Barack Obama has the problem from hell. Full story » Comments (37)

Random thoughts on the passing scene:

If you took all the fraud out of politics, there might not be a lot left.

Full story » Comments (38)

For each of the past six
years, it’s been accurate
to suggest that students
entering high school
take a good look around at
their classmates, for about onethird
of the youngsters they’d
see weren’t going to be around
on graduation day almost four
years later. That many were
sure to drop out. Full story » Comments (8)

It's like a supercharged dream: You find yourself sliding into the driver's seat of a sleek, brand new car. Slap it into gear and you zoom ahead, through a spectacular wild-looking Western landscape. Full story » Comments (28)

Many of us have personal reasons for detesting the cowardly, indolent and inflexible behavior of our state legislators as they procrastinate on a budget. Full story » Comments (13)

Two months ago I toured the embattled Butte Lightening Complex fire area and spoke to a homeowner the day after she had lost everything. She was wandering down a dirt road near Paradise looking for her lost horse, stunned, and asking, "Why did this happen?" Full story » Comments (3)

Read the first five paragraphs of the NATO statement on the Russian invasion of Georgia and you will find not a hint of who invaded whom. The statement is almost comically evenhanded. "We deplore all loss of life," it declared, as if deploring a bus accident. And, it "expressed its grave concern over the situation in Georgia." Situation, mind you. Full story » Comments (43)

Once more we prepare to honor our foremothers by celebrating the anniversary of the passage of women's suffrage. Each year, in advance of Aug. 26, our one-woman committee gathers to hand out the Equal Rites Awards to those stalwarts who have done the most in the past year to set back the cause of women. Full story » Comments (63)

What is happening in the republic of Georgia is all too reminiscent of what happened back in 1956, when Russian tanks rolled into Hungary -- and the West did nothing. Full story » Comments (168)

Just in case anyone missed one of the key points of this summer’s still-simmering siege of California wildfires, it is this: Climate change is here, it’s real, and it is time to stop quarreling about the causes and get on with doing something about it. Full story » Comments (134)

Oil prices have dropped recently as have gasoline prices; not much, but some. No one expects this drop to continue, and national decisions on energy have become a hot topic for everyone. Not just politicians but many ordinary citizens have formed strong beliefs on how to fix the energy problem. We each know that others (ourselves not included) can hold to cherished beliefs, even with all facts to the contrary. Full story » Comments (136)

The worst part of our vacation came on a Wednesday, which was supposed to be right in the middle of the trip. Full story » Comments (3)

One of every eight Americans lives in California. It is a staggering figure, particularly because California's population growth has depended upon storing and distributing water to vast areas of semi-arid land. Full story » Comments (4)

The Russia-Georgia cease-fire brokered by France's president is less than meets the eye. Its terms keep moving as the Russian army keeps moving. Russia has since occupied Gori (appropriately, Stalin's birthplace), effectively cutting Georgia in two. The road to the capital, Tbilisi, is open, but apparently Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has temporarily chosen to seek his objectives through military pressure and Western acquiescence rather than by naked occupation. Full story » Comments (40)

Even as China’s opening ceremonies for the Olympics inspired awe, there was something repellent in the exactitude of such mass perfection. Full story » Comments (20)