Deron Snyder: Teachers are students' first, last line of defense

Some students arrive tired, hungry and unmotivated, from homes that are undisciplined, irresponsible and unaccountable. Some students attend class only if and when they want, doing little or nothing when they do.

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Deron Snyder: Capitalism, criminal justice a bad combination

If any part of the criminal justice system is designed to make a profit, it's not motivated to decrease the rate of incarceration and recividism.

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Deron Snyder: Nothing funny about slightest link to a monkey

In theory, the dead chimp represented whoever wrote the bill. But Obama is the most visible champion of bill, the first person who comes to mind. Also, Obama is black; and the cartoonist just associated him with a monkey, a dead one at that.

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Deron Snyder: Chris Brown deserves to pay for alleged abuse

Chris Brown was wholesome enough to hawk Wrigley's gum. But after reports that he left Rihanna bloody, battered and bruised, he isn't fit to sell toilet bowl cleaners. Wrigley suspended his ads and several stations stopped playing his music. Good.

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Deron Snyder: Impressive Obama invigorates lucky crowd

Obama was smooth and confident, with appropriate amounts of empathy toward Fort Myers' plight, and determination to make a difference. There's no denying the incredible, uplifting feeling he unleashed. It almost didn't matter what he said.

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Deron Snyder: Camping out for Obama tickets beautiful, ugly

If we all could get along as well as the hundreds of strangers in line, where the atmosphere was peaceful, respectful and filled with anticipation, Obama wouldn't have to do much else to be successful.

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Deron Snyder: Black History Month remains relevant even now

Although we set February aside, there's no real separation, no real division between black American history and non-black American history. Unraveling the two is no more possible than disjoining the commingled blood that's coursing through our veins.

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Deron Snyder: America can't mimic principles depicted on '24'

Once we sanction abuse, we're no better than those seeking to destroy us, no longer the land of liberty and home of the brave. We're more like the maniacal, tyrannical cowards we're trying to defeat. Besides, letting fear trump our principles doesn't make us any safer.

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Deron Snyder: King, Obama — the journey continues

Like King, Obama challenged us to think beyond traditional mental boundaries, beyond generalizations, stereotypes and other racial fault lines. His success isn't the end, no more than MLK's was the beginning.

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Deron Snyder: Urge to deny Blagojevich's pick was hasty

Race has nothing to do with it. With no suggestion of wrongdoing, it isn't fair to deny Roland Burris. That's punishing him for Gov. Rod Blagojevich's sins.

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Deron Snyder: Marriages deserve best effort, special attention

We always presented ourselves as a picture of contentment, embodying the definition of a very happy couple. Even when it wasn't always quite the case. In retrospect, we hit bottom after a slow, steady slide - not a sharp and sudden free fall - making for an inconspicuous descent.

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Deron Snyder: Remaining thankful begins on the inside

I'd like to think that no sequence of happenings would destroy my happiness. Just as I encourage others to look inward for cheer when facing difficulty on the outside, I'd also seek the proper perspective through the "fruit of the spirit."

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Deron Snyder: Obama's victory opens the door to audacious hope

Heading into Tuesday, with nearly every poll indicating that Barack Obama would win, "cautiously optimistic" summed up the feelings of myself and many other Obama supporters.

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Deron Snyder: Obama's the right choice, like none ever before

Voters who oppose Obama can have plenty of non-racial/religious reasons, mainly his left-leaning politics and thin resume.

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Deron Snyder: 'Real Americans' aren't limited to GOP standard

Liberals, Democrats and city dwellers love this country just as much as conservatives, Republicans and small-town residents. "Real Americans" live all over and come in a wide range of colors, religions and sexual orientations.

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Deron Snyder: Laughs from candidates give healing a head start

Music might be the universal language, but laughter is its first cousin. There's something reassuring in watching folks from opposite sides of the spectrum take a moment to guffaw together.

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Deron Snyder: Lowered standards boost Palin's showing

Her bar was set so low in the debate, anything short of speaking in tongues would've been considered a victory.

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Deron Snyder: Big mistakes mark McCain's week

McCain tried to save face in making an about-face, claiming there was "significant progress" in Capitol Hill negotiations on an economic bailout package.

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Deron Snyder: Would-be voters could be victims of election fraud

There are two varieties of election fraud: illegitimate voters out to cast ballots and legitimate voters whose ballots are cast out. From this vantage point, the latter is far more prevalent. And far more likely to occur with the weighted voter ID laws in Florida and elsewhere.

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Palin turns presidental race into reality TV show

Faster than you could say "hockey mom," the presidential campaign transformed into a reality TV show. Sarah Palin, come on down! You're the next contestant on "A Heartbeat Away!" John McCain spent a lot of time criticizing Barack Obama's mass appeal.

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Convention images show sad lack of diversity in the GOP

That was hardly an accurate portrayal of America as TV cameras scanned the Republican delegates, a decidedly homogeneous group.

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McCain's transparent VP pick won't fool Clinton backers

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Phelps' swimming feats better than science fiction

t's time to take a break from watching the Olympics and, once again, check off some items on my "TIDU List" – Things I Don't Understand: 1) How Michael Phelps is human. He's amazing — in and out the pool — with his performances and 12,000-calorie-a-day diet. ...

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Terrible teens, powerless parents need everyone's help

Complaining about parents after another instance of "Teens Gone Wild" doesn't help. But there's much we can do to assist parents and their wayward teens if we concentrate on solutions more than the problems.

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Turning blind eye to color unrealistic, undesirable

We can't be colorblind - at least not as defined by apologists for racial and social injustice, i.e. "oblivious to one's color" - any more than we can be "heightblind" or "weightblind." Or fail to notice the difference between blondes, brunettes and redheads.

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