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What's so good about war anyway?

Letters To The Editor

The United States has been involved in some form of war (conflict) for 250 years. People have to realize the United States has not won a war since World War II, which ended in 1945. • Korean War, 1950-53: Reason: stop communism. 36,000 U.S. troops dead, 2 million civilians died and $50 billion cost. Communism still exists. • Vietnam, 1955-75: Twenty years to stop communism. $900 billion and 58,280 troops lost. Inflation for years. Over 2 million civilians passed during the war, millions after the war, and tens of thousands of U.S. troops died after the war. Still, communism ...

New houses shouldn't be built on workers' backs

Columns

Arguments over immigration can be smart or misguided, but they are always complicated. Let's start with an annoying one. Donald Trump's ramp-up of immigration arrests has hit the construction industry, much of whose labor force is undocumented. Employers of such workers are blaming the raids ...

MSP officer recognized for success hostage negotiations

Editorial

Hats off to a Michigan State Police officer working out of the agency's St. Ignace post for winning a state-wide award for excellence in hostage negotiations. MSP announced this week that Sgt. Jacob Hubbard was unanimously selected to receive the Michigan Association of Hostage Negotiators' 2026 "Negotiator of the Year" award for his role in a Jan. 3-4 incident involving an armed suspect, a woman and four children held against their will and numerous dogs at a rural residence in Marquette County. Hubbard was selected from a group of candidates who demonstrated outstanding work in ...

All of Trump's men: Don't blame them

Columns

WASHINGTON — Once upon a time, a theory made waves in political science courses that it didn't matter who the president was because the U.S. government was so mighty that it would run itself without any one person in charge. That's ridiculous. I hope that professor lived to see what hell ...

National Drug Take Back Day on Saturday

Editorial

The Michigan State Police is once again taking part in a national initiative that encourages residents to dispose of expired, unused and unwanted prescription pills. All of MSP's 31 posts will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. This is one of two annual events held in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration and other police agencies, MSP advises in a news release. "Safely disposing of unused and expired medications is a simple step that can have a lasting impact on our communities," said Col. James F. Grady II, ...

Guilty of wasting our time

Columns

I shouldn't get so angry. It isn't healthy. Last week, New York state summoned me to jury duty. I went, of course. It's the law, and my duty. A jury may protect the innocent from government abuse. Ordinary citizens, not officials, decide if you are guilty. But doing our patriotic duty ...