Ledger-Enquirer.com: Opinion

Odd handling of serious cases

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:24 EDT

District Attorney Gray Conger wants a Superior Court review of a couple of conspicuously light bonds set for two men facing charges related to the sexual exploitation of children.

Things we take for granted

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:54 EDT

The American consumer has been "The Little Engine that Could" for the nation's economy, but the engine is running out of steam.

A heavy enough burden already

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:23 EDT

000Add Georgia-based Delta to the list of airlines that have taken a second look at charging bag fees to members of the military. And a belated raspberry to carriers for not considering an obvious exception to the policy in the first place.

Time to cool our kids -- again

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:19 EDT

For many of us of a certain age, the long, hot summer days are remembered with wistfulness. Barefooted and bathing-suit clad, we spent June, July and August swimming, running through sprinklers and stubbing our toes in a race to be the first one at the ice cream truck. Today's youngsters have long been denied these pleasures as they are forced into cool caverns dominated by TV, video games and YouTube.

Time to cool our kids -- again

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 22:53 EDT

Russian bear on rampage again

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:19 EDT

The United States government is not happy with Russia, and is saying so with a loud voice. President Bush on Wednesday demanded Russia end all military activities in Georgia, and he ordered aid to be sent to Georgians who have been devastated by fighting. Later in the day, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reiterated the president's demands, saying Russia "must end" operations in Georgia now.

Nearly five painful years

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:54 EDT

God willing, it might really be over at last. Tuesday's announcement of a settlement in the Dec. 10, 2003 shooting death of Kenny Walker in a roadside traffic stop connected to a drug investigation offers real hope that one of the most tragic and divisive episodes in this community's history might finally have been resolved

Nearly five painful years

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 23:21 EDT

God willing, it might really be over at last. Tuesday's announcement of a settlement in the Dec. 10, 2003, shooting death of Kenny Walker in a roadside traffic stop connected to a drug investigation offers real hope that one of the most tragic and divisive episodes in this community's history might finally have been resolved.

Citizens talking a lot less trash

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:25 EDT

Trash might not be the most savory topic of conversation, but it's been a familiar one around Columbus in recent weeks. In fact, it's safe to say that even in an election year, Columbus folks are, at least for the moment, talking more trash than politics.

Edwards joins a sorry roster

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:37 EDT

Just when you start thinking that the hypocrisy, mendaciousness and sheer reckless narcissism of a politician can never really surprise you again... Hello, John Edwards.

Edwards joins a sorry roster

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:57 EDT

Just when you start thinking that the hypocrisy, mendaciousness and sheer reckless narcissism of a politician can never really surprise you again... Hello, John Edwards.

Emergency

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:26 EDT

Georgia's mental health crisis has been a familiar story for years. There is the long-standing struggle on the part of patients' families and advocates for the mentally ill to keep West Central Georgia Regional Hospital here in Columbus open, along with disclosures of overcrowding, understaffing, neglect and medical errors at the seven state-operated mental hospitals.

Schools take economic hit

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:26 EDT

The fiscal condition of the state of Georgia is stale news by now. Georgia's tax collections have come up short $600 million, and some believe that the shortfall, due to the recession, could be as high as $2 billion.

Sweet and sour

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:27 EDT

The conduct of Georgia's senior U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, in hearings connected to sugar industry safety problems exposed in the wake of a tragic Feb. 7 refinery explosion, is illustrative of a couple of things.

Welcome news on local schools

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:27 EDT

After what has seemed like an avalanche of bad education news, especially concerning student performance and test scores, some positive achievements deserve attention.

Exposing Soviet evil to the world

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:24 EDT

Alexander Solzhenitsyn filled in more missing chapters in the ugly story of Soviet communism than any other writer, Russian or otherwise. When historians now and years hence try to assess the collapse of the Iron Curtain, this author's exposure of the grim realities behind the egalitarian ideals of Marx and Lenin will surely be part of most accounts.

American growing pains

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:26 EDT

It never made any sense, logically or morally, for Americans defending freedom abroad to be denied its full benefits at home -- or in the military itself.

Personal foul

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:26 EDT

Distinguished American filmmaker John Sayles was director and screenwriter of "Eight Men Out," about the Chicago White Sox players who conspired with mobsters to throw the 1919 World Series. He was also one of the prominent commentators in Ken Burns' acclaimed 1994 documentary "Baseball," and in that role he made an astute observation about Arnold Rothstein, the New York crime boss behind the scandal: Rothstein, Sayles said, was always called a gambler, but he never really gambled on anything in his life because he never put money on anything he hadn't fixed.

Shield law can close loopholes

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:56 EDT

The Senate was scheduled to consider a federal "shield law" for journalists this week, and there's good reason to believe it will pass. A similar law zipped through the House last year, 393 to 21. The Senate measure -- the "Free Flow of Information Act, S. 2035" -- has the approval of more than 40 states attorneys who support enacting a law that would protect reporters from those who would force them to reveal how and from whom they obtain information.

Most important part of the story

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:57 EDT

Over the last year, Michael Jason Registe has become an ominous household name in the Columbus area.