Commentary
No country still uses an electoral college. Except the United States.
The United States is the only democracy in the world where a presidential candidate can get the most popular votes and still lose the election. Thanks to the Electoral College, that has happened five times in the country’s history. The most recent examples are from 2000, when Al Gore won the popular vote but George […]
Kentuckians have a right to know when public officials abuse their power
FRANKFORT — The word “privacy” does not appear in the U.S. Constitution. But the right to privacy — to be free from baseless government intrusions into our “persons, houses, papers and effects” — is woven all through the Constitution and our laws. Despite having sworn an oath to support the Constitution and the law, former […]
X, formerly Twitter, is no longer the platform of free speech or extended community
Back in June, I deactivated my X (formerly Twitter) account.? At the time this felt like a meaningless gesture. I often deactivated when I needed a break from the maddening masses. But I was always conscious about needing to reactivate within 30 days so as not to lose my account altogether; so conscious that I […]
Restorative justice saves money, reduces recidivism, makes communities safer
Everyone agrees that individuals who cause harm to others should make amends for what they’ve done. Victims of crime deserve to feel justice has been served in their cases. Judges and prosecutors work very hard to ensure that justice is served in every case, and we take that search for due process and a resolution […]
Shielding the free exchange of ideas: Will Kentucky campuses lead by example?
As Kentucky’s colleges and universities scale back their DEI initiatives under pressure from the General Assembly, academic leaders face a critical challenge: safeguarding free speech and protecting the rights of minority students.? While DEI structures may be dismantled, the need to amplify marginalized voices remains, even as debates over racial equality, inclusivity and social justice […]
A devout Catholic reflects on education and Amendment 2
St. Agnes Catholic School in Louisville holds the distinction of being a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School four times. Only a handful of schools across the entire nation have achieved this prestigious honor of education excellence. As members of St. Agnes Church, my wife and I know our financial support for this school […]
Some of our neighbors need more protection
I know my neighbors.? We wave and say hello.? But I don’t really know them.? How well do you know your neighbors? If you live in a middle-class neighborhood, you may have a Medicaid-funded Supports for Community Living (SCL) home on your street.? What is an SCL home?? Our government created SCL homes as a […]
A Kentucky community was shaken by a courthouse shooting in 1922
The Sept. 19 Whitesburg slaying wasn’t the first time one county official was charged with killing another in a Kentucky courthouse.?? Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines, 43, is accused of first degree murder for allegedly shooting District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, in his chambers. So far, the sheriff’s motive is unclear. On March 6, 1922, […]
When McConnell leaves who will slice the bacon for Kentucky?
Mitch McConnell is on his way out — first as U.S. Senate Republican leader, at the end of this year, then as senior senator from Kentucky, surely at the end of 2026. There are no real signs to the contrary, but the 82-year-old Louisvillian won’t come out and announce his retirement just yet, perhaps because […]
Wordplay warfare could be dangerous to a nation’s health
Democratic Party messaging couldn’t be called punchy — until now. This election season, Democrats are going for the jugular rhetorically with cries of “Stop Project 2025,” “Mind your own da—business,” and “We are not going back.” The left is now employing the visceral, simplistic, fear-inducing messaging strategy that Republicans had heretofore owned (re: Southern Strategy, […]
Now that’s rich: UK administration chides defunct University Senate on access to public records
Lately, national attention on Kentucky news seems to focus on the sensational and the shocking. The national media reported on the discovery — a day after authorities called off a massive law enforcement search — of the decomposing body of the person believed to be the I-75 shooter by a colorful Casey County couple with […]
Kentucky university presidents grovel to systemic racism
If you want to witness firsthand how systemic racism works, you need only have been in Capitol Annex Room 154 on Tuesday, Sep. 17, for the Interim Joint Committee on Education, as Kentucky’s lawmakers (who are, by-far, majority white) lorded over a hearing to allegedly discuss DEI: diversity, equity and inclusion in postsecondary education. I […]