Netanyahu’s ‘day after’ memo isn’t a plan, but it’s a start
Benjamin Netanyahu’s one-page plan for the day after the war in Gaza isn’t a plan at all. Rather, it’s a list of the Israeli prime minister’s long-held and often contradictory positions on the Gaza conflict — committed to writing to keep his government together, the Israeli population quiescent, and Washington at bay. The more interesting question is what to do with it.
Without even ruling on Trump’s immunity claim, the Supreme Court handed him a huge victory
Given the Supreme Court’s possible responses to Donald Trump’s appeal of the D.C. Circuit’s denial of his claim of immunity from prosecution, the justices’ decision Wednesday has to be counted as a gift to the former president. That’s because the court came through for him on the most important axis: time.
Don’t buy Putin’s bluff. The West can outspend him
Vladimir Putin wants the world to believe that Russia’s economy is doing fine, and that he has the wherewithal to prosecute the war in Ukraine indefinitely.
‘Work longer’ is no solution for people who can’t afford to retire
In April 2023, Betty Glover, a 91-year-old grocery store clerk in Oregon, was finally able to retire after a GoFundMe campaign raised $82,000 for her. After seven decades in the workforce, Glover couldn’t save enough to retire and cover basic expenses such as for food and medicine.
Blame Washington, not grocery stores, for food prices
If you’re struggling to pay for groceries, you’re not alone. Staples like bread, lunch meats, dairy products and eggs have seen price increases of 20% to 40% in the last three years. President Joe Biden is blaming grocery stores for “gouging” consumers, but there’s just one problem with that explanation: His administration’s own data disprove it.
Letters to the editor for Friday, March 1, 2024
Regarding Old Kona Airport park
Investing in kids pays, even if Mom is on drugs
For too many American children, the future is already written. Their parents’ income broadly predicts what their earnings will be in adulthood. For those in poverty, the chances of breaking out are dwindling — resulting in a less prosperous, increasingly ossified society.
Letters to the editor, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024
Safe Spaces effort is a good start
Westside Stories: It could happen
It was close but in January 2025, Donald Trump was sworn in as president.
Is your cat bad? The problem is likely not with Fluffy — it could be you
When I started working with cats almost 25 years ago, it was purely out of self-interest. My own cat, Kittums, had recently passed away. I decided to volunteer at a local animal shelter to get more hands-on feline time: I was mourning and needed more cats in my life. There was plenty of instant gratification to be found at San Francisco’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — cuddling with purring cats and playing with frisky kittens. These individuals had no problems finding new homes.
NRA’s LaPierre has to pay. Too bad it’s not for all the deaths
When a New York jury delivered a verdict Friday evening against the National Rifle Association and its longtime leader, Wayne LaPierre, my first thoughts were oddly not about the NRA or all the lives destroyed by the gunplay that the organization did so much to foster. I didn’t think of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who died by suicide, pulling the trigger on a gun that LaPierre had so desperately urged them to buy (to keep them safe from harm). Instead, I thought about the elephant that LaPierre encountered in Africa, and how the animal provided a capstone to LaPierre’s morbid career.
Test tube murder? Alabama Supreme Court’s terrible in vitro fertilization decision
“What are you doing, Alabama?” Neil Young sang. The question must be asked again and at the top of the nation’s lungs, as abortion fundamentalism has just resulted in a ruling by the state’s top court that, in the name of protecting life, shows patent disrespect for families and the children they seek to bring into the world.
Propping up failing schools doesn’t help students
Four years since the COVID pandemic began, many US school districts are hurtling toward a fiscal crisis. An exodus of students and the pending expiration of federal relief money is forcing officials to weigh the need to close schools. Although that’s certain to cause some disruption, propping up failing schools will only worsen America’s learning-loss crisis.
The world can’t abandon the fight against malaria
Over the past two decades, the fight against malaria has been among the biggest success stories in global health. Campaigns to prevent and treat infections, particularly in Africa, have saved an estimated 11 million lives since 2000. Yet that progress has recently stalled — and in some countries, new cases are surging again.
STVR bill needs community involvement
There is a huge crisis in the state of Hawaii! There are thousands of people that are not homeless but live in homes that are built for just a single family, but end up housing multiple families because that is all they can collectively afford. There is a growing sense of sadness and a loss of hope of ever owning a home in Hawaii.
Let aid workers into Gaza
In the battered streets of Gaza, the air is thick with despair. Families, stripped of their livelihoods due to the conflict, now plead for the most basic needs. Aid workers offer one of the few lifelines left for these families, but now they too are getting caught in the crossfire. The protection of these workers goes beyond safeguarding lives; it is directly tied to the delivery and fair distribution of vital supplies among a starving population.
Democracy demands well-funded investigative journalism
Investigative journalism, which is critical to a healthy democracy, comes at a high cost. The return on investment, though, is substantial. Ida Tarbell’s willingness to dig into Standard Oil’s egregious business practices bolstered efforts to pass the Clayton Antitrust Act and to create the Federal Trade Commission. Upton Sinclair’s daring investigation into the meatpacking plants of Chicago likewise resulted in a long overdue regulatory response.
The election may turn on inflation, but do we even understand it?
How big of a role will inflation play in the upcoming presidential election? That’s anybody’s guess, but one thing is certain: Democrats will cite facts and statistics that they hope will lead voters to think inflation is under control, while Republicans will focus on facts and statistics that counter the “it’s all good” narrative.
‘Let’s house our community together’
Last July, Gerald Sarvas, a veteran and kupuna, faced the grim reality of homelessness.
Trump’s most successful deal? Selling tribalism
In a meandering Valentine’s Day speech in North Charleston, South Carolina, former president Donald Trump did what he does regularly at these types of events. He appealed to the tribal instincts of his supporters.