Ross Mackenzie applies the lens of historical significance to today's headlines in his weekly nationally syndicated column. The veteran newspaper writer and editorial page editor for the Richmond Times-Dispatch offers insightful commentary about current events, exploring topical subjects in areas ranging from foreign affairs and class-action lawsuits to culture and family. Mackenzie joined The Richmond News Leader in 1965, and four years later was named editor of the paper's editorial page -- a position previously held by both James J. Kilpatrick and Douglas Southall Freeman. After the 1992 merger of the News Leader and the Richmond Times-Dispatch he became the editorial page editor at the latter, overseeing the editorial and op-ed pages and the paper's Sunday commentary section. He is the only person to have directed the editorial pages of both Richmond dailies. Mackenzie was runner-up for the 1982 Pulitzer Prize in commentary, and in a long page-one story around that time, The Washington Post termed him "the most feared journalist in Virginia" possessing "one of the most ferocious styles in American journalism." He is also the recipient of Sigma Delta Chi's first Eugene Pulliam fellowship for editorial writers. Mackenzie received a bachelor's degree in history from Yale and a master of arts in political philosophy from the University of Chicago. He has written several books, including Brief Points: An Almanac for Parents and Friends of U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen (1993 and 1996) and Eyewitness: Writings from the Ordeal of Communism (1992), which he co-wrote with Todd Culbertson. He also produced a syndicated history feature with editorial cartoonist Jeff MacNelly. Mackenzie lives with his wife and Labrador retriever in the woods west of Richmond, Virginia. They have two grown sons, both Naval officers. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RossMackenzie http://media.townhall.com/TownHall/icons/TH-feed-icon-128x128.gif http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RossMackenzie TownHall.com, Where your opinion counts. 128 Copyright (c) 2008 Townhall.com, A Salem Communications Web. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED jim.dearras@townhall.com (Jim De Arras) Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, The New York Times and others of that ilk insist the distress in the financial system and the failure thus far to fix it is all the fault of - yes - the Republicans. Obama: "This... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RossMackenzie/2008/10/02/pols,_the_press,_and_the_financial_crisis 8e7af262-2f47-4b28-8348-3d67f0da6b2a Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT In the sciences of finance and economics, what is the credit panic all about - and what can be done about it? First a point about your central assumption: Finance and economics are not true sciences. They are not... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RossMackenzie/2008/09/25/the_credit_crisis_cutting_through_the_shamanistic_voodoo 2618afd4-e513-4d78-8c5c-7c929363c018 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:35:21 GMT Floating the new water(less) closet - an outhouse, actually a porta-potty for stationary use - across the river and wrestling it up the 15-foot bank, the inquiring mind understandably asks: Why? The answer is at... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RossMackenzie/2008/09/18/in_the_solitude_of_forests,_quiet_redefined cb8fd41e-2858-4174-9eb8-b41cb11346c7 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:03:49 GMT Washington Post Foreign Service reporters Jill Drew and Maureen Fan: "Beneath the shimmer (of new construction) and behind the slogan ('One World, One Dream'), China is under criticism for suppressing Tibetan protests,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RossMackenzie/2008/09/11/on_china,_obama_bias,_drilling,_etc 62f6d619-e197-4f21-beff-e940fb94e5d8 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:45:04 GMT OK. So how about a single word to describe John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running-mate? Sensational. If he becomes the next president, he may well look back and see this decision - this... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RossMackenzie/2008/09/04/whats_so_terrific_about_mccains_palin_pick 64d39959-816d-435f-8be8-482f124ce015 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:27:49 GMT Isn't the Joe Biden nomination wonderful? A working-class kind of guy who has risen to chairman of the Senate's Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees? Wonderful for John McCain and conservatives and... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RossMackenzie/2008/08/28/biden_selection_may_help_mccain_make_obama_the_issue 29bbf0fe-31a6-45f7-b95b-9f752df17ea1 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:01:00 GMT In case you missed them, some items of dubious import currently in the news. . . At the Olympics, Chinese authorities have restricted access not only to Web sites, protest areas, leading dissidents and key regions of... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RossMackenzie/2008/08/21/on_meal_diversity,_being_green,_dudists,_als_opera,_etc 58158c70-ce00-459a-ab5f-0257b8179c3a Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:27:21 GMT The death of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, at 89, recalls the centrality of this Russian mastodon. A decorated artillery captain during World War II, Solzhenitsyn was arrested at war's end for remarks in a letter to a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RossMackenzie/2008/08/14/solzhenitsyn,_iran,_and_more_about_folk 4f622aba-8bee-4a7c-8531-df13e3c17195 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:15:30 GMT It used to be that the conversation about the very difficult subject of race in America was best left to African-Americans, because only they have experienced the active or passive oppression that many whites cannot... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RossMackenzie/2008/08/07/the_mccain-obama_kabuki_dance_on_race 89ddc32e-ce81-4237-9974-41b6af2a5642 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:57:45 GMT I can't wait for the Olympics to start - can you? It wouldn't be a problem if the wait lasted forever. Whoa. You don't want to be dazzled by the magnificent opening and closing ceremonies? You're not interested i http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RossMackenzie/2008/07/31/the_beijing_olympics_-_to_watch_or_not_to_watch f5013c86-bd5b-46e9-adb5-8e5ac12a748a Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:57:05 GMT