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The Trump Administration Is Banning Books on Military Bases. We Sued. Jul. 14, 2025
Rights & Resistance with the ACLU
On military bases across the globe, books are disappearing from shelves. Posters of historical figur... Read More
Liberal Neighbors to JD Vance -- Hillbilly, Go Home Sep. 19, 2024
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The park next to JD Vance's house in Alexandria, Virginia, is closed. After ... Read More
Misuse of 'As' Can Cause Fumbles Sep. 14, 2022
The tiny word "as," like a routine handoff in football, smoothly links one part of the action to ano... Read More
Gift-Giving Across the Spectrum Jul. 24, 2022
Dear Annie: I love your column and am writing to offer a different point of view for the woman whose... Read More
Free Speech's Greatest Foe: Free Speech Apr. 28, 2022
Among the most enduring cornerstones of America's prosperity is the people's right to free, uncensor... Read More
Shine Bright on All the Picture Days Feb. 27, 2022
The email said that the kids were allowed to wear whatever they liked. Since they go to a school wit... Read More
Wordcestery.com -- Which Words Share a Common Lineage? Jan. 13, 2021
Is "spray," meaning "an arrangement of flowers," related to "spray," meaning "particles of water"? B... Read More
Quoth the Raven, 'Never Said' Nov. 11, 2020
Complete each of these familiar quotations: 1. "A penny for your ... " (John Heywood); 2. "Variety i... Read More
How I Curb the Urge to Quit Aug. 03, 2020
I wouldn't tell just anyone what I'm about to tell you — and I'm only telling you because we'r... Read More
Will You 'Cotton' to These Word Origins? Jun. 24, 2020
"I don't cotton to that idea," a friend said the other day. The idea he wasn't "cottoning to" was my... Read More
Find What's Weak, and Make a Tweak Jun. 17, 2020
Sentences, like radios, often require fine-tuning. Misplaced modifiers, ambiguous pronoun references... Read More
'Gregarious' and 'Ruminate' Share Beastly Origins Jun. 10, 2020
Whenever a minister speaks of a congregation as a "flock" — the last time this happened, by th... Read More
Same-Sex Cake Conflict Could Help Us Get Along Feb. 03, 2020
Colorado cake designer Jack Phillips made national news again this week because of a book deal to wr... Read More
In China, Freedom of Speech Is No Slam-Dunk Oct. 11, 2019
The current social media dust-up between the National Basketball Association and China reflects the ... Read More
In China, Freedom of Speech Is No Slam-Dunk Oct. 10, 2019
The current social media dust-up between the National Basketball Association and China reflects the ... Read More
Death Glare Nov. 21, 2015
My daughter looks nothing like me. She doesn't look like my husband, either. I tell him it's because... Read More
Dorm Rooms Jul. 16, 2014
Millions of households in America are sending a child off to college next month. This single act dre... Read More
New IRS Threat to Political Expression Feb. 18, 2014
The Internal Revenue Service wants to set tougher standards for how much political activity is too m... Read More
