All Opinion
When summer camp forbids laptops, there's always letter writingAs I was writing a letter to our son Will, who is away at boarding camp for seven weeks, I felt a vague sense of historical reenactment 鈥� as if I were firing a musket or cooking over a hearth.
A better way to improve safety at garment factories in BangladeshPresident Obama is pulling US trade privileges for Bangladesh to force improved safety at garment factories. But this will cost poor workers their jobs and could undermine stability in this fragile democracy. Better to support a Bangladeshi-led reform agenda 鈥� with benchmarks.
Obama's 'partnership of equals' in Africa: Both sides must step upPresident Obama, who departs Africa today, has cast his mark on the US-Africa relationship by calling it 'a partnership of equals.' This is more of a goal than reality. Over the past decade the US has squandered its advantage. And Africans bear shared responsibility for economic stability.
Nice-guy Obama fails Turkey's democracyThe Obama administration has been far too solicitous of Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan and his increasingly authoritarian ways. Its reasoning is based on the flawed assumption that being nice will ensure cooperation from this strategic ally. That hasn't been the case.
Egypt's President Morsi and opposition must talk 鈥� and fix the constitutionProtesters are demanding President Morsi's resignation and have burned the headquarters of his backers, the Muslim Brotherhood. The way out of this crisis is for Morsi and opposition leaders to negotiate a path forward together. That must include a constitution that is representative of Egypt.
Be inclusive, Morsi, or you may face a second Egyptian revolutionWill it take a second revolution to complete Egypt鈥檚 democratic transition? Anti-government protesters plan to turn out in massive numbers Sunday. President Mohamed Morsi should heed cries for more inclusiveness. Otherwise, he may find himself toppled like Mubarak.
Go North, America 鈥� to the ArcticAlaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski writes that until the US makes the Arctic an issue of national importance, America鈥檚 future there will be severely limited while other countries move ahead. The US can take a crucial step by ratifying the Law of the Sea treaty.
The two-state solution for Israel and Palestinians needs a big boostThose on the extremes of the Palestinian and Israeli conflict don鈥檛 see a two-state solution as viable 颅鈥� or preferable. Secretary of State John Kerry and those in the center with practical ideas about how to achieve two peaceful states must strengthen their voices.
In same-sex marriage, Supreme Court walks a middle roadIn its two decisions that benefit same-sex marriage, the Supreme Court neither remains silent nor makes a definitive ruling. Instead, it demonstrates its power to participate in ongoing public discourse about a controversial social issue, without drowning out further debate.
After Supreme Court, Congress must move on Voting Rights ActThe Voting Rights Act has been America鈥檚 most effective tool to eradicate racial discrimination in voting. Today, a sharply divided Supreme Court has thrown the future of this critical tool in limbo by striking down a key provision. It鈥檚 now up to Congress to revive the act.
Supreme Court rightly cites 'old data' in Voting Rights ActThe Supreme Court has rightly decided that the Voting Rights Act's 'extraordinary measures' to prevent voting discrimination must be directed toward places where discrimination is going on now, not where it happened nearly 50 years ago.
Obama and Congress must fight climate change like they do terrorismPresident Obama is expected to announce steps to limit greenhouse gases today. That's fine, but they are half measures without the help of Congress. Both must take this issue as seriously as they do terrorism. Climate change, too, has killed people and the financial damage is real.
Affirmative action on the way out with Supreme Court Texas rulingToday's Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action at the University in Texas and a case coming before the court in the fall could provide the one-two punch to finally throw racial preferences out of the ivory tower for good.
Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action shows diversity still mattersToday鈥檚 7-1 Supreme Court decision on affirmative action in University of Texas admissions reaffirms the crucial role that diversity plays in a strong America 鈥� even while requiring the university to again jump through hoops to prove the validity of its admissions program.
To stop sexual assault against women in the US military, add more womenThe US military must change the culture that leads to sexual assault by genuinely accepting women as fully capable and by greatly increasing the number of women. Change must start at the top, beginning with more admissions of women in the service academies.
Does Obama care that US students aren't prepared to be US citizens?The US Department of Education鈥檚 decision to indefinitely postpone nearly all national exams in civics and US history eliminates the only objective gauge of whether students are learning basic US history and the essential skills needed to be good citizens. Sadly, we already know they aren鈥檛.
Tell your kids family stories. It could determine their future.The number of words a baby hears before age 3 correlates with IQ and success in school.聽And kids who know their families鈥� stories are better adjusted than kids who don鈥檛. So the next time your kids ask for a story, don鈥檛 conjure up faraway kingdoms. Talk about their grandparents.
Ocean's little fish are a big dealSmall 'forage fish' are a crucial source for larger animals in the ocean ecosystem. Without little fish, there can be no big fish. Pacific coast fishing leaders should thus adopt safeguards to prohibit fishing of saury until it can be shown that this would not adversely impact the ecosystem.
Obama's Germany trip can't be business as usualPresident Obama's speech in Berlin today shows that America needs Germany to help with global issues. But聽German power has limits. Obama needs fresh ideas to help Europe and to fortify the transatlantic relationship, because the circumstances that created this bond no longer exist.
Put our kids first, Mr. Holder, and enforce federal law against marijuanaAnyone who is cultivating, selling, or distributing marijuana is violating the federal Controlled Substances Act, regardless of state law. Obama must enforce federal law and begin prosecutions to stop the proliferation of 'medical' and recreational marijuana that is harming our kids.
