Last year, prominent Democrats attempted to stop the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court by threatening to pack the court in retaliation to her nomination. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told his colleagues that "nothing is off the table next year." President Joe Biden made good on that promise with the creation of a 36-member commission to "reform" the court...

The Food and Drug Administration just gave the green light to abortion pills by mail. They are using the coronavirus pandemic as cover, even as people are getting vaccinated and things are opening up. It's disingenuous and it is cruel. Some days at Planned Parenthood on Bleecker and Mott Streets in Manhattan, there is an intimidating man who looks a little like a bouncer outside the abortion clinic, waving girls in so they can't talk to a pro-life sidewalk counselor who simply wants them to know that there are other options, that there are people who will walk with them. ...

President Joe Biden has decided to end the war in Afghanistan. He feels it’s time, and so do a lot of Americans. I feel it too. I’m just not sure feelings should win the day. In his televised address announcing the decision, Biden reiterated American withdrawal can’t be “tied to conditions on the ground” because no one can say what conditions must be met in order to depart...

I haven’t seen much humor in life during the past year or so, but one thing that has been uproariously hilarious lately is the orchestrated media narrative President Joe Biden is bipartisan and conciliatory. Please give me a moment to catch my breath...

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas raised ire from conservatives for vetoing legislation passed by the Arkansas state legislature that would have banned "gender-affirming" medical treatment for transgender minors. This includes treatment such as hormone therapy, puberty blockers and surgery associated with gender identity...

Wars often arise from uncertainty. When strong countries appear weak, truly weaker ones take risks they otherwise would not. Sloppy braggadocio and serial promises of restraint can trigger wars, too. Empty tough talk can needlessly egg on aggressors. But mouthing utopian bromides convinces bullies that their targets are too sophisticated to counter aggression...

The Missouri legislature returned from its annual spring break and wasted no time putting the health care of almost 1 million Missourians in jeopardy. The Senate recently added an anti-birth control amendment to a mandatory Medicaid spending bill, which prohibits the program from providing some forms of birth control. ...

I am a Scout with Troop 5 in Cape Girardeau. I would like to tell you why kids should consider joining Scouts BSA. Earning merit badges helps you learn important skills such as cooking, swimming, and first aid. You make a lot of friends and meet interesting people you might not otherwise get to meet...

Jason Smith: Our country is struggling with multitudinous problems which our current administration is addressing. You suggest that President Biden cannot attend to border issues if he is responding to the proliferation of guns in American and the related killings. ...

Students from the Cape Girardeau Central Junior High School robotics team, called TigerTech, recently took home the Design Award from the Missouri Middle School VEX State Championship. Next step: the Live Remote VEX Robotics World Championship. This year's event, due to COVID-19, will be held virtually in late May. ...

While President Joe Biden's administration doesn't seem to need an excuse to spend money, two recurring arguments for his gigantic $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal are that our roads and bridges are "crumbling" and that modernization would generate economic growth and jobs -- hence its name, the American Jobs Plan. But none of this clever marketing makes any of these claims true...

So now our State Legislators think the voters were duped, scammed and gaslighted by "liberal" groups to vote for Medicaid expansion. Are you kidding? We voted for it because we wanted it! This seems to be the new strategy of Republicans; when you lose a free and fair election just change the rules. Don't mess with Medicaid expansion, we need it!...

Thank you for covering the Lemon Drop Long Drive. I wanted to pass along a message to say thank you to the community for supporting this event and the cause behind it. Being a TC Survivor it was easy to jump on board when it was "just an idea." Several months of hard work and dedication to something we hoped would raise $2,500 turned into something much bigger. ...

You know all those "Florida Man" stories? "Florida man arrested for throwing alligator through drive-thru window," "Florida man learns the hard way he stole laxatives, not opioids," etc.? There are several theories for why Florida men stand out so much, starting with Florida is just weird. ...

Blunt visit reinforces need for kids to be in school We are nearing the end of the school year with events like prom and commencement to be held in the coming weeks. What a difference one year can make. Last spring, Southeast Missouri students were forced to learn virtually and many missed out or had to make alternative, COVID-safe arrangements for these rights of passage...

Speak Out When a comprehensive history of social media is written, Speak Out will be prominently remembered as a key, originally low-tech precursor to Twitter and an inspiration to those originally thought not to be aware of it such as Jobs, Zuckerberg and Trump...

After reading David Limbaugh's tribute to his brother Rush in the Southeast Missourian, I thought, "Thanks, I needed that." Full disclosure: I once worked at a radio station that switched from country music to talk, and was essentially replaced by Rush Limbaugh...

I'm an old white man who was raised amid racism and I'm at least partly responsible for this mess. We tried to make amends. We passed laws against discrimination and called for affirmative action. We provided financial assistance for food, housing, child care and more. We talked about the rightness of equality. But in spite of the laws, assistance, and rhetoric, we failed. Maybe things are a little better than they were. I'm not sure...

For about three decades — since the original Gulf War of the early 1990s — Americans have been consistent and enthusiastic in their support for the men and women who serve in our nation’s military. As Vietnam veterans know, that wasn’t always the case, but even the veterans of that controversial war have gotten their due respect as time has passed. Americans by and large recognize the sacrifices our military troops make and appreciate their service. ...

