Opinion

The editorial staff of The Perry County News joins journalists around the nation in celebrating the advance of the Free Flow of Information Act out of the Senate Judiciary Committee this month. Known as the federal shield law, it will now go to the full Senate for a vote.

Such laws exist at the state level in most of the country, and a federal law would protect reporters in cases where they may not apply.

This is neither your father's recession, nor your grandmother's depression. In size, scope and duration, this economic downturn is different. And off-the-shelf solutions will not suffice.

President Barack Obama has undoubtedly been hearing from businessmen, labor leaders and economists on how to reverse America's record high unemployment. Pedestrian proposals are inevitable. But truly innovative ideas that can be implemented immediately are what American really needs.

The film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's bestselling novel, "The Road," has had a long trek of its own into theaters. It was supposed to have been released over a year ago but was delayed time and time again. It was finally released into a handful of theaters a month ago and is now being slowly expanded across the country. Typically, when a movie is completed and shelved for over a year, that means it is terrible or just too weird to find an audience. I'm happy to say "The Road" is neither.

Santa, I've run into you several times this season, during parades, in stores and other pre-holiday gatherings with adults and kids. We've chatted briefly but I've never made the time to tell you my Christmas wishes. Since you subscribe to the paper, although it gets to you a few days late up at the North Pole, I'm sharing my requests at this late hour.

Hopefully, you get to read this before that sleigh is fully loaded. I know what a pain repacking is.

As candidate for Indiana House District 74, I have spent the last several weeks conducting listening sessions in Chrisney, Boonville and Tell City. The purpose for the sessions was to learn and hear firsthand what is important to the citizens of Perry, Spencer and Warrick counties. The comments shared were both heartwarming and heart-wrenching.

My face reddens easily, but never more quickly than when I say something I shouldn't. I can take back what I write, at least before the paper goes to print, but words that leave my mouth can't be retracted.

The holiday season isn't just about eating, but meals seem to be an important part of year-end celebrations for many of us. They certainly are for me.

One of my holiday goals has been finding more time to spend with family, friends and others in the community. With one holiday down and two to go, my record is mixed, but I'm still determined to spend more time enjoying others' company and less time working.

"This is how the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper." Director Roland Emmerich would wholeheartedly disagree with T.S. Eliot on that point. Emmerich destroys the planet in the loudest possible way he can and when he’s showcasing the planet’s destruction, "2012" works and is entertaining.

When Emmerich tries to build characters and emotional connections - not so much.

In the Nov. 19 issue of The News, a few disturbing facts came to light about the number of women in Perry County who smoke or have smoked during pregnancy. It's chilling to realize that 47 percent of our county's pregnant women smoke, not only exposing themselves to the harmful effects of the toxins of cigarettes but exposing their babies to them as well.