A nagging question at the heart of the case against alleged WikiLeaks informant Bradley Manning is who, exactly, does the U.S. government want to keep from knowing its secrets.  

Many people think the mention of religion, politics or sex are the topics that are most likely to cause frowns, anxious looks or angry stares if they’re brought up during conversation in mixed company. I humbly submit, however, that they’re wrong.   

For a company whose main purpose is disseminating information to the public, The Enquirer and its corporate owner sure are keeping tight-lipped about an article that was published April 15. The long, splashy article focused on the ongoing redevelopment of Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood and the central role of the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp.  

Some people believe in a feel-good theory that’s known as “American exceptionalism.” It holds that the United States is unique among nations in its regard for liberty and egalitarianism, and is destined for great things due to the defining characteristics of its hard-working, freedom-loving people.   

Sometime in the next 10 weeks or so, U.S. citizens will learn whether the Supreme Court will uphold the first significant health care reform in nearly a half-century. It doesn’t matter if you’re interested in politics or couldn’t give a hoot, the decision will directly impact you, your family and your friends for years to come.   

Our own University of Cincinnati is at the very top of a new national list of colleges and universities released March 27, ranking above such hallowed institutions as Harvard, Yale and Johns Hopkins. Unfortunately, the list doesn’t involve academics or athletics, and isn’t exactly anything to brag about.   

As I’ve read articles and listened to media reports during the past week about the U.S. soldier who went on a bloody shooting spree March 11 in Afghanistan, one thought keeps going through my mind: It’s all so completely unnecessary.   

After an absence of nearly four months, protesters from Occupy Cincinnati could begin spending the night again in downtown’s Piatt Park beginning March 19 — just in time for warmer spring weather. That’s when a landmark settlement between the protesters and Cincinnati officials fully takes effect.  

In all likelihood, Congresswoman Jean Schmidt will be safely on her way to running in the November general election by the time this column is published. Although I’m writing this on March 6, the day of Ohio’s primary elections, and Schmidt is facing three opponents for the Republican nomination.  

If you happened to hear National Public Radio’s report last week from Price Hill Chili, you know that local Republicans seem just as confused and fickle as their national counterparts.   

March 25 would have been David Crowley’s 75th birthday, and his family is planning an event that day which would bring a smile to his face. For those who didn’t know Crowley, he served on Cincinnati City Council for eight years, from 2001-09, the maximum allowed by term limits.  

At first glance, the $25 billion deal reached last week between state attorneys general and five major banks to provide mortgage relief to homeowners sounds like a good thing. In reality, though, it’s a case of bait and switch in which the banks get off too easily.  

Don’t believe the tall tales spouted by Newt Gingrich, Steve Chabot or Dusty Rhodes. Despite what some overly excitable white, middle-aged men will tell you, recent federal rule changes that mean women will be able to get free birth control don’t infringe on religious liberty.  

It’s got to if we want to preserve any semblance of a functioning democracy in our nation. “It” is overturning the U.S. Supreme Court’s dreadful Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling. The decision undid nearly a century’s worth of campaign finance regulation in the United States.   

More than a decade after Cincinnati voters decided they wanted to change the way the city’s Police Department operates, they’re finally seeing real, significant results.