Op-Eds

The word "mensch" is often misused, and over-used, in social settings. But the Yiddish term, which means "a person of integrity" and more colloquially "a good guy," is the very best way to describe the late Edgar P. Silver — judge, confidant to elected leaders and the most helpful...

We should be asking how the Chinese have benefited from the worldwide terrorism threat and whether there's a lesson for the West in all of this

Michelle Obama stepped to the microphone at a White House event this spring, and with HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, highlighted the scandal of homeless veterans, noting that "roughly 58,000 veterans experience homelessness in America today." She called that fact "a moral outrage."

Tomorrow, we pay homage to those Marylanders who faithfully served our country in uniform. Many of those who served will ask for no more, realizing it is both a privilege and honor to serve this great country in its time of need. For a growing few, however, that quiet acknowledgment isn't...

Now that the usual vows of good intentions are over between President Barack Obama and the elected Republican leaders of the House and Senate — all vowing willingness to work together to break the long legislative stalemate on Capitol Hill — the question is: Will they really happen?

President Barack Obama's declaration that the Federal Communications Commission should use its Title II authority under the Communications Act of 1934 to treat Internet service providers as "common carriers" sounds incredibly technical, but its philosophical and practical implications are quite...

Once largely relegated to Baltimore City, heroin use and its related adverse consequences are spreading to every part of the state, and an increasing number of Maryland's citizens are dying of heroin overdoses. This shift reflects national trends showing a 74 percent increase in heroin use from...

Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi celebrated his recent return from the U.S. by imprisoning prominent opposition blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah for participating in a peaceful demonstration. Historically, Washington's renewed pledges of massive military aid have triggered major crackdowns on dissent in...

Rachel Carson's three lyrical books on the sea made her an acclaimed author, but 1962's "Silent Spring" — the title conjuring a world without birdsong — made her a heroine. Her clear passages describing DDT and chemical contaminants' toxicity to humans and nature created one of...

Here is what President Barack Obama should have said when he addressed the American people after his party's massive losses in Tuesday's election:

Everybody has heard of the actor Will Smith. Most will know of his wife, the actress Jada Pinkett Smith. Some will know that she was trained at the Baltimore School for the Arts, now celebrating its 35th anniversary. She is but one of many successful actors, dancers, musicians and other arts...

Times have changed, along with our notions of privacy. Privacy is a cherished right, but it sometimes comes at a cost that most Americans should not be asked to pay. In rolling out its new iOS 8 operating system, Apple recently announced it will no longer unlock encrypted mobile devices for law...

The old adage claims "money is the mother's milk of politics," but it's wrong. Defining the message is the key, and the money comes later. Candidates and organizations that are able to correctly set the stage with a resonating message get donations, grassroots support, likes on Facebook,...

The time for campaign slogans and political rhetoric is over. The time to enact pro-economic growth policies to spark prosperity in Maryland is here.

Having won control of Congress, the GOP must now put forward a clear program to create jobs and govern reasonably, lest it give Democrats the upper hand for the 2016 presidential election.

As statewide leaders in advocating for the health and well-being of children involved with the child welfare system, members of the Coalition to Protect Maryland's Children (CPMC) were dismayed to hear about the death of Damaud Martin in a licensed group home. While his death was ultimately...

As the dust settles on the 2014 mid-term election and the parties analyze why more Americans didn't come out to vote, it's time to recognize that political involvement does not come with an on/off switch. There are lessons to be learned from the example of thousands of citizens in Baltimore and...

Over a nine-day period at the end of October, as covered admirably by The Sun's Yvonne Wenger, nearly 74,000 low-income households in Baltimore enrolled through a Housing Authority website for the chance to secure one of 25,000 spots on a Section 8 waiting list. Those who make the cut have a...

One of the most difficult tasks we face as human beings is to see ourselves as we truly are. We play a variety of roles in our lives and are accustomed to trying to appear as we would like to be seen. On the simplest level this deceit is harmless as we invest in products and services to...

The renewed clamor for postponement of Common Core testing provides further evidence of the failure of "top-down" reform in Maryland public schools. Who can forget MSPAP, the State Board of Education's high stakes tests for graduation; and the procrastination in fulfilling the Race to the Top...

Though he was a critic of a great many things, H.L. Mencken was unabashed about his love for his home in Union Square, where he lived almost his entire life: "It is as much a part of me as my two hands. If I had to leave it I'd be as certainly crippled as if I lost a leg."