Fifty years old? How is that possible? Was it not just yesterday that I began counting the days until I became a teenager? And here I am about to turn 50 on Sunday. It's quite a thing, how that happens. I remember turning 30 and being so depressed about being "old." Forty didn't bother me at all. ...

Regarding the column, "Lessons from Eisenhower, seen in the lives of Drury, Buhs and Shanks" by Jon K. Rust. I grew up in Bloomfield, Missouri, and was raised in the First Baptist Church. Of course, I knew Mr. and Mrs. Shanks my entire life. I was terribly sorry to hear about Connie Shanks' death. She was a sweet, sweet lady...

Industrial policy that uses tariffs and subsidies to pick economic winners is once again in vogue among intellectuals. The rationale is to prevent China from “dominating” the global market with its subsidies while boosting American jobs and manufacturing. While I believe it’s unwise to mimic China’s policies to tamp down the danger of its authoritarianism, I’m amazed at cynics who support such policies but make no effort to adopt a serious strategic plan to achieve this goal...

The fascist left regularly typifies the very qualities it professes to abhor. The only thing more pronounced than its totalitarianism is its stunning lack of self-awareness. It’s ironic that leftists think of themselves as liberals, as the term “liberal” is historically and etymologically connected to the concept of liberty. ...

There are few people who can speak as eloquently about U.S. history and, more specifically, the Constitution than former federal judge Stephen Limbaugh Sr. Limbaugh retired from his judgeship in 2008 when his son Stephen Limbaugh Jr. was sworn in as the first judge to preside over the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau. Limbaugh Sr., now in his 90s, returned to private practice first in St. Louis and now back in his native Cape Girardeau...

The week just ended was a momentous one, and Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, a date that will be long remembered. In an historic, outdoor White House ceremony, high officials from four nations -- Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, and the U.S. -- announced a peace agreement and the establishment of full diplomatic and commercial relations between the first three. In one amazing stroke, these leaders doubled the number of Arab states that have made peace with Israel, since its founding in 1948...

David Limbaugh's latest apology for the president boggles the mind. Repeatedly referring to him as a patriot -- who dodged the draft with rich man deferments; who called our soldiers suckers or losers; who put down Gold Star families, and who has done nothing when our intelligence community has credible evidence of the Soviets putting bounties on our troops. Trump is like the emperor with no clothes -- and when anyone tries to tell him something he does not believe, he gets rid of them...

We are once again facing a presidential election with less than ideal candidates. Donald Trump is flawed beyond repair, and Joe Biden peaked in the last century. The voters in the party primaries gave us these candidates, so we must pick between the two...

One thing that quickly becomes evident to people visiting our community is our high level of patriotism and our respect for those who served to defend our country. This shared value is easily observed, from displays like the amazing memorial at North County Park and the American flags flown at many businesses and homes...

On Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified giving women the right to vote. It had been a hard-fought victory begun years before, and it struggled to come to fruition as wars and a pandemic threatened to end it altogether. The March 1913 Women's Suffrage Parade held in Washington, D.C. ...

Does anyone really believe that the Democrats would wait until after the election to nominate and confirm a Supreme Court Justice before the election? Of course not. They tried this in 2016, only the Republican Senate stopped them. Now that the Republicans have control, they are losing their minds. ...

The National Merit Scholarship Program is one of the top academic recognitions nationally for high school students. Recently, four local students were named semifinalists. Emma McDougal of Cape Girardeau Central High School, Claire Southard of Notre Dame Regional High School, Noah Sparks of Jackson High School and Megan Benkendorf of Saxony Lutheran High School were all recognized by the organization as semifinalists. ...

It’s hard to believe there are actually people out there who believed the article in The Atlantic about President Trump supposedly calling deceased military veterans “losers” and “suckers.” Seriously? If this had a shred of truth to it we would have heard about it two years ago. Completely anonymous “sources” for this slanderous article just demonstrates how much these liberals hate President Trump. ...

In 2017, the liberal Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University found that 93% of CNN's coverage of the Trump administration was negative. The center found similarly negative Trump coverage at other major news outlets...

We have 2 choices on Nov. 3, One choice is for a pro-life, pro-law enforcement and pro-Second Amendment candidate. The other is for abortion, defunding the police and gun confiscation. The choices are clear and will be long lasting. I plan to vote for the pro-life, law enforcement and Constitution-protecting candidate. Please join me in re-electing President Trump...

Charles Drury, the business trailblazer behind Drury Hotels, among other ventures, died earlier this month in St. Louis. He was 92. Those of us in Southeast Missouri and St. Louis are well aware of Drury's business success and leadership. He was a visionary, and the hotel chain he founded with his brothers has been a national leader in hospitality with more than 150 locations in 27 states...

The attempted assassination of two Los Angeles County deputies, caught on a security video, is chilling and enraging enough. A man walks up to the parked black-and-white cruiser, and fires point-blank through the passenger window, then runs away. The stricken officers manage to stagger out of the vehicle and call for assistance. They are whisked away to the hospital for emergency surgery (and are now, thankfully, recovering)...

They represent an era in America marked by honor and humility, service and God-fearing Christianity, embodied in imperfect men and women who strove to love and serve others, build families and prosper. In the past week, several of these American heroes have been on my mind: Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose memorial opens in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 17; and Charles Drury, Ray Buhs and Connie Shanks, all in their 90s, who died this month...

