ArcaMax

SAN DIEGO -- It's hunting season again.

That phrasing doesn't sound right. It suggests that the hunting stopped for a while, and now it has picked up again. The hunt never stopped. It just became quieter and less conspicuous. The hunters got wise. They realized that the objective wasn't to get headlines, but rather to increase the daily haul....Read more

Tyrades! by Danny Tyree

Serendipity strikes.

While I was struggling to motivate myself to write about a company that will turn your life story into a keepsake book, based on the answer to 50 questions (questions which I hope are more insightful than the ubiquitous “Hot enough for ya?,” “Think it’ll rain?,” “Finished with the sports...Read more

Over the course of 12 days last month, the Supreme Court upheld the gun rights of cannabis consumers, rejected Hawaii's default rule against firearms on private property open to the public, and agreed to address the constitutionality of "assault weapon" bans. That flurry of Second Amendment activity underlines the point that supposedly ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Being Mexican American means never having to say 'thank you' ... to Mexico.

It's been that way for 178 years, ever since the end of the U.S.-Mexican War. That skirmish -- which was meant to cover up a land grab -- lasted from 1846 to 1848 and resulted in the United States seizing roughly half of Mexico's territory.

This was the ...Read more

It’s hot this summer.

It’s so hot in Washington that Republicans and Democrats are sharing air-conditioned cabs.

It’s so hot in New York City that Mayor Mamdani is allowing citizens to turn thermostats down to 77 degrees.

Regrettably, it’s so hot in Europe that millions of people are suffering.

The World Health Organization reports ...Read more

I consider it an incredible blessing to have witnessed two of America's great milestone birthdays: the 200th celebration in 1976, when I was a rising second grader, and now the 250th anniversary as an older, seasoned adult. Looking back to 1976, as a kid, I enjoyed the fireworks and the parades I watched on television, and for me, this was a ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- The fact that the United States is celebrating its 250th birthday has me feeling nostalgic for a long-forgotten time when Republicans were different people with a whole different set of beliefs.

I miss the good ol' days when self-described conservatives praised immigrants for their optimism and hard work, supported those with ...Read more

Tyrades! by Danny Tyree

I now understand my late mother’s quest for stress avoidance.

For years, she and Uncle Doug maintained a daily phone chat. Inevitably, they would broach subjects that got on their last nerve, necessitating a multi-day “time-out.”

Following in Mom’s footsteps, I recently decided to do a weekend detox from X (...Read more

Editor’s note: A version of this column was distributed in 2024.

I miss watching the spectacular fireworks display at Eddie Gabor’s house every Fourth of July.

Eddie was my grandmother’s companion the last 20 years of her life until she died in 1988.

Widowed in her late 40s, she struggled for years to pay the bills and raise her six ...Read more

Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court ruled that "an agreement not to appeal a sentence is unenforceable when it would result in a miscarriage of justice." This week, the court held that a government-ordered analysis of cellphone location data qualifies as a "search" under the Fourth Amendment.

In both cases, Justice Neil Gorsuch agreed with the ...Read more

“I’m confused, Grandpa. I thought July 4 was the day our country declared independence from King George III of Great Britain.”

“Actually, according to ConstitutionFacts.com, that's not so, Junior. The Continental Congress declared independence from Great Britain on July 2, 1776.”

“Then why do we celebrate our independence on the ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Never mind Kansas. What's the matter with JD Vance?

That's a question that I suspect many Americans are wrestling with right now. Just about every time the vice president opens his mouth, he can't help but stick both feet in.

Vance has no filter, empathy or tact. He spits out whatever pops into his head, and it usually lands ...Read more

Tyrades! by Danny Tyree

“Keep a-knockin’, but you can’t come in.” - Little Richard

Seemingly timed to coincide with the release of Steven Spielberg’s movie “Disclosure Day,” the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) has ratified updated protocols governing how scientists evaluate, verify and announce evidence of ...Read more

The Supreme Court has a history of facilitating the war on drugs by whittling away at civil liberties, to the point that critics have long perceived a "drug exception" to the Bill of Rights. But last week, when the justices unanimously upheld the gun rights of cannabis consumers, they made it clear that there is no drug exception to the Second...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- The Obama Presidential Center -- which bills itself as a "one-of-a-kind destination featuring exhibitions, gardens, and public spaces" -- is now welcoming visitors to its 19.3-acre campus on the South Side of Chicago.

Unlike other presidential libraries -- which display personal exhibits and store physical records -- the Obama ...Read more

His neck and underarms were swollen. His skin itched, particularly on his arms. Sleeping at night was impossible.

His symptoms started when he was 50. Though he had been fit and healthy all his life, he had contracted chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells...Read more

As I have begun my summer three-mile power-walking workouts on a commercial street in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, where I pass a Waffle House and a Tim Hortons, I noticed two large billboard signs taking aim at President Donald Trump and the economy. Both signs depict Trump in a petulant manner, with one asking why our vacations are so expensive this ...Read more

The approach of July 4 is making my heart hurt. Love of this country is deep-dyed in my soul, but pondering how or even whether to celebrate the semiquincentennial provokes a riot of mixed feelings.

The right -- and not just the MAGA right -- responds to any queasiness about this particular anniversary with knee-jerk vituperation. Matthew ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- There is a saying among Vietnam War veterans that goes something like this: If you were there, no one has to tell you what it was like. If you weren't there, there's nothing anyone can tell you to make you understand what it was like.

The same goes for losing your father. If you know, you know.

What you know is that the first ...Read more

Tyrades! by Danny Tyree

“The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” - George Burns

My son Gideon (the recent grad) hopes for some productive job interviews soon, so I couldn’t help noticing a Facebook “reel” from an outfit called Talk Right English.

“Smart Phrases That Make You Sound ...Read more