Posts Tagged ‘Bill Ott’
From Maeystown to Ukraine
While the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent war began more than eight months ago, what began as constant media coverage of the region has dwindled significantly. For Maeystown resident…
Read MoreThe Jekyll and Hyde voter | Ott Observations
A couple of recent national surveys got me thinking about how disconnected our voting ideology can be from what we really want. The Pew Research Center found that only…
Read MoreWhy we have sports in schools | Ott Observation
gh school girls volleyball coach. The lawsuit claims the coach subjected the team to demoralizing and degrading activities. I’m not unfamiliar with the behaviors and practices of volleyball coaches, having…
Read MoreLive and Let Live | Ott Observations
A conservative friend who reads my columns recently asked me what I thought about transgenders, specifically about athletes. He knows I have a stepdaughter who once played college volleyball.…
Read MoreIdiocracy – The Sequel | Ott Observations
Recently I found myself thinking about a movie made back in 2006 called “Idiocracy.” The movie is a science fiction comedy, with a plot about a future dystopian society where…
Read MoreRaising the dialogue | Ott Observations
Not quite two years ago, I began writing letters to the editor, which eventually led to this column. I had an objective. I was frustrated by the level of almost…
Read MoreR-T wins top state honor
The Republic-Times, a weekly publication covering Monroe County and surrounding areas since 1890, was awarded a top state honor on Friday. The Illinois Press Association hosted its annual conference last…
Read MoreA reformed conservative | Ott Observations
Recently, I was looking through my high school yearbook, trying to find inspiration to attend my 50th reunion (It didn’t work). Reading all my classmates’ written comments, I was…
Read MoreIt’s not that hard | Ott Observations
Most Republicans in Congress are self-congratulating themselves for passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Yes, it’s an effort to rein in mass shooting gun violence by expanding background…
Read MoreFlunking the Supreme Court
So much has already been said or written about the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that I hesitated to write a column about it. For those that don’t closely follow…
Read MoreRe-examining states’ rights | Ott Observations
When I attended the smash Broadway musical “Hamilton,” it stirred in me an interest in digging deeper into the origin of our country and the issues our founders faced. I’ve…
Read MoreDo we need to set higher standards? | Ott Observations
While dozens of states are raising identification standards for citizens to vote, I’ve been reading another book about our Founding Fathers. I think most of us can agree that having…
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