WHEN WE attempt to reduce PLO leader Yasser Arafat's efforts at the Middle East peace process to a single word - terrorism - we do little justice to him, his organization, his people and our own intellect.
NOV. 8. Yeah, yeah, we'll know who's going to be the next president. Big deal. Discard your foolish notions of what's important.
WHAT A nuisance it is to vote in this country. Even already registered voters have to jump through many hoops in order to cast their ballot.
THERE is one candidate out there who would make an ideal president. He's smart, he's compassionate, and he doesn't alter his views according to what the polls tell him each week.
ANYONE who follows the presidential election knows that recently, Texas Gov. George W. Bush (R) has set his smirk on the Golden State. With 54 electoral votes, California is the Electoral College's largest prize; it also has been considered a sure win for Gore.
ONE WOULD like to think that the electorate in the richest, most developed nation on Earth would move beyond surface appeal.
ANGRY people can attack the wrong thing and miss the real point. My mother used to punish me and my brother both for something only one of us did.
WELL YOU see, John Q. Public, it's complicated. That's what Texas Gov. George W. Bush (R) and Vice President Al Gore have been telling us for well over a year.
TRADITION can be confusing. Sometimes, it provides a connection to a rich past -- a sense of history and roots.
ARE YOU voting this year? With Election Day rapidly approaching, the pertinent question is not which candidate will you choose, but if you will choose to vote at all Everyone from political analysts and pundits down to high school government students can cite so-called voter apathy as a determining factor in national elections.
THE LOCATION: a key battleground state. The family: Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public. The telephone rings at 6 in the evening. "Hello?" "Hello, is this Mrs. Jane Public?" "Yes.
THE STAKES were high: 85 minutes, six and a half weeks of material, 50 percent of the course grade.
PUNDITS nationwide complain about the American electorate's apathy. Maybe it's because inspiration for one-liners has virtually disappeared with Ross Perot.
THERE is one home football game left. Many of you are now thinking about one important question, namely, "who cares?" A wise response, dear reader, a wise response.
I TALK to myself. I admit it, I do. Just yesterday I found myself very loudly debating the skirmishes in the Middle East with, well, me. This conflict scares me, and it should scare you too.
MANIACS do not negotiate. They pretend as if they do. They sign agreements that they never intend to keep.
EARLIER this month, the Ombudsman's column addressed the issue of balanced coverage as part of examining the most common reader complaint - that an article in the paper wasn't "fair." The other aspect, which was set aside for a later time, was subjectivity in reporting.
THEY DEBUT on the Howard Stern show. They dance in Blink 182 music videos. They appear on fashion show runways. Recently, dwarfs have become "in" - the hip novelty that makes a splash at any event.
GIRLS in the football locker room - a dream for most hot-blooded boys. For some female athletes, though, it is also their dream.
THE HOLY Spirit works in strange ways, according to my friend Shelly. Her e-mail informed me that Vice President Al Gore had remarked once that his favorite Bible verse was John 16:3, while meaning John 3:16.
