Author Archives: Ed Kowalski

I pay attention to Virginia politics for a reason that has nothing to do with party labels: my best friend lives there. When decisions are made in Richmond, they don’t feel theoretical to me. They feel personal. They affect a place where someone I care about raises a family, drives the same roads every day,Continue reading “Virginia’s Line in the Sand: When a Governor Chooses Distance Over Duty”

A Valley Viewpoint Narrative Politics loves the word listening. Listening tour. Listening session. Listening to the people. It sounds humble. It sounds inclusive. It sounds safe. But listening is not a passive act when you hold power. And who you choose to listen to—who you legitimize simply by sharing space—tells the public exactly who mattersContinue reading “Who Gets a Seat at the Table”

It’s been fifty years since we walked out of Xavier High School — fifty years since uniform shirts and polished shoes gave way to whatever life had waiting for us. Yet no matter how far we’ve gone — careers, families, losses, triumphs — something about Xavier has continued to live inside us. We didn’t understandContinue reading “Xavier ’76: Fifty Years Later — Still Shaped, Still Connected”

“Due process” is one of the most revered principles in American law. It exists to restrain government power, ensure fairness, and protect against arbitrary punishment. It is essential. But somewhere along the way, due process has been narrowed—spoken of almost exclusively in terms of the accused—while the people who suffer the harm have been pushedContinue reading “The Forgotten Side of Due Process: Victims”

There are moments when a nation has to decide whether laws are real—or merely aspirational. That moment has arrived in Minneapolis. What is happening there is no longer protest in any meaningful civic sense. It is organized, sustained violence aimed at stopping the enforcement of federal law. When crowds attack federal officers, torch property, blockadeContinue reading “When Local Government Fails, the Constitution Does Not”

There was a time—not long ago—when sex was understood in law and daily life as binary: male and female. That clarity no longer exists, at least not in New York City. In 2019, under Mayor Bill de Blasio, the New York City Commission on Human Rights released official guidance recognizing 31 distinct gender identities, allContinue reading “From Two Categories to Thirty-One: How NYC Redefined Gender in Law”

A Valley Viewpoint Narrative There was a time when the State of the State was meant to do exactly that—describe the condition of New York. Not the polling. Not the campaign strategy. Not the governor’s re-election roadmap.This year’s address from Kathy Hochul felt less like an accounting of where New York stands and more likeContinue reading “Kathy Hochul’s State of the State: A Campaign Speech Disguised as Leadership”

Before Little v. Hecox becomes shorthand for something larger, it’s worth grounding it in what the case actually asks the Supreme Court to decide. At its core, Little v. Hecox challenges Idaho’s “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” a law that restricts participation in women’s and girls’ school sports to athletes designated female at birth. TheContinue reading “Little v. Hecox — What the Case Is, and how the Supreme Court Might Decide It”

There’s a moment in every campaign announcement where you learn what a candidate really thinks the job is. In Dave Siegal’s announcement to run again for the District 3 seat on the Dutchess County Legislature, that moment comes quickly. Siegal is not new to local politics. He is a familiar figure in Democratic circles inContinue reading “When Local Races Become National Therapy Sessions”