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Olympian disconnect: press vs. US

Alysa Liu is an American figure skater whose family fled China and faced harassment and persecution by Chinese authorities. She won gold. You might have missed it. The American press corps chose, instead, to praise Eileen Gu, an American skier with family ties to the Chinese communist party. Gu skied for and was paid by China. The press elevated her over American athletes until shifting to hating our hockey team. “Eileen Gu won three medals — one gold and two silver — in Milan and now has six total medals over the span of two quadrennials. She also made herself one of the most ...

Orchids & onions

ORCHID: To the 17 Inspiring Minds Youngstown students in grades 3 to 11 whose artistic and literary talents have been duly honored with a public exhibition of their artworks and poems in the Michael Kusalaba Public Library in Youngstown. Their talents have been well honed through the programming of the Inspiring Minds organization that for 10 years has provided hundreds of Mahoning Valley youth with enriching educational and creative programming after school and in the summer. The exhibit, mounted in conjunction with Black History Month, ends this weekend. Don’t miss it! ORCHID: ...

Work to end all violence, chaos at Belmont Pines

Judging by the seemingly never-ending string of alarming police calls to Belmont Pines Hospital in Liberty, that behavioral health facility for youth has begun to resemble ground zero for chaos and mayhem in the Mahoning Valley. In recent weeks, township police have been called at least three times to deal with reported assaults, runaways, vandalism and other turmoil. Over the past year, many other disturbing reports have unfolded. Teens have been arrested after countless reported assaults on staff members. Portions of the residential treatment facility have been severely damaged amid ...

Trump: The insulter in chief

Each time one thinks President Trump has reached the lowest level possible in insulting his enemies, he finds new depths to plunge. Following a 6-3 ruling by the Supreme Court, which included three conservative justices he appointed, the president called the justices “fools,” a “disgrace to the nation,” and “unpatriotic.” His critics might say such language is a disgrace to the presidency. Calling people names, especially names that are incendiary in content, wins no arguments and creates opposition instead of a fair hearing for one’s counter arguments. The president ...

Another exercise in nonpartisan cooperation ended sadly, as Donald Trump undoubtedly planned. Every year, the nation’s governors meet with the president to discuss common concerns. Trump had initially banned two Democratic members of the National Governors Association from attending — governors Jared Polis of Colorado and Wes Moore of Maryland. The association’s chair, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, objected to Trump’s banishing of two members. The governors’ gathering is one of the few cross-party events still held at the national level. “He can invite whomever ...

Liberty without the strings attached

“Freedom has more often been lost in small steps by progressive incrementalism, than it has been by catastrophic upheavals such as violence or war.” — James Madison (1751-1836) Last week, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, which covers Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, ruled that the problem of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. is so acute and vast and the Fourth Amendment so burdensome and time-consuming that it should cut some constitutional corners. The federal judiciary is supposed to be in the business of protecting the rights of individuals from ...