All Commentary
- A Christian Science PerspectiveMarriage: completeness shared
A Christian Science perspective.
- Readers RespondReaders Write: Kids don't need fancy toys; Voters need ID
Letters to the Editor from the weekly print issue of February 13, 2012: In response to the cover story 'Time to play,' one reader emphasizes the importance of children having unstructured time for creative play (especially in nature), not overstimulated by fancy toys. Another reader takes issue with the concern that requiring voters to have ID will deter minority and young voters.
The Monitor's ViewReasons for Obama to aid Syria – other than moral onesObama intervened in Libya for humanitarian reasons – to prevent a slaughter. Why not in Syria – to end actual killing? Perhaps he needs the reasons of a realist.
OpinionWhat a smart phone can't find: happinessI watched a basketball game with one of our sons the other night. Every time I made a comment or asked an off-handed question he went to his iPad to summon statistics or video clips. We didn’t experience the game together in real time; we processed it search by search.
OpinionHow an Obama shift helps unstable regimes get nuclear weaponsIn past nuclear cooperation agreements, the US has required nations to commit to not enriching uranium and opening nuclear sites to inspections. The Obama administration has just done away with the requirement. Congress needs oversight to combat this possibility of nuclear proliferation.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveNarcissism or the joy of unselfish living?
A Christian Science perspective.
The Monitor's ViewThe Obama birth-control mandateThe president's health-care regulation expanding access to birth control, including abortion pills, impinges on churches that oppose abortion, especially Catholic ones, by narrowly defining their religious activity to teaching only. Government must be wary of determining where the works of faith end.
Walter RodgersMaggie vs. Gorby: the scene that ‘The Iron Lady’ forgotThe scripted and unscripted confrontations between Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev were of such epic consequence they could not be condensed into film. Yet we do Britain’s first female prime minister a great disservice in omitting them.
- Walter RodgersMaggie vs. Gorby: the scene that ‘The Iron Lady’ forgot
The scripted and unscripted confrontations between Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev were of such epic consequence they could not be condensed into film. Yet we do Britain’s first female prime minister a great disservice in omitting them.
OpinionMissing: my Republican party. Please help me find it.I have been a life-long Republican (I first voted in 1968), but lately I seem to have lost my party, and I’m hoping you can help me find it. Let me describe it for you.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveIf the weight of the world feels overwhelming
A Christian Science perspective.
The Monitor's ViewTalk to Hamas? Talk to Taliban? Thank the Arab Spring for those possibilities.The Arab Spring's message of freedom through nonviolence has isolated Iran and Syria, helped elevate moderate Islamists, and pushed radical groups to weigh alternatives.
John HughesBarack Obama: Hope, change, and contradictionBarack Obama is proving to be one of the most puzzling presidents. He bravely took out Osama bin Laden but hasn’t had the courage to tackle the deficit. And now he's picked a fight with Catholics – the majority of whom voted for him in 2008.
- John HughesBarack Obama: Hope, change, and contradiction
Barack Obama is proving to be one of the most puzzling presidents. He bravely took out Osama bin Laden but hasn’t had the courage to tackle the deficit. And now he's picked a fight with Catholics – the majority of whom voted for him in 2008.
OpinionDemocrats, GOP collude to lure people into gamblingIt seems like America’s political parties have never been more polarized. But when it comes to state-regulated gambling, they’re often playing the same hand. Unfortunately, it's a losing one.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveInvesting in your future
A Christian Science perspective.
Clint Eastwood Chrysler Super bowl commercial: Facebook fans respond If you didn’t see it aired on TV during halftime of the Super bowl Sunday, you’ve likely heard about it by now: The Clint Eastwood Chrysler commercial. Amid all the debate on the ad's perceived political stance, we took this question to our Facebook fans: After watching this video, do you think Chrysler came out with a pro-Obama commercial, or a patriotic commercial? We’ve culled their 127 comments and grouped the best here.
The Monitor's ViewWages of sin in Greek debt crisisAccepting a 22 percent wage cut is difficult when Greeks don't agree on responsibility for their debt crisis. Shared sacrifice would be easier if they owned up to their role.
OpinionTrapped in Douma, Syria: I saw the faith that keeps Syrian protesters goingDuring the 14 days I spent in Syria last month, I saw the most horrendous acts of the Assad regime on its people. When I asked people what spurred them on amid such indiscriminate brutality, they all gave the same response: Their only hope is their faith in right and wrong.
OpinionCongo: National elections now only hurt democracyWhat the Democratic Republic of Congo needs is not another national election but a rethinking of how the state might be reorganized. In the long run, only a decentralized system of government – or perhaps a partition of the country – is likely to produce accountable leadership.
