOther than cruising along a major piece of highway, there are few places that you can drive in America where you can go 50+ miles and not hit a traffic light. Such is the stretch of highway along...
DetailsFive Years Later, Gulf Coast Reflections – Part One
Five years ago, my life, like the lives of millions of others, changed. I was one of the thousands of people who went to the Gulf Coast to try to help, to do anything to address what can only...
DetailsA Mosque of a Mess – Absence of Candor at Ground Zero
Twenty years ago, I graduated from college as a double major in political science and religion. When asked by family and friends what I intended to do with those degrees, I explained that I wasn’t quite sure, but...
DetailsTed Stevens, Sean O’Keefe and a Powerful Gesture
Yesterday's sad news from Alaska about the tragic plane crash that killed former Senator Ted Stevens and four others, and seriously injured former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, his son and two others, brought to mind a chance encounter I...
DetailsTed Alden on U.S. Competitive Immigration
Every now and then you come across an article that cuts through the surface layer of superficial, short-term issues and illuminates the long-term challenges. Ted Alden's thinking has always been this way, and he nails it in his recent...
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