ArcaMax

SAN DIEGO -- A lot of what I know about public education in America I learned in kindergarten.

Literally. After college, I supported my writing habit by working as a K-12 substitute teacher in my old school district in Central California. The gig included teaching in kindergarten classrooms.

Looking back, that was excellent training for what...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- The topic of immigration law is in the news a lot lately as a result of President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement blitz.

With immigration, as with life in general, it's good to be aware of what you know but also what you don't know.

I'm an expert on the immigration debate. At least that's what people tell me when I'm ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- I've known this day was coming. The end of the road isn't far off when you live to be 93 years old.

But it still hurts to say goodbye to a friend, mentor and teacher who was often on my mind, always in my corner and occasionally on my voicemail.

I remember one message that I couldn't bring myself to delete:

"Ruben my boy, ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Our opinions are often the sum of our experiences. What human beings believe can frequently be traced back to who we are, where we're from, who we love, what we've done and what tribes we call our own. Our personal journey shapes how we see the world.

And so I find myself diving into the tale of Mahmoud Khalil -- the Palestinian ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- President Donald Trump is a shameless cultural warrior who pits citizens against one another. Perhaps he does it for his own amusement, or because a fractured country is easier to control, or because picking on groups tickles his political base which is mostly made up of white people who want to turn back the clock.

Trump has a ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- In politics, as in life, nothing is 100% good or bad. If you believe otherwise, it's time to check your bias and blindspots.

Take the chaotic second term of President Donald Trump. There are good things happening. You just have to look hard to find them.

I've been on the lookout. Fairness demands it. So does my own desire to ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- It's too bad the Academy Awards are over with. President Donald Trump would be a shoo-in for what could well be the performance of a lifetime.

If Trump isn't really a compromised Russian asset who puts Moscow's interests ahead of those of the United States, he sure plays that role phenomenally well.

The Trump administration has ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- U.S. politicians tend to overuse the word "crisis." Some insist there is a crisis along the U.S.-Mexico border. Public health advocates warn of a health care crisis. Through executive overreach, President Donald Trump might be forcing a constitutional crisis. And we've long been told there's a crisis in our schools.

You know what...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- The Trump administration's petulant war on DEI -- and its subsequent purge of women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community from high-level government jobs -- puts me in a frame of mind where I'm thinking about the afterlife.

My wife believes in reincarnation, and she's convinced me that there might be something to ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- To deflect from his own misdeeds, mistakes and mayhem, President Donald Trump likes to accuse the mainstream media of ginning up "fake news."

But one thing that the folks in the Fourth Estate can't fake -- and no longer even bother trying to hide -- is their dislike and disrespect for Trump. Those negative feelings also carry ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- A friend describes me as a "belligerent centrist." I consider myself an honest umpire who calls balls and strikes regardless of who is standing at the plate.

By the way, I got to the center because I dislike both political parties and often can't tell them apart. Republicans and Democrats go through the motions and argue over hot...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Fonzie is about to jump the shark.

Presidents are not kings. It's amazing how many chief executives from both parties tend to forget that -- often at their own peril. The minute presidents start acting like royalty, their presidency is done.

President Donald Trump seems poised to go to war against an institution that chief ...Read more