Opinion

When the door closes and the plane or train starts to roll, if you are a passenger on board, you are essentially trapped until it opens again. Your safety is in the hands of others. There’s a small but well-trained flight crew onboard the aircraft to maintain order but on the subways of New …

As I write this, World Press Freedom Day is being observed but not throughout the entire world, unfortunately. In Russia, for example, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich remains incarcerated for the crime of telling the truth as a journalist. We, fortunately, still have freedom of…

This past week Americans were shocked to see our two major networks fire two our our nations major news figures. Fox News suddenly fired Tucker Carlson and CNN fired Don Lemon. Carlson and Lemon were top national news anchors, and both were fired within less than days of each other. Why were…

Here is my simple proposition: if we are to survive, first as a country, then, as a species on this planet, we must find a way to remove our hands from each other’s throats.

Monday night was a difficult pill to swallow for many of us San Diegans as we watched the San Diego State Aztecs fall in the National title game to UConn.

The election to determine who will lead the world’s largest economy and still, hopefully, the most powerful nation, starting in January, 2025, is still a little over a year and one-half away but already we are in campaign mode. It seems as if we always are. Can the ruling class ever take a b…

Monday March 26, 2023. This was a very unhappy day in America… as we watched the story of yet another school shooting unfold. This time it was a private church school in Nashville Tennessee.  A young woman, aged with two assault type rifles and a handgun, opened fire on classrooms, killing t…

People who don’t live in Imperial Beach, or own property or a business in Imperial Beach have no reason to give money. Seems some are afraid their agenda will not stand public opinion without 98% of the money. 2016 we heard Russia, Russia, Russia and their influence in our elections. 2020 we…

College enrollment, over the past decade, is declining which saddens me because I loved college, benefitted greatly from it and later enjoyed teaching adults. But enrollment data show a decline of almost 2 million students in the past decade, or about 10%. The Covid pandemic was a major fact…

The Biden Administration is slowly awakening to the magnitude of the threat posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The American public, however, is proving much more difficult to arouse. But then it usually has taken a rude awakening such as the attack on Pearl Harbor to stir the sle…

A common refrain among tax-and-spend liberals is that businesses and affluent Americans should pay their fare share of taxes which implies that they are not. That’s rich, no pun intended, because as liberal leaders well know, the top 1% of income earners already pay over 42% of the nation’s …

There have been, as of this writing, 68 mass shootings this year and the year is young. It’s a safe bet that the record for mass shootings will be set this year and that the United States will once again lead the world in that category. What will we do about it? Well, the usual things, of co…

After reading Mark Williams letter in the Eagle & Times, (Feb 9-15 2023) I felt compelled to respond. I did my own research and found, like Mark, that a lot of money for the mayoral campaign of Paloma Aguirre did, indeed come not only from unions based outside of our little city, but fro…

President Joe Biden used the State of the Union address, as most of his predecessors have, to recite his accomplishments. It is usually left to the opposition party to address the failures and shortcomings. That opportunity fell to the newly-elected governor of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sande…

Is war with China inevitable or can the world’s top two economies and military powers manage to live together in peace and prosperity in spite of their differences? Are Beijing’s aims to replace the United States as the largest economy and mightiest military power by whatever it takes and at…

This week, I need to leave politics and media to mourn the loss of a cultural icon, raconteur, provocateur, and musician par excellence, David Crosby. You’ll read elsewhere about his argumentative style and his struggles with addiction, so here, I’ll take a different approach.

At the January 18 Imperial Beach City Council meeting, Councilmember McKay requested that campaign finance reform be placed on a future Council meeting agenda without providing an explanation as to  why he felt it was important, what he believes to be the problem, or what he would like to se…

I am voicing my concern about the need for local Campaign Finance Reform. This is an issue that has been largely ignored by our city council years past.

The word “chaos” is appearing with increasing frequency in the media these days and is being used liberally by all factions of the two major political parties. My sense is that it has characterized both the Trump and Biden administrations and that it has been used most often to describe the …

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them.” Truthful words from poet Maya Angelou. Wholly applicable when considering the events of the Special City Council meeting Dec 19, held to hear Board assignments for the Councilmembers we have hired to enact our choices the next four years.

The time for resolutions is over. The time for action is past due if we are to change the direction the nation is heading. The elections are over and the priorities for Congress and the Executive Branch are clear. They are (1) ending the chaos at our southern border by whatever it takes, (2)…

Late Saturday night… Christmas Eve 2022, dozens of migrants arrived by bus to Washington DC. Families and children were greeted by freezing temperatures and few had any warm clothing. Church groups quickly arrived and passed out blankets to help keep them warm. Images of migrants, wrapped in…

Sandy Brillhart’s Eagle & Times letter expressed concern that Mayor Aguirre’s effort to be Imperial Beach’s representative on the San Diego Association of Government’s (SANDAG) Board was thwarted by two new council members, McKay and Seabury, and Councilmember Fisher.

The December 19 special Imperial Beach City Council meeting, the first official meeting of the new City Council, was an eye opener. I have never seen such an appalling display of arrogance, self servitude, apathy, disrespect, and lack of understanding of the basic tenets of governance. 

