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Dear Annie: Our marriage is great, but our love has gone quiet

Dear Annie: I have been married for 22 years to a good man. He is faithful, hardworking and, by most people’s standards, a wonderful husband. He has never given me any reason to doubt his loyalty, and he has always taken his responsibilities seriously. From the outside, we look like a solid, dependable couple. We raised our children together, built a home, paid the bills and showed up for the holidays, the school concerts and all the ordinary moments that make up a life. But somewhere along the way, I seem to have disappeared. My husband still remembers to ask if the car needs gas ...

Fundraising on war and national security secrets

Diane Ebken Port Matilda President Trump’s foray into Iran has generated mixed reactions. The majority of Americans oppose the war, but voters are divided along party lines: Republicans are more likely to support the war, whereas Democrats and independents are more likely to oppose it. But even those who accept the President’s actions have to recoil at the way he is trying to profit from the war. He’s now raising money from the casualties of the war he started — and selling our national security. A fundraising email from a Trump-linked political action committee used ...

Selling national security

James Serene State College It’s no longer enough to say this administration blurs ethical lines. It’s erasing them. While ordinary Americans struggle with rising costs, those closest to power continue to profit. Consider Jared Kushner: while serving as a chief Middle East negotiator, he was also seeking to raise $5 billion for his private equity firm from governments in that region. That’s not a gray area. It’s a blatant conflict of interest—once unthinkable. And he’s not alone. From Don Jr. and Eric’s drone venture to Stephen Miller’s private prison ...

An opportunity to be heard

The powerless feeling that there is nothing we can do is pervasive in our modern society: a gnawing terror that nobody hears our needs, or perhaps that the people in positions of power are choosing to ignore us. Meanwhile, the world around us keeps moving forward, as it has ever done and, presumably, ever shall. Tendencies become patterns. Patterns become habit. Habits become...“well, that’s just the way it is.” Sometimes, though, we are afforded an opportunity to make ourselves be heard. Those who are highly engaged with local government know some of those opportunities. ...

D-dimer blood test causes confusion in 83-year-old male

DEAR DR. ROACH: What are D-dimers? Are they something I should be concerned about? I am an 83-year-old male with the usual problems that men my age have, such as an enlarged prostate, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. With medication and monitoring by my doctors, all of these conditions are under control. I also exercise and play golf every week. This past August, I started to experience an extremely intense pain behind my left knee. It was in one small area and would come and go. After several hours, I went to our emergency room, where they did a sonogram that did not show ...

Voter fraud without perpetrators

Tim Mannello Williamsport Republican lawmakers say voters should show photo ID because, they claim, voter impersonation is rampant. But every credible study—including those commissioned by Republicans themselves—shows the opposite: voter impersonation is virtually nonexistent. When confronted with the evidence, they simply repeat the claim anyway. The only thing that’s widespread is the myth. kept alive not by facts, but by constant repetition. That misconception didn’t appear out of nowhere. It persists largely because Republican leaders keep repeating the claim until, to ...