“Hope is not a strategy.”  For nearly three years, L.A. County officials have clung to “hope” as a solution for residents near the Chiquita Canyon Landfill. The trouble began when

To convert a democratic republic, like our own, into an authoritarian model of rule, what actions would a movement need to take to replace the rule of law with personal

By David Hegg I wrote a column on the peril of forced unanimity a few weeks ago. The gist was that social pressure configured to ensure everyone subscribes to “groupthink”

So, which kid is yours?  My wife walks our dog in our neighborhood. And, like many other Santa Claritans, she has noticed lately that there is a preponderance of kids

As I write this article, Vladimir Putin, the dictator of Russia, is dragging his feet and throwing multiple spanners in the works since Ukraine bravely accepted President Donald Trump’s proposal

My dad, dear, lovable angel of a person, Walt Cieplik, died crazy. There was a never a kinder man. The twin devils of Alzheimer’s and dementia took him over. He

“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”  — Attributed

Last week, my father died as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange in the Vietnam War. My dad would often tell us stories of his military service at

By David Hegg Why are we more prone to act poorly if we think we’re anonymous? Occasionally, we hear news reports of hurtful things speakers have said, thinking their mics

In recent years, our nation and the Santa Clarita Valley have become increasingly divided.  Political disagreements have escalated into personal attacks, social media has amplified hostility, and community discussions within

For too long, the soft-on-crime policies pushed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democratic majority have emboldened criminals, leading to a steady rise in crime throughout California.  But the voters

Somewhere, safely wrapped away, is my old Hart letterman’s jacket. Me being me, I couldn’t just stick with the traditional maroon and grey school colors. No. I procured an ancient

By David Hegg I have several quirks that too often show up in conversations. One of them is that I am intrigued by the weird phrases and terms we throw

Last month, the world would see the 20th anniversary of the U.N. officially designating Jan. 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.  This was done to ensure that the world would

When she was little, my dear sweetie pie daughter and I were strolling down the ancient wooden sidewalks of Melody Ranch a few days before the Cowboy Music & Poetry

President Donald Trump is moving quickly with his plan to end the war in Ukraine. What, exactly, that plan involves is still not publicly known. But given the current status

According to Elon Musk, the mission of the Department of Government Efficiency is to save taxpayers’ money and to reduce the national debt. Clearly, we have heard numerous ideological messages

There’s plenty of hot topics to write about these days. From how in just a few short weeks, we’ve sold out America’s core values and turned viciously on our long-standing