Recent Viewpoints

Kerby Anderson These last few weeks have provided all us with an education about memories. How well do we accurately recall events that took place decades ago? What have scientists discovered about true and false memories? We may never know how many of the memories that have been cited and even presented in the Senate Judiciary Committee are accurate. But we do have some data that suggests that the memories of people who testify in trials are often not as…

Kerby Anderson Today is Columbus Day. While this is a holiday for many, it is an opportunity for all of us to look back on the life and exploits of Christopher Columbus. I guess we should begin by acknowledging that Columbus Day today is not your father’s Columbus Day. Not so long ago Christopher Columbus was revered as the man who discovered the Americas and opened up the continent to settlement. Today he is often portrayed in a negative light…

Penna Dexter The loudest female voices regarding the allegations against Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh were those denouncing senators’ support for him and demanding it be “justified” with more investigation. Less reported were the numerous women who called Senate offices in support of Kavanaugh and who were critical of what they saw as a political lynching that unfairly destroyed the reputation of a brilliant jurist and family man. The #MeToo movement is shining a bright light on sexual abuse by…

Kerby Anderson Two weeks ago my commentary was all about “good news” that is rarely covered by the press since it isn’t really considered news. I wanted to come back and talk about some “bad news” that also is rarely covered by the press because it is too much in the future when the focus on news is what is happening now. Tyler Cowen wrote about what he called, “The Decline and Fall of the American Empire.” He doesn’t think…

Kerby Anderson If you want to see how crazy the culture wars have become, you need look no further than Bert and Ernie on “Sesame Street.” On a fairly regular basis, viewers and political activists have asked if these two are homosexual. The standard response from the program is that they are puppets. If anything, they are merely portraying two best friends on the program. Unfortunately, that standard answer wasn’t acceptable to some. Mark Salzman was the scriptwriter for “Sesame…

Kerby Anderson America is a divided country. Os Guinness in his book, Last Call for Liberty, argues that the American republic is suffering its gravest crisis since the Civil War. He believes that the root of this disagreement is two different definitions of freedom. One view of freedom is embodied in “1776 and the American Revolution.” The other view arose in “1789 and the French Revolution.” The first can be found in the Declaration of Independence that owes its formulation…

Kerby Anderson Every time a major hurricane hits the American coastline, we can be sure to hear more claims that the devastation is due to global warming. Reporters and politicians argue that the Earth’s changing climate is fueling these “supercharged storms” and destroying our coastal areas. Fortunately, Dr. Roy Spencer is providing some perspective to the hyperbole and fear mongering that surface with each tropical storm or hurricane. If you look at two graphs he has put together, you can see…

Kerby Anderson Just over a week ago, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban went into a Los Angeles studio to try to explain why he wasn’t aware of sexual harassment in the corporate offices of the Mavericks. The press conference to address the ruling by the NBA was in Dallas, but Mark Cuban (who was taping Shark Tank) stayed in LA to appear on an ESPN program. The fact that he couldn’t make it to Dallas for the press conference should…

Penna Dexter This past summer, the American Library Association renamed its Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. The prize is now called the Children’s Literature Legacy Award. The ALA says Wilder’s body of work, is inconsistent with its “core values of inclusiveness, integrity and respect, and responsiveness.” At issue are three instances in which characters in Wilder’s beloved Little House on the Prairie series say, “the only good Indian is a dead Indian” and other statements that hardly anyone would defend today. References…

Kerby Anderson The suicide rate in America is increasing. That not only makes it an important public health issue. It has also become an election year issue. Antonio Delgado is a congressional candidate in New York. His tweet explained that, “Suicide rates increased in nearly every state from 1999 through 2016, including an increase of 29% in NY. We must commit funding to help those suffering from mental health conditions and let them know that they are not alone.” Illinois…

Kerby Anderson During the confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh we saw lots of protesters screaming outside the hearing room. Senator Dick Durbin declared that, “What we heard is the noise of democracy.” Actually, what we heard was a noise of a mob. And this is exactly what the Founders of this country feared. First, we need to remind our citizens that we are a republic and not a democracy. We elect representatives to federal, state, and local governments to…