No city should accept the 2021 MLB All-Star Game. This would take politics out of sports. Denver, in doing so, does an injustice to the sport of baseball and sports in general. No city should accept the 2021 MLB All-Star Game. This would take politics out of sports. Denver, in doing so, does an injustice to the sport of baseball and sports in general. ...

Ed Bastian made $17 million in 2019 as chief executive officer of Delta Air Lines, Georgia’s largest employer. Bastian just blasted Georgia’s new voting law. He thinks it is racist to require the same sort of ID to vote that Delta requires for its passengers to check in. ...

If Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ever sets up a presidential exploratory committee, it should have to disclose an enormous in-kind contribution from CBS News. The “60 Minutes” segment recently alleging DeSantis distributed the COVID-19 vaccine through pharmacies at the Publix grocery store chain as part of a quid pro quo was so outlandishly wrong, even Democrats in the state have objected. ...

The debate over Georgia's new voting law has been deeply depressing to watch for a number of reasons. The first is that it hasn't really been a debate so much as a lot of performative shouting from all directions. The second is that many of the law's harshest critics don't know what's in it, starting with the president of the United States...

"A crony anti-infrastructure plan" is, sadly, the best description of the Biden administration's proposed $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan. It's insanely expensive and unnecessary, especially coming, as it does, on top of last year's fiscal insanity...

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began last year, the need for long-term care ombudsman volunteers has greatly increased. Since no one was allowed inside of nursing homes for almost a year, long-term care residents are in need of an advocate more than ever...

Losing Rush has been tough. Until a few very long weeks ago, he was always in my life. Like other siblings growing up in the same home, we shared experiences that were exclusive to us. Our parents instilled in us -- and we thoroughly absorbed -- their Christian values: their love of God; their unconditional love for each other and for us; their belief in moral absolutes, of truth, of right and wrong; the paramount importance of family; the critical necessity of personal character and integrity; the value of human life; and the uncompromising duty to treat others with respect and compassion. ...

The controversy surrounding the new voting law in the state of Georgia raises important issues regarding the governance of our country and the role of corporations. Corporations are big and have a lot of economic clout, so there is justified concern about them abusing this economic power...

The state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta should sue MLB for breach of contract for breaking an agreement to play the MLB all star game in Atlanta. It has been said the city will lose at least $100 million in revenue due to this decision. MLB should have to compensate the state and city for this loss. It is time to take politics out of sports...

Five gymnastics teams will compete this weekend in Cape Girardeau as part of the USA Gymnastics Women's Collegiate National Championships. Along with host Southeast Missouri State, programs from Air Force, Centenary, Lindenwood and Texas Women's will be on hand...

When man was evolving in the wilderness of African savanna thousands of years ago, his tribe's survival depended on certain emotions he experienced in his relationship with other tribes: Fear, hatred, rage, jealousy, greed, hostility, etc., which manifested as aggression, conquest, destruction, genocide, robbery and theft...

I'm proud the Missouri House of Representatives voted unanimously to formally condemn the Dred Scott decision recently. I was watching CNN's COVID War special and found it to be very informative. It is sad to say, but America failed in its handling of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Future generations of Americans will look back at this time in shame that most of the Americans who died should never had died...

Why do the Russians need to bother spreading disinformation when our own domestic sources do a much better job at it? We just went through a four-year national obsession with Kremlin disinformation. It supposedly swayed the 2016 presidential election. It was "sowing divisions" in American society. It accounted for the discovery of Hunter Biden's laptop during the 2020 election...

The Georgia debacle is a perfect example of the rolling collective action problem of our democracy. A collective action problem, simply put, is when there is a goal that would benefit everyone -- in this case, confidence in our machinery of democracy -- but the incentive structure for the individual players makes it impossible to cooperate to reach the goal...

One of the many events we missed last spring was high school musicals. And while schools are still taking COVID precautions, it's good to see these performances coming back. Notre Dame Regional High School will perform Betsy Anders' "Singin' in the Rain" this weekend. The musical features songs such as "Make 'em Laugh", "Good Mornin'," "You Were Meant for Me," and most recognizably "Singin' in the Rain."...

I'm writing this on Good Friday. I just spent a few minutes in prayer outside of a Planned Parenthood clinic in lower Manhattan. A hazardous medical waste truck, familiar to some of us who regularly pray outside the clinic, was just getting loaded. Eleven boxes stacked up, just a little shorter than me. They perform abortions at Planned Parenthood, so you can imagine at least some of what was in those boxes...

If you use social media, you’ve probably noticed friends, in an effort to celebrate or advocate, share photos of their vaccination cards. We understand the sentiment and generally agree it’s wise to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as recommended by health professionals. But you might want to think twice before sharing an image of your vaccination card. ...

As we survey our rotting cultural and political landscape, it is tempting, from a worldly perspective, to lose hope for our way of life and our nation. As Christians, we have a greater Hope, one that transcends these worldly problems. We must always train our focus on Jesus Christ, especially during this holiest of weeks, but let’s not in the meantime abandon our earthly duties — our responsibilities to family, friends, country and values. ...

So far, the defining word of the Biden era is “trillion.” The Joe Biden who portrayed himself as a moderate, old school, bipartisan dealmaker during the presidential campaign is now a distant memory. He’s been replaced by the Joe Biden who is dazzling progressives with his willingness to “go big” — in other words, spend jaw-dropping amounts that would have been unimaginable prior to the pandemic and are still shocking even now. ...