An Argument in Favor of a Part-time California Legislature
Until 1966, California had a part-time legislature. Honestly, are we better off today?
Why Urgent Improvement is Needed in the FBI Investigation Process
The human tragedy for two families this week underscores the FBI's responsibility to do a more thorough job in a new era. -- #metoo.
Invoking the 25Th Amendment Must Be a Last Resort
The anonymous Trump Administration "senior official" who penned a piece in Thursday's New York Times said nothing new. And there is the shame of this piece. The Trump Administration has been a vortex of fire and fury, a cacophony of boasts and lies, a scandal of incompetence and fawning since January 21,2017. Virtues – we
The Folly of August Impeachment Talk
President Trump's business and political associates had a bad week this week. Based on the 16 guilty findings, it is clear the President does not pick the "best" to work for him. It is, highly likely, as Michael Cohen's guilty plea tried to establish, President Trump and his presidential campaign violated at least some Federal
$25 Billion Investment in Border Security
My parents were refugees from Hitler. They were well educated, English speaking and able to rapidly assimilate into American life in the late 1930s. Despite their best efforts; government bureaucracy, anti-Semitism and the speed with which Hitler seized most of Central and Western Europe thwarted their efforts to save their families from Nazi concentration camps.
California Can’t Be a 21st Century Superpower Acting Like a 19th Century Rebel
When California entered the Union in 1850 Independence, Missouri, marked the western edge of American civilization. From Independence to Sutter's Fort on the Sacramento River there was no United States -- just a vast and often forbidding wilderness and towering mountains that must be crossed. To get to California across that wilderness, travelers attempted a
President Trump’s Opioid Plan Falls Short
President Trump declared his determination to end the opioid epidemic --- over the next "7 years" in a New Hampshire speech. The location was not a coincidence. New Hampshire has the third highest rate of death by opioid overdose -- ending the crisis a cornerstone of state politics. Opioid addiction and related deaths have reached
No Teenager Next Door Should Own a Gun
The children of Florida are demanding #NeverAgain. Never may not be possible in a society awash with guns -- but America can do much more to prevent school children from being murdered in their classrooms. The students of Marjory Stoneham Douglas High School are showing us the way. Through articulate arguments and determination, they (and
Perverting the Purpose of Congressional Oversight
Early in my son's elementary school career I routinely got notes from his teachers asking me to stop by the following morning. "What happened," I would ask him? I'd listen to his story. The next morning I would talk with the teacher. Only after I'd heard both sides, I'd make up my own mind about
FISA PRIMER
The media frequently mentions the "FISA Courts" while reporting on National Security Agency (NSA), FBI and other intelligence activities that may involve US citizens. Below is a brief description of the court's purpose and how it works.