I recently read a novel in which a mother informed her children that they were not allowed to call anything or anyone stupid. I can certainly understand the need not to call someone stupid: people may be misinformed or have developmental disabilities, but that doesn’t mean they don’t hav…
Do you really believe in free speech? Does that include speech or symbols you find offensive? A challenge to my thoughts about free speech happened recently with the news that a local homeowner painted a swastika on his house. The village of Owego officials made it clear that, while they don…
When I was visiting a friend in November, I not so jokingly said that if people asked what we did during the vacation, I was going to say that we spent most of our time complaining. We each are facing family and financial problems, and it was good to talk to someone who truly understood what…
It was a song that made me start thinking and an article given to me by a member of The Reporter Editorial Committee that caused me to explore the idea further. The song “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” was written by Robbie Robertson of The Band, but the version I was listening to …
It doesn’t take an advanced degree in science or medicine to realize that ingesting heavy metals and ash is dangerous to the health of humans and other animals. It is nearly impossible to control something once it’s in our soil or water supply, including if those chemicals will be ingest…
