Thursday May 23, 2013 Esther J. Cepeda I’m into "Missing una investigacion," the latest book by Chilean novelist Alberto Fuguet. I’m reading it in Spanish since I have to consciously practice my native language or it vanishes. My family speaks English, lest we leave spouses and children out.   Full Story

Thursday May 23, 2013 E.J. Dionne While listening to an NPR report out of Moore, Okla., this week, I was genuinely shocked. Not by the scale of the devastation or the tenacity of people who have grown stoically accustomed to the damage tornados can do, but by a political sentiment that, in almost any other era, would not have been surprising at all.   Full Story

Wednesday May 22, 2013 Tina Dupuy In the now-infamous "47 Percent" video secretly captured during a Mitt Romney fundraising speech, the GOP hopeful gleefully mentioned Jimmy Carter’s Iran Hostage Crisis moment and admitted, "By the way, if something of that nature presents itself, I will work to find a way to take advantage of the opportunity.   Full Story

Wednesday May 22, 2013 Joe Galdelman Forget the political "blame game." The biggest game in town now is the credibility game -- a high -stakes exercise that will end with America’s political middle deciding who is trustworthy and who isn’t. Some key players: President Barack Obama: In the case of the Benghazi emails, government snooping on the Associated Press and Fox   Full Story

Tuesday May 21, 2013 Eugene Robinson The Obama administration has no business rummaging through journalists’ phone records, perusing their emails and tracking their movements in an attempt to keep them from gathering news. This heavy-handed business isn’t chilling, it’s just plain cold.   Full Story

Tuesday May 21, 2013 Peter S. Kahrmann When George Washington chose not to run for the presidency after serving two terms and returned to private life, King George III of England said: "If he does that, he is the greatest man on earth." The idea of anyone voluntarily giving up power was unheard of in those days.   Full Story

Monday May 20, 2013 Catherine M. McClure On Tuesday, May 21, all registered voters in Bennington are called to vote upon the 2013-2014 (fiscal year 2014) Bennington School District Budget. Ballots are currently available at the Town Clerk’s Office. Polls will be open on Tuesday from 7 a.   Full Story

Monday May 20, 2013 Stuart Hurd Here it is May, and the temperatures are more like late March, early April. We did have some beautiful weather in mid April. Maybe it balances out. We all look forward to the warm weather after what seems like a long, cold winter. The warmer months mean lawn mowing, raking, yard clean up.   Full Story

Saturday May 18, 2013 We all see our forests for the trees, but the woods are alive with other plants. Among the most common are ferns, which don't just get by in the deep shade of the forest - they flourish. You might be thinking, don't all those ferns look alike? They form a lovely verdant backdrop to the forest, but they don't have the showy flowers and   Full Story

Saturday May 18, 2013 As we draw closer to Memorial Day, a great deal of reflection will be placed on those who gave their lives in defense of our country. Much of the attention will be devoted to World War II, and the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars -- as well as it should be. Little attention will be devoted to the Korean War, which lasted three years and had casualties that were   Full Story

Saturday May 18, 2013 Saturday, May 18 Yankee Pot Roast Dinner at Federated Church EAST ARLINGTON -- A Yankee Pot Roast Family Dinner will take place today, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Federated Church of East Arlington on Ice Pond Road. On the menu will be pot roast, vegetables, mashed potatoes, coffee, milk for the children, fresh salad and home-baked pie for dessert.   Full Story

Friday May 17, 2013 Weiland Ross The day in question is not the day in February when a guy in a top hat grabs a sleepy rodent from his hutch, holds him aloft, and proclaims a suspect weather forecast. I’m referring to the film, popular some years ago, in which the main character wakes up every day and discovers that today is a replay of yesterday.   Full Story

Friday May 17, 2013 Alden Graves For the fiscal years 2011, 2012, and 2013, House Republicans cut security funding for American embassies. "Times are tough," they said. Some other dates, places, and tolls that have slipped through the cracks in the GOP’s crackpot fury over Benghazi: June 14, 2002, U.   Full Story

Thursday May 16, 2013 Dana Milbank President Passerby needs urgently to become a participant in his presidency. Late Monday came the breathtaking news of a full-frontal assault on the First Amendment by his administration: word that the Justice Department had gone on a fishing expedition through months of phone records of Associated Press reporters.   Full Story

Thursday May 16, 2013 Audrey Pietrucha As the weather warms, drivers and bicyclists find themselves competing for their share of the local roads. Drivers are unnerved by these slow-moving and sometimes unpredictable vehicles while cyclists realize their rights to use the roads will do them little good should they get into a fight with a car.   Full Story