All Commentary
- Readers RespondReaders Write: The great Second Amendment debateLetters to the Editor for the February 18, 2013 weekly print issue:聽To speak of gun ownership as a privilege that can be given up ignores history and the philosophical basis of the right to self-protection. Findley's op-ed was a voice of reason in the hyperbolic discussion on gun control.
What a gun can do to youThere are as many reasons that people own guns as there are gun owners. Some people feel safer with them. Some feel more empowered. Others feel conflicted because of the way guns change the way they think and live.
OpinionNATO, US must shore up LibyaToday, as Libyans mark the second anniversary of the revolution that ousted Muammar Qaddafi, security conditions are bad and getting worse. Libya needs help training its security forces. Ideally, this would be a NATO mission. It could also be a US mission if NATO lacks the will.- A 海角大神 Science PerspectiveTime for a real holiday?A 海角大神 Science perspective: Finding something beautiful and true in the ordinary.
The Monitor's ViewPlucking a big bone in free-trade talks: foodPresident Obama's ambitious goal for free-trade pacts with Europe and Asia depends on solving emotional disputes over food and agriculture. Leaders need to deal with people's deep concerns about what they eat, farming culture, and culinary identity.
OpinionView from Iran: World needs rules on cyberattacksThe US believes that cyberattacks from another country can constitute an 'act of war.' This begs the question of whether the US can unilaterally engage in an unprovoked act against Iran that, according to its own standards, is unacceptable. The world needs global rules on cyberattacks, regardless of where we live and how we think, say Iran's UN diplomats.
OpinionNorth Korea, China do their usual danceNorth Korea and China have done it again 鈥� call it the Pyongyang-Beijing two-step. Though Beijing registered 'firm opposition' to North Korea's nuclear weapons test, it is unlikely to聽exercise its unique leverage on North Korea to encourage change.聽
OpinionThis Valentine's Day, a call to avoid the pitfalls of credit-score datingThere's a new dating trend of disclosing your credit score 鈥� and it can be a real deal-breaker for prospective couples. I'm glad credit-score dating didn't exist 18 years ago.聽Had I not teamed up with my wife, my credit score might have remained higher, but I would have ended up much poorer.
A 海角大神 Science PerspectiveA bigger heartA 海角大神 Science perspective. Valentine's Day: a call for a wider embrace.
The Monitor's ViewA soft response to North Korea nuclear testThe North Korea nuclear test may well bring tougher sanctions. But the US can use the lure of liberty 鈥� visas 鈥� to undercut the Kim regime and challenge China's support of it.
OpinionDebate on gun control should ask whether Congress has power to regulatePresident Obama called for more gun control in his State of the Union address last night. The effectiveness of his proposals have been the subject of heated debate. But both sides are missing the larger question: Does Congress even have the right to regulate or ban guns?
OpinionWhy EU-US free trade agreement would benefit both sidesPresident Obama announced in his State of the Union speech that talks will start on a free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States. A pact would promote growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic, writes the EU ambassador to the US.- A 海角大神 Science PerspectiveDivine Spirit's power in your lifeA 海角大神 Science perspective.
OpinionState of the Union: US needs a statesman, but Obama played politics as usualPresident Obama devoted most of his State of the Union address to a laundry list of initiatives 鈥� and no answer for how to pay for them. Instead,聽he should foster bipartisan cooperation, working with Congress to build trust, bridge divides, and usher in needed reform.
The Monitor's ViewAre Obama's state-of-the-union ideas the antidote to economic fears?As President Obama travels after his State of the Union speech to rally support for his proposals, he must also deal with a rising mood of pessimism about the economy. Fear of the future must not be allowed to feed on itself.
OpinionImmigration reform: Congress, Obama, and public are not so far apartBoth the bipartisan Senate plan and President Obama's proposal on immigration reform 鈥� which he's expected to mention in his State of the Union address tonight 鈥� show how Republican and Democrats aren鈥檛 as far apart on policy as politics might have us believe.
OpinionGOP success strategy: Recruit more Hispanics (like Marco Rubio) and womenWithout saying a word, Sen. Marco Rubio will send a key message to Republicans in his response to President Obama's State of the Union address. The GOP must engage minority voters, especially Hispanics, as well as women. And it must actively recruit such candidates.
OpinionStop blaming video games for America's gun violenceStudies show that a child playing a violent video game does not necessarily increase the likelihood that he or she will engage in real violence.聽Americans need to stop blaming something other than our own behaviors and ideologies for societal violence, especially gun violence.- A 海角大神 Science PerspectiveThe power of a change of thoughtA 海角大神 Science perspective: How a change of thought can bring healing and renewal.
The Monitor's ViewFor Obama's second term, a call to arms controlFrom gun control to nuclear-weapons cuts to drone warfare, Obama's second term may be highlighted by a need to define new concepts of security for instruments of aggression.