WASHINGTON (AP) - Law enforcement deaths this year dropped to their lowest level since 1959, while the decade of the 2000s was among the safest for officers - despite the deadliest single day for police on Sept. 11, 2001. ...more

December 29, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano conceded Monday that the aviation security system failed when a young man on a watchlist with a U.S. visa in his pocket and a powerful explosive hidden on his body was allowed to board a fight from Amsterdam to Detroit. ...more

December 29, 2009

Are we seniors so complacent about our government-run health care plan (Medicare) that we can be seduced into believing that we have the best health care in the world? Health insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies are spending millions in advertising and lobbying our legislators as to how wonderful our present health care system is: Really? A Harvard study released in September reports that 45,000 Americans die each year because of lack of insurance. Let's put that in perspective. On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists killed 3,000 Americans. That was truly a horrific act and we have spent billions since in wars and prevention. ...more

December 21, 2009

Everyone, it seems, is getting into the act. Even cruise ships and hotels now offer guests the opportunity to volunteer. Last summer, Holland America launched Cruise With Purpose: Passengers stopping in Juneau boarded research vessels to collect water samples and record ocean-temperature readings to try to predict the success of Alaska's salmon run season. ...more

December 20, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors are considering sending a Guantanamo Bay detainee named Majid Khan — who grew up in Maryland before allegedly enlisting with al-Qaida — to face trial in New York, a person familiar with the discussions said today. ...more

December 14, 2009

Anniversaries are opportunities to reflect on the past and on what it might mean for the future. Monday saw the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, even if Barack Obama could not find time to travel once again to Berlin to attend the commemoration there. And Wednesday was the 91st anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I. ...more

November 14, 2009

With the implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill on Aug. 1, our country created a new generation of potential college students from our nation's active-duty service members, reservists, National Guard members and veterans. We educators are thrilled about this advance, including those of us at Florida's private colleges and universities. ...more

November 11, 2009

Almost 10 years ago, the 21st century dawned with fear and expectancy. Warned of computer shutdowns when the clocked ticked to 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2000, some stockpiled emergency supplies in case the world needed rebooting. We were laughing at ourselves by noon, but mirth ended Sept. 11, 2001. ...more

November 6, 2009

The monster that can't be killed is a common theme in horror stories. It's easy to see the Taliban of Afghanistan that way, but the analogy is misleading. ...more

November 3, 2009

President Barack Obama is in the small town of Arcadia, where is delivering an energy policy speech at a solar power plant. ...more

October 27, 2009