The Buffalo News : Opinion

Saturday, July 4, 2009

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Celebrating independence

Need a lesson in democracy this Fourth of July? Just look at the brutal crackdown during demonstrations over a disputed presidential election in Iran, and the peaceful transfers of power that mark governance in this nation should jump into much clearer focus. (Updated: 07/04/09 8:21 AM )

It seems to us . . .

SILVER LINING: Having spent a week or so watching the State Senate put the fun in dysfunctional—a protester in a clown suit, each party holding its own gavel-in/gavel-out pseudo-sessions, a wandering Republican in search of a Coke counted quickly by Democrats so they could claim a quorum—it was heartening to have Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver visit this editorial board to assure us all was well in Albany except for those rascals in the other house. (Updated: 07/04/09 6:49 AM )

Hurray, Yahoo!

Direct your browser to www.yahoo.com and type in the phrase “New York business climate.” We did the other day, and the first three non-sponsored hits were variations on the theme, “NY business climate rated 2nd worst.” (Updated: 07/03/09 8:02 AM )

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Other Opinion News

David Broder: The issue that’s not going away

WASHINGTON — The implicit message, delivered by the Supreme Court majority in two of the most important decisions of the term that ended this week, is that racial discrimination is no longer as big a problem as we once thought. (Updated: 07/04/09 10:42 AM )

Leonard Pitts: Michael Jackson gone too soon

Sometimes, death is a blindside hit. (Updated: 07/04/09 10:43 AM )

David Ignatius: Deja vu in land of Dostoyevsky

MOSCOW — As Barack Obama packs his suitcase for his trip to Russia next week, he should bring along a copy of “The Brothers Karamazov.” For the modern Russia of Vladimir Putin is still struggling with the same political riddles that Fyodor Dostoyevsky described 130 years ago. (Updated: 07/04/09 10:44 AM )

Trudy Rubin: What happens now in Iraq?

While Americans were glued to the Iran drama, we arrived at a critical turning point in Iraq. (Updated: 07/03/09 10:06 AM )

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My View

Tom Waters: Cherish your freedom on Independence Day

Some holidays are little more than a reason to buy a greeting card or a fair excuse to take a paid day off from work. Aside from the fireworks and the nice weather, Independence Day didn’t get to be one of my favorites until my mid to late 20s. (Updated: 07/04/09 10:45 AM )

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Another Voice

From industry standpoint, fireworks should skyrocket

The time is long overdue to change the fireworks laws in New York to provide for sensible and regulated use of all consumer fireworks. Forty- five states now allow some level of consumer fireworks, and the national trend has been to liberalize the fireworks laws. (Updated: 07/04/09 6:49 AM )

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Margaret Sullivan

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Douglas Turner

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