Objective journalism and an opinion column are about as similar as the Bible and Playboy magazine.

We know that no one should tell a woman she has to bear an unwanted child. We know that religious beliefs cannot define patriotism.

Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.

Interviewing friends is a tough one. Your duty to the interview must transcend your friendship. Occasionally you'll lose a friend.

For many years, I did my best to report on the issues of the day in as objective a manner as possible. When I had my own strong opinions, as I often did, I tried not to communicate them to my audience. Now, however, my circumstances are different. I am in a position to speak my mind. And that is what I propose to do.

I sort of think in a way that many of us young reporters who had the opportunity to go overseas for our organizations were kind of, in a sense, war profiteers. We were enhancing our careers while covering that terrible conflict.

There is no such thing as a little freedom. Either you are all free, or you are not free.