• Economy may reshape the way we view patriotism
Are you a Patriot? Better yet, what does that really mean?

• Fear of something different a symptom of progress
Incidents that spur random thoughts sometimes come back to you days later as part of a growing opinion; at least they do when you write for a living.

• Government attacks, partisan claptrap undermine media
One of my favorite movies, ''All the President's Men,'' was on cable over the weekend. My 14-year-old son watched it with me, asking questions about President Richard Nixon, politics, newspaper reporting, ethics, history and the acting career of Dustin Hoffman.

• Obama seeks to reduce abortions -- a good middle ground
Abortion.