In case you missed it, two interesting things have happened in China over the last month or so: First comes news that President Xi is now, effectively, president for life. The Chinese constitution has been changed and he’s now set up until he wants to retire… Pretty good deal for him, not so much for […]

Assume for an instant that what’s been said about Mr. Trump is, in fact, true; he’s a megalomaniac, intent on seizing control of the government and ruling as de facto dictator. And if he did? What would you do about it? The vast majority of us would directly feel the loss of freedom, the loss […]

In an article the other day, after she won a gold medal, a reporter waxed lyrical about Chloe Kim. The author went to some pains to point out that Miss Kim is Korean-American. I protest. She isn’t. Neither are her parents. The Kims came to the US to be Americans. Yes, they were born in […]

Editor’s Note: As a winter sports enthusiast from way back, I discovered that coverage of the current Winter Games was not as visible as it had been in decades past. Arrias adds content and context to the 2018 Games….BTW, if you haven’t, “The Boys in the Boat” is one of the better books I have […]

We’re doomed, if you listen to some folks. They may be right. There certainly are things going on that give you pause. But perhaps they’re miss-interpreting a few things. The big stories this week were the President’s State of the Union address, the release of the memo from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, […]

One constant issue here in the Tidewater is ‘school re-districting.’ Everyone is very conscious of which school district they are moving into, wanting the best for their kids. So, it’s quite frustrating when a city council approves construction of more housing, knowing it will force changes in the school district boundaries, and when citizens push […]

What really happened last week is this: Congress didn’t fail to pass a Continuing Resolution, Congress failed to pass a budget. The federal government’s fiscal year begins on October 1st. If the government is functioning properly, a total budget, with 12 separate budget bills, would have moved through the various committees of Congress, been passed […]

Editor’s note: This one is personal. – Vic The Watchman I used to keep a sign in my office, where the watch officers could see it, a line from the Old Testament: Ezekiel 33:6: “But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword […]

Over the past week speculation has spanned the full spectrum as to what will happen in Iran: the Mullahs who’ve ruled Iran since 1979 are facing protests in a number of cities as many citizens call for greater freedoms and greater representation in their government. The catalyst for the riots was rising food prices. But […]

Editor’s Note: Arrias takes a last outing in bedraggled 2017. I join him in wishing you a happy and prosperous 2018! – Vic Under Qualified? I have some really smart friends who send me things to read. Last week one sent an article about the President’s plans for modernizing the nation’s transportation infrastructure – roads, […]