Seven Reasons to Flip the Senate The US Senate is up for grabs. Republicans hold 54 seats but 34 senate races could change that. If the Ds pick up five net (they will likely lose at least one, in ...more

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by Rivera Sun The forest sways in ripples of green. Wind sends the dappled sunlight sparkling through the branches. These are the things we forget in the heat of the political season. There are ...more

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There wa a scheduled Black Lives Matter in Neosho, MO, on July 14, 2016 –on the town square. Three days later, an event for Blue Lives Matter is scheduled in Neosho as well. These and such ...more

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Democracy free-for-all by Robert C. Koehler Here in America, we celebrate democracy by staying in touch with the lack of it. What better way to honor our ancestors struggles to win the right to ...more

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by Mel Gurtov Hows this for bad choices? A recent study by a Harvard group contended with the position of US intelligence agencies that tracking possible terrorists was becoming more difficult ...more

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by Mel Gurtov Hows this for bad choices? A recent study by a Harvard group contended with the position of US intelligence agencies that tracking possible terrorists was becoming more difficult ...more

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by Robert Koehler Maybe if we declared war on poison water, wed find a way to invest money in its defeat. David Rosner and Gerald Markowitz make this point: The price tag for replacing the lead ...more

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by Sheldon Richman No one should need National Reviews advice to steer clear of Donald Trump. For one thing, the messenger is a curious one indeed. Although Trump doesnt talk like a ...more

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by Robert J. Gould American Exceptionalism is the belief that, even when the US is flawed in its policies, those politics are justifiable because there is something innately morally superior about ...more

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by Tom H. Hastings We have a small amount of our original forest left in the US, but we still have a great deal of woodlands. There is a school of forest managers who advocate so-called controlled ...more

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by Trevor Hultner The criminal trial of former Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw has entered its third week. Dozens of witnesses have already taken the stand, including many of ...more

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One thing we have become all too used to is that our reality can be manipulated to create the appearance of something else entirely. Invading another country is defensive, rigged elections are passed ...more

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by Glenn Mollette Would making guns illegal in America eliminate our American mass murder horror? Has making marijuana illegal for most of the country eliminated the use of pot? Has making ...more

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When my son was struggling in his late 20s, Id ask him how he was doing. Too broke to pay attention, was his quip. Are we? Cumulative student debt in the US is $1.2 trillion [analysis by CNN], ...more

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Slow down, I cant understand you, the Prince of Darkness uttered, as his nefarious cohort babbled on. ...more

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by Matthew R. Drayton During the past few months, there has been numerous incidents some tragicwhere police officers were accused of brutality and abuse of power against African Americans, ...more

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Iran and the Memory Hole by Arnold J. Oliver Although Israeli Prime Minister Netenyahu in his speech to Congress painted Iran as a threat to peace, he left out important details concerning ...more

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By Carla J. Hanna-- Its fitting that a mommy porn fan fiction spawned from the "Twilight" books and movies will hit theaters in February 2015. As a 40-year-old mother who enjoyed the Twilight ...more

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by Jim Tobin December 13, 2014, marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage and Repeal Act of 1989, the first time a major federal entitlement was repealed. ...more

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by Arnold J. Oliver A Christmas truce by opposing sides on December 24, 1914 depicts British and German soldiers exchanging headgear. (The Illustrated London News) On the evening of December ...more

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by Jeff Ruch, executive director PEER The latest annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government survey results are in and they are dropping a big lump of coal in the stocking of the American ...more

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by Lawrence Wittner In a recent article about Shirley Jackson, the president since 1999 of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)--a private university located in Troy, New York--the Chronicle of ...more

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by Laura Finley Like many in the U.S, I normally consider myself a staunch advocate of free speech and against most forms of censorship. I agree with a previous U.S court of appeals decision that ...more

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By Sean Parnell If you go to your doctor with severe pain or some other symptom suggesting a serious injury or illness, do you want him or her to have a financial incentive to treat you, or would ...more

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This is an artist's rendering of the proposed Grain Belt Express Clean Line and its potential impact on a Missouri Century Farm. A high voltage tower, part of the proposed Grain Belt Express Clean ...more

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By Laura Finley As if enduring the routine cat calls and doing whatever we must to protect ourselves against the possibility of being sexually assaulted isnt enough, now women must also take care ...more

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by Robert J. Gould Last month my wife spent two hours waiting at the Department of Motor Vehicles. This past week, at the suggestion of a DMV call center employee, I spent just 45 minutes ...more

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"Let's make a deal" by Winslow Myers My dreams are invaded these days by the specter of methane frozen under arctic ice bubbling up as the ice above it melts, setting up a potentially ...more

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by Winslow Myers Nothing more clearly illustrates the absurdity of murder for political ends than this moment of chaos in Iraq and Syria. Imagine spaceships of an advanced alien civilization ...more

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Why the Republican Party Should Support Gay Marriage by Taylor Ney Gay marriage is a hot-button issue for the voters and politicians of the United States. As we all know, the Republican Party is ...more

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You have seen them in your community. Individuals who approach you in parking lots located outside grocery stores, gas stations and the post office. Clipboard in hand, they are looking for a ...more

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So there I was playing a very disciplined game of blackjack and enjoying my Diet Coke, sadly-sans-Jack, when I looked up and had my attention assaulted by, hands-down, the ugliest woman I have ever ...more

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by Baxter Hankin Baxter Hankin is in his junior year at Newtown High School in Newtown, Connecticut, where he leads the local chapter of YUGA, a human rights organization. He is also the ...more

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PARSONS, KS--Marlena Wallsingham Nivens was chosen for a 10-week post-graduate internship in human resources at SKIL Resource Center, Inc. A December 2013 graduate of Pittsburg State University, ...more

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Theres a man with a gun over there,Telling me I got to bewareI think its time we stop, children, whats that soundEverybody look whats going downStephen Stills Preparing for the gut-wrenching first ...more

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We are told by our government and law enforcement agencies that marijuana is bad for us. They claim it makes us stupid, lazy, and that it leads people to harder drugs like heroine or cocaine. The ...more

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by Glenn Mollette America cannot afford to be without medical insurance. You cannot financially survive without medical insurance. One trip to the hospital for a few days can devastate you ...more

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The President and Congress will make the decisions when it comes to Syria. They and military leadership have far more information than I. However, we will not go into Syria, throw our rocks and run ...more

