Columns

    Next month is when U.S. forces are to begin a gradual withdrawal from Afghanistan, with all American troops supposedly to be out by 2014.

    But pressure is coming from many quarters, urging the White House to adopt a speedier exit from that historically troubled country. According to any poll you can cite, a clear majority of Americans want a quicker end to a war that has lasted 10 years and produced very little in the way of results.

After a highly contentious budget season it might seem logical for the Bedford County School Board and the Board of Supervisors to breath a sigh of relief that it’s all over and put that issue on the shelf for the next several months.

    They shouldn’t.
    Now’s the time to start mending some fences and to begin to plan for next year so that a replay of this past year can be avoided.

Nearly three months ago U.S. forces, at the command of President Obama and without the consent of the U.S. Congress, began attacking targets in Libya controlled by Moammar Gaddafi. I think most Americans, including myself, agree that seeing this tyrannical dictator and his regime of thugs removed from power would be a good thing. However, I think most Americans, including myself, also feel strongly that American forces should not be committed to this kind of mission without the consent of the U.S. Congress. 

    Got the summer doldrums yet? The calendar tells us the season of heat is not even officially here until next Tuesday, the 21st. But we know better.

    It’s been hot, very hot, and it’s just getting started. Summer heat has a way of melting away one’s enthusiasms.
    But I’ve always found that politics and sports, enjoyed in equal measures, if possible, can usher along your uninterrupted joy of life, even in extreme weather.