We all know that politics is a full contact sport. But does the campaign of Arkansas Republican Steve Womack have cat blood on his hands, after a “hit job” takes out a competing campaign manager’s family pet?

by Larry Elkin

There was something refreshing in the political scene Wednesday when congressional sponsors ran away, as fast as they could, from two ill-considered bills that sought to stamp out Internet piracy by more or less stamping out the Internet.

It was fun to watch politicians on both sides of the aisle scurry together in search of cover.

by Bill Batson

I recently pulled a Rip Van Winkle. I did not touch a computer keyboard or cell phone from 2007 until 2011. As a resident of a village in the region of the world depicted in Washington Irving’s immortal short story, I embrace my kindred spirit Van Winkle. Skipping five years of technology in the 21st century isn’t so different than Rip Van Winkle’s 18 year hiatus during the 1700’s.

by Larry Elkin

The young people who started the Occupy Wall Street protest a few weeks ago are about to learn some important lessons about life in the grown-up world.

It’s college graduation time. Which means hugging, crying, packing, moving and worrying about what the future holds.

This year’s graduation at Ithaca College in upstate New York connected baby boomer parents with their recent graduates via the shocking realization that if Dustin Hoffman’s character in the graduate was real, he would be retiring this year. And what a working career he would have had.

Once serious but lately comedic actor Leslie Nielsen died last weekend at age 83. Famous for his Airplane and Naked Gun appearances, he once tried to compete with the other Nielsen — according to this 1998 April Fool’s article.

Detective Frank Drebin, we’re going to miss you.

At Thanksgiving dinners across the country this weekend, travelers asked, “Is airport scanning designed to creep out the tourists or the terrorists?

Would stratified sampling be a better way to root out the bad guys without lessening our collective confidence in the TSA?

A religious hurricane forecast to hit a suburban NYC community in November, 2010 changed course at the last minute, allowing a high school production of The Laramie Project to take the stage with no worries about religious fundamentalists disrupting the play.

But to end the story there would be to miss “a teachable moment” about the averted storm – and why local reporters needed to write about it.

In George W. Bush’s memoir, he says he was absolutely convinced that Iran had WMDs before he authorized an invasion of Iraq despite overwhelming evidence that Bush knew with virtual certainty that the information he used was flawed,

Author and professor Scott Bonn examines George Bush’s history — as told by George Bush.

Fox News’ slant on Comedy Central’s Sanity/Fear rally raises questions about what is fair and balanced. But is the joke on us for even asking the question?