Think whatever you want about the fairness of Twitter banning Donald Trump from its platform, but reasonable people should quash this notion that Twitter’s decision somehow is a violation of the First Amendment. Instead, reasonable people — which hopefully still includes a few lawmakers ...
Insurrections — no matter their size or success — create substantial “to-do” lists for governments in their wake. Here’s a partial list that the world’s most recently damaged democracy should address. — Recognize that impeaching Donald Trump before his term ends on Jan 20 is ...
Douglas County and the surrounding area hold a very important place in American history. This is the place where beliefs turned to blood. It was the period leading up to the Civil War — a period known as Bleeding Kansas — where incredible tensions over slavery and state’s rights boiled ...
A wonderful sign of the human spirit was on display this holiday season as city officials, local nonprofits, a local business and community volunteers came together to fill an urgent need. On Dec. 23, the city finalized an agreement with Lawrence’s Days Inn hotel to serve as a temporary ...
We are still learning what can successfully fight the COVID-19 virus. There is great hope that a new set of vaccines will be a difference-maker, but we likely won’t know for sure until closer to spring. In the meantime, there is winter. There is no shot in the arm to protect us from that ...
The election results aren’t quite done yet. No, this isn’t about whether Joe Biden is going to be president. If anyone is ever going to get tired of winning, it will be Biden. He wins in the popular vote, he wins in the electoral vote, he wins in the courts, he wins when you count the ...
Editor’s Note: Views from Kansas is a regular feature that highlights editorials and other viewpoints from across the state. Elected officials at all levels need to start right now on working to convince the public that the COVID-19 vaccines we’ll soon be able to take are safe. They’ll ...
The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics last week released a new set of recommendations on how to clean up major college football. The commission stressed that leaders in college athletics were looking for bold solutions. Here’s a bold idea: How about we start playing college ...
Two statements of note have been made recently in Lawrence. One is big and fairly certain, while the other is small and still speculative. But the two of them together illustrate a problem that Lawrence and Douglas County need to address. Statement No. 1 came from Lawrence’s draft strategic ...
While we may have difficulty filling all the seats at our Thanksgiving table this year, we should have an easier time filling our list of items to be thankful for. It is no great revelation that tough times spur many of us to more easily remember what we’ve in the past taken for granted. ...
One of the many good things about wearing a mask is it allows us to mouth all types of surly statements and make all forms of menacing grimaces while no one else is the wiser. It is a good tip to remember as both COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 frustrations spike in Douglas County. Frustrations ...
The news came on a Saturday, which is appropriate. It is not the day that we gather to sing “Hallelujah,” but you can see it from here. In some ways, that is where America stands right now. The day is drawing closer to when the country begins to heal, but it is not yet here. ...
Perhaps the most beautiful lyric in music is this: “I once was lost but now I’m found.” It is a reminder of much, including that it is not only maps that help us find our way. So it is with democracy. There is no map pulled from a drawer that charts our course. Rather, it is a ballot ...
The dog’s bark is worse than its bite, the old saying goes. It is not always true, a three-fingered man can attest, but it still is advice worthy of consideration by the Lawrence City Commission these days. City commissioners are hearing lots of loud complaints from dog owners and other ...
The United States Constitution has not been amended since 1992. Perhaps you have forgotten the hoopla surrounding the 27th Amendment. Granted, it was a long time in building. The amendment — clarifying issues of pay raises for members of Congress — was approved 203 years after it was ...
Although there has been talk of a drained swamp, it still seems awful muddy as we wade through presidential election season. We are just 23 days away from election day, which means it is hard to find many pieces of truly pleasing news among the campaign commercials and rabid debates. But, we ...
We are fortunate to have the Lawrence Police Community Review Board. The Lawrence community needs more information about the Lawrence Police Department, and this city-appointed board seems to be one of the few governmental entities working to provide that information to the public. The board ...
Editor’s Note: Views from Kansas is a regular feature that highlights editorials and other viewpoints from across the state. Republican Roger Marshall and Democrat Barbara Bollier are two very different candidates, a fact sharply revealed in the state’s first, and perhaps only, Senate ...
It was a messy week in Lawrence. Follow this debris trail to assess the evidence for yourself. Images of raging house parties on the edge of the University of Kansas campus — full of unmasked young adults crammed together in violation of public health orders on large gatherings and social ...
Editor’s Note: Views from Kansas is a regular feature that highlights editorials and other viewpoints from across the state. Kansans who listened to any part of Friday’s meeting of the State Finance Council first would be amazed, then embarrassed, and finally outraged about the way their ...