Author: bretkosa

The United Nations has once again taken aim at Israel, further entrenching its reputation for bias when it comes to the Middle East’s only democracy. The latest report, which purports to address alleged violations of human rights, suffers from the same defects that have plagued similar efforts: questionable sourcing, selective outrage, and an overt disregard for the complex realities on the ground. It’s becoming clearer with each release that what once may have been a noble pursuit of international accountability has devolved into politicized theatrics.At the heart of this latest controversy is a methodology riddled with inconsistencies. Sources include anonymous…

There was a small, weathered house at the end of Maple Street, surrounded by a garden that had seen better days. Once bursting with colors and life, the garden now bore the marks of years without touch, leaves fallen, and petals faded. Inside, Eleanor sat by the window, staring out at the wild roses climbing the fence, their thorns catching the sunlight. The garden, much like her memories, was tangled and overgrown, holding stories that no one spoke of anymore. Decades ago, that garden was a place of laughter and shared secrets between Eleanor and Lucas. They had planted every…

The brick lay quiet in the garden bed, half-submerged in damp soil, as if trying to bury its shame. The shattered window glimmered in the late afternoon sun, jagged edges catching the light like guilt frozen in glass.Inside the small blue house on Maple Street, ten-year-old Eli Morgan stood trembling in the kitchen, fingers clenched around the hem of his hoodie. His younger siblings—Lily, age six, and Max, barely four—huddled wordless on the bottom step of the stairs, eyes wide with fear.“I did it,” Eli whispered when his mother emerged from the laundry room and gasped at the sound of…

In the quiet town where seasons seemed to linger just a little longer, there was a garden that held memories like treasures in its soil. It was not extravagant or meticulously manicured, but it was alive with stories—stories whispered between the rustling leaves and fragrant blossoms. Every morning, Mara would tend to this garden, her hands gently coaxing life from the earth, as if each plant carried a secret piece of her heart.Years ago, the garden had been her husband’s sanctuary, a place where he found peace after long, tiring days. He had planted each seed with care, imagining a…

In communities across Virginia, including the growing number of smoke shops on Valley Avenue and throughout Frederick County, products containing high-potency THCA, delta-8 THC, and similar hemp-derived substances have been flying off the shelves. These items exploit a legal gray area opened by the federal 2018 Farm Bill, which unintentionally allowed psychoactive compounds to be sold under the guise of legal hemp. Unlike state-regulated cannabis, these products are largely unregulated, unlabeled, and available to nearly anyone — an oversight that many believe is endangering public health. Recent legislative efforts to close this loophole are now gaining steam. Virginia lawmakers are…

The Tuesday afternoon sun slanted through the tall windows of the Oakview Public Library, casting golden rectangles across worn carpet and scattered notebooks. The air smelled faintly of paper and time. It was quiet—aside from the occasional rustle of a turning page or the humming radiator beneath the window.At the back corner of the reading room, Thomas Whitaker sat in his usual chair. His coat was old, navy blue dulled to ashen gray, and his boots were cracked along the seams. A threadbare duffle bag rested against the table leg. He kept to himself. Never spoke unless spoken to. Every…

The morning sun beat down hard on the jobsite, warming the metal scaffolding and bouncing light off the naked frames of half-built townhomes. Hammers tapped rhythmically. Someone’s radio played a classic rock station low under the noise. It was just another Tuesday.Eli was new, still getting his bearings. Thin from a recent illness and quiet, he moved with cautious care, his name scribbled in Sharpie across a fresh hard hat. He was decades younger than most of the rough-handed crew, and you could see it in his wide eyes. Today, he’d been tasked with loading plywood onto the hoist. Basic…

In the small town of Willowbrook, nestled between rolling hills and ancient trees, stood a garden that many had passed by without a second thought. It was an unassuming place, overgrown in parts, with winding pathways that twisted through clusters of wildflowers and towering oaks. But to Eleanor, this garden was a sanctuary where memories blossomed as vividly as the roses. Years before, Eleanor and her husband, James, had planted each tree and flower with care. They had built the wooden bench beneath the old magnolia tree together, sharing dreams and whispered secrets during lazy afternoons. The garden was not…

He had spent decades nurturing the old apple orchard that bordered his family’s small farmhouse. The orchard was more than rows of trees to him—it was a living memory, a patchwork of seasons that witnessed every joy and sorrow woven through his life. Each tree held a story, some written in blossoms, others whispered in the rustling leaves. When his children had been young, he remembered carrying them between the branches, their laughter bubbling like spring water amid the budding fruit. Those afternoons were a sanctuary, a time when worries seemed as distant as the horizon. Now, as the years…

In a notable shift, Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno has pulled back on the breadth of a proposed bill targeting dual citizens. The original proposal aimed to broadly prohibit individuals with dual citizenship from holding federal positions, raising alarms among immigrant communities, civil rights groups, and legal scholars over potential constitutional conflicts and implications for loyal Americans with multinational backgrounds. Moreno, a wealthy businessman and political newcomer, had campaigned on conservative principles including strict immigration policies. His initial proposal seemed to reflect a heightened suspicion toward dual citizens, a sentiment not uncommon in modern political discourse. However, critics immediately…