Columns

Ruined eyesight didn’t deter old soldier

After Napoleon Bonaparte was forced from power in 1815, many of his soldiers had to leave France for political and economic reasons. A good number of them found their way to French Louisiana, including an officer who is called the founder of Ville Platte.

Why I think feminism is a farce

Whenever I write about abortion, I get a lot of pushback from people who disagree. I fully admit that I’m an extremist when it comes to whether a child has a right to be born. There is no wiggle room for me, no negotiation, no gray areas.

Is it autumn for America?

The autumn leaves are expected to be extra vibrant this year in Pennsylvania, though they are changing colors a week later than is normal. That’s fitting. Very few things are “normal” this year.

Are you bathing too frequently?

When I worked at my late uncle’s junkyard during junior high school, one of the regular customers (a crusty coot who resembled a cantankerous Roy Rogers sidekick wannabe) assured us that he luxuriated in a steaming bathtub each and every night.

Pay or punish the un-vaxed?

When society seeks to influence behavior, is it better to pay people to act a certain way, or to penalize them if they don’t? The pandemic and the urgent need for COVID-19 vaccinations brings the question into focus.

Murder wasn’t part of the act

It was sensational news when actress Julia Morrison walked onto the stage and shot her leading man dead.

When America follows its better angels

I recently filled in hosting a local Philadelphia talk show, which gave me the opportunity to interview Lt. Col. Jonathan P. Meyers, a retired Marine who’d recently written a memoir about his almost three decades in service: “American to the Corps.

Save water, shower with a bureaucrat?

If you’re like me, you enjoy few things more than a long, hot shower. Nothing loosens the muscles or washes your worries away better than gradually turning up the hot knob until you’re red as a boiled lobster.

Texas is not the new Taliban

As expected, everyone’s apoplectic about the Supreme Court’s decision not to block the Texas abortion law. It’s no secret I have been advocating for the criminalization of abortion for decades. Many people disagree with me, and that’s okay.

The ‘rural purge’ of 1971

In mid-1971, I experienced a most distressing visit to the dentist. A TV fan magazine in the waiting room divulged life-changing news.