My nomination for American hero of the 20th century is someone who lived half his life in disguise and the other half as the world’s most recognizable man.

WASHINGTON — “Horrible customer service.” That’s what the newly fired IRS commissioner averred was the agency’s only sin in singling out conservative political groups for discriminatory treatment.

I gave an exam last week, and one student showed up 25 minutes late. When the hour ended and I collected the papers, he looked up from his seat, cast a pitiable glance and mumbled, “Please, I got here late — may I have another 20 minutes?”

Today is National Missing Children Day.

Everyone knows that when the 1994 gun control law expired 10 years later, the number of gun crimes rose considerably, leading to today’s much-higher-than-the-historic-average rates of criminal offenses with firearms.

Many states have turned to contractor-operated prisons as a way to help ease their budget problems.

Does a killer tornado really sound like a freight train?

Many states have turned to contractor-operated prisons as a way to help ease their budget problems.

We’ve got too much law enforcement — and it’s too expensive!

WASHINGTON — Smoking’s not allowed on Washington’s Metro system. But what about e-smoking?