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Columns

  • Column: No surprise Trump is drawing support

    I do not necessarily disagree with the Rev. Frankie Melton Jr.’s assessment of Donald Trump in his Dec. 30 guest column headlined “Why is Trump gaining support of evangelicals?” But I would merely suggest that he scrutinize leaders of the Democratic Party with the same stringent measure that he applies to the Republicans.
    He suggests that America cannot be great again without a “moral rudder.” May I submit – quite emphatically – that America is sinking under the “moral rudder” of the present administration.

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  • Column: South Carolina needs a 21st century foreign policy

    Right up front, let’s be clear about what I’m suggesting here.
    No, our state does not need to have a foreign policy about putting “boots on the ground” to fight ISIS. Nor do we need a policy on the border dispute between China and Tibet, and we sure don’t need to try and send an ambassador to the United Nations. (I don’t think they would let us in if we tried.)

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  • Column: Political correctness is getting us nowhere

    For too many years now, we, as a nation, have grabbed onto something that is more divisive than anything a political party can provide – political correctness.
    Where did this term actually come from? Who is responsible for creating this ridiculousness? And why are we embracing it so vigorously?

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  • Column: The violence starts long before the first shot is fired

    Black-on-black crime is a major national issue, especially the murder rate among young black males between the ages of 16-29. The big question is: “Why the violence?”
    If most of us stop and look inside our homes, we would find the cause and effect of this problem with gun violence among our young men.

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  • Column: 2016 Resolution: Let’s cut smoking among S.C. kids

    The two most often made (and broken) New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight and to quit smoking. If you need any evidence of this, count how many ads you see on TV for weight loss and quit-smoking products in all the football bowl games.
    Now before we go too much further, it’s time for a full disclosure. I’m overweight and I occasionally have a smoke. That said, I’m on a plan to lose weight (I’m halfway to my goal) and I smoke about one cigar a month – though in my youth I was a pack-a-day guy. I’m getting there.

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  • Why is Trump gaining support of evangelicals?

    I am astounded by the hypocrisy of so-called Republican values voters.

    Daily polling data places Donald Trump well ahead of the conservative, evangelical candidates in the GOP field. A recent Fox News poll had Trump with 26 percent of the Republican vote, while Rick Santorum and Bobby Jindal languished with 0 percent of the vote. Mike Huckabee did little better at 4 percent. Ted Cruz came in at 13 percent, but that was still half of Trump’s percentage.

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  • After traumatic year,S.C. looks forward to 2016

    Without a doubt, this has been a trying year for South Carolina. We have witnessed and experienced tough times – from the tragic killings at Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston that left our great state shaken to its core, to the recent floods that damaged many areas across the state.

    We have endured the deaths of Walter Scott and Officer Greg Alia. It has truly been one of the most emotional years in our history.

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  • Leatherman firm received $1.8 M in road contracts

    A federal program designed to put African-American and female business people on a competitive footing with their white male counterparts in one of the largest “Good ‘Ole Boy” networks around – highway construction contracts – is profiting the most powerful white male legislator in South Carolina – the goodest, oldest boy around, one might say.

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  • ‘Merry Christmas’ shouldn’t be offensive

    What a wonderful time of year! Or, is it? For many, it is, but for many others, it isn’t wonderful at all.

    For some, it is a reminder of a painful Christmas in the past. Perhaps the death of a loved one occurred during the Christmas season, and now, each year when it rolls around, it is nothing more than a horrific memory from a bygone day.

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  • Call it tyranny when citizens are shut out

    We seldom hear the word tyrant anymore, except perhaps to describe a spoiled child or unreasonable boss. Language has become so soft and powerless that, while it may not offend, neither does it convey much.

    These days Americans cringe at intensity in political language. That’s understandable given the constant onslaught of material designed to get the attention of donors, activists and voters. And no doubt there’s a lot of anger in our country, which is increasingly volatile and dangerously unfocused.

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