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The commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington has seen reflections and conversations about the nations progress toward achieving Dr. Martin Luther Kings dream of the beloved ...more

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By Rob Okun With such an onslaught of pressing issues facing those concerned about gender justice today (for starters consider the recent actions to severely restrict womens reproductive rights ...more

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DR. LAURA FINLEY, criminologist/teacher Early in his first term, President Obama appointed Melanne Verveer as the first Ambassador-At-Large for Global Womens Issues. Now, a new appointee will take ...more

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by Stephanie Van Hook Americans are learning as a nation the truth about security. In the era of Julian Assanges and Edward Snowdens, we have gone through a checklistspying does not make us secure ...more

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As most Americans find the scandal built around something Paula Deen said over two decades ago to be hypocritical foolishness, I am reminded of one of the classic examples of the same kind of ...more

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Surviving in a nuclear armed world: An unexamined assumption by Robert F. Dodge and Ira Helfand President Obama speaking in Berlin on Wednesday [June19, 2013] took the first step in his second ...more

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So, now that the Turkish government, under the fiats of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip "Facebook is the worst menace to society" Erdogan, is running down nonviolent protesters and shooting tear gas ...more

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The recent assassination of a British soldier walking down a street in London was a despicable act. He proudly wore his country's uniform and for that he gave his life. Most of us are very proud ...more

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AMERICAN PRIDE WHERE DID IT GO? During my childhood, there existed an almost tangible awareness of pride in being American! In our classrooms, from our pulpits, on main street, and in our homes ...more

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Murmuring. Do you do it? Do you hold others accountable who do it? What is so bad about murmuring? All murmuring is against God. You may think that you and your murmuring friends are ...more

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An advanced stage cancer diagnosis used to be almost a death sentence, but that wouldnt have to be the case if we were wise in sustaining cancer research funding. If we chose to fund more promising ...more

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For centuries Christians have observed the crucifixion of Jesus as being on Friday afternoon and the resurrection at dawn the following Sunday. This is only a period of about 40 hours and certainly ...more

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Guns, media, mental illness, lax security--all these and more have been offered as explanations for the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary on December 14, 2012, that left 26 people, ...more

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Author, consultant and lecturer Robert Hall, pictured, discusses the relational unraveling that appears to consume Thanksgiving dinners. by Robert E. Hall So the food fight that was the 2012 ...more

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by Richard D. Skidmore I know that my remarks on Social Security will be frightening to some, rejected by some, and definitely go against what everybody has heard and commonly believes, but there ...more

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by Peter Bergel In my email recently was a message from one of my favorite organizations, the League of Conservation Voters, that began: We just won a major victory: The Obama administration has ...more

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The F-22 Raptor. $150 million per aircraft, $66 billion for the program, never flown in combat, and subject to technical problems so serious the fleet was temporarily grounded twice! Supported by ...more

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by Warren Isleib I am part of what might be called a detectives club. We are part of a larger group debunking political nonsense. Our only allegiance is to the flag and the country it represents. ...more

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I made the opportunity today to talk with Rep. Todd Akin because I was so outraged at how quickly Republican leaders have deserted him. After talking with Rep. Akin, Im even more outraged. Rep. ...more

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Politics has become a competitive sport rather than a debate over whats best for our communities and country. Falsified photos and bogus issues are repeated in media, without question, until they are ...more

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Commentary by Bill Randles Most Americans assumed that the most important issue in todays Obamacare decision would be whether or not the Supreme Court would find the Act unconstitutional. But to ...more

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Author/journalist David Clement-Davies provides thought-provoking insights into what the calendars end may or not may signify. His latest fictional book, The Godhead Game, is inspired by the end of ...more

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by Emilio Morales and Joseph L. Scarpaci Raul Castros governments attempts to jumpstart Cubas economy and its own prospects keep meeting with frustration. Numbers of new nations have become oil ...more

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Peace analysts consistently call for consistency in our responses to civilian deaths in war. This commentary, below and attached, by a peace analyst is exhaustive yet brief. by John LaForge In ...more

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Forever Changed Lives of Servicemen & Servicewomen: Counting the Cost of War by Eric Pomeroy Nothing is more firmly burned into my mind than the images from hours upon hours spent counseling ...more

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America is beginning one of the most contentious presidential elections in history, and few issues are as fraught with vitriol and downright hatred as national healthcare. Meanwhile, other nations ...more

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Should NATO Be Handling World Security? by Lawrence S. Wittner The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (better known as NATO) is in the news once again thanks to a NATO summit meeting in ...more

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In recent weeks people who oppose Planned Parenthood, and our mission to provide high-quality reproductive health care, have been conducting a secret, nationwide hoax campaign in an attempt to ...more

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Our world runs on computers and the Internet. We use them for everything, from communicating with long-lost classmates to managing our bank accounts to buying anything from cars to diapers. The ...more

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Greene County caucus results prove party leaders out of touch with grass roots Rick Santorum received 54% of Greene County Republicans vote during the primary election on February 7, 2012, and his ...more

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The recent passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) codified into law the disturbing notion that the United States should approach the entire world, including its own territory, as a ...more

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Our Trance of Separation by Winslow Myers The biggest challenges we face all have their root cause in an "artificial separation"between nations, races, religions, classes, between political ...more

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WHITNEY ELIZABETH HOUSTON - 1963-2011 Police discovered a half dozen bottles of medication in Whitney Houston's room, TMZ reported, adding that family members said Houston had been taking the ...more

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President Barack Obama delivered the State of the Union Address last Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, and several of his ideas could have very positive impacts on the sustainment and creation of small ...more

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By Patricia Leavy, Ph.D. Several years ago I saw my cousin with her new, love-of-her-life husband, whom she met online. I had never seen her so happy. If my cousin, a 40-something divorced ...more

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Commentary byRep. Mike Kelley of Lamar,District 126 - Republican(serving the counties of Jasper, Barton, Dade and Polk) Everyone has heard of the tragic events that occurred on the campus of Penn ...more

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You are being gifted by people and thingsseen and unseen, known and unknownall day, every day. That should make you feel grateful, but more importantly it should cause you to live gratefully. So ...more

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The funny thing about the bill that the Senate just passed that lets presidents and the military lock you up without a charge or a trial well, not funny ha ha but funny unusual is that the basic ...more

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Commentary byRep. Mike Kelley of Lamar,District 126 - Republican(serving the counties of Jasper, Barton, Dade and Polk) Funding repairs through tolls Interstate 70 is one of the busiest ...more

