Opinion

“Do you recall the saying, ‘Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun’? With apologies to Noel Coward, I would like to revise that to say, ‘Only mad dogs and Englishmen and RAGBRAI cyclists go out in the midday sun.’” Photo/by John Watts

“If ever there were a state best positioned to resist the Trump administration, it’s California. Famously, we are the fifth largest economy in the world. With that kind of outsized productivity and economic firepower, perhaps we ought consider that recent $1 trillion purchase offer from kindly Denmark.”

“Important changes are happening at the Claremont Courier: coming soon we will select about six stories for premium access — exclusive for subscribers. We resisted implementing a paywall for years, but the post-pandemic decline in online subscriptions has made it necessary.”

by Daniel Han Tae Choi | Special to the Courier The clock hits six o’clock and the line is Disneyland-esque. I’m working as efficiently as possible to scan items and I’m only midway through my shift. A customer — let’s call him Chad — slams his groceries on the conveyor belt like he’s preparing for […]

“My Facebook account was hacked last week. It felt like I’d been digitally burglarized, a strange reaction coming from a vocal critic of what social media is doing to us, how its poisoned our discourse and made us into reactionary outrage monkeys.”

“Our democracy is clearly at an inflection point. It’s time to show some grace — there’s that controversial word — patience, and empathy, because sh!% is getting funky out there. One avenue toward solace may be in helping the vulnerable people in our community.”

By Lynne Juarez | Special to the Courier In 2017, my curiosity prompted a query: “Who are these immigrants and refugees who are traveling from their homeland to the United States?” With that question in mind I traveled to El Paso, Texas, where I spent two weeks at a refugee center operated by the Catholic […]

“With our new/old president/king dominating the headlines with his well-orchestrated flurry of wacky and dangerous executive orders, bizarre photo ops, and magical thinking, you may or may not be experiencing symptoms ranging from unease to panic, accompanied by rapid heartbeat, fury, and/or the joyless laughter of the damned. But this state of heightened anxiety is exactly what the new administration’s architects and wannabe oligarchs have in mind. You must say no to constant outrage. In the words of The Bard himself, LL Cool J, ‘I just chill. I don’t stand outside too much. I do what I gotta do and chill, man, know what I’m saying? That’s all. It’s cool.’ So, do what you gotta do, but be chill, ok?”

“In the ‘tough on crime’ 1990s, legislators enacted various statutes, including California’s Three Strikes law, designed to punish and isolate rather than rehabilitate those who commit crimes. Times have changed. From 2020 to 2024, former Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón pushed for reforms that emphasized rehabilitation. But there has been a sharp decline in public interest for criminal justice reform. Many nonprofits that donated to Gascón’s previous campaign, flourishing during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests, no longer exist. Criminal justice reform is no longer a top agenda item for many. This rapid loss of momentum reveals a troubling truth: criminal justice reform, and other forms of activism, have become trends.”

“It’s hard — if not impossible — to discern the root causes and solutions for managing the Los Angeles fires. At this point, it’s far too early for definitive answers. Yet that hasn’t stopped the flow of mis- and disinformation to the public, making it difficult to know what to believe.
When the fires were raging, President Trump seemed more focused on assigning blame to Governor Newsom and the State of California for alleged poor pre-fire management. The timing of this criticism felt odd, given the widespread public concern and the heroic efforts of first responders and other agencies. It was hardly the morale boost the situation called for.”

by Mick Rhodes | editor@claremont-courier.com Remember when we all felt smug “cutting the cord” to cable TV and sticking it to the greedy cable providers with this newfangled streaming thing? No more ads! No more bills for hundreds of channels we never watched! Hooray for technology! Then the pandemic lockdown drove us all indoors. Before March 2020 […]

“Moving to Claremont from my childhood home in Modesto last summer was the start of a new life chapter. We swiftly settled into our new routines of work and academics … then a tug of longing arose. I reminisced about volunteering back home. One October day I stepped into the Economy Shop for a peek. While a customer investigated a pair of Bluetooth headphones, the gentleman behind the counter laughed. ‘We need young minds in here to help us figure this stuff out,’ he said. That evening, I sent an email inquiry, and after an orientation session, I was on the roster.”

“At my age, you are reminded of death simply because you are older and more likely to know more people who have died. This includes family, friends, someone you used to work with, a favorite celebrity. I’m asked to provide end-of-life instructions and a power of attorney for healthcare every time I have a procedure, no matter how minor. That doesn’t let you forget either. So far — knock on wood — everything has turned out okay. But I know I have fewer days ahead of me than I do behind. It doesn’t matter when the days ahead seem endless; it’s when you start to number them that you begin to think.”

The fires had been burning out of control for such a long time. So many homes and businesses had been entirely destroyed, so many people had lost so much and endured such great adversity.