Peter Lemiska column
Peter Lemiska is a freelance writer and former Senior Special Agent of the U.S. Secret Service. He has a BA degree in psychology.
Having spent more than 28 years in government, including eight years in the Air Force, he is deeply concerned about various issues affecting our society, particularly ethics in government.
Peter has lived abroad at various times for more than seven years, and had the opportunity to learn Italian. More importantly, his extensive worldwide travel has given him a broad perspective on American politics.
You can see more of Peter's opinion pieces at opinioneditorials.com. He welcomes feedback at plemis2@hotmail.com.
Having spent more than 28 years in government, including eight years in the Air Force, he is deeply concerned about various issues affecting our society, particularly ethics in government.
Peter has lived abroad at various times for more than seven years, and had the opportunity to learn Italian. More importantly, his extensive worldwide travel has given him a broad perspective on American politics.
You can see more of Peter's opinion pieces at opinioneditorials.com. He welcomes feedback at plemis2@hotmail.com.
Subscribe to Peter's columnPeter Lemiska
May 19, 2013
The killing of four American diplomats in Benghazi last September has again become front-page news following the recent testimony by government whistleblowers.
. . .
Peter Lemiska
March 12, 2013
Those lucky enough to live in free societies generally take a dim view of socialist and communist regimes, sometimes referring to supporters of those ideologies . . .
Peter Lemiska
December 27, 2012
In the wake of yet another slaughter of innocent victims — this time the most innocent of victims — many Americans are more galvanized than ever . . .
Peter Lemiska
November 8, 2012
The long-awaited election is finally over. Half the country is elated, and the other half is numb. During the weeks leading up to the election, Republicans had . . .
Peter Lemiska
November 2, 2012
Pundits tell us that presidential elections inevitably hinge on the country's prevailing economic condition. More than a decade ago, the Clinton campaign used . . .
Peter Lemiska
October 18, 2012
As the election approaches, many wonder why, considering the country's desperate economic situation, Barack Obama is still able to maintain relatively high poll . . .
Peter Lemiska
August 21, 2012
Barack Obama is once again unleashing his formidable campaign skills as he prepares for the upcoming election. But facing shrinking poll numbers and growing . . .
Peter Lemiska
June 23, 2012
The facts are indisputable. On December 14, 2010, Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was shot and killed by drug cartel members just north of the Mexican border. . . .
Peter Lemiska
June 12, 2012
Most Americans define capitalism simply as free enterprise, or the opportunity to create wealth with minimal government interference. Historically, it has been . . .
Peter Lemiska
May 17, 2012
Oh, those Republicans are a nasty, hateful lot! Listening to the musings of Senator Harry Reid, the Reverend Al Sharpton, Governor Howard Dean, just plain Cher, . . .
Peter Lemiska
April 10, 2012
As of this date, no one knows — that is, no one should know — the Supreme Court's decision regarding the constitutionality of the Affordable Health . . .
Peter Lemiska
March 29, 2012
Although the President still enjoys a fiercely loyal base, he is facing some undeniable obstacles in the upcoming election. Regardless of the pending Supreme . . .
Peter Lemiska
February 27, 2012
Most analysts agree that Iran has been feverishly working to develop a nuclear weapon, and that a nuclear-armed Iran would present a grave threat, not only to . . .
Peter Lemiska
February 8, 2012
Barack Obama's recent comments at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington have caused a stir among conservatives in general, and particularly among . . .
Peter Lemiska
December 12, 2011
Not long ago, Herman Cain was a clear favorite to win the Republican nomination for President. He was seen as a likeable, yet savvy businessman and a bold . . .
Peter Lemiska
November 23, 2011
In a belated response to the birther movement, earlier this year the White House released Barack Obama's "long form" birth certificate. Everyone believed it . . .
Peter Lemiska
September 25, 2011
It's no secret that Barack Obama and the Democrats want to raise taxes on the wealthy, but if they expect their plan to resonate with mainstream America, they . . .
Peter Lemiska
September 5, 2011
The economy is in shambles, and Barack Obama is running out of excuses.
For two and a half years, he blamed President Bush. It was a fairly effective . . .
