Fletcher Farrar

It is appropriate that Ukraine becomes the first test of what could become the Biden Doctrine of nonviolent resistance to bullies on the world stage. Ukraine was celebrated in 2014 for sending its authoritarian ruler packing after an 88-day campaign of nationwide protest. Now Biden is targeting Russian banks, computers, oligarchs and a pipeline to […]

Some days, things don’t go the way you think they’re going to go. First it was my car. I heard a strange sound, looked under the car and saw a piece of metal dragging the pavement. Oh no, this is going to cost me. I drove to the repair shop downtown, dragging the metal piece […]

I was taken aback when President Joe Biden said he would appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court. Can he do that, just name a category then go find somebody to fit it? Isn’t that discrimination? Then again, maybe he’s the only one who could do it. A younger president might be too worried […]

On a recent cold morning the Springfield temperature was zero, but the “feels like” temperature, we were told, was 11 below. It was sunny with no wind, so if this is what 11 below feels like, maybe it’s not too bad. How do they even know? There used to be talk of a wind chill […]

Few take the threat of domestic terrorism as seriously as U.S. Sen Richard Durbin of Springfield, who first held a hearing on the subject in 2012. This week, following the anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, Durbin delivered the opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which he chairs, as it considered his bill […]

Sound political advice can translate into real-world advice the rest of us can use. David Axelrod, who was senior adviser to Barack Obama, has suggestions for President Joe Biden’s handling of the stalled Build Back Better legislation. They could be New Year’s resolutions. 1. Talk less about Build Back Better and more about COVID, which […]

In these dark days, everybody is looking for a little light. Now comes news from the Abraham Lincoln Association that Springfield’s Bunn family, which sold groceries to the Lincolns when they lived here in the 1840s and 1850s, is making available at its Bunn Gourmet shop the very mix of tea Abraham and Mary drank, […]

The Republican Party in Illinois needs to be taken seriously, because in the land of Lincoln Republicans know deep down they have to steer their party away from the ridiculous Donald Trump. That’s what party leaders mean when they call for “moderation” in their platforms and candidates, but that’s too boring to take them far. […]

It may not be enough to satisfy Joe Manchin, but here’s something that needs to be deleted from the gargantuan spending plan now pending in the Senate. It’s called the “Local News Payroll Tax Credit,” and would provide up to $25,000 in the first year and $15,000 in years two through five for each full-time […]