Recent Commentaries

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The Saddest Acre
Major John Baldwin served as chief of thoracic surgery with the 24th Evacuation Hospital in Viet Nam.  For his extraordinary service, he received the Bronze Star.What follows is John’s own Memorial Day message offered to a home town crowd. It’s a message of remembrance, frustration and hope. “Welcome to Twain Harte’s Memorial Day Flag Dedication, Parade, and Picnic.  We are most...
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May 31, 2010
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Who was Dr. John McCrae?
Memorial Day originally called Decoration Day, was established as a day of remembrance to honor all those who fought on either side of the War of Secession or Civil War. In 1868, General Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic John Logan, designated the thirtieth day of May as the day on which graves of dead Union soldiers should...
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May 30, 2010
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World Citizenship
Yesterday, David Krieger offered a persuasive argument to the question, “Won’t the abolition of nuclear weapons leave the United States vulnerable?” I followed up with some questions of my own. Here are David’s responses. Q: “How do we convince irrational leaders to sign on to a plan to give up nuclear weapons?” Krieger: “These leaders may appear irrational, but their...
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May 28, 2010
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Now is the Time
I’ve written about David Krieger before. Founder and president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Krieger has worked tirelessly toward a vision of “a world at peace, free of the threat of war and free of weapons of mass destruction.” (And I thought getting everyone to be more ethical was a tough sell.) In 2004, Krieger wrote, “World citizenship has...
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May 27, 2010
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Facebook Nation
Face-friend: Someone you are “friends” with on a website, such as Facebook and don’t acknowledge when you see them outside the internet. “So is Anna going to be at your party this Friday?” “No way. We’re just face-friends.” – Urban Dictionary In six short years the Internet website Facebook has grown tenfold. Twitter, MySpace, and Linkedin are all part of an...
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May 26, 2010
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Thinking Outside the Bomb
South African Bishop Desmond Tutu is a Nobel Laureate whose other passion is the abolishment of all nuclear weapons.  The following Op-ed, originally published in the Sunday Observer/UK (May 23), was sent to me by David Krieger, president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.  Bishop Tutu’s words are both passionate and compelling. This year the nuclear bomb turns 65 –...
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May 25, 2010
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Far From Heaven
From the category: If you live long enough… The New York Times reports (May 21) that the appearance of the Dalai Lama at Radio City Music Hall “has inspired a certain chant on the Avenue of the Americas… ‘Tickets for the Dalai Lama, TICKETS…’” New York’s famed theater has long been considered the gold standard for world class events (if you count the Grammys and...
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May 24, 2010
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Hope, Revisited
News stories continue to reflect challenging times for us as individuals and a country.  The ethical constitution of our nation has never been more important. As we approach another election cycle, I thought it important to revisit some of the thoughts I expressed last year in a commentary called, “Hope in a Time of Uncertainty,” whose only addition comes from...
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May 21, 2010
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Character and Success
There’s a right way to handle misconduct and… there’s the other way. Former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor was arrested on charges of rape and soliciting prostitution involving a 16-year-old girl.  One of the NFL’s greatest defensive players, Taylor denied the charges and was released after posting a $75,000 bond. This isn’t the first time Taylor’s been in trouble.  His thirteen-year...
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May 19, 2010
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Tikkun Olam
How long does it take to correct a wrong? On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor.  Two months later, President Franklin Roosevelt signed United States Executive Order 9066;an order that moved approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans into 10 internment camps located in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. FBI Director J. Edgar...
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May 17, 2010