'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Brett Decker, who has led the development of the print and online versions of the The Washington Times' Commentary section since 2009, resigned Wednesday as the paper's editorial-page editor.
Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld offered a sharp and at times biting critique of the Obama administration's defense and national security record, saying the president's policies in the Middle East, Europe and East Asia have cost the country prestige and influence and put America on a path to decline.
In the space of time and history, we occasionally are graced by those who echo the virtue and good that restore our spirit, nourish our thirst for leadership and become steady reminders of right from wrong. They almost certainly have an innate moral compass that simply points the way forward.
I first met Tony Blankley in his office at The Washington Times in August 2006, when newspaper offices were in a flux over the trans-Atlantic aircraft plot - a terrorist scheme to blow up at least 10 airliners traveling from the United Kingdom to the United States and Canada.
My sincere hopes and prayers are extended to the Blankley family and members of The Washington Times staff at the inopportune and premature passing of such a perceptive and heroic man ("Tony Blankley, R.I.P.," Comment & Analysis, Jan. 9). Mr. Blankley's wisdom, wit and grit will be missed.
I still remember the story Tony Blankley told about his lost peacock and how he tramped through the hills and valleys to find his missing fowl.
Tony Blankley, a former top aide to House Speaker Newt Gingrich and longtime editorial page editor and columnist for The Washington Times, will remembered and celebrated at a memorial ceremony to be held Feb. 1 at the Washington National Cathedral.
A memorial service to honor former Washington Times Editorial Page Editor Tony Blankley will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
I was one of those cranky old strangers to whom Tony Blankley responded. I will miss him very much.
Many people play-act at bipartisanship in Washington, but Tony Blankley was the real deal - when he needed to be. I suspect he preferred the clever baton he wielded to orchestrate feisty attacks on Democrats in Congress and on my then-boss President Clinton when we engaged each other in the 1990s. But when that music had to stop and serious business needed doing, Tony would stop by the West Wing or give a call and we would find some way to harmonize.
Tony Blankley, a columnist and former editorial page editor of The Washington Times, died last weekend. His struggle against cancer was long, but for those of us who loved him, his passing came all too soon. Tony's absence leaves a big hole in this world - and on these opinion pages - that can't be filled.
Tony Blankley published the following poem every year to honor the troops. The editorial board is printing it one last time to honor Tony's memory:
I only met Tony Blankley in person once but I followed his written and spoken comments closely enough that I felt I knew him well. I'll miss him greatly. He was one of those rare observers of the public arena who could express strong opinions with wit as well as clarity, and who could inform without being offensive unless the reader or listener was determined to take offense.
I am proud to have called Tony Blankley my friend for more than four decades. He played a significant role not only in my life but the life of this great nation. Values that we shared made him a mighty force for liberty and the American cause. We will miss him as a wonderful person but even more so as a force for those values and beliefs that we hold dear as Americans.
Tony Blankley was a remarkable man. He combined intellect, passion for freedom and passion for life into a wonderful personality that attracted virtually everyone privileged to work with him or know him.
I still remember the story Tony Blankley told about his lost peacock and how he tramped through the hills and valleys to find his missing fowl.
He was thoughtful in both senses of the word - he thought carefully about what he wrote and said, and he was considerate of those to whom and about whom he said it.