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Throughout all of the debates and disagreements associated with healthcare reform, one idea is universal throughout the political field each side wants to improve the quality of medicine and ...more

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This commentary was written in support of the U.S. Senate passing the 2012 Ag Appropriations Bill without riders prohibiting humane horse processing. (The bill now moves to a conference committee to ...more

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Each year in November for the last five years I've written an article, e-mailed it to hundreds of newspapers across the nation, and hoped for publication--always sharing facts, figures, scientific ...more

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The Occupy movement is submerging faster than it's growing. There are two manifestations of an underlying primary problem causing this in my town, Portland OR, and I suspect it's not entirely ...more

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Nate Silvers analysis of news coverage of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations shows how clashes with police have increased media attention to the movement. Silver presented evidence in his 7 ...more

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Missouri workers, students and seniors are fed up with politicians working for Wall Street while ignoring the crisis on Main Street. We need good jobs now: Our elected officials need to get to work ...more

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Beware of "Scallywags" Commentary by Rep. Mike Kelley (R-126) In July of 2010, an announcement was made in Moberly that "Hong Kong based" Mamtek International would bring over 600 ...more

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Commentary by Ed Emery, former Missouri Representative "Not the glittering weapon fights the fight, but rather the hero's heart." General Tommy Franks may have captured it best when he was ...more

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After an exhausting day, all you want to do is put your feet up and spend time with the person you care about the most - and then your spouse walks into the room. You close your computer hoping you ...more

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During these difficult economic times, nuttiness floats to the top of American culture and politics. On the cultural scale, the high-living guru who led five-day "Spiritual Warrior" workshops for ...more

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The Arabs aren't happy! They're not happy in Gaza. They're not happy in Egypt. They're not happy in Libya. They're not happy in Morocco. They're not happy in Iran. They're not happy in Iraq. ...more

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At Politico, reporter Eliza Krigman investigated the curious circumstances surrounding the support of prominent liberal groups for the multi-billion-dollar telecom merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. ...more

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What a wondrous sight to see the volunteers flooding into our ravaged city. Such generosity of spirit and pocketbook are awesome. So many want to help, in fact, that there are complaints of not ...more

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Our euphoric national mood in the wake of the assassination of Osama bin Laden may make for a reluctance to look once again, or perhaps for the first time, at his demands. There has been almost ...more

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The Missouri House is currently debating HJR 8, which if enacted and passed by voters, would increase taxes on 95% of Missourians. The mega sales tax is unlike any sales tax in any other state - it ...more

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A Buddhist legend tells how one day a king from Northern India summoned a group of blind people that did not know what an elephant was. Some of them were asked to touch the animals head, and were ...more

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by Jim Talent The United States is in another war for the purpose of changing another regime. Those who deny this are kidding themselves. President Obama has repeatedly said that Qaddafi has to ...more

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When "Less" is Not Lessby former Missouri Rep. Ed Emery Any Reform Bill which is worth a moment's thought, or the smallest effort to carry it, must at least double, and it ought to do much ...more

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AT&T, the nation's second-largest mobile phone company, is pushing forward its plan to take over T-Mobile, the fourth-largest carrier. This deal would form a communications colossus not seen since ...more

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Main Street Wisconsinharbinger for the nationis becoming aware that our democracy is being threatened by some very rich, powerful people. The super-wealthy are threatening the very core of our ...more

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The protests in Wisconsin have focused on whether the state of Wisconsin will take away the right of government workers to bargain collectively. However, government does not give workers the right to ...more

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We were in rough seas in a financial boat that was taking on water at an alarming rate. Our economy was gasping for air and the government was creating high waves making every breath more difficult ...more

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On the surface, HB 122 seems to be little more than the usual attempt by the lobby for real estate salesmen to license home inspectors. This time, however, they are providing the perfect back door ...more

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The House Committee on Tax Reform on February 9, 2011, during a public session heard HJR 8, which would propose a constitutional amendment to eliminate the states individual and corporate income tax ...more

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Tucsonans are grieved by the loss of family, friends, and neighbors, and shaken by the reminder of mortality. Standing in line to greet their congresswoman, or just going to the grocery store, they ...more

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The next government takeover after healthcare: universal retirementBy Brent Regan Another crisis is coming to a politician near you and this one is also likely not to go to waste by the Obama ...more

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"The N word" isn't a word (and why "nigger" belongs in Huckleberry Finn)Commentary by Nicholas Ladendorf For the longest time I was in a seemingly endless debate with one of my best friends about ...more

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According to reports, initial paperwork will be filed on January 7, 2011, with the office of the Missouri Secretary of State to circulate a ballot measure proposal to eliminate the state's income tax ...more

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John Boehner pries the gavel from her cold, dead...no, but he will be now the one with his mitts back on that power that Nancy Pelosi has wielded since 4 January 2007, placing him again two ...more

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The quality of our lives is often reduced to pluses and minuses. We hear, Im having a bad day or This is a good day. But many times I have heard, The more things change, the more they stay the ...more

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by Brent Regan With all eyes on the new Congress and a deflated Obama administration, we at voxverus.com have listed a select group of elected officials who either rode or survived the wave in ...more

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Article Homeland Securityby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security ...more

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The same war continues, Denise Levertov wrote, in Life at War. Her lament is even more appropriate for 2011 than as it was when she wrote the poem 45 years ago. Columnists and academics, including ...more

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As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote this month on ratification of the New START Treaty, Republican legislators appear on the verge of producing an international disaster. From the standpoint of ...more

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In a statement that casts a shadow over this state's entire livestock industry, the Missouri Veterinary Medical Board (MVMB) has taken the position that the state's veterinary practice laws apply to ...more

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Article Truths about the middleby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) "It seems safe to say that significant discovery, really creative ...more

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Saving the Good in Healthcare Reform: a Thought Experiment By Jane M. Orient, M.D. Some have suggested piecemeal repeal of the most obnoxious features of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ...more

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War Does This to Your Mind by Kathy Kelly Kabul-- Khamad Jan, age 22, remembers that, as a youngster, he was a good student who enjoyed studying. "Now, I cant seem to think, he said sadly, ...more

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Charlton "From My Cold Dead Hands" Heston has been exactly that for a few years, yet no one wants to take him at his word. Long overdue is serious effort to curb the spread of guns into the warm, ...more

