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Between deterrence and peace: What history demands we remember

These are no longer theoretical debates confined to policy forums. The conflict is widening. American servicemen have now been lost. Regional nations are absorbing casualties. Retaliation cycles are accelerating. What once appeared contained now carries the unmistakable risk of broader regional war. Here is the reality: Iran has long advanced its nuclear program, and the international community has repeatedly warned that enrichment capability could move beyond peaceful energy into weapons potential. International inspectors have acknowledged they cannot fully verify all aspects of ...

Cuba should accept Trump’s ‘friendly takeover’

President Donald Trump has shown Cuba’s communist rulers two ways their reign over the island can end: the Maduro way or the Khamenei way. The Cuban regime is a mix of gerontocracy, nepotism and socialism. Its official face is President Miguel Diaz-Canel, but supreme authority still emanates from the 94-year-old Raul Castro, brother of the state’s founding dictator, Fidel Castro. Though the long-lived Castro clan seems to prove only the good die young, no one beats the actuarial tables in the end, and Raul’s days are drawing short. Cuba is overdue for a profound change, and ...

Feeling stranded by so-called friends

Dear Annie: I am the friend everyone calls when they need something. I am the one who remembers birthdays, checks in after surgeries, brings soup when someone is sick and sends the “just thinking of you” text. If a friend is going through a divorce, I am there. If someone’s child is struggling, I listen for hours. If there is a crisis, I show up. But lately, I have started to notice something painful. When I am the one having a hard time, the room gets very quiet. A few months ago, I went through a health scare. It turned out to be OK, thank goodness, but while I was waiting ...

Insurance company now requires preapprovals for medications

DEAR DR. ROACH: My insurance company has suddenly instituted all kinds of new rules that require me to get preapprovals for medications (including seizure medicines) that I have been taking for years. I didn’t find out until I tried to renew my medicine, and now I may run out. Why are they doing this? Isn’t it dangerous? — D.M. ANSWER: In my opinion, it is dangerous. Studies have shown that requiring a preapproval for a medication that a person is already on increases the odds of it being discontinued sevenfold. It also delays the prescription from being filled by an average of ...

Pennsylvania’s economy depends on a competitive freight rail system

Pennsylvania is truly blessed, with our land abundant with timber and agricultural products, as well as the mineral wealth in the form of coal and natural gas below. And with one of the largest manufacturing industries in America, a competitive and affordable railroad system is vital to Pennsylvania’s economy. It helps empower farmers, miners and the entire state to prosper in the manufacturing marketplace, getting our products across the nation and beyond. America’s railways are the backbone of our nation’s economy as they provide safe, cost effective and energy efficient ...

Feeling bad about a dumb injury? These dudes did it worse

I hurt my knee taking a step onto a riser in a performance at my kids’ elementary school the other day. I’m not sure yet how serious the injury is, but it’s the kind of incident that makes you feel about 100 years old and like a complete moron. I mean, who gets hurt taking the stairs? So, after it happened, I decided to make myself feel better in a manner passed down through the centuries as a sure-fire method for dispelling shame: Find someone who did something even dumber than you did. With that, I commenced to furious googling, turning up tales of some of the most ...