Mcallen

Avoid force with North Korea, Invest in research in Africa, Bermuda parties' different campaigns, An ally's help for Taiwan, More vegetables for everyone

“[T]he UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution imposing additional sanctions on North Korea, after Pyongyang carried out two intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests...,” states an editorial. “US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley insisted that the resort to force against North Korea is not off the table yet, at least in theory.

Readers write: Prioritizing options, difference-makers

Robert Klose’s July 3 Home Forum essay, “We waited, and it was worth it,” rightfully pointed out that people have lost the pleasure of anticipation because so much is instantaneously available. Since almost everything can be done right now, we must be constantly prioritizing our options.

In cities that vote blue, no immunity from racism

As she has watched white leftists engage in street battles with white nationalists on Portland’s waterfront, Debi Smith has been struck with a sense of gratitude for those willing to fight, in a sense, for her. After all, Ms. Smith has also watched black people, by both choice and force of circumstances, leaving the City of Roses, their numbers declining since 2010. Progressive to its core, Portland is also America’s whitest big city – in part the troubling legacy of Oregon’s founding goal in the 19th century of creating a white utopia through exclusionary laws.

A common thread in curbing racist expression

After last weekend’s violent protests in Charlottesville, Va., many Americans feel a need to make better choices about public expressions of racism, such as in Confederate symbols or hate-filled Facebook postings. The responses are quite diverse, ranging from the farcical to the coercive, which makes it important to look for a common thread that ultimately makes a difference. In a “Saturday Night Live” skit, comedian Tina Fey urged Americans to respond to neo-Nazi hatred by ordering “a cake with the American flag on it ... and just eat it.” That is the “ignore it” response.