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Fear has always been a very powerful and destructive social political tool. In the 1968 election Nixon's famous "southern strategy" was to not worry about the registration of black voters as he ...more

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The End of Combat My Eye By John LaForge The press made a big deal of it. The president even starred in an Oval Office TV show about the end to U.S. combat in Iraq, which was announced on ...more

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by Robert Dodge, M.D. Sixty five years ago this week, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed in a flash. Instantly the nuclear bombs that caused those flashes killed over 200,000 ...more

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Health care and reform is broken. There is a shortage of doctors, besides the fact that medical students are loaded with medical school debt. There is a long term solution: medical students lacking ...more

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NODLER'S NOTES: Commentary by Missouri State Senator Gary Nodler (R-32 representing the people of Newton, Jasper and Dade counties) "Yes" vote for Proposition C hurts nobody Voters ...more

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The honeymoon's overBy Nancy Salamone It was the very day we got home from our honeymoon. There I was, lying on the bathroom floor, naked and bleeding. He didnt like the way I hung the towels in ...more

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by Winslow Myers The article in Rolling Stone that ended the meteoric career of General McChrystal shines light on the thought-process not only of one military man, but also on the dysfunctional ...more

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As the Democrats and Republicans continue to spiral into unprecedented depths of polarization, recent events have highlighted the fact that the original ideals of the Tea Party movement have devolved ...more

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Education is a priorityby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) We love to leave our mark by structure, endowment, or award. What about our ...more

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by James Talent-originally published as "A Constitutional Basis for Defense" (June 1, 2010) Those who have not done so recently would benefit from studying what the United States Constitution says ...more

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After a legislative session filled with deep budget cuts, the Missouri General Assembly will adjourn without taking any positive steps to fix the state's growing revenue shortfall. In response to a ...more

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by Trent Loos On behalf of the ranching families of Arizona who fear for their lives every day, I am calling on the director of the Department of Homeland Security to fulfill her duties and secure ...more

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Most people know about the individual mandate in the new health care bill, but the bill contained another mandate that could be far more costly. A few wording changes to the tax codes section 6041 ...more

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Missouri families living below the poverty level in 2009 faced a substantial state income tax liability, according to a report released today by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Missouri ...more

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An article in the Navy Times entitled Strike group mission expands far beyond simple escort has me concerned. The aircraft carrier strike group is composed of a carrier and air wing, a submarine, ...more

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have adopted a pro-corporate position that laughably claims labeling genetically modified/genetically engineered ...more

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We have always been told that baseball is America's pastime. In fact(after hypocrisy)immigrant-bashing is our new national sport. The draconian anti-immigrant bill recently passed by Arizona's ...more

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NODLER'S NOTES: Commentary by Missouri State Senator Gary Nodler (R-32 representing the people of Newton, Jasper and Dade counties) Federal healthcare mandate creates a troubling ...more

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by David J. Keeling With ash from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption causing havoc across European air space, individual travelers and governments alike are turning to surface transport ...more

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Teabaggers hate facts.Show this to them anyway. Look at the big spenders - Reagan, Bush and BushAnd what did we get for it?Three wars, 5000 dead soldiers,a broken military and a bankrupt ...more

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Albert Einstein once defined insanity as doing the same wrong thing over and over and expecting different results each time. The recently passed Health Care Reform Bill is proof of that observation. ...more

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The Missouri Budgetby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) "The problem in reducing the budget is that every line item has a friend."--Rep. ...more

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In the event of any public health disaster, physicians are expected to play an important part in the role of first responders. The explosion of a nuclear weapon, either as an act of war or as a ...more

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Missouri is facing historic declines in revenue that are only in part due to the economic recession facing the nation. Missouri's fiscal pressures are also due to a lack of action on critical revenue ...more

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NODLER'S NOTES: Commentary by Missouri State Senator Gary Nodler (R-32 representing the people of Newton, Jasper and Dade counties) Locally run fee offices to better serve the ...more

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Swimming upstreamby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) "Remember, a dead fish can float downstream, but it takes a live one to swim ...more

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Bloodless surgeries, pioneered by non-Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) doctors, because of a shortage of blood donors, are great if they can be elective. One third of all trauma deaths are from blood loss. ...more

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Not to further upset overworked, underpaid teachers (or taxpayers) but the National Education Association spends almost $390 million annually from its headquarters building in Washington, DC. Its ...more

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by Lawrence S. Wittner Decades ago, rightwingers began championing cuts in income taxes for the rich and -- when that lowered government revenue -- turned around and claimed that government could ...more

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HOWARD ZINN (1922-2010) Howard Zinn and the State of the Union By Tom H. Hastings Howard Zinn has crossed over. He was a mensch, a historian and a peace and justice activist. He was not ...more

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Can you hear us now, Senator McCaskill? Last spring at the Tea Party Rallies you and your Democrat colleagues dismissed the publics demands for responsible fiscal policy by calling us Tea Baggers, ...more

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My Country 'tis of theeCorporatocracy! Of Thee I Sing By Daniel Patrick Welch I know, I know. Ive seen the blogosphere screeching about the Death of Democracy now that the Supreme Court has ...more

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Growing patriotsby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) "A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but ...more

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The Democrats of the US Senate aided by our own Darlin' Claire McCaskill rammed through a health care bill unwanted by the public--or, if it is wanted, no national poll has been able to find evidence ...more

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Nuclear terrorism: how it can be prevented By Lawrence S. Wittner The recent furor over an unsuccessful terrorist attempt to blow up an airliner is distracting us from considering the ...more

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Add USDA to anti-ag listby Trent Loos As we charge into 2010, those of us in agriculture have come to realize that we must deal with groups outside of agriculture that want to forever change the ...more

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Despite President Obamas best efforts at the recent Copenhagen Climate Summit, a meaningful, binding agreement to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change could not be achieved. For all the ...more

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While it upsets me and probably offended the Nobel committee to have a peace prize winner lecture the audience on the necessity of war, peacemakers should be grateful for the opportunity to re-engage ...more

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President Obama will announce his policy decision on Afghanistan to a deeply divided nation Tuesday night in an address from West Point. It is largely anticipated that his recommendation will be to ...more

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Nave and irrationalby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) "Facts are the raw material of reason" anonymous A few days ago I participated ...more

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Over 30 years ago I heard the now deceased Rev. E.V. Hill [of the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Los Angeles] state, "I do not trust the left-wing or the right-wing because they are both ...more

