Archive for ‘Opinion’

  • Small World: Getting Russia right

      By Henry Precht BN Columnist Get a grip on your rocking chairs — brace yourselves — steady on: I, a certified liberal, am going to write something positive about President Trump. You might say that a leader dedicated to sweeping changes in policy and style is bound to be on target once in awhile. […]

  • Small World: A fable of our times

    By Henry Precht BN Columnist It all started with what seemed a small, albeit unusual, event. It seemed more like an old-fashioned fairy tale than a modern-day happening. Certainly the way the tale developed made it seem more like the creation of the brothers Grimm than a reputable newspaper. But let’s get to the facts: […]

  • Reasons to care about, abhor the executive order on immigration

    By Melinda Holmes Guest Column Last week, the country faced tremendous fallout from the Executive Order on Immigration, and its hasty implementation. Yet, in our rural northern towns the chaos and bustle of airport terminals full of civil rights lawyers and activists can easily feel a world apart. As an international relations expert with experience […]

  • Small World: Unintended or intended? Consequences.

      By Henry Precht BN Columnist In rapid fire order President Trump has issued a batch of directives affecting the nation’s foreign relations and future. Here follows a quick summary of some of the dangers the author apparently did not take into account: The Mexican wall and deportation of illegal aliens: These two items will […]

  • It Dawned on Me: Long lives, big contributions

    Writer’s preface: This column is dedicated to my grandmother, Virginia Marie Matney Paulk, who died Dec. 23, 2016. She was 99 years old. Grandma Virginia was selfless and giving with a wonderful sense of humor and very little patience for tears and feeling sorry for oneself.   By Dawn De Busk BN Columnist Charles M. Schultz […]

  • Small World: Lessons, Socratic and Self-Taught

      By Henry Precht BN Columnist We’re off and running — for reelection or defeat in 2020. Charges and counter charges abound. The country is depicted as dystrophic or, “come on, not all that bad.” But, let’s not be downcast. Surely, there’s a lesson or two to be learned in the moments of reflection that […]

  • Small World: Unsettled by settlements

    By Henry Precht BN Columnist Today let’s discuss the UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution condemning Israeli settlements that so agitated Prime Minister Netanyahu. Fourteen UNSC member states voted for it; the United States, which previously has protected Israel with a veto, abstained so that the resolution passed. The Resolution: reaffirmed that Israeli settlements in the […]

  • Earth Notes: What if the climate skeptics are right?

    By Frank Daggett It isn’t reasonable to deny obvious facts. There’s the rub — the facts about climate change aren’t obvious. Rather, climate change has become a matter of belief. If one believes that the earth is warming, then the recent trend of warmer and warmer annual global average temperatures, as well as every mild […]

  • Small World: Dial ‘P’ for personal policies

      By Henry Precht BN Columnist Scene: The State Department Operations Center which sends and receives official calls from abroad. The Center’s Chief is reporting to his boss on calls made by the president-elect. Chief: He said he wanted to go down the country list, starting with “A” and talk to sovereigns. We dialed Albania […]

  • Thoughts about Tilla

    A unique voice went silent last week. Virginia (Tilla) Durr, who spent a lifetime as a champion of civil rights and fought to protect the less fortunate, died on Thursday of a massive heart attack. She was 77. Advocacy was Tilla’s life. Raised in Alabama, her parents were closely connected to Dr. Martin Luther King, […]