http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith RSS Feed for DN Col Elmer Smith en-us Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:27:09 GMT 2012-04-11T17:27:09Z en-us http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20120411_Elmer_Smith__GUILTLESS_GUILLEN__Castro-loving_manager_exercises_1st_Amendment_right_to_be_stupid.html APPARENTLY, when Ozzie Guillen was studying for his citizenship test a few years ago, they forgot to cover the part about his God-given right to say stupid stuff. Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:27:09 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20120411_Elmer_Smith__GUILTLESS_GUILLEN__Castro-loving_manager_exercises_1st_Amendment_right_to_be_stupid.html 2012-04-11T17:27:09Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20120321_Elmer_Smith_.html A FTER WEEKS of agitation by an outraged community, the U.S. Justice Department and a Florida prosecutor are finally asking why a town-watch volunteer gunned down a kid armed with nothing more than a soft drink and a bag of Skittles. Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:40:32 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20120321_Elmer_Smith_.html 2012-03-21T12:40:32Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110923_Elmer_Smith__Writing_s_been_a_job__but_hardly_work.html After 22 years of being a columnist, Elmer Smith says goodbye to a job that he says is, "too much fun to call it work." Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:23:16 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110923_Elmer_Smith__Writing_s_been_a_job__but_hardly_work.html 2011-09-23T18:23:16Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110920_Elmer_Smith_.html THE MAYOR'S send-off for Arlene Ackerman sounded like, "Goodbye, Mr. Chips." His more measured praise for former SRC members Robert Archie and Johnny Irizarry just let those chips fall where they may. Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:20:06 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110920_Elmer_Smith_.html 2011-09-20T14:20:06Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110916_Elmer_Smith_.html THERE IS a tacit agreement between a man and a woman when he takes her out for the evening. The implied contract is that, no matter how the date goes, he will return her safely. We learn it as boys, hopefully before our first date. Fri, 16 Sep 2011 07:01:00 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110916_Elmer_Smith_.html 2011-09-16T07:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110902_Elmer_Smith__On_Labor_Day__don_t_forget_the_movement.html A PANEL of experts spent an hour of TV time last month debating this weighty issue: Is organized labor really a special interest? Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:01:00 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110902_Elmer_Smith__On_Labor_Day__don_t_forget_the_movement.html 2011-09-02T07:01:00Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110826_Elmer_Smith__Time_for_Ackerman_to_get_specific_with_her_accusations.html WHATEVER ELSE you can say about Arlene Ackerman's $905,000 buyout, you can't call it hush money. The former school-district superintendent has been on blast since she floated to a soft landing in her public/private parachute Wednesday. In extended interviews with Education Week, Fox 29 and WURD-AM, Ackerman unleashed a torrent of direct hits and glancing blows at the mayor and the School Reform Commission. Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:24:56 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110826_Elmer_Smith__Time_for_Ackerman_to_get_specific_with_her_accusations.html 2011-08-26T10:24:56Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110823_Elmer_Smith__Supe_stains__Ackerman_s_gone__but_problems_-_and_SRC_-_remain.html ARLENE ACKERMAN may be the first public official in Philadelphia history to get kicked to the curb and canonized in the same news release. Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:09:28 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110823_Elmer_Smith__Supe_stains__Ackerman_s_gone__but_problems_-_and_SRC_-_remain.html 2011-08-23T11:09:28Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110819_Elmer_Smith_.html TODAY'S reader-poll question is whether President Obama should be taking a vacation while so many Americans are out of work. Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:32:34 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110819_Elmer_Smith_.html 2011-08-19T19:32:34Z http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110805_Elmer_Smith__Playing_the_racist_not_a_racist_game.html IT'S BACK. America's favorite misdirection game, "Racist/Not-a-racist." We've all played it. This is the one in which some public figure gets hauled before the people's court after making an arguably racist remark. Sat, 06 Aug 2011 02:10:40 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/elmer_smith/20110805_Elmer_Smith__Playing_the_racist_not_a_racist_game.html 2011-08-06T02:10:40Z