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Imagine, just imagine, what it would be like not to worry about how you are going to pay for health care for yourself and your family. Health insurance companies are in business to make money. ...more

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Commentary by Elizabeth Lee Vliet, M.D. In the 2008 campaign, we heard healthcare in this country is broken and must be reformed. We heard healthcare reform would be the signature piece of an ...more

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No doubt many of you have seen this or are aware of this article. This presents a very dark cloud for the DNR and the Nixon administration and we can only hope that something is done about the ...more

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Moving beyond war in Afghanistan The challenge of helping Afghanistan while also serving U.S. security goals includes four aspects: first, U.S. fear of more terrorist attacks mounted from the ...more

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The Fair Taxby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) "When there is an income tax, the just man will pay more and the unjust less on the same ...more

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Rather than answer the call of a shallow party-line hack like Utah State Representative Curtis Oda to "proudly" run Ole Glory up a pole and celebrate 9-11--a date which should more appropriately ...more

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Here is an idea that will guarantee a health care reform package that everyone can live with. It will require a bi-partisan effort. What is it? A pledge from every lawmaker in Congress that they ...more

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This commentary is being passed along by a person who currently is residing in the Joplin area but who had lived in Canada for a few years. You're not hearing the truth about Canadian health ...more

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If you think you are in the dark on what may be happening in Washington, D.C. these days, you are not alone. In fact, we may all be in the dark if a measure recently passed by the U.S. House of ...more

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As I write this, I am watching a recording of the July 31st House Energy & Commerce Committee hearing to mark-up the so-called "universal" health care bill that has been so hotly debated across ...more

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by Tom H Hastings President Obamas approval rating in the polls has been dropping. It is lower every time its measured. Unemployment rates are higher under Obamas leadership than they were ...more

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Federalism--structured for changeby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) It is federal, because it is the government of States united in a ...more

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Ten years ago, we were being deluged with unending reports on the coming horror that would be created by Y2K. Billions of dollars were spent to correct an imaginary problem. Then on that long ...more

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The United States of America was founded on the premise that control of one's own destiny is essential to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," but as a sixth-generation farmer I am concerned ...more

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Chipotle Mexican Grill is misleading American consumers and financially benefiting from a "feel good, no guilt" marketing message that in fact is untrue. As a sixth-generation U.S. farmer, I have ...more

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Preventing, stopping or explaining chemical dependency is often the focus of stories about addiction. Seldom does anyone consider the parents who suffer. Injecting hope into a world where parents are ...more

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Missourians, now's the time. Let's talk. Please. Let's talk about our state only....at least for now. Those of us who are becoming increasingly terrified over President Obama's interference in the ...more

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Commentary by Missouri Rep. Cynthia Davis (R-19) --An answer to the attacks circulating on the Internet about her recent remarks concerning the taxpayer-sponsored summer food program for children in ...more

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Congress has voted to give the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco. The problem is the Supreme Court in 2000 denied the FDA that privilege. According to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConnor in ...more

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When you hear any politician indignantly demanding that corporations finally, "pay their fair share of taxes," look to your own wallet. Corporations don't have a secret cache of money to pay taxes ...more

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Commentary by Missouri Rep. Walt Bivins (R-97)St. Louis, MO President Obama has outlined an ambitious plan for a massive redistribution of wealth and government intrusion into health care, ...more

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On the day President Barack Obama marked his 100th day in office, Americans United for Change asked U.S. Representative Roy Blunt who he thinks he is representing with his repeated votes against the ...more

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Objectives and resultsby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) "It is neither compassionate nor wise to treat someone else's discomfort with ...more

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by Anne Miller Last week, the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on Afghanistan and Pakistan. It was revealed that the Obama administration is planning on sending an additional ...more

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NODLER'S NOTES: Commentary by Sen. Gary Nodler (R-32) Job creation: No quick fix With unemployment throughout the nation continuing to increase, job creation has been a main focus this ...more

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NODLER'S NOTES: Commentary by Sen. Gary Nodler (R-32) Federal Stimulus Plan: state concerns The president signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in mid-February, but as ...more

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by Tom H Hastings-- "I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person." Awww... Who could not forgive ...more

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Comments by Tom A. Coburn, M.D., U.S. Senator from Oklahoma (R-Muskogee) ...As you may know, the Senate passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1) on February 10, 2009, ...more

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NODLER'S NOTES: Commentary by Sen. Gary Nodler (R-32) All the More Reason to Stay Focused I was recently in the Senate chamber while the body was not in session, and I took a moment to ...more

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Fathers everyday are being denied equal rights regarding their children in custody cases. Gender bias should be eliminated from family law and future legislation. BOTH biological parents should be ...more

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During his campaign, presidential candidate Barack Obama cast President Bush as having done everything wrong. So, what will the now President Obama do right? If his first week is any indication of ...more

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Perhaps you didn't realize that every stream and river in the country supports healthy aquatic life and is safe for recreation in and on the water. The reason I know our streams are unpolluted is ...more

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Family Recovery Planby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) "The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life ...more

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Here we go again! This time it's Afghanistan, with a foreign power, not to say an imperial nation, employing sophisticated weapons and military personnel to subdue a people and culture that it ...more

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Hopes abound for an Obama presidency to enact changes in health care, education and a green economy. But these hopes may all be lost to a war in the mountains and deserts of Afghanistan. by Marc ...more

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Nuclear Power Factsby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) The 2009 legislative session will address the need for more base-load electricity ...more

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by Tom H Hastings Robert Gates is Bush's Secretary of Defense and has been for two years. President-elect Barack Obama has announced that he will retain Gates in an open-ended offer to remain in ...more

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Demonstrations were held in 39 cities across the US yesterday, November 22, 2008 by protesters who rallied against the Federal Reserve banking system. I participated in the St. Louis rally where I ...more

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Bail out General Motors? The people who murdered our mass transit system? First let them remake what they destroyed. GM responded to the 1970s gas crisis by handing over the American market to ...more

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Digging deeper, finding hope For many, the elections brought hope in the face of all that is crumbling: housing prices, stocks, financial institutions, family budgets, job and retirement ...more

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by Daniel Patrick Welch Swampscott, MA isn't the place you'd pick for right-wing hate mongering. Sandwiched between the industrial cities Lynn and Salem on Boston's North Shore (and somewhat ...more

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By Virginia Swain As I observe the lack of civility and destabilization in local and international political life, I remember Lee Atwater. Chief political advisor to the first president George ...more

