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When the guardrails are destroyed

People of a certain age were taught to respect the police, obey the law and other rules and regulations mostly practiced by our parents and grandparents. They believed such things would lead to better lives for themselves and for the nation. For many, they did. Today we look at the lawlessness, the antisemitism, the hate speech directed at the president, teen takeovers, attacks on police officers, and others and we might ask: why is this happening? The answer can be found on the side of the road. To use a metaphor, the guardrails have been removed. Guardrails are crash-tested barriers ...

Graham was the best kind of ‘operator’

On Feb. 22, 2022, two days before Vladimir Putin sent his tanks rumbling toward Ukraine’s capital, Donald Trump said of the Russian leader: “This is genius. ... Here’s a guy who’s very savvy.” Eight days later, Lindsey Graham offered a starkly different sentiment: “The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out.” The Republican senator from South Carolina had a history of dismissing Trump’s worldview. When Trump first ran in 2015, Graham let loose, calling him a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot.” After Trump won, Graham shocked ...

Prescription for a socialist workforce

America has a socialism problem, and it’s bigger than most citizens realize. When candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America win Democratic Party primaries, or New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani hails “the warmth of collectivism,” socialism’s advance is obvious. But it’s making gains in other ways, too, especially in the transformation of America’s workforce — which is coming to be chiefly employed in a sector one step removed from outright government control: healthcare. In 1990, manufacturing was the top employment sector in most states, including New ...

The measure of one man’s life: Remembering Lindsey Graham

On Saturday, I lost more than a friend. It feels as though I’ve lost a member of my family. I have known Lindsey Graham since I was in my 20s. I will never forget those early days when he first began campaigning for public office. I took him to South Carolina State University, where I had served as Student Government Association president. He sat in the president’s box, met so many of the people who shaped my life, including my family and my brother Kent, who would later become a South Carolina state senator. From the very beginning, what impressed me most was not his political ...

Following a tragedy, we need honesty, not judgment

As the tragedy of Nolan Wells' death continues to dominate the news, there are so many unanswered questions. Perhaps the most significant one is what his grieving parents shared in a recent interview with "Good Morning America's" Michael Strahan. Why did their 18-year-old son separate from his friends during their July 4 trip to Horn Island, a barrier island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast? Nolan's father, Elmore Wonsley, told Strahan, "We always taught him that if you go with a group, you stay with a group. If you go with five, you come back with five. Do not separate from the group. ...

How America’s love of air conditioning became a hot topic

By Mitch Albom Few things in life, besides a glass of water when you are crossing the desert, offer as much immediate relief as air conditioning. You’re boiling outside, you pull open a door, you step into a paradise of 68-degree air, and your body all but screams “Hallelujah!” In years past, businesses used to boast that their confines were chilled. Movie marquees used to promote “manufactured weather!” Roadside motels would flash “A.C.” in neon. Restaurants, banks, department stores, all happily bragged that they were cool — in the literal sense of the word. It ...