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It’s time for Democrats to widen their ‘big tent’

Here we go again. We’re approaching another presidential campaign year, and once again I am reminded of what the great sage Will Rogers said back in 1933: “I am not a member of any organized political party,” he said. “I am a Democrat.” Yes, I know that Rogers quote is old enough to have whiskers on it. Yet, compared to the comparatively regimented style of the Republicans, particularly the MAGA faction that runs the party, the Democrats seem to specialize in finding new ways to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory, especially since the two successful terms of ...

Do not parole notorious baby rapist Beemer

Every so often, something ugly makes its way to the surface of a body of water. It could be a natural phenomenon (algae, dust or pollen) or man-made debris (trash). Felicia Banks Beemer, a human version of the latter, resurfaced last week in Trumbull County. She and her husband Cody are serving lengthy prison sentences for unspeakable crimes against children. The Beemers raped an 8-month-old girl — who was related to them — during what was supposed to be a supervised visit at Trumbull County Children Services. Later, they were arrested after a relative discovered a video ...

A dire munitions crisis

During the 1979-1980 hostage crisis, a defiant Iran starkly demonstrated the limits of American power. Forty-five years later, it is doing the same thing, although in vastly different circumstances. Back then, when the post-Vietnam military was at a low ebb, we didn’t strike Iran, and a long-shot rescue operation ended in abject failure. Now, with the U.S. military at its most proficient and professional in history, we have inflicted punishing blows against the regime but still haven’t been able to impose our will, in part because we are running low on the munitions ...

From Studio 54 to the bridal procession

Brides should know that they already have a man. They don’t have to use their wedding to attract a date for Saturday night. They’ve supposedly secured one for the foreseeable future. Thus, it’s hard to figure how the fashion trend of “naked dressing,” lamentable even at nightclubs, has invaded the precincts of ancient social custom. Displaying one’s privates — or underwear — in public started as a fashion trend pushed by attention-hungry celebrities. Now it’s walking down the aisle. The traditional bridal dress is white for its association with purity, innocence ...

U.S. democracy doesn’t require the truth police

It became fashionable a few years ago for people to blame “misinformation” for others holding views they find wrongheaded. Social media platforms, sometimes jawboned by the federal government, invoked this supposed crisis to justify censorship, especially during the pandemic. This insulted the intelligence of the American people, who can make up their own minds without being told what to think. A new study explores how exposure to “misinformation” on social media affected voters in 2020. The answer, drawn from a three-month experiment on nearly 16,000 users, is very ...

How Pittsburgh became an early alarm bell for the DSA’s rise

PITTSBURGH — The rise of the Democratic left in Pittsburgh did not happen overnight. It was built over years through patient organizing, disciplined recruiting and a clear-eyed focus on the races that mattered most: low-turnout primaries where entrenched power was vulnerable. Mik Pappas’ 2017 race for Pennsylvania’s 31st Magisterial District judge offered an early hint that the local Democratic establishment was losing its grip on some of the contests it had once taken for granted. He was underfunded, openly aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America and not expected to ...