WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. – With President Bush declaring major combat operations over, the focus now is on how best to achieve democracy in Iraq. Although not the sole solution, global engagement through trade and investment is key.By becoming globally engaged, receiving Normal Trade Relations status from the United States, and ultimately joining the World Trade Organization, […]

“Walking across the park, the coins fell through a hole in his pocket.”It is a remarkable statement. We are inclined to ask, Why were the coins walking across the park? Why weren’t the coins at school? Let us ponder.What we have here is a Duck-Billed Dangler, a species of bird life closely related to the […]

U.S. doctrine calls for spreading democracy through the Mideast. Do we have the will for it? As the Bush administration assumes the burden of building Iraqi democracy, talk of a new American empire is in the air.U.S. military power is unchallenged, and the number of U.S. bases abroad is expanding. U.S. doctrine calls for spreading […]

Legislation to provide funds for the war in Iraq got larded over. It’s time to sing about some unsung heroes of the recent war in Iraq. These heroes were not, personally, in Iraq, but they were serving in a place that’s just as foreign and threatening to the average American: The United States Senate.Our story […]

Information that should be accessible by the public will be unavailable. On March 25, 2003, President Bush issued Executive Order 13,292 on classifying documents for reasons of national security. To the surprise of no one, keeping secrets is now easier than it was before. Although the changes are subtle, every one of them will lead […]

The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday, May 7. Moral crusader Bill Bennett’s gambling days apparently are over. So says he, and perhaps more importantly, so says his wife. In the pantheon of the clay-footed, it will be interesting to see where the former secretary of education and author of “The Book […]

The following editorial appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Wednesday, May 7. The Fisher Towers, made of red sandstone, soar 900 feet above the badlands of Utah. They look like castles on Mars.In Oregon, Steens Mountain is a “sky island” rising a mile above the surrounding landscape. Hikers find lakes, hot springs, playas, salt-desert […]

WASHINGTON – Here’s how Maine’s members of Congress were recorded on major roll call votes in the week ending May 9. HOUSE Tax cuts Voting 222 for and 203 against, the House on May 9 passed a Republican bill (HR 2) projected to cut business and personal taxes by $550 billion over 11 years. The […]

It’s an annual spring event that conjures up contrasting images of leather-clad roughnecks sipping tea from the good china, pinkies extended, milling around the finely appointed rooms of the governor’s mansion.Few members of the United Bikers of Maine actually balanced cups and saucers during this year’s Motorcycle Awareness Month Bikers’ Tea, seeming to prefer mugs […]

The push for free speech zones and specific areas for protests actually limit our rights. If you are worried about the state of free speech in America, consider the case of longtime protester Brett Bursey. Last October, Bursey, carrying an anti-war sign, was arrested at Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina during a visit by […]