Opinion

Bystander failure?

Guest Column

By Mary Keyes Rogers | Sept. 15, 2018

From across a four-lane thoroughfare, I witnessed something. It was Labor Day weekend, and I now find myself feeling ashamed by how I responded — or rather, how I failed to fully respond. Maybe. I think when you and I hear stories of bystanders failing to help a stranger in need, we assume that we would have been better people if we'd found ourselves in the same position. Funny thing is, we never ... Read More >>

A Thirsty West

Spectator

By Stephen Tuttle | Sept. 8, 2018

Some folks out West are about to face troubling times; they're running a bit low on water. The Colorado River Research Group, an unofficial collection of 10 scientists, recently released their conclusions on the future of the upper and lower basins of the Colorado River. They believe a crisis has already arrived, and it will only get worse. The Colorado River system and its tributaries provide water for about 40 million people, and irrigation ... Read More >>

A Time for Reflection

Guest Column

By Jack Segal | Sept. 8, 2018

On Sept. 9, Jews worldwide began celebrating the Jewish New Year (“Rosh Hashanah”).  Observant Jews believe that this occasion marks when God sits in judgment of the world’s inhabitants, decides who will live another year, and decides whether the believers will enjoy happiness and success. Yom Kippur — the Day of Atonement — follows on Sept. 18 and 19. Jews observe Yom Kippur by fasting from sundown until nightfall the following day, by ... Read More >>

Adorable little kitty or stone-cold killer?

Guest Column

By Christie Minervini | Sept. 6, 2018

Three years ago, our family moved into a newer home in a quiet neighborhood on the south side of Traverse City. We fell in love with the mature trees in the front yard, and my husband and I looked forward to having an attached garage for the first time in our adult lives. But our favorite feature was a small private patio and garden that we could enjoy through French doors from ... Read More >>

What is the Soul?

Crossed

By Rev. Dr. William C. Myers and Scott Blair | Sept. 1, 2018

Scott’s StatementI think the idea that we are each a created, non-material soul, temporarily possessing a body, is widely cherished because it suggests that death is not final. There may also be appeal in regarding oneself as an intended and lasting part of the universe rather than as a fleeting fleck of biology. The suggestion that we exist independent of our bodies is passed down to us in mythologies and is reinforced ... Read More >>

Laboring for Little

Spectator

By Stephen Tuttle | Sept. 1, 2018

Labor Day, which became an official federal holiday in 1894, was created to honor working Americans. There once were parades and celebrations. Now there are mattress sales.   Our appreciation for working men and women seems to have waned at about the same pace as our devaluation of unions. Unions helped secure wages, benefits, and improved working conditions, but politicians decided they were a bad thing. Never mind that it was those jobs ... Read More >>

Term Limits: The Best of Intentions Gone Awry

Guest Column

By Amy Kerr Hardin | Aug. 25, 2018

There’s a social media meme making the rounds suggesting that those who don’t like professional politicians should consider having a plumber perform their next colonoscopy. The crude inference is clear: We should place a premium on experience, education, and institutional memory. In any field, from electricians to brain surgeons, what could be more obvious? Professionalism counts. Yet, curiously there is an incessant cultural drumbeat to install unseasoned and ill-prepared elected officials to do ... Read More >>

Back to Basics

Spectator

By Stephen Tuttle | Aug. 25, 2018

Schools will soon be in session again. The criticism should start shortly thereafter.    At some point in our not too distant past, public schools and their teachers became villains. We don't know exactly when that happened but we do know how: Politicians and their appointees decided they knew more about education than did classroom teachers. And while they were at it, they demonized public education for their own gain. That hasn't worked out ... Read More >>

The Good Ol' Days Delusion

By Stephen Tuttle | Aug. 18, 2018

We are now being told that some of us are suffering from something called “cultural anxiety” as a result of our losing our traditional American culture. Good grief.  This is nonsense perpetrated by some politicians and pundits eager to find yet another wedge issue they can drive between us.   Fox News talker Laura Ingraham is apparently the flag bearer. In a recent speech she offered this: “Massive demographic changes have been foisted ... Read More >>

Strap on Your Seat Belts: It’s Hypocrisy Season!

By Mark Pontoni | Aug. 18, 2018

The August 7 Primaries have been completed in Michigan, and except for polling places running out of ballots in heavily Democratic precincts run by Republican clerks, all went relatively well. Our badly broken primary system has survived another run-through, and now we all get to brace ourselves for the most important midterm elections since the Civil War. Democrat or Republican, we all know that in November we will learn a lot about ... Read More >>