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Columnists Wayne Bowen The Pen and the Sword >> Paul Schnare Dr. Grow >> Ellen Shuck Reflections >> Gary Rust Gary's Commentary >> Bob and Callie Clark Miller His and Hers >> Aaron Horrell Through the Woods >> Rob Hurtgen Commentary >> Jeff Long Commentary >> Jon K. Rust >> James Samons Street Spirit >> Joe Sullivan River City Journal >> Barbara Lohr Mayor's Corner: Barbara Lohr >> Harry Rediger Mayor's Corner: Harry Rediger >> Tim Porch Mayor's Corner: Tim Porch >> Marty Mishow The Latest Line >> Melissa Miller The Bottom Line >> Frank Nickell Special People, Special Places >> Mia Pohlman >> Lucas Presson The Sunday Interview >> Susan McClanahan Recipe Swap >>

Columns Joe Sullivan Column: I'm still gaga over Lady Gaga -- did you know she could sing? My wife and I tried to watch "Birdman" a couple of days before the film won an Oscar for best picture. I say we "tried to watch" because we only lasted about 45 minutes into the movie before we said to each other, "I've had enough." "Birdman" is promoted as a comedy, but we weren't laughing. Is that because we are in that age-advantaged generation that remembers when funny movies were, well, funny?... Jack Dragoni Why share information with enemies? Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, has been under the control of ISIS since June 2014, when they attacked the city, and the Iraqi forces abandoned their posts, weapons and equipment in the face of the enemy. As of this writing ISIS has had more than eight months to build its defenses around Mosul. ... Mike Jensen President Obama's view of America Former New York Mayor and presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani created a firestorm recently when he opined that the President did not love his country. Giuliani pointed to President Obama's upbringing and long-documented ties with radicals in making his shocking statement... Joe Sullivan Here's a tremendous unmet business opportunity Knock. Knock. Who's there? Neighborhood kid. Neighborhood kid who? Neighborhood kid who will shovel your driveway after a storm that leaves a foot of snow (before drifting). This is not about knock-knock jokes. This is about a dreamland. Not a single kid knocked on my door Monday after the snowstorm... Jack Dragoni 'Fat Leonard' Those who follow partisan media have probably heard that the president is gutting the armed forces by getting rid of senior officers. If you are one of these believers, you will have more ammunition with the decision of the Navy to take action against three admirals. ... Wayne Bowen U.S. should show leadership in fight against ISIS The United States has been the most visibly engaged state among the major world powers in fighting against al-Qaida, the Taliban, ISIS and other representatives of radical Islamic jihadism in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. On the ground in these countries, however, it has been local Muslims -- Kurds, Arabs, Pashtuns and others -- who have borne the brunt of fighting... Joe Sullivan How parents deal with their sons, and vice-versa When another two feet of snow were forecast at the start of this week for the Boston area, we emailed older son, who lives there, to make sure he was OK and to let him know we were aware of the storm. Like most adult children, our sons -- one in Boston and the other in Seattle -- are used to spates of overparenting. We can't help it, and they know it. But that doesn't mean they have to like it... Jack Dragoni Jordan reacts Civilized people everywhere were shocked and disgusted when ISIS released a video of the immolation of captured Jordanian pilot First Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh. The gruesome video has resulted in outrage across the Middle East, and many wondered if this terrible act would bring about more than words from the nations of the region... Mike Jensen Obama's liberal agenda in the news By Washington, D.C., standards, this past week was fairly quiet. The week before, we joined with the whole of civilized humanity in mourning the barbaric murder of a downed Jordanian pilot by the junior varsity group ISIS. But this last week, the focus had turned to Bruce Jenner's "he-to-she" transformation and the well-earned departure of Brian Williams and Rosie O'Donnell from the airwaves... Joe Sullivan What did you think (Boo-hoo!) of Super Bowl XLIX (Smack!)? OK. The most- watched event in television history has come and gone. More people watched last Sunday's Super Bowl than anything else that's ever been aired. That's what someone said. I wasn't actually counting. But I was watching. I rooted for Seattle. A lot of other football fans got their wish when the New England Patriots won. A lot of expert analysts have had their say about the fluke ending of the game. I imagine folks will be talking about this Super Bowl for a long, long time... Jack Dragoni Military should have input It has never been a secret that members of Congress will negotiate and deal to get military purchasing contracts for businesses in their own districts. Even some who are ardent advocates of budget cuts will solicit votes in Congress for military contracts... Mike Jensen Presidential search 2016 Unless something happens soon, the 2016 presidential election is shaping up to be a lackluster matchup that promises little change when what we need most is radical change from eight years of big government, runaway spending and racial politics that have brought this nation to its knees...

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