Opinion

Almanac for Oct. 20, 2026

Today is Tuesday, Oct. 20, the 293rd day of 2026. There are 72 days left in the year. Today in history: On Oct. 20, 1944, Gen. Douglas MacArthur waded ashore in his return to the Philippines against Japanese forces in World War II, fulfilling a promise he made ("I shall return") after being ordered to evacuate the country in 1942 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Also on this date: In 1803, the U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase. In 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings into alleged communist influence in the U.S. motion picture ...

Editorial cartoon for Oct. 20, 2026

Trump's final humiliation of Lindsey Graham

Dear Lindsey, Your body had not long been in the grave when your pal Donald Trump made the anti-Russia legislation that carried your name a nullity. Wondering how you'd feel about this if you were around to see it. The whole point of your last decade of life was the belief (or was it a ...

Economy bad, costs up, wages not

Lowest approval ratings yet on 84 percent of voters’ number one issues: Economy and Costs of living (Pew). People nation-wide blame these on Trump’s tariffs and bad Domestic Policies. (Pew Research Center Oct. 8, 2026): Only 30 percent approve of Trump, 68 percent disapprove. Reuters/Ipsos (Oct. 5–6, 2026): Only 32 percent approve. This is after 22 months of total Republican majority control. Republicans voted him in and enabled his bad actions. Nobody can blame Joe, Obama or Hillary now. What else? 31 percent of his own 2024 voters now disapprove of his foreign policy, Iran ...

Almanac for Oct. 19, 2026

Today is Sunday, Oct. 19, the 292nd day of 2025. There are 73 days left in the year. Today in history: On Oct. 19, 1987, the stock market crashed as the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6% in value (its largest daily percentage loss ever), to close at 1,738.74 on what came to be known as "Black Monday." Also on this date: In 1781, British forces under Gen. Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, as the American Revolution neared its end. In 1914, the First Battle of Ypres began in World War I. In 1960, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was ...

A culture of death

"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets." — Voltaire (1694-1778) A government that claims the authority to kill persons after they have been subdued, disarmed, tried, convicted and confined in prison has ...