Charles Peters

You may be unaware that Richard Jewell died recently. Jewell, you will recall, was the security guard at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics when a bomb exploded, killing one woman and injuring 111 people. Many more would have died or been injured had not Jewell discovered the bomb minutes before it detonated, and started moving the […]

Senator Carl Levin recently added his voice to those demanding the removal of Nouri al-Maliki as Iraq’s prime minister. This worries me, because Levin is one of the most respected Democrats in the Senate, and he has set a trap for himself. If al-Maliki is replaced, Levin will have to give the new leadership a […]

The Small Business Administration canceled 8,000 loans to hurricane victims without notice to the borrowers. When the borrowers sought an explanation, they were told, according to Ron Nixon of the New York Times, that they had voluntarily given up their loans, which was not true. Why this fiasco? The SBA was being criticized for being […]

TB or not TB When reporters asked what had happened to the border agent who let Andrew Speaker into this country by ignoring a clear instruction not to do so, they were told he had been reassigned. The level of accountability in our public life is, to put it as gently as possible, not high. […]

After hearing Alberto Gonzales uttering the words I dont recall, I have no recollection, or I have no memory sixty-four times during his April 19 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and pondering the fact that Gonzaless former chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, had said I dont remember 122 times before the same committee three […]

Veterans Defend VA Care was the headline over a recent article by Kate Long in my hometown paper, the Charleston Gazette . You couldnt be treated any better than they treat you here, a local veteran told Long, describing the treatment of patients at the Charleston Veterans Health Administration Clinic. Another veteran said: They treat […]

You will not be surprised to learn that materialism is increasing. Still, you may be astonished to learn just how great its growth has been. In 1966, 42 percent of UCLA freshmen said it was essential or very important to be very well-off financially. Today, nearly three-quarters of the freshmen agree with them. And if […]

Bag ladies Some years ago, I wrote about how the shoulder bag that most women were now wearing caused their bodies to tilt in a way that made their walk distinctly less sexy. For understandable reasons, this item found little favor among my female readers. But now I can say Im just thinking about their […]

The best plan (your) money can buy (your Congressman) All those new congressmen are making a delightful discovery: Their new office entitles them to what Mike Causey of The Washington Times calls the best health plan in the nation. It covers all federal employees and, writes Causey, cant drop you or turn you down because […]

The executive ranch For a glimpse into the mindset of the Bushies, I offer the example of Dr. Richard Carmona, the man the president chose to be his Surgeon General in 2002. Carmona left that post in July for a new position where I can continue my work as Surgeon General to promote and advance […]