About that corn diet, by the way. Shin says the corn was often first digested by the livestock. ... A society that is not built on a foundation of fairness and equality, but instead relies on bullying and violence, cannot possibly maintain lasting stability. Is there anyone among us who wants to make fun of those with disabilities – at taxpayers' expense, no less? Sadly, there probably is.

Sometime in the ensuing four years, the citizens and taxpayers of Hillsboro must decide if it is acceptable for their mayor to represent the city in such a fashion. At some point, Hillsboro must decide whether to condone and applaud the outrageous comments, or voice a reasonable objection to them.

As Ferris Bueller says, Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. The weekend before last, Pam and I decided to stop and look around lest we miss something close to home.

The city's general fund is a serious concern for some in public office. Others seem about as ambivalent as I am about beer drinking at the Colony. That's too bad. (Of course, my ambivalence will not bankrupt the city.)

Brian, Bill and James do not have attitudes, even though they are all young, intelligent business professionals. They do have, to their credit, wonderful senses of humor. I would pay cash money to listen to their respective stories on the stolen car, the home invasion and the iced tea in the face.

After more than enough time to examine government and politics, one thing is clear: The vast majority of politicians on the Left, the Right and somewhere in the Middle know what's right. But the majority long ago determined that doing what's right is just too damned hard.

If a Rory (McIlroy) couldn't win the Masters this year, I suppose a Bubba will suffice. (Not that you could live on the difference between a Rory and a Bubba, which happens to be one of my son's nicknames.) Keep 'em in the fairways, Bubba.

Unless the city budgets with past history in mind, the administration may find itself in a bit of a fiscal pickle. (Can you say "fiscal pickle" three times, fast?) Mr. Giroux said if the city were to reduce staff at Hillsboro Fire and Rescue, they would most likely cut part-time and volunteer positions. "Common sense would dictate we'd have to take a look at (reducing) the part-time and volunteers, which are on a supplemental basis," Mr. Giroux said. Of course, there's common sense and then there's reality.

It's been more than a year since the Highland County Board of Commissioners took action to eliminate the local Board of Directors for Highland County Children Services and combine the public agency with the Department of Job and Family Services. Without revisiting all the budgetary and fiscal oversight concerns expressed by the commissioners over the 2010 Christmas holiday decision, suffice it to say that they did, indeed, have somewhat understandable concerns with the public agency and its finances. Likewise, the public agency's former board had understandable concerns with the commissioners' takeover of the Children Services administrative oversight.

Congressman Mike Turner is right to question an administration that would imply or suggest foreign collaboration and/or information sharing on U.S. missile defenses.

It's funny how an afternoon at the hospital emergency room can put things into their proper perspective.

Hillsboro is most fortunate that one of its own chooses to give back to her community, and offer a bit of historical and cultural enlightenment along the way. If you have the opportunity to attend their production of "The Hillsboro Story," a seqel to "No Strangers Here Today," I encourage you to do so. Susan and David are wonderful people and I'm happy to know them, courtesy of Mary Brown Turner.

A friend and father of young children asked me, as a father of three, a tough question today: At what point did you realize your children know things that you didn't think they should know? There's no easy answer, of course. As a father, and as I look back on my many mistakes in the bringing up of my children, my best advice is this: Never let them learn to read.