Politics, Moderate
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Mel Gibson Got His Gun Rights Back, but Millions of Americans With No History of Violence Are Still Waiting: The Movie Star's Special Treatment Highlights the Injustice of an Illogical Federal Law
Like millions of Americans, Mel Gibson has a criminal record that disqualifies him from legally owning a gun. Unlike nearly all of those people, the movie star, whom President Donald Trump has designated as one of his three "ambassadors" to Hollywood, will be relieved of that disability, thanks to a recent decision by Attorney General Pam ...Read more
Holding on to Faith in the Wake of Tragedy
A heartrending tragedy has rocked the city of Frisco, Texas: A stabbing at a track meet on April 2 left a beloved and outstanding student-athlete dead. Austin Metcalf, a 17-year-old junior linebacker on the football team at Memorial High School, was stabbed in the heart. Karmelo Anthony, also 17, is a senior at nearby Centennial High School ...Read more
The Logical Contradictions of Trump's Case for Tariffs: Taxes on Imports Cannot Possibly Deliver All the Benefits the President Is Promising
Tariffs "will always be the best way to max out our economic power," President Donald Trump declared during his first term, predicting that his trade war would "MAKE AMERICA RICH AGAIN." Not rich enough, apparently, because Trump is still touting the magic of tariffs, which he says will "pay off our debt" and "MAKE AMERICA WEALTHY AGAIN!"
...Read more
As Easter Nears, Set Aside Quiet Time to Worship and Reflect
In preparation for Easter, many Christians and Catholics have been observing Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and will continue for 40 days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving until April 17. Not everyone necessarily abstains from food. Many people are choosing to fast from social media or other popular indulgences, such as coffee, ...Read more
Texas A&M's Drag Ban Shows the Threat to Campus Free Speech Is Bipartisan: Conservatives Are Picking Up the Unconstitutional Weapons That Intolerant Progressives Have Deployed Against Them
This week a federal judge stepped in to save a student-sponsored drag show at Texas A&M University. The need for that intervention shows that efforts to control on-campus speech, long decried by conservatives who complained of censorship by intolerant progressives, are a bipartisan phenomenon.
Men have been dressing as women in theatrical ...Read more
ATTENTION 'FROM THE DESK OF DR. J' EDITORS: A MANDATORY CORRECTION HAS BEEN MADE TO THE FOLLOWING COLUMN. IN THE HEADLINE, "Deserve" HAS BEEN CORRECTED TO "Deserves". PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING CORRECTED COPY. THANK YOU. -- CREATORS
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The Six Triple Eight Deserves a Day of Admiration
As Women's History Month nears its end, New Jersey lawmakers have introduced legislation to recognize the African American women who served in the Women's Army Corps' 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion during World War II. The bill pending in the New Jersey Senate will designate ...Read more
Trump Is Explicitly Targeting Legal Residents Based on Opinions They Express: The Rationale for Deporting Mahmoud Khalil Is Chillingly Vague and Broad
Although Mahmoud Khalil is a legal permanent resident of the United States, the Trump administration says, he is "subject to removal" because Secretary of State Marco Rubio "has determined" that his "presence or activities" would "have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences." That vague rationale, which alludes to Khalil's ...Read more
60 Years After Bloody Sunday, We Have Not Completely Overcome
The 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday was commemorated on March 7. On that day in 1965, civil rights marchers, led by then-Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee leader John Lewis and Southern Christian Leadership Conference special projects director Hosea Williams, were brutally attacked by Alabama state troopers as they attempted to cross ...Read more
Are you a fanatic or what?
Tyrades! by Danny Tyree
I recently attended a memorial service for a longtime acquaintance who was renowned as one of those “if you cut him, he’d bleed University of Tennessee orange” enthusiasts.
