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At holy time, U.S. needs more than prayers

This past week the Christian Church has been observing a most holy and sacred event, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection into heaven. While the Christian belief is the most prevalent in our country, it is not mandatory and should never be made mandatory. The United States was founded on freedoms, one being freedom to worship as we choose. One important reason the early settlers came here was to escape religious persecution. The kings and queens of Europe forced their subjects to worship however they worshiped. Even the earliest settlers had differences of ...

RNC bucks red state’s election law

Federal law establishes Election Day for federal offices as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? But wait. What about mailed absentee ballots? What about mail-in ballots? Does federal law mean such ballots must arrive at local boards of election by Election Day? Or does federal law mean they need only be postmarked by Election Day? At issue before the U.S. Supreme Court, with a decision expected by June, is this very question. The challenge is to Mississippi law, which requires that ballots (1) be postmarked by Election ...

Finding upsides to losing downstate connection

Did you ever have a fantasy about something happening that you knew could never happen but that it would be nice if it did. Well, back in February, Minnesota Gov. Mike Walz said something that started me fantasizing. Speaking of the then ongoing strife between ICE officers and residents in Minneapolis he mused that the political tensions might represent a “Fort Sumter” moment leading to an unraveling of the union. As is usually the case with Walz he got things wrong, but his remark got me thinking along another path on how upstate New York might secede from downstate. Now there ...

Expensive round trip to priceless laughter

I was backing out of a downtown parking space when something flashed on my dashboard. The mileage calculator changed to a wrench. OMG. What’s wrong? This is not good. It was late Tuesday, and I was leaving for Dayton Thursday morning. I was heading for the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop – a professional, fun, and stimulating conference. I couldn’t wait. And now this? It was almost 5 p.m., so I drove directly to my mechanics. Rick and Mark have kept me safely on the road for more than 15 years. On my way to their shop, I glanced up at the oil sticker on the windshield. ...

It all changed on Easter 1958

I think that we all experience a day, or event, which changes our lives forever. Maybe it’s that teacher who inspires us to become all that we’re capable of being. Or that girl or guy who upon meeting we know is the one, whose unconditional love guarantees a lifetime of happiness. Or, sadly, a moment in combat leaving psychological wounds which can never heal (PTSD). In my case, it was Easter Sunday in 1958. Although my memory is mostly shot because of a combination of COVID and age, I can recall some things vividly, that day being one of them. I woke up to a glorious, sun-kissed ...

April Fools: Is this the future of football?

Editor’s note: This was submitted as an April Fool’s piece. In an unexpected move that stunned fans across Western New York, owners Terry Pegula and Kim Pegula announced this morning they have agreed to sell the Buffalo Bills to former hedge fund manager and pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli. Shkreli, who was released from federal prison in 2022 after a securities fraud conviction, said “I’ve paid my debt to society” and called the purchase “a redemption story.” He promised to “modernize football economics.” The reported $9.8 billion deal — which sources ...