Just wanted to send a shout out to your public works staff for some very nice improvements recently made on seacoast drive. In a very short period of time and with no impact to traffic or residents, they added artistic, high end xeriscape work to the public planters along the entire street. …

I’ve always been struck by Pete Townsend’s line about authority and change in “Teenage Wasteland” on “Who’s Next.” He says: “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” Meaning, I suppose, that the more things change, the more they stay the same. (Yes, Donald Trump is the once in 246 year exce…

There are great moments in presidential speeches and presidential history. Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural speech comes to mind, as does his Gettysburg Address. So does FDR’s summation of December 7, 1941 as “a day that will live in infamy.”

Newly elected mayor, Paloma Aguirre, convened a Special Meeting of the Imperial Beach City Council Monday, 19 December to fill committee positions. All was well until the positions of primary and alternate members to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) came up.

As I walk the sidewalks in town, I find a common theme. People are smiling, shopping, and enjoying a Christmas latte taking in the holiday spirit. Little do they know I am tiptoeing behind them wearing a green suit and a dastardly grin rolling my eyes at the horror that is Christmas.

Following my first day in January, I focused on listening - Listening to our families, students, and staff to learn about South Bay, where we have been, where we are going, what is going well, and what needs improvement. I have had many conversations, answered numerous questions, and read ma…

Stolen “LV MOLLY” personalized license plate! In memory of my dear golden retriever. You had no right to come into my garage and take it off the trunk of my car (which by the way was totaled). Please, those plates mean so much to me. Just leave it on my porch.

2 Timothy 4:2 I have fought the good fight, I finished the race and I have kept the faith.

On a pleasant and clear autumn afternoon on San Diego Bay recently, two U.S. Navy warships approached each other in the channel. An Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer (DDG), was standing into port and an amphibious ship, a Harper’s Ferry class landing ship dock (LSD), was outbound.…

Sales on Twitter have plummeted as advertisers have abandoned ship, so new owner and media newbie, Elon Musk, has offered a matching program—you buy $500,000 in ads, and I’ll match you, effectively halving the cost to appear there.

I read in the last Armed Forces Dispatch that the U.S. is “committed to Taiwan’s defense.” Remember the three year Korean War ending in an armistice dividing that country and its people because we didn’t finish the job and chase three million Chinese back across the the Yalu River? 36,516 Am…

We are excited to announce that South Bay will be celebrating our 100-Year Anniversary in the spring. While 2020 was the actual date of the anniversary; COVID and school closures delayed our recognition of this event. A Planning Committee has been formed to organize events at sites, as well …

For an entire week following mid-term election day, control of the House of Representatives had not been officially determined. Votes were still being counted in several states. Patience was being asked of the public. These things take time, they said, and every vote deserves to be counted. …

Many veterans who return home from the horrors of war do not experience honor, gratitude, nor community support. The country they served does not always reciprocate and this can leave many veterans with deep bitterness and a frustrating lack of closure.

Many pre-election polls predicted a red wave of GOP victories in the mid-term elections. They were wrong again. The red ripple was barely enough to rock a canoe. I had referred to the elections as “pivotal.” I was also wrong. Americans may feel like the country is headed in the wrong directi…

The holiday season comes with family gatherings, social time with friends, and office parties. These joyful events can lead to life-altering consequences, like drunken driving.

Back in the 1970s when I was advocating for women to serve in warships and other non-traditional and combat roles and we were more focused on equal opportunity and merit rather than inclusiveness, equity and diversity, one of the common arguments against the Women in Ships program was concer…

Two of the current members of the IB City Council are employed by environmental “non-profits,” with the salaries from their day jobs dwarfing several times over the pay they draw as “public servants.” One of them is the current mayor (Sergio Dedina), and one of them seeks to be the next mayo…

Friends often encourage me to write about a variety of subjects. Occasionally, one of my more sane and realistic friends will make a reasonable request, and writing about money in politics is one of the good suggestions. (I qualify that because not all of my friends are sane or realistic. Al…

The failures and general incompetence of Vladimir Putin’s armies as they invaded Ukraine came as a surprise to much of the world including, apparently, Mr. Putin himself. Poor morale, lack of effective leadership at the field level, poor planning and insufficient training was not what most o…

Many years ago, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii; the “Garden Island” was under siege from wealthy developers and out of town special interests groups that wanted to remake the island into their own image.

Pundits will invariably describe mid-term elections as pivotal but this time they really are. About three-fourths of Americans believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction according to an NBC News poll in August. That would call for an immediate course correction before things g…

Have you heard of C4CC, Citizens for Coastal Conservancy? Their Stop the Sewage Dumpsite signs are scattered through town, but do you know who they are? Probably not, but you should. They have been working since 2018 to elect candidates who do not believe that sea level rise is a real threat…

As an amputee, I know that access to the right treatments and therapies is essential to maintaining a normal quality of life. Patients must be put first, and that not only means ensuring medications can be developed and brought to market but making sure that insurance plans actually cover th…

Inflation is hurting Americans badly enough now but there undoubtedly will be more pain to come if the economy slips into recession and unemployment adds to our economic woes. The war in Ukraine and the resultant shortages and supply disruptions get much of the blame in the media for inflati…

Mitch McKay announces recent important Regional Endorsements in his District 3 City Council seat bid