I came away self-conscious, because – while I like countless things in this big, beautiful world – I was “curbing my enthusiasm�...Read more
Republicans May Regret Undermining Judicial Independence: Threats to Impeach Federal Judges Who Rule Against the Government Are a Naked Attack on Their Constitutionally Crucial Function
Under the U.S. Constitution, federal judges "hold their Offices during good Behaviour" and receive salaries that "shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office." Like other "civil Officers of the United States," they can be removed from office by Congress only if they are impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate of "...Read more
Five Years Later: Reflecting on the Pandemic
National Public Radio recently posted a questionnaire on its website asking readers to reflect on their experiences when the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down in 2020. For those who were able to quickly resume their usual routines after the World Health Organization announced an end to the pandemic in May 2023, the time probably passed ...Read more
Mexico Aims to Reshape the US Firearm Industry by Suing Gun Makers: The Supreme Court Will Decide Whether That Threat to the Second Amendment Is Legally Viable
President Donald Trump, who imposed punitive tariffs on Mexico this week, complains that our southern neighbor is not doing enough to stop illegal drugs from crossing the border. Mexico has a similar complaint about the United States and guns, as reflected in a case that the Supreme Court heard on the same day the tariffs took effect.
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'House of David': An Exciting Take on the Beloved Biblical Tale
Amazon Prime's biblical drama "House of David" is a series that I have been looking forward to since the beginning of the year. The famed underdog matchup of the shepherd boy David versus the 10-foot-tall Philistine warrior Goliath is one of the most well-known and beloved stories in Scripture. Growing up, most of us who attended church ...Read more
The FTC Has No Business Trying to Make Sure Social Media Are 'Fair': Chairman Andrew Ferguson's Assault on 'Big Tech Censorship' Aims to Override Constitutionally Protected Decisions
Many Americans, including me, have had frustrating experiences with content moderation on social media platforms. Andrew Ferguson, the Trump-appointed chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, wants us to know that such experiences are not just annoying or perplexing; they are "un-American" and "potentially illegal."
Ferguson, who began ...Read more
Recent Sitcoms Touch on Millennial Stresses
The new television sitcoms "Poppa's House" and "Shifting Gears" present thoughtful takes on the crossroads many millennials may face as they inch closer to middle age. "Poppa's House" debuted on CBS last October. Emmy-nominated comedian Damon Wayans stars as Poppa, a cynical yet easygoing father and grandfather who is savoring the success of ...Read more
Shall we salute night-shift workers?
Tyrades! by Danny Tyree
My wife’s sister and her husband have for years both worked third shift (a.k.a. “the graveyard shift”), and they seem to be in good company.
About 20 percent of the full-time workforce in the United States participates in some form of shift work (second shift, third shift, rotating shifts, shifting the ...Read more
Trump Has Good Reason to Complain About Limits on His Ability to Fire Executive Officers: His Position Is Grounded in Concerns About the Separation of Powers That Presidents of Both Parties Have Raised for Many Years
President Donald Trump likes to fire people, and he resents congressional constraints on that presidential prerogative. While Trump's opponents may view that attitude as one more manifestation of his autocratic instincts, his complaint is grounded in legitimate concerns about the separation of powers that presidents of both parties have raised...Read more
Highlighting One of Black History's Notable but Lesser-Known Figures
With the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump's executive order terminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs "in the federal workforce, and in federal contracting and spending," many thought the administration was also banning Black History Month. Soon after Trump enacted his DEI measures, the Department of Defense announced ...Read more
The DOGE Bait and Switch: The Pretend Department's Downgraded Mission Reflects the Gap Between Trump's Promise of 'Smaller Government' and the Reality of What Can Be Achieved Without New Legislation
Donald Trump's much-ballyhooed Department of Government Efficiency does not actually exist. The program's official status is more significant than it might seem, because it reflects the yawning gap between the president's promises of fiscal restraint and the reality of what can be accomplished without new legislation.
Billionaire entrepreneur...Read more
The history of executive orders
What do the Peace Corps, desegregation of the military, and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II have in common?
They were all established by presidential executive orders, or EOs.
Executive orders are all over the news of late, as President Trump uses his presidential authority to undo many of President Biden’s ...Read more