Paul Whitefield
Paul Whitefield is the former copy chief of the editorial pages and a writer/scold for the Opinion L.A. blog. He graduated from the University of Nebraska and has a master’s degree from the University of Hawaii, not that it’s helped much. A Texas native, he lives in the suburbs with a family who loves him and a cat who thinks he's prey, and wonders why everyone doesn't move to L.A. He left The Times in 2015.
Recent Articles
-
Forget 'peace,' how about Israel and Hamas give 'compromise' a chance?
The saying goes: “When you’re already in a hole, stop digging.” In Israel, they apparently have a slightly different saying: “When you’re already in a hole, dig it deeper.” On Wednesday, as the Israeli air offensive against the Gaza Strip continued — as did the Hamas rocket barrage against Israel...
-
It's death, taxes and now, 'Planet of the Apes' movies
There are only two certainties in life, it’s said: death and taxes. But I think it’s time to add a third: There will always be another “Planet of the Apes” movie. The question, though, is why? OK, there’s the money, of course, which in Hollywood has always been reason enough. On Monday, box-office...
-
Facebook mind control: Here's how to fight back
I use Facebook. It depresses me sometimes. Does this mean I’ve been manipulated as part of the recent Great Facebook User Social Experiment, and if so, can I sue someone? Because a couple of my Facebook “friends” are lawyers, and at least one I know could use the work. Everyone knows by now that,...
-
Better add Israel and Gaza to your list of Middle East hot spots
Worried about Iraq, Syria and the threat from ISIS? Well, better add this to your list then: a new Israeli-Palestinian confrontation. On Monday, civilian searchers found what are believed to be the bodies of three Israeli teenagers who disappeared June 12 in the West Bank. As The Times reported...
-
Howard Baker's death a reminder of the pygmy politicians we have now
When someone dies, folks often say: “They don’t make them like that anymore.” In the case of former Republican Sen. Howard Baker of Tennessee, who passed away Thursday, that’s certainly true. Baker is most famous, of course, for his role in the Watergate hearings that brought down Richard Nixon....
-
Some free advice to the Clintons: Stop talking about money!
Face it, some people just aren’t good with money. And then there are the Clintons. The thing is (as with many things about the Clintons), they put their own twist on that old truism: They’re actually really good with money; they’re just really bad when it comes to talking about money. First came...
-
U.S. 'advisors' will look like American boots on the ground to ISIS
Three hundred Spartans once held off the Persian hordes at Thermopylae. Can 300 Americans hold off the ISIS hordes in Iraq? President Obama obviously hopes so. He announced Thursday that up to 300 U.S. military advisors would be sent to Iraq to help fend off the threat posed by fighters of the...
-
A message to the Cheneys: No, Iraq isn't a political opportunity
Iraq may well be sliding into civil war, but now, it seems, the strife over there is also sparking an uncivil war here at home. Naturally, the American fight is a war of words, pitting several Republican bigwigs (read: Dick and Liz Cheney, Sens. John McCain and Mitch McConnell) against the Obama...