Commentary
Don’t mind Mr. Bean. EVs are much better for the environment than gasoline vehicles.
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. It is republished with permission. Sign up for their newsletter here.? Researchers who study the emissions of electric versus gasoline vehicles have gotten used to the occasional flare-up of the idea— often framed in a […]
Baseless anti-trans claims fuel adoption of harmful laws, two criminologists explain
It has been seven years since North Carolina made headlines for enacting a “bathroom bill” — legislation intended to prevent transgender people from using restrooms that align with their gender identity. After boycotts threatened to cost the state more than US$3.7 billion, legislators repealed the law in 2017. Since then, however, religious and political conservatives […]
From enslaver to leader of Union forces at Mill Springs and Chickamauga to a civil rights?defender
Editor’s note: A Lantern reader pointed out another Kentucky connection after this commentary was published. The City of Fort Thomas was named in honor of Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas, the Union general from the Confederate state of Virginia. In 1887, the United States Army moved the Newport Barracks to higher ground due to excessive […]
Red herrings in school shooting case
Talk of the so-called Covenant School “manifesto” is a red herring: a distraction floated by Tennessee conservative lawmakers as an excuse for their failure to take any meaningful action on gun reform. A red herring is either a “dried, smoked fish,” per the Oxford dictionary or “an unimportant fact, idea, event, etc. that takes people’s […]
Kentuckians to ‘Wear Orange’ in hopes of saving lives
Gun violence is preventable. And yet, when there is a mass shooting — or any shooting — we mostly hear the same tired, do-nothing messages: It is too soon to talk about it, thoughts and prayers, and then comes the next shooting or mass shooting and it’s wash, rinse, repeat, and move on.? I am […]
Americans are moving to red states where life is cheaper, also shorter
The United States is an increasingly polarized country when it comes to politics — but one thing that almost all people want is to live a long, healthy life. More and more Americans are moving from Democratic-leaning blue states to Republican-voting red ones, and one of the effects of this change is that they are […]
Bearing flowers and tradition, the next generation takes on the duty of Decoration Day
This story was first published in The Daily Yonder on May 21, 2021 and is is republished here under a Creative Commons license. While their friends are cannonballing into the city pool this weekend, my sons will spend the day in an Eastern Kentucky cemetery, placing flowers on the graves of relatives they never knew. […]
Bring on better candidates for president
I can’t be the only one out there who is looking forward to a second Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump race for president about as much as cleaning my toilet. It’s downright depressing. I want fresh ideas, new faces — dare I say, vitality? A number of Republicans have announced they will run, including Florida […]
Voters want compromise in Congress. So why the brinkmanship over the debt?ceiling?
There’s progress on the debt limit. There’s no progress. Conservatives have revolted. Liberal Democrats are angry. Negotiators actually ate a meal together. That’s a good sign. No it isn’t. Who’s up? Who’s down? Much of the breathless news coverage of the debt limit crisis relies on leaks, speculation, wishful thinking and maybe even the reading […]
Medicaid cuts would be dangerous for working Kentuckians and their families
Health care continues to be too expensive for far too many people in our commonwealth.? Medical bills are a leading cause of debt in Kentucky and many families are already making difficult sacrifices during these uncertain economic times. Making matters worse, there is a dangerous effort underway in Washington, D.C. that puts tens of millions […]
Daniel Cameron enemy of open government
What would a Daniel Cameron gubernatorial administration look like through the lens of Kentucky’s open government laws? In a word: opaque. Since taking office as attorney general in December 2019, Cameron has established a track record of disdain for the public’s interest in free and open examination of public records and the formation of public […]
Don’t hold our best tool for fighting hunger as a political hostage
For the last three years, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has helped stave off hunger and mitigate the rise in food prices during several waves of international crises. SNAP is essential to the health and success of families, grocers and local economies, filling cabinets and boosting bottom lines with few barriers.? Starting this July […]