If Western civilization is defined by religion and culture, then Mexico—with its Catholic heritage and historic ties to European monarchies—is unquestionably an outpost of “the West.” But for Trump and his advisers, it too is a threat to the Western…
Author: Nick Gier
Canada at 150: Celebrating its liberal values and achievements
Americans crossing the far western Canadian-American border pass by the Peace Arch. The inscriptions read: “Children of a Common Mother,” “Brethren Dwelling Together in Unity,” and, referring to the open gates in the arch, “May These Gates Never Close.” We…
Sex Abuse among Evangelicals worse than for Catholics
Protestants are going to have to accept the fact that we have many similarities with our Catholic brothers and sisters when it comes to how we have failed to protect God’s children. —Boz Tchividjian, law professor at evangelical Liberty University…
The Europeans pay more than their fair share
One would expect that in anticipation of meeting with the heads of NATO’s 29 nations, our so-called president would at least learn some basic facts about this nearly 70-year-old alliance. Instead, an ignorant and boorish Trump stunned these leaders with…
The crusaders versus the infidels: Moscow’s muscular Christianity
After learning that New St. Andrews College now has permission to take over more of downtown Moscow, I thought I would check out its website. I had not done so since 2010, and I was in for a surprise. Instead…
Our Mothers; Our Goddesses: Celebrating the Power of the Feminine
One night several years ago I had a very vivid dream about my mother. I had invited her to my Moscow home, and she appeared in the front yard in the full bloom of her womanhood. Dressed in her casual…
Who is responsible for Cambodia’s ‘Killing Fields?’
On the 42nd Anniversary of the Fall of Phnom Penh and the 47th Anniversary of Nixon’s Invasion of Cambodia Pot’s revolution would not have won power without the carpet-bombing of Cambodia’s countryside by American B-52s. —Ben Kiernan, The Pol Pot…
7b Drug Free presents Reality Party
Teenagers today face increasingly dangerous situations at parties, no matter where they live. Bonner County is not exception. In an effort to increase parental awareness and to initiate dialogues with their kids about the dangers of the current party scene,…
Vietnam: The New Asian Tiger
It was March 24, 2010, and I was at Bangkok’s new international airport, the fifth busiest in Asia. Along with my travel companions, I boarded Air Vietnam flight 830 to Hanoi. Forty years ago, Americans flying this direction would have…
UI Athletics is $1 Million in the Red; BSU’s Enrollment Boost Fizzles
Reader Columnist In 1982 I circulated a petition on the University of Idaho campus asking that state appropriated funds not be used for athletics. My main argument was that these funds should be used solely for academics. The Vandals Win…