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Gary Franks Columns category, Page 3

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Gary Franks: Happy 100th birthday to Henry Kissinger
As I sat down to write a tribute to former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who turns 100 this week, I was distracted by “very disturbing” news I will address at the end of this article (it’s not about Kissinger). It would be difficult to find any living American who...
Gary Franks: America is in an unconventional war
Wars come in many forms. Let us remember how some historic confrontations have been won. David beat Goliath — David had an unconventional weapon (a stone and slingshot), and he killed Goliath. Goliath clearly underestimated David. American early settlers used an unconventional weapon (a gun) to defeat the Native Americans....
Gary Franks: Former Republican congressman regrets supporting Clarence Thomas
Last May at a conservative function held in Dallas, the Old Parkland Conference, where Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was in attendance for the weekend event, along with dozens of minority conservatives, I had an interesting experience. I got “kicked out” of the conference because I challenged the views of...
Gary Franks: For the banking industry, let’s pray it is not deja vu all over again
How can billions of dollars be lost, and nobody can figure out who got the money or where it all went? Maybe fraud is involved somewhere? In the last banking crisis in 2008 — which led to a crippling recession in America and around the world — a deep-dive investigation...
Gary Franks: We need a constitutional amendment on age limits
Political power is in the hands of the people. Our democracy responds to the cries of the people. And the people would like to prevent America from having 5½ more years of octogenarian governance, whether it’s President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump again. Here is a very idealistic...
Gary Franks: The root causes of mass shootings and inner-city homicides
Democrats should stop demagoguing the gun issue on “how” people are dying and focus instead on “why” people are dying. When guns are involved, there is a 84% homicide rate for Black youths under the age of 18, according to a recent Pew Research Center study. The use of guns...
Gary Franks: Tenn. duo wrongly removed from office while fighting wrong fight
The two Black state representatives from Tennessee — let’s call them the Tennessee Duo — who were kicked out of the state Legislature this month for breaking rules of order (while protesting in the chamber during a debate on gun legislation) brought back memories. Protesting wrongs is truly what Dr....
Gary Franks: The crew of the Titanic was also distracted and used poor judgment
Next week marks the 111th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. That tragedy did not just happen by chance. Arrogant people who boasted that the ship was invincible played a major role. The “best engineers” determined that even if the “unsinkable” ship were to start sinking, it would take...
Gary Franks: Biden’s use of Vice President Kamala Harris
The good news for President Joe Biden is that his approval rating, as reported by a recent AP-NORC poll, stands at 38%. This is his second worst rating in his presidency, slightly better than his 36% in July 2022. Yes, that is his “good” news. It should be worse. Vice...
Gary Franks: NBA great Willis Reed — a gentle giant and friend
An NBA great has passed away — Willis Reed. His 10-year basketball career with the New York Knicks was outstanding and will be remembered by all who followed the game during those years. Reed, a Hall of Famer, was a class act, team player, captain, MVP, All-Star, two-time NBA champion...
Gary Franks: Politicians need constitutionally enforced age limits
If elections were held today the biggest and best-known two names would be paired against each other again. One would win, and I believe America would lose. President Joe Biden is 80 years old. He will be 82 in 2024, and, if reelected, would complete a second term at the...
Gary Franks: New England Republicans missing in the House of Representatives
Once upon a time, there were Republicans in New England serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. I know this because in 1996 — the year I lost my attempt for a fourth term in office — the rug was pulled out from GOP members of that institution. We had...
Gary Franks: We need better handling of Black issues
This is the third time in U.S. history that the “Black issue” is being handled poorly with a serious need for correction. All three instances were caused by greed, ignorance or “because they could.” No one was watching; little oversight. The Civil War is the first and most obvious instance....
Gary Franks: George H.W. Bush and Rep. Adam Clayton Powell on civil rights
I will always fondly remember from my political career two individuals. They were different as night and day. One was a Republican president who became my friend and the other a Democrat born in Connecticut who would become my congressional role model — even though I never met him, as...
Gary Franks: The real cost of racism? Nearly a trillion dollars every year.
Racists and those who perpetuate unfair employment practices participate in and are an integral part of costing the United States trillions of dollars yearly. Yes, that’s more than what we spend on the entire defense budget. With this money, we could in 10 years approach eliminating our $31 trillion debt,...
Gary Franks: Black History Month surprise — are Reps. White and Franks cousins?
I did not realize that Rep. George White, R-N.C., the last Black member of Congress in the 19th century, was very likely my cousin. It is my Black History Month surprise. White and I have had a common mission. In his last speech on the House floor which was titled...
Gary Franks: Our 21st-century Klansmen no longer have sheets and hoods
Maybe I have been too exposed to the Ku Klux Klan and their sympathizers over the years — whether they were dressed in white robes or now wearing Brooks Brothers suits. I have had classic KKK experiences. As a youngster I was a victim of the KKK when they burned...
Gary Franks: Comparing Biden’s document handling with past presidents’ misdeeds
In U.S. history there may never have been a time when a sitting president of the United States grossly mishandled or did not properly secure classified documents until President Joe Biden. Depending on what is contained in the documents and who had access to them, significant damage could have been...
Gary Franks: Biden’s classified documents problem 
No. No one planted the various top secret and/or classified documents in the University of Pennsylvania office of President Joe Biden or in Biden’s locked garage where he also keeps his Corvette. And no one planted the documents inside his Delaware home either. An overly zealous Black Democrat congressman recently...
Gary Franks: Republicans, be careful what you ask for
It’s newly elected Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. It ended like it should have begun. All the action witnessed, I believed, could have and should have been played out before Jan. 3. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe America needed to see this play out. For a while, I...
Gary Franks: Pope Benedict — sex abuse scandals and collateral damage
In Pope Benedict’s final letter, he asked for forgiveness. In the past, Benedict acknowledged “his failure to act decisively at times in confronting sexual abusers.” The priest sex abuse scandals over the decades have been shocking and horrific. The issue has been debilitating to those directly and indirectly affected. More...
Gary Franks: Democrats’ use of the ‘family card’ is disgraceful
I hate when the Democratic Party and their supportive liberal media use a person’s family member to attack, hurt or help a Black candidate for office. In most instances the family member is used to hurt the Black candidate if he is a Republican and help the Black candidate if...
Gary Franks: Selecting House speaker should not be that hard
The House Republicans are poised to do the unimaginable — prove to the nation that as bad and incompetent as the Democrats have been lately, the GOP could actually be worse. Could showing harmony on the first day of the new Congress by smoothly electing a House speaker be all...
Gary Franks: A boxing strategy for Ukraine
I want to believe that Ukrainians in time will push the Russians out of their country. Afghanistan did just that back in the 1980s. I see Ukraine being able to do the same. But fighting in this manner, going “toe to toe” with Russia, may not be the best approach....
Gary Franks: Should America be thankful for the midterm results?
Politically, America has much to be thankful for this holiday season. Our democracy is strong. Democrats and Republicans have something to cheer about. Most importantly, from a policy perspective, America should have a change in direction. For the Senate, the Republicans only had to win one seat and hold their...


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