The post-9/11 mantra "If you see something, say something" appears to have taken an ugly turn these days. It used to relate to concerns about terrorism. If you saw an abandoned backpack or van, or if you discovered evidence that could be construed as bomb-related, the instruction was to ...
In Marine Corps jargon, a "duty station" is the military base or camp where a Marine is assigned to live. Reflecting our national inclination both to romanticize what is past and to criticize what is current, Marines will regularly gripe that there is no duty station better than the one they ...
Today, we will discuss one of the most pressing threats to American Christianity. Meaning, of course, American Christians. Yes, that's an overly broad statement. All those Christians whose faith requires them to live the Good News, to feed the hungry, to house the homeless, speak ...
WASHINGTON -- On election night 2016, Mark Schlissel, the University of Michigan's president, addressed more than 1,000 students, declaring that the 90 percent of them who had favored the losing candidate had rejected "hate." He thereby effectively made those who disagreed with him and with the ...
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the Democrat from Minnesota, uttered a forlorn sentiment at a Center faro American Progress conference. She said Democrats can't spend all their time bemoaning President Donald Trump's existence, and that her voters care more about soybean exports than Russian bots. She's ...
Justice has been called the most important virtue for a society to have. And, since before my age broke double digits, I’ve had a passion for justice. Which makes it distressing for me to have discovered, many decades into my life, that so many of my countrymen do not seem to care much about ...
Last December, the midterm outlook looked bleak for Republicans. With the Democrats enjoying a 13-point lead on the Generic Ballot, pundits talked of a "big blue wave." The question was not whether the Democrats would win the two dozen seats needed to gain control of the House, but whether they ...
Researching one’s genealogy has become a very popular hobby. It’s fascinating to look back and discover not only who our ancestors were, but how they lived, the challenges they faced, and where and why they moved. With the help of various websites and tests, you can even trace your DNA back ...
Editor: Recently Shenandoah County had two events juxtaposed that I think are worth highlighting. One event was National Teacher Appreciation week. I suspect that we can all remember some great teachers. Two years ago, I visited my old elementary school and high school. Yes, they are still ...
For Donald Trump's critics, it's tempting to jump on every juicy reveal regarding the president's sex romps. The swirl of accusations, denials, contradictions, backstabbing and confusion does keep us entertained. Today's story revolves around the hush money sent to porn actress Stormy Daniels. ...
In the aftermath of the Kanye West dust-up, my heart goes out to the white people who control the Democratic Party. My pity stems from the hip-hop megastar's November announcement to his packed concert audience that he did not vote in the presidential election but if he had, he ...
The conventional image of baby boomer political rebellion features a young left-wing activist organizing, protesting or otherwise agitating, ideally with Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" playing in the background: "There's something happening here / What it is ain't ...
It's the craziest thing. Factory towns that bled both jobs and people still have a fine housing stock, cheap for lack of demand. Booming tech centers, meanwhile, attract battalions of newcomers despite their soaring housing costs and growing congestion. Can't something be worked out ...
WASHINGTON -- Repeal of Prohibition in 1933 instantly reduced crime by reducing the number of criminalized activities, including some that millions of Americans considered victimless activities and none of the government's business. Now, America is going to become more law abiding, the Supreme ...
WASHINGTON -- Just when you might have thought moral depravity could not have sunk deeper in the era of Donald Trump, along came a Trump White House underling dismissing the views of iconic Republican Sen. John McCain as irrelevant because "he's dying anyway." Even worse than that ...
Editor: Someone, please explain to me why: when your vehicle has high mileage, you get a discount on your taxes. But once you get the discount, you must notify the county every year after that before Feb. 1 in order to get the discount each year. I don't know about you, but common sense ...
Editor: Mike Pompeo is the 70th secretary of state in American history. Is he a worthy successor to Thomas Jefferson, the first secretary of state, or James Madison, or Gen. George C. Marshall, the 50th – and also winner of the Nobel Peace Prize? No, he is not. Mr. Pompeo was appointed ...
Editor: I moved from Shenandoah County to the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in Harrisonburg two years ago. I thought I should continue to subscribe to the Northern Virginia Daily because I liked its balanced approach to national and local news and it helped me keep up with ...
What does the word "asylum" conjure up in your mind? An overpopulated mental ward with screaming patients frothing at the mouth? A snake pit, as depicted in the 1948 movie of the same name in which actress Olivia de Havilland's character battles schizophrenia, shock treatments and a sadistic ...
“A great day for Israel!,” proclaimed president Trump in celebrating the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem while Israeli armed forces slaughtered dozens of Palestinians. The demonstrators were trying to dismantle the borderline that cages them in the Gaza strip. They had been warned ...