Opinion & Ideas - Herald-Leader

OpEd: Young people are making their voices heard in Kentucky, just like former generations of civil rights activists, despite the “Young People Should Be Seen And Not Heard” Caucus in the General Assembly.

Young Kentuckians have essential role in realizing Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream | Opinion OpEd: We can’t afford to wait for an invitation to take our seat at the table.

Paul Prather: Despite his frailties, the 20th Century produced no American greater than King, in any arena.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a saint, but also just a man—that’s the glory of it. | Opinion

Linda Blackford: "Republicans biting at McConnell’s heels should remember that his policies have created the most conservative Supreme Court in memory, income inequality not seen since the Gilded Age, and a broken campaign finance system. What more do they want?"

What could ever make Mitch look like a statesman? The people trying to replace him. Linda Blackford: It takes a special level of loathsomeness to make U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell even the tiniest bit sympathetic. But the MAGA-land crew now chomping at his heels make him appear positively statesmanlike.

Paul Prather: No one is ever just one thing.

Despite perceived polarization, not much really separates us Paul Prather: Nobody is ever just one thing. Nobody is just a Trump supporter and that’s all. Nobody is just a whackadoodle leftie and that’s all.

OpEd: He has been a steady voice of reason in a fractious area of law that, at its most basic level, enables the public to hold its public servants accountable.

Judge Shepherd’s win is a victory for holding government open and accountable

Linda Blackford: The vote is a huge victory for sanity, for women, for progress at a time when post-Dobbs, they all appeared to be moving backwards.

Kentucky moves toward sanity as it rejects amendment on abortion

Linda Blackford: Amid all the silly of election season, we need to remember that one of the most serious amendments in Kentucky history is on the line.

Silly season of midterm elections is hard to take seriously. But we have to. Go vote.

The Herald-Leader made the following endorsements for the Nov. 8 election.

Here are the Herald-Leader Editorial Board’s endorsements for November 2022 election See all of the Herald-Leader Editorial Board’s endorsements in key Lexington and statewide races on the November 2022 ballot.

Herald-Leader Editorial Board: We endorsed Linda Gorton in the spring. David Kloiber asked us to reconsider. We met with both candidates again. Here’s what we concluded.

After request for reconsideration in Lexington mayor’s race, here is our endorsement

Herald-Leader Editorial Board: The choice is clear in U.S. Senate race.

In Ky. U.S. Senate race, the clear choice is candidate who ‘shines a light’ for the ignored Herald-Leader Editorial: The Herald-Leader endorses the U.S. Senate candidate who finds our commonalities instead of exploiting our divisions.

Herald-Leader Editorial Board: We have a simple suggestion of what to do when voting on two proposed constitutional amendments.

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Paul Prather: A trip to historic Virginia raised many questions

A trip to the nation’s birthplace reminds me of the mysteries of our past OpEd: For 21st-century descendants such as us, our ancestors’ decision to set out across the sea for America in the 1600s is unfathomable.

OpEd: On Nov. 8, vote NO on Amendment 2 to protect our right to abortion, privacy, health, personal autonomy, religious freedom, and equality.

Protect the rights and health of Ky women and their families. Vote no on Amendment 2.

OpEd: It's time to end domestic violence

It’s time to end domestic violence. It’s up to all of us to make that happen. OpEd: Violence prevention also requires community and individual change to be effective, and deep-seated beliefs complicate meaningful shifts.

More on the five year anniversary of the removal of Confederate statues from downtown Lexington

Confederate statues obscured Lexington’s Black history. Now we can celebrate it. OpEd: Removing their literal physical weight and the weight they hold over our healing has already paid dividends.

OpEd: It's been five years since Lexington removed Confederate statues from the public square. What's happened since then, and what will happen moving forward?

It’s been five years since the Confederate statues moved. What’s next for Lexington? OpEd: A new documentary will commemorate that historic event and look at stories of Black excellence in Lexington history.

Linda Blackford: You can't vote if you aren't registered.

You can’t vote to protect reproductive rights unless you’re registered to vote — by Tuesday Linda Blackford: If you want to save any vestige of reproductive rights in Kentucky, vote no on Amendment #2 on Nov. 8. But you have to be registered to vote on Oct. 11.

Paul Prather: The Prohibition era is a perfect example of how we get things wrong in history.

Whatever you believe about history is likely wrong. Truth is always more complicated. Paul Prather: The larger truth is always, and I mean always, more complicated and colorful than anything Miz Snodgrass taught you in 10th grade.

Linda Blackford: This dysfunction has been years in the making.

‘It’s a travesty.’ Ky’s unemployment system continues to trip up those who need help the most. Linda Blackford: Unemployment is one of those topics that we forget about until we really, really need it, and then we realize how much the state of Kentucky has really, really screwed it up.

Joel Pett: Recent crime waves are a real mystery

Joel Pett: What about ... fewer guns? Joel Pett on the recent spikes in crime

OpEd: Soccer stadium would set troubling precedent

Is a minor league soccer stadium real economic development for Lexington? OpEd: The soccer project is projected to generate just a fraction of the jobs that other employers have built in the ED Zone without zoning changes.

OpEd: I know Eastern Kentucky will recover. Here's why.

‘Mountain grit’ of Eastern Kentuckians will help them recover from devastating floods OpEd: Mountain people will rise up after tragedy. That’s what they do. Makes me proud to call them my people, and grateful for the gift of mountain grit they instilled in me.

OpEd: We're seeing new support for labor unions.

On Labor Day, rampant inequality is leading to new support for labor unions OpEd: It’s hardly a secret that union workers enjoy better pay and benefits than non-union workers. Americans are catching on.

Paul Prather: According to writer David French, Christians don’t outright reject lovingkindness or humility. They just assign them secondary status.

In politics, Christians in both parties have turned Jesus’ teachings upside down

OpEd: Stop with lies about election fraud.

No election fraud in Kentucky: We need to stop the rhetoric and misinformation. OpEd: The result of Sen. Southworth’s falsehoods and misinformation are huge, as decreased confidence in the election process continues to negatively impact voters and, ultimately, civic engagement.

Linda Blackford: Gwen Johnson will leave the big questions of Eastern Kentucky’s recovery to others. She’s too busy building showers, cooking and helping the community of Hemphill recover from flooding.

In former coal camp, one woman takes on flood recovery in ‘small things with great love’

OpEd: Eastern Kentucky has suffered two disasters recently, one natural and one manmade.

First, EKy suffered the disaster of floods. Next, they faced the disaster of FEMA. OpEd: Thousands of people have lost everything they have worked their whole life for. Just as tragic is that the government turns its back when you need it most.

There's a simple reason so many people in EKY live by creeks. Corporate interests own the high ground.

In EKy, people can’t live on high ground because it’s all owned by corporate interests OpEd: With the drastic reduction of coal mining in eastern Kentucky, it is time to challenge corporate landowners to free up some of their vast holdings for residential and commercial development.

Linda Blackford: Kentucky and bourbon's long honeymoon may be over

KY and bourbon’s long honeymoon may be over. We need a more stable long-term relationship. Linda Blackford: Too often in dealing with industries like bourbon, Kentucky’s leaders seem to take the position of hostage negotiators, rather than equal partners.

Wendell Berry: Good farmland should not be sacrificed to bourbon tourism.

Wendell Berry: Good Henry Co. farmland should not be sacrificed to bourbon tourism OpEd: Angel’s Envy, if it is permitted to settle in Henry County, should lend to county government a number of corporate shares sufficient to give our representatives an actual sayso about how our people and our countryside are to be treated.