Picture of Joel Mathis

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Joel Mathis

Contributing Writer

Joel Mathis is a freelance writer who lives in Lawrence, Kansas with his wife and son. He spent nine years as a syndicated columnist, co-writing the RedBlueAmerica column as the liberal half of a point-counterpoint duo. His honors include awards for best online commentary from the Online News Association and (twice) from the City and Regional Magazine Association.

Sirhan Sirhan.

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Opinion

The challenge of mercy

The justices

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Opinion

No room for interpretation?

A hiring sign.

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Economy at the mercy of COVID

Stephen Breyer.

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What Breyer should learn from the Texas abortion case

Susan Collins.

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Susan Collins' Kavanaugh misjudgement

President Biden.

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The Afghanistan fiasco might get Biden impeached

A hurricane and a record.

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Losing history to climate change

President Biden.

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Biden's Katrina?

President Biden and Jimmy Carter.

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Opinion

The GOP's Biden-Carter wish

Michael Byrd.

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The 1 time Republicans hate a cop standing his ground

The Kabul airport bombing.

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The lie of a bloodless occupation

Donald Trump.

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A Trump vaccine counterfactual

President Biden.

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The Afghanistan evacuation timeline is a negotiation

The Taliban

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Will a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan be a safe haven for terrorism?

Ann empty bed.

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Opinion

Anti-vaxxer regrets

Jan. 6

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The Jan. 6 'plot' that wasn't

Biden and Bush.

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What Biden shares with Bush

Elephant in front of school.

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Local control for me but not for thee

Woke military.

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Did wokeness lose Afghanistan?

Farm/immigration.

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Who's keeping rural America alive?

U.S. Kabul embassy mural.

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Opinion

Humbled by Afghanistan

A girl on a swing.

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Child tax credit success

President Biden.

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Biden undermines his own climate goals

A nurse.

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Is vaccination a 'personal choice'?

A capitol rioter.

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The census is about to set our politics on fire

A match.

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U.N. climate report makes case for Democrats' budget

Mitch McConnell.

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Opinion

Mitch's infrastructure win

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Apple tests users' privacy limits

A school board meeting.

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The larger target of anti-critical race theory bills

Ron DeSantis.

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GOP governors repeat Trump's COVID mistake

Andrew Cuomo.

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Is Andrew Cuomo's fate sealed?

Nancy Pelosi.

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The big risk of the Democrats' infighting

A COVID patient.

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Opinion

America's troubling pandemic reality

Rachelle Walensky.

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The CDC's abysmal messaging

Donald Trump.

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Trump's infrastructure deal

A man wearing a mask.

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In support of the CDC's new mask guidance