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Sarah Palin is right to criticize Barak Obama for 'palling around with terrorists,' as she puts it. A smart politician would not hang around with people who have been connected to bombs that might ...more

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Politics has wonderful way of alienating ones entire family. Case in point: my family. We can talk about the kids, we can talk about the weather, but then we run out of things to talk about ...more

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Sarah Palin has been on the political stump now all of six weeks, arriving as a gift from heaven with few of the attributes of a seasoned politician, but possessed of charms that, if you arent sure ...more

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Judicial accountabilityby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) "...The contemporary understanding of judicial independence and of the judicial ...more

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If you had an employee who was getting $160,000 a year, plus a full time staff, travel expenses, and a huge budget to work with, but never showed up for work, what would you do? Obama proudly lists ...more

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Oh, here's the story: It starts with the local Social Services and an ever shifting set of regulations that apply to Medicaid and a lack of transparency in how those rules are enforced, which leads ...more

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--By Joe Green I recently wrote an article about why I believe abortion is murder; the responses I received were interesting, to say the least. I always am amazed at the level of denial some ...more

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The time of "nit-natting" of favorite secondary issues is over. We may not like every single thing done or said by a candidate on every issue, but we must realize there is no such thing as a perfect ...more

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Time to draw a line in the sand...before there's no more sand With each passing day, hardworking Americans are watching the price of gas climb higher and higher as oil executives watch their ...more

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The truth...the whole truthby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) The impact on temperature per unit carbon dioxide actually goes down, not ...more

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Captured on film are pictures of hog sewage being "removed" from the confinement. In middle May 2008 Darvin and Tish Bentlage sent photos to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for an ...more

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A group of seven motorcyclists from the states of Florida, Texas and Louisiana recently rolled to a stop in front of the Student and Outreach Services Building on the campus of the Missouri School ...more

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Illegal entryby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) "While politicians in Washington have debated amnesty bills, over half a million illegal ...more

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When Michelle McAdams third child, Nick, was 15 months old, she knew something was not quite right in his development, but she couldnt put her finger on the problem. It was over a year later that ...more

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Mr. Gore, I do not believe there is such a thing as man-made global warming. I do not think globe warming is provable, being that we only have data for a fraction of the time the earth has been in ...more

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Principles that work (contrasting political philosophies)by Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) In general, the art of government consists of ...more

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hr> When Less Is Moreby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ...more

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by Tina Richards My journey to Washington, DC began a little over a year ago when I received a call from my son about his impending third deployment. After countless hours in the halls of ...more

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I commend those of you in Joplin who have been brave enough to sign the petition for lessening marijuana penalties in your city. It takes true patriots to stand up for what is good, right and true in ...more

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We all know this is one of the most critical elections in quite a few years. People are angry over various issues, and are going to go vote or bust. I have no doubt this primary election on February ...more

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Presidential Candidate and Senator John McCain may appear more presidential these days following his recent primary wins, but one aspect of his fitness for command has been strikingly absent from ...more

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The ethanol compromiseby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) Compromise is but the sacrifice of one right or good in the hope of retaining ...more

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An historic perspectiveby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery (R-126 including the counties ofBarton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) Leadership requires as keen a sense of where you have been as where you are ...more

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Within December, we’ve seen a private citizen stop a madman wielding a rifle and a thousand rounds of ammunition from possibly killing hundreds of people. The liberal media is spinning this as ...more

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Please allow me to take you on a brief journey. Try to imagine yourself as one of the many wounded military personnel (man, or woman) currently recovering from combat injuries at Walter Reed or Brook ...more

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by James H. Bushart In this passing year, Missourians have seen the highest number of foreclosures than at any other time in their history. Families are being forced out of their homes and are ...more

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by Daniel Gilbert During a peace summit in Annapolis, MD, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has vowed to heavily pressure Israel to divide Jerusalem. Worse, Rice and the current administration ...more

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Commentary by Mark Allen Recently, Marvel Comics decided to begin making their comics available online. Dubbed Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, the program will boast 2,500 comic books ...more

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If you missed the impeachment protest on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, in Springfield, MO at the major intersection of Glenstone and Battlefield Rd., you missed a gratifying experience in seeing and ...more

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S.A. Rehman has been disseminating messages on the Internet for several years now. These messages addressed allegedly to his fellow Muslims preach against violence and misinterpretation of the ...more

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How federal, state and local govenments have allowed a perfectly good cash cow to escape Let's consider the price of gasoline. If the wind blows, it goes up. If the season's change, the gas ...more

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In a truly representative democracy, the politicians we elect should be working for us. Each of us should be tracking their votes and listening to their speeches to confirm this dictum. In ...more

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What will it take to get the Department of Natural Resources to live up to the mission of the department to protect and conserve our natural resources? This agency, supposedly, was created to ...more

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If you have something on or under your property and someone takes it, did that someone steal it? Then, how do you feel if the state of Missouri agrees they will do “nothing” about ...more

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Our friends with the Missouri Association of Realtors (MAR) have been very successful in helping their members totally transform the public image of their profession. I have to hand it to them. In ...more

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The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets. --Will Rogers Tax cuts and the 2008 budgetby Missouri Rep. Ed Emery(R-126 including the ...more

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Oscar Harward of Monroe, NC has called this commentary to our attention with the permission of the author. By Rep. Duncan Hunter (District 52-CA)-- It’s much tougher than it should be to ...more

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A sad parallel... I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week there were hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily ...more

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An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle, sir, is not to ...more

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It's unwise to consider President Bush responsible for every bit of the US dilemma in Iraq. His father's administration encouraged Saddam diplomatically to invade Kuwait in 1990, to bounce on him ...more

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Newton County commissioner Jerry Carter released information recently that a land-acquisiton company had sent a man named Todd Marshall representing ARM Risk, a recently filed company with the ...more

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Pork and beans: It's all about CAFOs by James (Rich) Lawson Perhaps it’s time to stop looking though a glass darkly and understand the facts about Senate Bill #364. Many have been drawn ...more

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by David Burton-- What exactly is a "good ole boy" anyway? I’ve heard the phrase “good ole boy” several times in my life. However, I probably have never heard it (on a radio ...more

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Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim, through an invitation by the Peace Network of the Ozarks on March 28, 2007, spoke at The Library Station in Springfield on "The U.S., the Middle East, and the War on Terror."  ...more

