Ask, tell, and serve By DOUGLAS COHN and ELEANOR CLIFT WASHINGTON – It’s been 17 years since President Clinton pledged to end the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military. Clinton faced a wall of opposition, much of it from within the military and his own political party. Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., who chaired the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, was shown maneuvering into a small living space aboard an aircraft carrier to demonstrate the close quarters. Gen. Colin Powell, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs, challenged the president, putting his considerable stature on the line to say that ending the ban would damage unit cohesion. Published in The Messenger 2.8.10 Read More ... Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift

Supremes do it again By DOUGLAS COHN and ELEANOR CLIFT WASHINGTON — Those who followed the confirmation hearings of Chief Justice John Roberts and believed him when he said it would be a very high bar for him to overturn Supreme Court decisions that had been in place and upheld over a period of time got a big surprise last week when the Roberts-led Court tossed out 100 years of precedence and opened the door for corporations and unions to contribute directly to political campaigns. Once again, we see which branch of government is most powerful: the unelected U.S. Supreme Court. Published in The Messenger 2.8.10 Read More ... Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift

The American dream vs. car manufacturers By MARTHA R. CARR There was a period of time in American history when it was a commonly held belief that car manufacturers would always do well in the US because cars would always be needed. Published in The Messenger 2.4.10 Read More ... Martha R. Carr

Argus Hamilton HOLLYWOOD -- God bless America, and how’s everybody? Archie Manning’s son Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts are favored to win his second Super Bowl Sunday. Archie’s son Eli quarterbacked the Super Bowl win two years ago. Brett Favre just called Archie and asked if forty is too old to be adopted. Published in The Messenger 2.4.10 Read More ... Argus Hamilton

Modern-day Trojan Horse already within our borders By GLEN SPICER The more I see the apathy when it comes to recognizing the threat of radical Islam against our nation, rights and freedoms, the more I understand the power of the Trojan Horse being accepted through our gates willingly, and embraced through sheer ignorance by uniformed masses and gullible politicians. Overt acts of terrorism are not labeled as such by leaders living in denial. Published in The Messenger 2.3.10 Read More ... Glen Spicer Special to the Messenger

Our readers write — letters to the editor Haiti cartoon was offensive To The Editor: I am writing this letter concerning an article written in your paper on Jan. 18. The article, shown on Page 4, is written by Michael Reagan, featuring the devastation in the country of Haiti. I was outraged by what looks like a cartoon picture of rock rubble spelled out in the name of Haiti with a hand lifted slightly above the rubble. Published in The Messenger 2.3.10 Read More ...

Cartoon worth a second look By David Critchlow Jr. Messenger Editor One editorial cartoon. Two people. Two different interpretations. Mark Brown, who lives in Jackson but has ties to Union City, stopped by The Messenger a couple of weeks ago to voice his concern about an editorial cartoon that appeared in the Jan. 18 edition of the newspaper. (See related Letter to the Editor.) Published in The Messenger 2.3.10 Read More ... David Critchlow Jr.

Argus Hamilton HOLLYWOOD -- God bless America, and how’s everybody? CBS refused a Super Bowl ad for ManCrunch which shows two men watching the game when their hands touch in a potato chip bowl. It ignites them to kiss. The Super Bowl has taught us that beer makes you sexy but it’s not going to teach us that potato chips make you gay. Published in The Messenger 2.2.10 Read More ... Argus Hamilton

For Groundhog’s Day — Interview with Punxsutawney Phil By TOM PURCELL Every Feb. 2, Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog, is pulled from a tree stump. If he sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring is just ahead. Published in The Messenger 2.2.10 Read More ... Tom Purcell

32 children are missing By MARTHA R. CARR The stories out of Haiti have turned from being mostly about the initial devastation and are beginning to focus on recovery. However, there is one pressing news item that has gone largely overlooked. The charity, Mercy and Sharing, www.haitichildren.org, a well-respected non-profit that has been operating in Haiti for over 15 years, was maintaining an abandoned baby unit at the public hospital, General Hospital in Port-au-Prince. Published in The Messenger 2.1.10 Read More ... Martha R. Carr

Get real, Mr. Obama! By FLOYD and MARY BETH BROWN The most annoying part of listening to a speech by the narcissist-in-chief is the number of times he refers to himself. “I’ve got a very short commute;” “I can’t always visit people directly;” “I break out;” “I saw;” “I knew it would be unpopular;” Published in The Messenger 2.1.10 Read More ... Floyd and Mary Beth Brown

Barack Hoover By DOUGLAS COHN and ELEANOR CLIFT WASHINGTON — The best thing we can say about President Obama’s proposal to freeze some discretionary spending is that it’s probably too modest a proposal to do real damage. Affected programs make up only an eighth of the federal budget, with Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits along with defense spending sparedfrom the budget axe. Published in The Messenger 1.29.10 Read More ... Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift

Argus Hamilton HOLLYWOOD — God bless America, and how’s everybody? Tim Tebow will star in a pro-life commercial during the Super Bowl telecast on CBS. Opponents cried foul, saying it’s an issue ad. Issue ads are strictly banned from all Super Bowl telecasts, unless the issue is whether or not cleavage sells beer. Published in The Messenger 1.29.10 Read More ... Argus Hamilton

Simplifying the tax code? By TOM PURCELL I have mixed feelings about it, if you want to know the truth. I speak of tax-code simplification, another item on President Obama’s to-do list. Last April, he established a committee that includes some sharp people from both sides of the political aisle. The committee, headed by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, will soon release recommendations on how to simplify the tax code. Published in The Messenger 1.28.10 Read More ... Tom Purcell

Argus Hamilton HOLLYWOOD — God bless America, and how’s everybody? China tested a missile designed to disable U.S. military satellites Monday while Chinese Army hackers toiled away to crash U.S. military computers. They have no defense against our most potent weapon. If they declare war, we declare Chapter Eleven. Published in The Messenger 1.28.10 Read More ... Argus Hamilton

Our readers write — letters to the editor Insurance reform needed To The Editor: I have noticed that the issue of health insurance reform has received less attention in the press lately. At the same time, leaders from the House and Senate are crafting the combined package of legislation. Published in The Messenger 1.27.10 Read More ...

Argus Hamilton HOLLYWOOD — God bless America, and how’s everybody? President Obama will give his State of the Union speech tonight to a joint session of Congress in the House of Representatives. Precautions were taken. Two Chicago politicians will be kept out of the chamber in case of a catastrophe to assure continuity of government. Published in The Messenger 1.27.10 Read More ... Argus Hamilton

New Paul Revere rides in Boston By FLOYD and MARY BETH BROWN During the War for Independence from the British rule, Massachusetts led the colonies. Last Tuesday night, with the victory of Republican Scott Brown, the revolutionary fires of Boston were reignited; the message is as clear Paul Revere’s. But will the forces of socialistic big government hear the message? Published in The Messenger 1.26.10 Read More ... Floyd and Mary Beth Brown

Argus Hamilton HOLLYWOOD — God bless America, and how’s everybody? The White House began leaking excerpts of Wednesday’s State of the Union speech to Congress. The president begins the speech by saying the state of the union is strong. It’s always best to start off with a joke that gets the crowd on your side. Published in The Messenger 1.26.10 Read More ... Argus Hamilton