Columnists - The Journal

‘Always at the mercy of prejudice and bigotry’

Unhoused, transient, vagrant or bum. Pick whichever term feels best for you. It makes no difference, our health and hardships aren’t in question. How we got there and how we’re doing are of ...

DATE: Jun 7, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘More difficult to be Jewish than ever before’

My friends in Durango ask me what it’s like to be Jewish. I explain about growing up in Kansas City, where I didn’t think I was different In kindergarten, a classmate called me a dirty Jew, ...

DATE: Jun 2, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Citizenship Act’s most important aspect – right to vote’ for Native Americans

In 1948, after serving in World War II, Miguel Trujillo from Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico entered the Valencia County Courthouse to register to vote. He was turned down even though he had ser...

DATE: Jun 2, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Wildlife not private property of lion, bobcat trophy hunters’

Andrew Carpenter (“Hunting, a valuable tool in managing lions” on May 14) believes Coloradans aren’t smart enough to have an opinion about recreational killing of mountain lions or bobcats i...

DATE: May 31, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘When we take the “I” out of legislating, using “we” instead, we proved we can get a lot done’

We. We accomplished a lot this year – our bipartisan success happened because we communicated, compromised and collectively decided how to best address our problems. Affordable and attainabl...

DATE: May 28, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Cicero on politics: ‘Soon now cycle will begin to turn’

America is poised in 2024 to stain the history of the democratic republic our ancestors made considerable sacrifices to create. Both of our august political parties are promoting the candida...

DATE: May 26, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Voting just the beginning of responsibility in a democracy’

Democracy is defined as that system of government where as many people as possible are enfranchised (empowered) to participate in all the civil rights society has to offer, including voting ...

DATE: May 22, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Wildlife quid-pro-quo: ‘Something to still think about’

The wildlife quid-pro-quo. It was a proposition advocated more than a half century ago by Willard D. Klimstra, then director of Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Cooperative Wildlife...

DATE: May 19, 2024 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

‘Drunken on individualism, we no longer can muster civic devotion’

There are private subcultures in American life that act like political subdivisions of the state and nation. They demand independence and status as sovereign entities in our society. One suc...

DATE: May 17, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Sports: ‘Too much made of equipment changes? Perhaps’

Nuance in today’s sports? Unlikely. American athletes in recent years have gotten stronger and more massive. Just take a look at towering college women basketball players and mountainous NFL...

DATE: May 15, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Father & daughter artists and the Doel Reed Center in Taos

A father-daughter artistic team from Oklahoma settled in Taos, New Mexico, on acreage that is now the Doel Reed Center. Oklahoma State University owns the center and OSU students, donors, an...

DATE: May 12, 2024 | CATEGORY: Gulliford's Travels

Drinking from the Big Dipper

Greetings, stargazers. The Big Dipper is one of the most recognizable asterisms in the night sky. However, it is only a part of the constellation Ursa Major, which is one of the largest. As ...

DATE: May 12, 2024 | CATEGORY: What's up in Durango Skies