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Less than a decade ago, we were being deluged with unending reports on the coming horror that would be created by Y2K. Billions of dollars were spent to correct an imaginary problem. Then on that ...more

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Commentary: An open letter to U.S. Representative Roy Blunt Dear Roy, Hope your prostate cancer does not return. Glad you had great preventative care. My wife remembers the little chat she had ...more

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I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been screwed. There was one time in the night that my cat walked on my stomach when he wanted me to let him out. That wasn't it. When he thumped on the ...more

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by Herbert J. Schmidtpresident of Contract Freighters, Inc.Joplin, MO Any time there is a change of control in our legislature, there are corresponding shifts in the direction of policy. As ...more

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According to political stereotypes, those who have lived an upper middle class or upper class lifestyle are almost all conservatives and generally vote for Republicans. Consequently, those who grow ...more

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Springfield doesn’t want underage adults downtown. With the passage of the amendment that bans anyone under the age of 21 from all establishments that derive 60% or more of their total revenue ...more

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by Jim DeanDemocracy for America On Election Night, DFA-endorsed candidate Barbara McIlvaine Smith was down by 19 votes in her race for the Pennsylvania state house. She refused to concede, ...more

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Three little girls from school are we:U.S. Left's unwarranted giddiness over election gains by Daniel Patrick Welch Giddy as Mikado schoolgirls, Democrats and their allies on the Left are ...more

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A few years ago my friend Henry Waggoner was just barely run over by a fire truck. In less time than it takes to type it, a slip on the ice and a nanosecond's difference in when the driver hit the ...more

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...and in the White House as well On its 25th anniversary in 1997, Vice President Al Gore praised the Clean Water Act as one of America’s most important environmental laws. The Vice ...more

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It's become the greatest tale never told, the best-kept secret in America today... With today’s economy, if the current president’s last name were Clinton or Kerry, we'd already be ...more

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Denouncing Hugo ChavezAnd other sports of the rich, infamous and just plain stupidby Daniel Patrick Welch Nancy Pelosi apparently has so much time on her hands, and so few issues to address, that ...more

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...Why are we so content to be the “silent majority” about any issue going on in our part of the world or the bigger arena? Why don’t we push for some zoning laws designating what ...more

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Whom do you trust? by Missouri Rep. Ed Emery(R-126 including the counties of Barton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) I personally cannot support the initiative because I've always been opposed to ...more

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I took Zyprexa starting in 1996, the year the Federal Drug Administration approved it. It proved to be ineffective for my condition and gave me diabetes. Zyprexa, the product name for Olanzapine, ...more

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Freedom or plunder? by Missouri Rep. Ed Emery(R-126 including the counties of Barton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass ...more

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Prosperity or Dependency by Missouri Rep. Ed Emery(R-126 including the counties of Barton, Dade, Jasper and Polk) “A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist ...more

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Commentary by Simon Mahan, president, Sierra ClubSouthwest Missouri State UniversitySpringfield, MO As children, we were taught that we will have to pay for our parents mistakes. No matter ...more

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Listening to the Bush - Cheney team the last couple of weeks, one would think that we are approaching an economic era that has dollar bills falling out of the average guy’s pockets, sugarplums ...more

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Giddy with greed, at any cost, the elite slip and slide through meaningless lives. Our society has become the preservation of privilege for the privileged. Instant gratification rules as if there's ...more

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Observations during a trip Over Thanksgiving my wife and I went to her mother’s house in Topeka, KS. Out of Goodman, MO, we went north on Hwy 71, west on I-44, over to Kansas on Hwy 400, and ...more

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Despite the protestations of right wing commentators, it is increasingly evident to most Americans that Bush and Cheney mounted a campaign of lies and deceptions to get voters to endorse their ...more

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I talked to a couple of rightwing conservatives today about George W. Bush. I asked them what will be the legacy of this president. They wanted to know what I thought about it. I replied that I was ...more

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We have arrived; someone please give me the time on the stop watch: 4 years 9 months 8 days (?) since George W. Bush took office. I would like to remind everyone about the line in the movie, ...more

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Ten reasons Bill Moyers should be president Commentary by Scott Beckman Beckman explains that he has tried to identify with Democrats for years but has found wide differences between his thinking ...more

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Try and catch the windby Daniel Patrick Welch To understand fully the nature of the American dilemma, one has only to view it from slightly outside the bubble. The sanity of my wife and I depends ...more

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The Neocon political credo is uncompromising just as that of the Machiavellians; it is alchemy of the must toxic and corrosive known, a collection of elements to hold and maintain power. This ...more

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The European states have a long history, including good and bad times, economic rise and political descent. These past experiences left traces behind affecting our current society and culture. We ...more

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Americans know so little about the world that how could they imagine one continent to be worse than the others. Daniel Patrick Welch explores the depth of ignorance about Africa through the eyes of ...more

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To a certain extent, government is to be held responsible for the decisions regarding the future of our country. However, since government is created by the people, perhaps, it is the people that ...more

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Bait and switch is the technique of offering something too good to be true and then switching to a different offer that costs much more. In retail it is bad and in religion it is worse. Jehovah's ...more

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Mobile repositories by Ron Bourgoin The Department of Energy (DOE) announced two weeks ago it's getting ready to ship out 2000 trucks of spent-fuel reprocessing waste from its West ...more

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'Safe'Scandanavian repositories by Ron Bourgoin To get the American people to believe that burial of highly radioactive wastes in rock is a good idea, politicians every now and then will ...more

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According to the Missouri Office of Administration’s Division of Facilities Management, Design and Construction, Governor Matt Blunt plans to spend about 1.8 million to renovate his mansion. ...more

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Will the Real Pro-life Movement Please Stand Up? On the same day that a bipartisan group of legislators passed a bill to further fund stem cell research, Bush was meeting with former frozen ...more

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In his appearance Sunday, June 5, 2005, on the George Stephanolis Show, Benjamin Bradlee, editor of the Washington Post during the era of Watergate, was asked why he thought the print media (and ...more

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by Simon Mahan As a Christian and an environmentalist, I became interested in the op-ed titled “Bible does not endorse diet” (Springfield News-Leader, April 28th). Mr. Hardecke does ...more

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CLUCK CLUCK--Chickens crammed into cages is the type of picture Missouri legislators would like to see banned by law. The proposed legislation is just one of the many tainting the State's ...more

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We received a snail mail letter from a gentleman from Cleveland, Ohio looking to get the attention of our Missouri governor, Matt Blunt. In spite of the grumbling of one our volunteers who had to ...more

