Not only has celebrity dumbed down our politics, it has become intertwined with it.

Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis had enormous talent, and Elvis was the major contributor to an entirely new genre of music. Sometimes their exploits were distasteful to people, but they left behind an enormous body of work that endures.

Putting fear into people is the principal goal of terrorists, and they have been successful.

Liberal arts colleges have traditionally provided a forum for debating ideas. Avoiding controversy and 'playing it safe' by not inviting - or disinviting - speakers with 'controversial' views stifles debate.

If pluralism and academic freedom are to be used to defend liberal speakers and ideas, they ought to be equally valid for conservative views.

Academic freedom and free speech mean the right to consider ideas with which you might disagree.

As a life-long liberal who has engaged in protests against the government and for civil rights, I am saddened at efforts by some of my fellow liberals to silence commencement speakers with whom they might disagree on some issues.

I am not opposed to government efforts to stop terrorist plots. We are still seared by the memory of 9/11, and we should be.

Domestic wiretaps, government television cameras blanketing our streets, spy drones by the thousands flying over our heads. It makes you wonder if the very foundation of this great country, which is liberty, is eroding right before our eyes.

Ever since 9/11, our intelligence agencies, as part of the 'war on terror,' have expanded their operations to include American citizens. I was 'terrorized' when I learned that the National Security Agency was intercepting information on Americans.

There is a huge difference between gathering intelligence in foreign countries, even our allies, and secretly getting information on U.S. citizens.

Carmakers do not lobby to remove safety regulations on their vehicles, but the NRA constantly lobbies to keep restrictions off deadly weapons.

Unfortunately, some politicians think they are immune from allegations of ethics abuse.

Unless public officials are wealthy and fund their own campaigns, the only place they can turn to is lobbyists and institutions like labor unions and corporations.

Congress continues to pass laws to limit lobbyists' influence, but people find ways to get around them.

It's time to review what damage the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission has done to our political system.

Money is at the root of most that is wrong in American politics.

I understand why foreign government contributions to the Clinton Foundation could raise ethical issues should Hillary run for president.

I have long believed there is a lot of waste in the defense budget.

Congress votes for things the military doesn't want, and planes and other weaponry that cost a lot but don't work.

I do oppose repealing Obamacare, because it's working for growing numbers of previously uninsured Americans.

Both parties are so entrenched in their ideologies and a desire to score political points and hold on to power that we never seem to agree on a problem, much less find solutions.

Iran would have become a nuclear power had President Obama not united most of the world in boycotting Iranian oil sales, which crippled Iran's economy and forced it to negotiate. Other presidents tried to stop Iran's nuclear program. They failed. Obama succeeded.

Iranians have suffered economically under the U.S.-led sanctions.