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What other papers are saying: Europe needs to change habits for defense

Europe finally appears serious about rearming. German legislators have agreed to exempt defense from constitutional limits on debt spending. The European Commission is urging members to raise military budgets to 3 percent of gross domestic product and issue joint debt to fund weapons purchases — moves that could unlock more than $867 billion in additional spending over four years. If European leaders are to build truly capable militaries that no longer depend on the U.S., however, they’ll need to change how they spend on defense, not just how much. To be effective, any new funds ...

Protecting Catholic churches from meddling

Does the pope keep a detailed time card? That’s a joke, but it’s also a legal argument relevant to a case at the Supreme Court. Under Wisconsin law, the Diocese of Superior is exempt from paying taxes into the state’s unemployment system. Yet the state says this opt out doesn’t cover the diocese’s Catholic Charities non-profit and its sub-entities. “Their activities are secular in nature,” the Wisconsin Supreme Court, newly controlled by a 4-3 liberal majority, held last year. They “neither attempt to imbue program participants with the Catholic faith nor supply any ...

Spay or neuter your pets

The season of new life has begun and with it the populations of stray and housed animals rises. Welcoming new cats and dogs to the world can be a beautiful thing, but introducing too many of these beloved pets can cause problems. According to the Juniata Veterinary Clinic website, “millions of unwanted cats and dogs are euthanized annually due to overpopulation issues.” The best option to curb this issue, according to many online resources, is to spay and neuter your household pets. According to the Juniata Veterinary Clinic, when your pet reaches six months of age, they are ...

Prison debate reminiscent of Route 22

In fall 1968, a meeting was held in Hollidaysburg dealing with the proposed construction of a new four lane, limited-access Route 22 eastward past Blair’s county seat community, past Williamsburg Borough and into Huntingdon County. The project made sense then and it still makes sense, both from the stand- point of travel efficiency and potential economic development. But Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation made a big — some people would still judge it stupid — decision to opt for a construction corridor that would have bisected the Hollidaysburg Area School District ...

Overly broad language can be stealthy ploy against rights

The Washington State Legislature is considering new gun control measures — and one in particular illustrates the sort of semantic “two-step” skeptics of our Second Amendment rights often engage in. The first step is a proposal that some may find, at first glance and especially if they are not versed in the nuances of the issue, to be reasonable. In this case, it is an expansion of what the state will treat as “gun-free” zones to include sites where “children are likely to be present.” But consider for a moment just how vague that language is — and how, in a ...

America lost two heavyweight fighters with Love, Foreman

America lost two giants who appeared on different stages, and did not always win, but were examples for all of us to emulate. They both represented America admirably. One was a Gold Medal recipient in the Olympic Games before becoming a professional champion. The other made a mark in the halls of Congress representing the great state of Utah. They loved our country. Mia Love and George Foreman will be missed. Both had two careers. In the case of Foreman, his last career dwarfed his first one, which made him known to the world. Foreman, a two-time heavyweight boxing champion, turned ...