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The Republican leadership has successfully passed a bill that will take health insurance from thousands of disabled, elderly, and impoverished Missourians including children. You might think these ...more

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Currently a full-time student studying horticulture at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, MO, She is concerned about the future of our environment and precious natural ...more

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We received the following letter from a gentleman in Slater. He is frustrated over the apparent evasiveness he received in response to his letter to Governor Blunt. Slater appears to be voicing the ...more

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It is important to address Rep. Ed Emery’s recent columns which claimed, quite erroneously, that stem cell research called Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) is the same thing as human ...more

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The Bush Administration and the Republican Congress have some strange values when it comes to human and environmental health. Do you think... oil and gas development corporations should be ...more

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An unconscionable travesty of all morality and values HB130, the Dirty Secrets Bill, is being rammed through the Missouri Legislature by controlling Republicans. This bill: Allows polluters ...more

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FairTax is the most logical tax plan I have ever seen. FairTax's main plan is to flat tax everyone at the point of sale rather than through payroll tax deductions. The master stroke of the FairTax ...more

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We appreciate C.K. Sigler’s answer (Joplin Globe commentary, Feb. 11, 2005) to the question of what Jesus would have thought of homosexuality. Not mentioning homosexuality leaves all of us to ...more

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The more we hear about the plans the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans have for Social Security the more frightening they become. Once again it is clear that the issue is one of ...more

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Gov. Matt Blunt has proposed that the State of Missouri reduce income limits for those individuals who receive or could receive Medicaid. Medicaid is a health-care program for the blind, poor ...more

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**If you're easily offended and generally close-minded, please jump to the bottom and read my disclaimer, first, hopefully, to absolve me from going to Hell in your mind for my anti-authoritarian ...more

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The future of our fundamental freedoms, including women's right to reproductive choice, will be set by judges who hold lifetime seats on the federal bench. Recently, President Bush announced his ...more

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It's amazing that when some people embrace an idea religiously suddenly that idea becomes fault-free. The FairTax concept seems to be such an idea. I followed the advice of the stream of forum ...more

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In baseball, when an umpire makes mistakes, even though the game cannot be played again, the players appreciate it when he admits his mistake and vows to try to avoid future errors. Those who refuse ...more

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“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, ...more

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As a concerned citizen of the state of Missouri, I think residents throughout the state should understand what Republican members of the Senate actually stand for - as opposed to what they claim ...more

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More than just an unnecessary and costly departure from addressing the real causes of terrorism, the Iraq war is also contributing to an impending economic crisis. Tax cuts (overwhelmingly for the ...more

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As a concerned citizen of the state of Missouri, I think residents throughout the state should understand what Republican members of the Senate actually stand for - as opposed to what they claim ...more

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Public school prayer? With great interest and concern I have been reading open letters on the editorial pages of newspapers and magazines, for many months. I have been silent until now. Now that ...more

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Below are comments made by Sally Rollins, a volunteer for the Friends of The Coleman Theatre Beautiful in Miami, Oklahoma. She tells the story behind the restoration of the theatre's original ...more

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Dear Editor: I trust local citizens will rise up against the fluoridation tyranny...This is more about freedom and accountable government than about health. Bandaid pseudo health ...more

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Parade of Nations, parade of ignorance: one fan's disillusionment with the TV Games By Daniel Patrick Welch The author tells of his infatuation with the Olympic Games from early childhood--a ...more

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Separation of Church and State - A Family History By John Emery, Jr. Recently, I decided to explore my ancestral roots and found some interesting parallels with myself and today's historic ...more

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Daniel Patrick Welch peers beneath the West's self-proclaimed cultural and moral superiority in the face of atrocities against innocents in other parts of the world. He says: "When we peel away all ...more

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Critiquing the critique: Pandering to the lies the Left tells itself about the Democrats By Stephen Gowans Robert Jensen, a professor of journalism at the University of Texas, has written a ...more

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Every four years, the two major parties dust off their stale old "anybody but whomever, lesser of two evils, wasted vote," hogwash. Jesse Ventura ran a woefully under-funded campaign for governor in ...more

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I came to Missouri to be free ... free from the hateful treatment I grew up with in a small town in Indiana. I vowed, when I came here, that I would never hide or be ashamed of who I was again. For ...more

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The increasingly rapid slide of the United States into a New Roman Empire over the past 40 years, has had many facets. Like Rome, we've shut down our industry and farms. Like Rome, we've turned the ...more

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Debate pits educators against lawmakers in Missouri and other states In recent weeks Representative Robert Wayne Cooper (R-155) introduced and sponsored HB911 with Missouri representative ...more

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“Mom, why didn’t they make Disneyland in Disney?” I thought this a logical question. Of course, I was 8 years old and was just being introduced to a lifetime of Grand Lake ...more

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It's quite astonishing to me to be hearing lately that Southwest Missouri may be facing a serious water shortage in the immediate future. It's certainly true that the amount of growth in the area ...more

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During the fall of 2002 and the spring of 2003 I was active, along with several other area citizens, in organizing demonstrations against Mr. Bush's planned attack on Iraq. Some of the events we ...more

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The following is an editorial reprinted from News Photographer, the official publication of the National Press Photographers Association. No one can deny that it was a spectacular event. The war ...more

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I caught up with a storm east of Liberal, KS on Saturday and chased it west (yes, west) for about 3 hours. Never before have I seen a storm threaten to tornado for such a long period of time and not ...more

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To the editor: I speak now for the millions of Americans who recoil every time the Supreme Court betrays their interests. White America, has watched their elected and non elected political leaders ...more

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On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the middle of May 1994 my normal life unexpectedly was shattered. I'm now able to write about it. I was the victim of a T-bone motor vehicle accident. With me ...more

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I am not the least afraid to go any place, by bus or to a mall. I didn't change or stop doing anything I used to do before this mess began! People tend to forget that twice the casualties from terror ...more

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Just the other day I was listening to the news about the beltway sniper and of course, Tom Daschle was out there taking another shot at our freedoms. Note that when I mean our freedoms, I don't ...more

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Subject: And the worst part about it is... Non believers, Check it out...It's 100 percent true..... Q: Which party took Social Security from an independent fund and put it in the general ...more

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Protect the Pledge of Allegiance! Those who are acquainted with me know by now that I'm not a liberal. And, I suppose that a portion of my thinking is shaped by my military background. However, I ...more

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