SAN DIEGO -- In California, the criminal justice system's method of dealing with sexual predators who harm or even kill children is -- to borrow a phrase -- stuck on stupid.

Enemy: a person who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic activities against another; an adversary or opponent.

For much of this year, the state was shrouded in gray skies and pounded with heavy rain storms. You might think it paints a sunny picture for the state's water supply, but the truth is we're still headed toward a gloomy water outlook.

WASHINGTON -- One of the tragedies of the viciously politicized battle over health-care reform is the defection of the nation's Roman Catholic bishops from a cause they have championed for decades.

Human beings, the philosophers tell us, are social animals. We emerge into the world ready to connect with mom and dad. We go through life jibbering and jabbering with each other, grouping and regrouping. When you get a crowd of people in a room, the prob

Tensions are rising over Chinese economic policy, and rightly so: China's policy of keeping its currency, the renminbi, undervalued has become a significant drag on global economic recovery. Something must be done.

Three little words.

I am a big Joe Biden fan. The vice president is an indefatigable defender of U.S. interests abroad. So it pains me to say that on his recent trip to Israel, when Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu's government rubbed his nose in some new housing plans for

Raise your hand if you think filing a federal tax return will bring you thousands of dollars. Or if you think tax time this year could bring a windfall of federal stimulus dollars to Fresno's economy.

SAN DIEGO -- Some civil libertarians have finally figured out that on the question of how Barack Obama's anti-terrorism policies compare to those of George W. Bush, "hope and change" means more of the same.

A lot of people who live outside our Valley are attacking our local economy and our way of life. Their arguments ignore the facts, distort reality, and oversimplify the water-supply crisis that is devastating our farms, businesses and communities.

I was tempted to turn my abaya into a black masquerade cloak and sneak into Mecca, just hop over the Tropic of Cancer to the Red Sea and crash the ultimate heaven's gate.

Fear again.

We all have our emotional hot and cold spots. If you asked me about the New York Mets, you'd see a glow in my eyes. If you asked me about banking reform, words might come out of my mouth, but you'd notice me nodding off midsentence.

Until three months ago, Thomas M. Dukes was a vigorous, healthy executive at a California plastics company. Then, over the course of a few days in December, E. coli bacteria ravaged his body and tore his life apart.

Before Rep. Nancy Pelosi became speaker of the House, she promised during the Bush administration that if voters allowed Democrats to regain a congressional majority Democrats would establish "the most ethical Congress in history." Pelosi pledge

The "national day of action" for education this past week produced nationwide protests of education funding cuts at both the K-12 and higher education programs. In California, after a doubling of state spending on education from 1998 to 2008, th

Fresno Chaffee Zoo Board and staff were given a mandate by the citizens of Fresno County to develop a world-class zoo with the funds authorized by Measure Z. Where do we stand today?

I was traveling via Los Angeles International Airport -- LAX -- last week. Walking through its faded, cramped domestic terminal, I got the feeling of a place that once thought of itself as modern but has had one too many face-lifts and simply can't h

SAN DIEGO -- Like most in the San Diego area -- especially those of us who are parents -- I've spent the past few days processing the events surrounding the murder of 17-year-old Chelsea King with a mixture of sadness, frustration and rage. Mostly ra

We have the guest list. We've set the date and reserved the place. Our invitations are set. Now, all we need are the guests' addresses.

By Derrick Z. Jackson

The president is surrounded by acolytes of the Cult of Obama. They consider him to be a "transformational figure" who need not sully himself with the usual rules of politics. The president agrees, rejecting suggestions that he recalibrate his Ol

The Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program is concerned with Ruben Navarrette Jr.'s March 1 column in The Bee on food stamps. His assumption about "dependency" on food stamps/SNAP is unfortunate.