My Turn
See the latest My Turn columns here!
MY TURN: North Idaho College is proof voting works
There will always be a need to safeguard the gemstone of our community.
Idaho might soon be cooking with gas
Granny, Jethro, Elly May. We struck oil and we's movin' to Hollywood. Eeeee-haw!
You can't learn if you're not in school
Coeur d'Alene Public Schools has joined a nationwide effort to celebrate "Attendance Awareness Month" in September and has pledged to raise awareness about the value of regular school attendance and focus on reduci…
Cops need support, not more scrutiny
I cannot hold my tongue any longer. I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!
When two friends compete
There's an old political saying that when asked to choose between two good friends running for the same office, the answer is, "I'm with my friend." That means you're not about to choose, nor are you going to say w…
Veterans survey on VA issues remains open
In the wake of last year's scandals involving the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), I created a veterans survey to learn more about the experiences and needs of Idaho's veterans community. The 2014 Veterans…
Dalton deer in headlights of city council meeting
In the recent Dalton Gardens newsletter, it states that "the city will be advertising for trappers to review the possibility of continuing the deer trapping pilot project that was coordinated with Idaho Fish and Ga…
What makes us human makes abortion inhumane
A recent Letter to the Editor made the claim that a human fetus, because it shares characteristics with other species, cannot be classified as "human" and this non-human state exists past birth for a minimum of thr…
Looking back on training Iraqi Army
This September marks the 10th anniversary of my return from Iraq in 2004 to 2005. Being deployed as a cross level soldier to the 98th Division, now headquarter…
The story behind animals in captivity
Wednesday was National Dog Day. I enjoyed seeing all the posts on social media of people with their dogs and cute quotes about how wonderful dogs are. I couldn't help but notice the irony in this, for on this very …
Gay or straight, we're all worthy of God's grace
All right! Enough is enough! I've been reading this "discussion" ad-nauseam concerning "homosexual sin or no sin."
Here's a new proposal to fight fires with aircraft
In the Vietnam War the military modified several C-130 aircraft to gun ships with much firepower. They would fly these aircraft in tight circles around a small ground target and direct their guns on that target. Th…
Idaho's top education job sure isn't for amateurs
Tom Luna was elected as Idaho's superintendent of public instruction partly because of his ideas for reforming education. He was re-elected four years later, partly for his accomplishments.
Hypocrites abound in same-sex marriage fight
I am writing about marriage equality for homosexuals. I have read a lot of letters to the newspaper detesting homosexuality and its legalization with constant use of the terms "abomination" and "sin." I think this …
No room for hatred in America
Friday's "My Turn" opinion column by Michael Paul put me in a writing mood. I have been reading the Editorial page of this newspaper for many years now and even contributed to it myself a time or two. There are som…
Theories, lies pave way for evolution debate
It is good that the "Science" of Margaret Sanger is presented for all to see. However, disinformation and loose Hegelian logic is embedded in Cecil Kelly's letter to the editor so that it begs our response.