THANKFULLY, THE 2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS OVER, AND THE RIGHT GUY WON. I don’t say that lightly. President Obama’s re-election was one of the most important presidential decisions the American people have made since Franklin Delano Roosevelt — and for many of the same reasons. Both presidents understood one of the most basic of political […]

THE YEAR WAS 1775, AND THE REBELLION was increasing in intensity. Blood had been shed at Lexington and Concord, and Falmouth had been bombarded by ships of the Royal Navy. The rebellion had begun, but the War for Independence had not. The Continental Congress issued their declaration of causes, but also extended peace overtures to […]

‘Twas a week after Christmas and all through the House, not a creature was stirring, not even a … No, there’s Grover Norquist who’s Up and About! and … OOPS, WRONG STORY, WRONG TOPIC. I have to wait a bit to tell how that tale ends … It was something of a shock to read […]

ANOTHER DAY OF HORROR has reverberated across the United States and the world. The location — Newtown, Conn. — was different from past instances, but the loss was the same. If I were a man prone to bet, I would wager it is not the last time the U.S., and other countries, will suffer this […]

By Constance Beutel AT ONE OF THE VERY FIRST BENICIA COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION MEETINGS IN 2010, Benicia High School ECHO2 Academy students made an impassioned and well-researched presentation urging us to take action to ban single-use plastic bags. The commission was advised to delay taking action to ban single-use plastic bags, as legislation was pending […]

A SPECIAL NOTE: BEFORE OPENING THIS LETTER OF REMEMBRANCE AND APPRECIATION, I am compelled to comment very briefly on our recent national tragedy. Much of my life has been spent working in one way or another with children and youth. It is a significant understatement to say that I have found those experiences fulfilling beyond […]

A DRUNKEN DRIVER KILLED 13-YEAR-OLD CARI LIGHTNER ON MAY 3, 1980. In response, her grief-stricken mother co-founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and as a result of that group’s many years of work America’s tolerance for drunken drivers — and the number of people they injure and kill each year — have plummeted. Remarkably, MADD reduced […]

By Bruce Robinson DEAR EM, I’m not surprised to hear that many of the other students in your AP government class are Democrats and like to get into “heated” discussions when your teacher asks an “open” question. I’m glad you’re smart enough to realize you can usually learn more from listening carefully to others than […]

THERE IS SOMETHING TRULY BIZARRE in the fact that at precisely the moment when much of America is focusing on the advent of Christmas and its message of deep concern for the poor, we are simultaneously engaged in a furious political battle over matters of budget and whether, among other questions, taxing the very wealthy […]

By Constance Beutel MY SISTER ROBERTA AND GOOD FRIEND KATHY have just returned to Minnesota — and Winter with a capital “W” — after a week of holiday vacation, touring and sightseeing with me here in Benicia and the Bay Area. KIVA One of our favorite shopping stops was at KIVA designs, 6440 Goodyear Road, to review […]