Opinion

As a 20-year old graduate of MU with a bachelor of science in agriculture in 1942, Ralph Dobbs answered his country's call to arms and enlisted in the Marine Corps in September of that year. He is currently the head of the Columbia Honor Flight and can almost always be seen greeting the returning flights in his uniform.

In honor of Memorial Day and the many people who fought for the United States, the Missourian is republishing this column by Ernie Pyle. Pyle accompanied World War II Allied forces in the invasions of North Africa, Italy and Normandy, and reported from the front lines with stories of soldiers and their lives. He was killed by Japanese gunfire on Ieshima in 1945.

Whether close to home or far away, many people sought out news about Monday's tornado and its tragic aftermath in Moore, Okla. The response adds proof to the need for journalism. Many government or nonprofit officials said during interviews on Monday afternoon that they were getting their information and perspective from news reports, same as everyone else.

During the operation, troopers will be assigned to 20-mile intervals along interstates and specified highways. They will be alert for all traffic violations with a special focus on aggressive driving.

In the past year, the Department of Social Services has regressed from an agency that routinely released records of serious child abuse cases to one of secrecy and obfuscation.

Two school districts have hosted prayer meetings, despite the Constitution is clear that the government, from local to federal, cannot promote or establish a religion.

Two days shy of today’s two-year mark of our own pain here in Joplin, the people of Moore, Okla., are, sadly, feeling theirs.

The sequester is causing real pain. The nation would be better served by investing more in its workforce even it it meant deficits would shrink more slowly.

Sharing stories about departed family members is one way to bring back happy memories of forgotten times.

One of the most important parts of the college experience is to learn how to handle freedom, and exhibit self-control.

Growth is predicated on a boom in business activity that supporters of the tax-cut bill expect once people figure out how tax-friendly Missouri has become.

Public safety campaigns by a range of highway safety organizations repeatedly remind drivers and passengers of the importance of buckling up.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment this session was the failure of a broad coalition of supporters of Medicaid expansion to get so much as a reasonable debate in either chamber.

Making progress on the problem of reducing drinking and driving among both social drinkers and heavy drinkers is a matter of political will, say members of the National Transportation Safety Board.

How else to explain another session ending without a jobs plan or a strategy for funding transportation projects? How else to explain a legislature that allowed bountiful debate time for a host of preposterous gun-rights bills but never got around to seriously discussing Medicaid reform and expansion?

It’s not right for someone young to be exposed to something so deadly as a gun. Children should not be exposed to guns — especially in schools.

The NRA would support Congress instead of fight members if it could help draft legislation.

As Missouri's legislative session is about to close, some are wondering why so little has been done with tax credit reform.

The Justice Department's decision to issue blanket subpoenas for two months’ worth of records from 20 phone lines used by Associated Press reporters and editors raises questions about the administration's commitment to a truly free press.

The combination of opportunities missed, problems not addressed and unconstitutional pandering made this legislative session one of the worst in recent memory.