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman observed in a column he wrote in 1996 that "no two countries that both have a McDonald's have ever fought a war against each other." Some have looked into how ironclad this rule is. But, in general, the point is pretty powerful...

Recently various news sources including a Fox correspondent have quoted anonymous individuals saying Mr. Trump called the members of the U.S. Armed Forces killed at the Battle of Belleau Wood and buried in France suckers and losers. As an individual who served in Vietnam and has done battle for this country, I take exception to his words...

Danny Rees and team at the Christian Boxing Academy are doing more than teach kids the fundamentals of boxing. They're teaching life lessons. The program, which is offered to any sixth- through 12-grade student in Cape Girardeau, meets from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, unless Cape Central is not holding classes. This is the seventh year for the program...

Can anyone tell me why the Cape Girardeau Police quit putting the names of the people they arrest in their report? When Trump was caught in his lie about the coronavirus, he immediately did three things: Denied all responsibility for lying to the American people, blamed China for the virus and blamed Bob Woodward for writing his book. Does Trump ever own up to anything he does? Apparently not...

Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president recently. Of course, President Trump being President Trump, he had to say something. His response is what I'd classify as the equivalent of punching down, which, as I've written before, he doesn't need to do. I, on the other hand, have some punching to do...

As a Donald Trump supporter, I don't casually dismiss the polls that consistently show he's behind. But I am cautiously optimistic he's going to win, for many reasons. Trump won in 2016 against overwhelming odds, the formidable Hillary Clinton machine and almost-unanimous predictions of his defeat...

I was recently insulted by President Trump's comments about members of the military being losers. Before people start saying not true, pay attention to the different times he referred to John McCain as a loser. My uncle was captured by the Japanese in 1942 on Corregidor. ...

A Perry County Sheriff’s Office detective was recently awarded the Michael Woody/Michele Saunders CIT Coordinator of the Year Award by CIT International. Jason Klaus, who has served as Missouri Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) state coordinator for two years in addition to his duties with the Perry County law enforcement department, spoke with the newspaper recently about the importance of CIT training...

Lou Brock represented the best of Cardinals baseball. Not only was he a Hall of Fame player, but he was a man of deep faith and strong character. He will be missed. Enough is enough. All across this country, people are losing their businesses for no reason. ...

The latest hammer of a book to fall on President Donald Trump is Bob Woodward’s soon-to-be-released “Rage,” and it’s his own words that are the issue. According to the book, the president told the veteran Washington Post journalist in March that he publicly minimized the danger of the coronavirus: “I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.”...

Few Cardinals baseball players have been more beloved than Lou Brock, the legendary outfielder who accumulated more than 3,000 hits and 938 stolen bases in his illustrious career. That love and admiration has been on display this week since the Hall of Famer died last weekend...

Almost daily, Greek and Turkish aircraft and ships fight mock battles over disputed oil and gas rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Since the loss of much of the Christian Balkans to the Ottomans in the 15th century, Greece and what would later become modern Turkey have been rivals, outright enemies and often at war...

I was deeply saddened by the news of Charles L. Drury's passing earlier this week. I first met CLD, as he is referred to within the Drury work climate, in December 1980. I've had the good fortune of crossing paths with him on numerous occasions during the course of 40 years employment with Drury Hotels...

Many Americans will pause today to reflect on the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. We remember the two planes that crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, another that struck the Pentagon, and a fourth that brave passengers prevented from striking a fourth building -- instead crashing in an open Pennsylvania field...

I wish to express my deepest gratitude to the customer at the R&P gas pumps on Bloomfield who found my credit card that I had left behind and turned it into the service attendant. To all involved in its return, may God continue to bless you for your honesty. Gestures such as this should be recognized...

As the saying goes, "When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." This advice applies to the hole Congress leapt into by bailing out the airline industry back in March through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. Now these companies want even more taxpayer money. The federal government should refuse another bailout...

Hollywood is accommodating a new era of McCarthyism, imposed this time by Red China. It involves everything that Hollywood tells us that it hates -- censorship, pressure to conform and blacklists. Yet the studios have seamlessly absorbed China's dictates into their operations...

Positioned between Russia and the West is a nation of beautiful people, Belarus, which has felt the brunt of history. Today, with an autocratic president cracking down on innocents protesting a discredited election, Belarus is suffering again.

Even after the end of widespread shutdowns and the reopening of our economy, the COVID-19 pandemic remains a challenge. To keep workers and customers safe, businesses have adapted new guidelines from the CDC and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. ...

Last week my son came home from Cape Central High School, and I asked him if he had homework. He told me he had to finish answering questions for English. He then told me that all the questions were about privilege. He showed me the paper, and I was shocked by the questions, I asked him what did this paper have to do with English. ...

As the 2020 Census draws to a close, I urge each one of you reading this to respond before it's too late. This is the final month to be counted and to help guarantee Cape Girardeau receives funding for essential services that will shape the future of our community for the next 10 years...

Nate Gautier and Shelia King recently took home the mirror ball trophy in Dancing with the Show Me Stars. If you missed the live event, there's an opportunity this week to watch the show through a Pay Per View style airing on Thursday. The event raises money for the Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri. ...

I used to be one of those people who argued with the talking heads on television. I was a political junkie from my earliest days, so there I would be on a Saturday morning, thanking Bill Buckley on the other side of the screen for correcting his "Firing Line" guest's wayward thinking or telling Eleanor Clift on "The McLaughlin Group" that there is another way to think about things (as if she didn't know that on her own, or, well, could hear me). ...