Felicia Sonmez, a journalist at Washington's other newspaper, was one of the few who weighed in after Bryant's death with a discordant note. As news of the helicopter crash broke, she tweeted a link to a Daily Beast article recounting the details of a 2003 sex assault charge that was brought against the then-Laker. (The case was eventually dropped and Bryant paid an undisclosed settlement.) Published January 27, 2020
It's a stark reminder that athletes burn bright and flame out fast that Kobe Bryant was only 41 years old when he died in a helicopter crash on Sunday morning. It seems almost unbelievable that somebody so accomplished could have been so young. Published January 27, 2020
Republicans should resist the temptation to summarily dismiss the House's deficient impeachment charges against President Trump. Otherwise, Democrats will continue scavenging for more "evidence" to revive the charges by addendum, ad nauseum. Published January 27, 2020
I am an unapologetic Boston Celtics basketball fan. I cheer them on with determined TV-watching-fan loyalty. I have my short list of opposing players I loved to root against; these super stars are so despicably great at what they do, at getting their way too often at my Celtics' expense, that I can't help but to respect and admire them. Published January 27, 2020
It isn't practical to respond to each issue presented in Andrew P. Napolitano's recent op-ed, "Trump's trial is not a charade but deadly serious business based on constitutional norms" (Web, Jan. 22). But I can briefly respond to the following sentence: "In Mr. Trump's case, though the House chose delicately not to accuse the president of specific crimes, there is enough evidence here to do so." Published January 26, 2020
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her goslings had at least 19 "witnesses" appear before the committees during Mrs. Pelosi's official impeachment proceedings, which began on Sept. 24, 2019. Democrats were the only ones to call witnesses, as Mrs. Pelosi wouldn't allow the president or any Republicans to call witnesses. That makes the score 19 for the Democrats, 0 for the president. Published January 26, 2020
I liked and admired PBS news anchor Jim Lehrer ("Jim Lehrer of the 'MacNeil-Lehrer Report' dies at 85," Web, Jan. 23). He believed news is a public good, not a commodity. He was always completely on the level in reporting, interviewing and moderating debates. His life was a gift that strengthened our democracy. We will remember him always and forever. Jim Lehrer, rest in peace. Published January 26, 2020
Fittingly for a man leading a televised spectacle, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff represents Hollywood. His Southern California district is the ne plus ultra in comprising entertainment royalty. Published January 26, 2020
I realize you are trying to be "fair and balanced" by printing former Judge Andrew P. Napolitano's opinion pieces, but I have to wonder why you would run some of what Mr. Napolitano writes ("Trump's trial is not a charade but deadly serious business based on constitutional norms," Web, Jan. 22). When you see one of his pieces, you know that you are going to get a Trump bashing. Published January 23, 2020
We really shouldn't denigrate the left or reject their ideas out of hand. After all, they are effectively schooling modern capitalists to substitute the phrase "socially responsible growth" with "profit." Published January 23, 2020
If every cloud has a silver lining, no one told the United Nations. Published January 23, 2020
Having previously donated to Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Hawaii Democrat, I receive a lot of email from her campaign. Published January 22, 2020
Americans are tuning out the latest attempt by Democrats to turn supporters of the president away from his assured re-election. The team of Adam Schiff, Nancy Pelosi, Jerry Nadler and Chuck Schumer reinforce what Americans already know: The Democratic Party is now entirely off the rails with very little chance for redemption or recovery. Published January 22, 2020
Backers of the federal Equal Rights Amendment in Virginia got their decades-long wish last week when the new Democrat-controlled General Assembly reflexively resurrected and ratified the moldering constitutional amendment. Published January 22, 2020
America needs a nap. Everybody's biology is different -- both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, for instance, barely sleep, as the president's late night and early morning tweets indicate -- but as a rule of thumb, most people should get about eight hours of shut-eye a night. But fewer and fewer people in our harried, busy country are hitting the target, or really even coming close. Published January 21, 2020
Taking out Qassem Soleimani was brilliant and long-overdue action by President Trump. The president is right not to brief Congress on top-secret sources and methods in order to protect the ability to take such an action again. Soleimani was a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and was planning new attacks. He had the blood of many Americans and Muslims on his hands while serving from 1996 until his death in 2020 and was the commander of the Quds Force. Published January 21, 2020
Recently, the Government Accountability Office, a component of Congress, found President Trump guilty of withholding funds from the Ukrainians ("Trump says GAO is part of 'the Swamp' after watchdog finds he broke law on Ukraine aid," Web, Jan. 17). Let's be clear: The GAO is a deep-state creature composed of bureaucrats who are left-wing sympathizers and anti-Trumpers. Published January 21, 2020
Destroying is much easier than building. As his relentless adversaries file into the U.S. Senate Tuesday to judge articles of impeachment brought against President Trump, they open the door for irreparable damage to a system of justice founded on both the U.S. Constitution and American common sense. There can be no justice without fairness. Published January 20, 2020
Most fair-minded Americans, whether Republican, Democrat or independent, were aware of and disturbed by the unfair, partisan impeachment process that denied the Republicans and President Donald Trump witnesses or documents. The thing most harmed, however, was our Constitution's fundamentals of fair process, equal justice for all, and innocent until proven guilty. The House has attempted to have the legislative branch override the authority the president has under our Constitution. Published January 20, 2020
When liberals talk about President Trump or anyone else in authority (generally Republicans), they say, "No one is above the law." However, when it comes to illegal immigrants, the left is all for open borders for those who wish to come and amnesty for those already here. Published January 20, 2020
