http://www.crookstontimes.com/section/OPINION crookstontimes.com delivers up-to-the-minute news and information on the latest top stories, weather, entertainment, politics and more. Sat, 18 May 2013 20:27:29 +0000 http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130518/NEWS/130519686/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Sat, 18 May 2013 1:03:00 +0000 By Kathleen Parker, Washington Post http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130518/NEWS/130519686/1007/OPINION This, we are supposed to accept, is the conclusion to be drawn about the terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, despite congressional testimony suggesting that significant efforts were made to camouflage those mistakes.
As Democrats and Republicans alike know all too well: It’s always the cover-up.
Yet in this case, where so clearly the State Department and others in the Obama administration took extra steps to mischaracterize what happened the night Ambassador [...]]]> http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130517/OPINION/130519613/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Fri, 17 May 2013 10:38:15 Jack Roney, American Sugar Alliance http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130517/OPINION/130519613/1007/OPINION http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130517/OPINION/130519615/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Fri, 17 May 2013 10:33:34 Jaime Jensen, Staff Writer http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130517/OPINION/130519615/1007/OPINION http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130517/OPINION/130519618/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Fri, 17 May 2013 10:31:38 Mike Christopherson, Managing Editor http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130517/OPINION/130519618/1007/OPINION http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130517/NEWS/130519632/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Fri, 17 May 2013 9:52:14 Kylie Simmons, Student Writer http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130517/NEWS/130519632/1007/OPINION http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130517/NEWS/130519637/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Fri, 17 May 2013 9:45:33 Abbie Anderson, Student Writer http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130517/NEWS/130519637/1007/OPINION Costa Rica!]]> http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130517/NEWS/130519645/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Fri, 17 May 2013 9:11:57 +0000 Brian Chapman, CHS Student Writer http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130517/NEWS/130519645/1007/OPINION http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130517/NEWS/130519690/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Fri, 17 May 2013 1:01:00 +0000 By Dana Milbank, Washington Post http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130517/NEWS/130519690/1007/OPINION Late Monday came the breathtaking news of a full-frontal assault on the First Amendment by his administration: word that the Justice Department had gone on a fishing expedition through months of phone records of Associated Press reporters.
And yet President Obama reacted much as he did to the equally astonishing revelation on Friday that the IRS had targeted conservative groups based on their ideology. He [...]]]> http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130516/OPINION/130519681/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 16 May 2013 11:20:49 +0000 Amanda Wagner, Intern Jaime Jensen, Staff Writer http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130516/OPINION/130519681/1007/OPINION Cheers to a little calm, finally

Cheers for the wind seemingly settling down at last. Most of the time, there really is nothing wrong with wind. It can cool us off on a hot summer's day and it can provide energy (just imagine the excitement of the people running regional wind farms in the past week).

However, it has been quite dangerous around here lately, and all over Minnesota. [...]]]> http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130516/NEWS/130519875/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Thu, 16 May 2013 1:35:00 +0000 By Michael Gerson, Washington Post http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130516/NEWS/130519875/1007/OPINION The IRS has managed a similar confirmation. For years, tea party and patriot groups have breathlessly alleged that federal bureaucrats were conspiring against the [...]]]> http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130515/OPINION/130519762/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 15 May 2013 11:32:52 Warren Strandell, District 2 Polk County Commissioner http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130515/OPINION/130519762/1007/OPINION public roadways.]]> http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130515/OPINION/130519768/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 15 May 2013 11:19:00 District 1 State Sen. LeRoy Stumpf http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130515/OPINION/130519768/1007/OPINION that has endured deep cuts to education, transportation and other state programs.This year is different]]> http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130515/NEWS/130519876/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Wed, 15 May 2013 1:32:00 +0000 By E.J. Dionne, Washington Post http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130515/NEWS/130519876/1007/OPINION Massacres and terrorist incidents cannot be ignored, but the day-to-day toll from gun violence is often swept aside. Politicians who tout themselves as advocates of law and order don’t want to be unmasked as caring even more about their ratings from gun lobbyists.
And opponents of the most moderate gun reforms engage in a shameless game of bait-and-switch. Because measures such as background checks would not stop [...]]]> http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130514/OPINION/130519844/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Tue, 14 May 2013 11:20:09 Eric Bergeson http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130514/OPINION/130519844/1007/OPINION http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130514/OPINION/130519845/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Tue, 14 May 2013 11:09:36 Mike Christopherson, Managing Editor http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130514/OPINION/130519845/1007/OPINION http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130514/NEWS/130519877/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Tue, 14 May 2013 1:01:00 +0000 By Esther Cepeda, Washington Post http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130514/NEWS/130519877/1007/OPINION In the third “Iron Man” -- a series that spent its first two installments glorifying the reckless life of a spoiled, rich genius -- Stark, the man inside the metallic exoskeleton, seems to have finally taken a turn toward wellness.
No spoiler alerts are needed for me to point out that, though subtle, Stark set beautiful examples of healthful eating throughout this latest episode.
In a scene set in what appeared to be a familiar chain [...]]]> http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130513/OPINION/130519886/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Mon, 13 May 2013 13:08:34 Times Staff http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130513/OPINION/130519886/1007/OPINION http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130513/NEWS/130519996/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Mon, 13 May 2013 1:55:00 +0000 By Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130513/NEWS/130519996/1007/OPINION The next day Jay Carney said precisely the opposite: “Red line” was intended and deliberate.
Which is it? Who knows? Perhaps Obama used the term last [...]]]> http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130512/NEWS/130519997/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Sun, 12 May 2013 1:51:00 +0000 By Michael Gerson, Washington Post http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130512/NEWS/130519997/1007/OPINION Recent congressional testimony by Gregory Hicks, Stevens’ deputy in Libya, established one point beyond doubt: Those closest to the attacks were not confused about their nature. They were responding to a coordinated terrorist assault followed by a [...]]]> http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130511/NEWS/130519998/1007/OPINION?rssfeed=true Sat, 11 May 2013 1:41:00 +0000 By Dana Milbank, Washington Post http://www.crookstontimes.com/article/20130511/NEWS/130519998/1007/OPINION The president had played this game many times before. “I have made clear that the use of chemical weapons is a game-changer,” he said in March, in one of his administration’s many repetitions of the term.
But what game does Obama propose to change? “By game-changer,” ABC News’ Jonathan Karl asked him on Tuesday, “do you mean U.S. military action?”
The coach was not about to share [...]]]>