Peter Lemiska
August 22, 2011
In recent years, the entire country has been focused on its plunging economy. Housing prices are at historic lows, and the jobless rate is at 9.1%. The number . . .
Peter Lemiska
July 9, 2011
"It is better that ten guilty persons escape than one innocent suffer." So wrote Eighteenth Century legal scholar William Blackstone, whose writings helped form . . .
Peter Lemiska
September 22, 2010
On October 31st, many Americans will observe the centuries-old tradition of Halloween. It's evolved over the years, and though now mostly for kids, many enjoy . . .
Peter Lemiska
August 14, 2010
As Barack Obama's poll numbers continue to spiral downward, many are beginning to doubt his chances for re-election in 2012. Some are even wondering if he . . .
Peter Lemiska
March 23, 2010
After months of wrangling, arm-twisting, deal-making, and a series of surreal events, Obamacare has become law, despite overwhelming public opposition and . . .
Peter Lemiska
March 8, 2010
On March 3, Barack Obama announced, with obvious frustration, that the health care debate was over. Everything to say has been said, and every argument has . . .
Peter Lemiska
January 22, 2010
Most of us over the age of 50 remember the epic World War II film, "The Bridge on the River Kwai." It told a powerful story of the courage and determination of . . .
Peter Lemiska
January 17, 2010
Congress and the administration appear more determined than ever to saddle the American people with their vision of health care reform, even in the face of . . .
Peter Lemiska
November 16, 2009
Whoever suggested that Barack Obama is not a Christian? Obama's decision to try those GITMO prisoners in New York is the perfect gift for Osama bin Laden and . . .
Peter Lemiska
October 26, 2009
It was nearly a year ago when Americans, inspired by the words of a different, perhaps even revolutionary presidential candidate, flocked to the polls to hand . . .
Peter Lemiska
August 3, 2009
Conspiracy theories have always been around, scoffed at by most as the products of half truths, distorted truths, unanswered questions, and wild imaginations. . . .
Peter Lemiska
October 20, 2008
There once was a young man from the Windy City to the North. He was a bright and arrogant young man with boundless ambition. But what made him extraordinary was . . .
Peter Lemiska
September 8, 2008
Politicians love to play with words. Like attorneys defending guilty clients, many of them are absolute wizards at obscuring the obvious. They do it by spinning . . .
Peter Lemiska
March 15, 2008
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Hillary Clinton was supposed to waltz onto the convention floor unopposed, a triumphant symbol of the strides made by the . . .
Peter Lemiska
January 11, 2008
On the day prior to the New Hampshire primaries, virtually every poll predicted a decisive victory for Barack Obama. Pundits were predicting that Hillary . . .
Peter Lemiska
November 17, 2007
We Americans have become pretty cynical about politics and most recognize that politicians have one overriding goal: to get votes and win elections. And they do . . .
Peter Lemiska
September 23, 2007
John Coatsworth, one of the deans at Columbia University, recently made a breathtaking analogy about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's upcoming visit to . . .
Peter Lemiska
September 20, 2007
Many have suggested recently that Republicans are eagerly anticipating Senator Clinton's nomination by the Democrats, not because they support her policies, but . . .
Peter Lemiska
April 8, 2007
Sandy Berger's self-described "mistake" has all but faded from the headlines and will soon become, if he and his fellow Democrats are lucky, just a footnote in . . .
Peter Lemiska
March 29, 2007
Four years after it began, the war in Iraq is clearly not going as the administration had hoped, and it's pretty clear that most of the country would like to . . .
Peter Lemiska
January 12, 2007
More than five years have passed, but it seems like only yesterday that the country watched in horror as the second tower of the World Trade Center was stuck by . . .
Peter Lemiska
November 6, 2006
Diogenes the Cynic was a Greek philosopher who, the story goes, spent his entire life in a futile search for an honest man.
We like to think that his quest . . .
Peter Lemiska
November 2, 2006
Back in the late 1960s, when anti-war hysteria was tearing the nation apart, protestors drew no distinction between the war they so reviled and our warriors. . . .
Peter Lemiska
September 26, 2006
What with issues like the war on terrorism, the economy, and the upcoming elections, it's hard to imagine a former president generating a whole lot of media . . .
Peter Lemiska
August 12, 2006
Those who follow boxing know that it can be a brutal sport, one that would be much more brutal were it not for the Queensbury Rules. Those basic regulations . . .
Peter Lemiska
April 6, 2006
Growing up in a small New Jersey town in the 1950s, racism was unknown to me. We had, as I recall, one black classmate. In those days, we would have used the . . .
Peter Lemiska
February 2, 2006
By now, more than 2,200 U.S. service members have died in Iraq. They all volunteered to serve their country, and most were there for the noblest of reasons — . . .
Peter Lemiska
January 22, 2006
Hypocrisy: "The practice of falsely presenting an appearance of virtue or falsely professing a belief to which one's own character or conduct does not conform. . . .
Peter Lemiska
December 23, 2005
Many Americans still see our war on terrorism as a metaphor, nothing more than a clever phrase concocted by the administration to justify unpopular defensive . . .
Peter Lemiska
November 14, 2005
As the President struggles to regain his footing, his supporters — and there still are a few — wonder why his job approval rating is so low. The economy is in . . .
Peter Lemiska
August 12, 2005
In November 2003, I wrote an opinion piece entitled "Hillary Who?" about Senator Clinton's widely publicized Thanksgiving visit to our troops in Afghanistan and . . .
Peter Lemiska
July 18, 2005
The sweet smell of scandal is filling their nostrils, and like a school of hungry hammerheads, the Democrats have begun to close in for the final feeding frenzy . . .
Peter Lemiska
May 1, 2005
I remember, as a young boy, running away from home on more than one occasion when things didn't go exactly as I wanted. When I was convinced that my parents . . .
Peter Lemiska
April 11, 2005
The fate of one of the biggest names in the music industry will soon be in the hands of 12 average citizens, but the array of pathetic characters that has . . .
Peter Lemiska
October 30, 2004
The most important issue of this election is the threat of international terrorism, and on November 2nd, we will choose a President to continue the war against . . .
Peter Lemiska
October 4, 2004
The long-awaited first presidential debate is behind us, and a good number of Republicans candidly agree with all the Democrats that John Kerry gave an . . .
Peter Lemiska
September 16, 2004
Everyone remembers the children's story about the arrogant emperor who is tricked into buying a very special fabric, a unique material suitable only for a man . . .
Peter Lemiska
September 2, 2004
One of the most powerful speeches delivered at the Republican convention drew a clear distinction between the leadership abilities of the two presidential . . .
Peter Lemiska
August 21, 2004
"I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty."
With those words and at every opportunity since then, Senator Kerry and fellow Democrats have bombarded us with . . .
Peter Lemiska
August 3, 2004
By now, we all know that presidential candidates traditionally enjoy a significant bump up in the polls following their week-long convention, but for some . . .
Peter Lemiska
June 25, 2004
Those who seek public office, it seems, have something in common with actors. Their success hinges on one important element: acceptance by the masses. Talent, . . .
Peter Lemiska
April 2, 2004
On March 24, Richard Clarke, former White House counterterrorism advisor and author, testified before the 9-11 commission, formally known as the National . . .
Peter Lemiska
March 17, 2004
The recent series of events in Spain highlighted one important difference between American and European mentality. They also show why the President was forced . . .
Peter Lemiska
February 12, 2004
Courthouses throughout the world are adorned with bronze figures of a woman holding the sword of justice in one hand and a balance scale in the other. Modeled . . .
Peter Lemiska
January 11, 2004
A well-known writer once observed that most men lead lives of quiet desperation.
As the 2004 election approaches, however, the desperation of the Democratic . . .
Peter Lemiska
December 8, 2003
Well, Linda Tripp is in the news again. Her recent interview by Larry King resurrected a lot of memories about a sordid affair that most of us would rather . . .
Peter Lemiska
November 30, 2003
If our American soldiers in Baghdad were shocked and awed by the President's surprise Thanksgiving Day visit, Senator Clinton must have been absolutely . . .
Peter Lemiska
November 6, 2003
People across the country were fascinated, amused, delighted, and outraged by California's recall election. Voters there blamed the governor's incompetence for . . .
