Articles
May 31, 2005
The big set-up
Richard Baehr
Haaretz reported yesterday that charges, possibly under the Espionage Act of 1917, will be filed very soon by the Justice Department against two former AIPAC officials, Steve Rosen, and Keith Weissman. The most disturbing part of the story is buried... More
May 31, 2005
Forget about diplomacy with Iran
Olivier Guitta
Iran has become the hottest ticket in town. Not a day goes by without a headline, book, conference or declaration by a world leader on Iran. For the moment, nothing has been getting more attention than the negotiations between Iran... More
May 31, 2005
He knows better
Dennis Sevakis
There are four women, three politicos and one 'journalist' (I know already I'm in trouble for this!) whom I find exceptionally ditzy when voicing their opinions. They are Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D—CA, House Minority Leader; Sen. Barbara Boxer, D—CA; Rep.... More
May 30, 2005
Memorial Day meditation
John B. Dwyer
'Memory n. 1. The mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experience; the ability to remember. 2. An act or instance of remembrance; a recollection... see smer in Appendix.' 'smer — to remember. In Germanic murnon, to remember sorrowfully, in... More
May 30, 2005
A very American hero
Christopher Chantrill
Eight years ago, on March 20,1997, American hero John R. Boyd was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. He was 70. John Boyd was an Air Force fighter jock who learned physics and thermodynamics so he could translate his... More
May 29, 2005
The Balkans fiasco continues
Douglas Hanson
On this Memorial Day weekend, we think back and remember the valiant courage and heroic sacrifices of those United States Military men and women who gave their all for us. War is almost always bloody. But the peace it can... More
May 29, 2005
Remembering Day
Emily Younger
'MARINES,' the T—shirt proclaims boldly, with bright gold letters outlined in red, each letter about eight inches high. Above that, a red Marine corps seal, then the phrase 'DETERMINATION BRINGS EXCELLENCE,' then, underneath (in case you missed the first one),... More
May 28, 2005
A Brief Explanation of the Trinity
James Arlandson
What is the Trinity all about, anyway? Why do Christians believe in this doctrine? What does it teach? Is it that important? What do Muslims believe about it? This article addresses these questions and more. As for Islam, Muhammad promises... More
May 28, 2005
Wee willie WaPo
Dennis Sevakis
In the '70's TV series Kung Fu, David Carradine's Kwai Chang Caine, affectionately known as 'Grasshopper', is told by one of his masters that when he is so graceful that he can adroitly walk upon the rice paper without leaving... More
May 27, 2005
Hirsi Ali: the empowered apostate
Andrew G. Bostom
Leaving Islam can be hazardous. Apostasy is a capital crime in a number of Islamic countries. But even in elite conservative circles in the United States, there is a tendency to dismiss or at least ignore some important former Muslims... More
May 27, 2005
Fearful of the light
John B. Dwyer
Her story is now fairly well known. Born to sharecroppers in Luverne, Alabama, Associate Justice Janice Rogers Brown became the first African—American woman to sit on the California Supreme Court. Prior to that, this champion of judicial restraint was Deputy... More
May 27, 2005
Nagging questions about the war in Iraq
Rachel Neuwirth
Nagging questions about the Iraq war remain unanswered. Both advocates and opponents have failed to address a range of issues even when they seemingly could be used to bolster their respective positions. Until and unless we obtain answers to some... More
May 26, 2005
Castro defied by open opposition in Cuba
Stefania Lapenna
The Cuban resistance — on the island itself — has celebrated its first open—air conference in Havana on May 20th and 21st. More than two hundred delegates from more than 350 opposition groups traveled from several Cuban provinces to Havana,... More
May 26, 2005
America betrayed: the judicial filibuster 'compromise'
Christopher G. Adamo
It will be some time before the full impact of this week's sellout by seven so—called 'moderate' Republicans in the U.S. Senate becomes completely apparent. The plan to break Democrat filibusters of judicial nominees was, in reality, no less than... More
May 26, 2005
The Great Senate Con Job of 2005
Roy Lofquist
The denouement of the filibuster kerfuffle has caused an epidemic of twisted britches, purple faces and befuddled expressions. Observers are perplexed and divided for a very good reason. It is a quite deliberate outcome, reflecting a long established if seldom—admitted political strategy.... More
May 25, 2005
A talent for intelligence
Herbert E. Meyer
If your objective were to place a beacon atop a mountain, would you: A: Get a beacon and place it atop the mountain, or B: Get a beacon, suspend it in mid—air near the mountain using poles, wires and helicopters,... More
May 25, 2005
Run the film backwards
Joseph L. Masi
Imagine a tiny videoscope placed in a woman's womb well before she became pregnant, and connected by a wireless hookup to a motion picture camera that is outside her body. Let the make—believe camera run continuously until she delivers and... More
May 24, 2005
Steals and deals
Thomas Lifson
There is a surprising amount of ambivalence among the pundits about the last—minute deal fashioned by 14 Senators yesterday to avoid a decisive end to the conflict over the filibustering of judicial appointees. Almost all are certain that their side... More
May 24, 2005
What's so great about Oprah?
Bob Weir
Weir Thinking About It Last Saturday, thousands of screaming fans paid a minimum of $185 apiece to attend a motivational seminar given by a television icon who has mesmerized a generation with her ability to seem like the girl next... More
May 24, 2005
Dear Senate Democrats
Tom Joseph
I am a rank and file Democrat. My parents and grandparents were Democrats. As a Democrat, I am extremely concerned with the filibusters that you have used against many of the President's nominations to the federal bench. The back—room deal... More
May 23, 2005
Slurring Bush at the New York Times
Richard Baehr
The utter disdain of New York Times reporters for President Bush makes a mockery of the supposed "separation of church and state" (putatively reporting neutrally, editorializing from the left) in their brand of journalism. The Times' condescension or loathing of... More
May 23, 2005
Ruthless vs. Relentless
Christopher Chantrill
A couple of weeks ago the left—wing blogger Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos told us what the Angry Left is all about. We will be quick, ruthless, and diligent. We won't show mercy, because we haven't gotten any. We... More
May 23, 2005
Blogs versus the Boycott
James Lewis
Do homosexuals have a right to live? Do Blacks? What about Muslims?In my mind those questions are simply indecent to ask. They trivialize genocide. Yet when it comes to Israel, its right to live is a wide open question for... More
May 22, 2005
Go tell it on the Hill
Dennis Sevakis
Moses may have parted the Red Sea, Jesus graciously transmuted water into wine, but Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania's junior Senator, is gearing up to convert blue states into red ones. So would sports writer Michael Sokolove have you believe in his... More
May 22, 2005
The Eagle and the Serpents
Russ Vaughn
Such discord now 'tween you and us,Mainstream Media and populace:You envenom all that we hold dear,And revel in those things we fear. You denigrate our national prideTaking always now the others' side.A Media mamba, a poisonous pestThat lurks within our... More
May 22, 2005
Bush won! (in Holland, too)
P.J. Costello
Their websites promised a 'warm welcome' for George W. Bush on May 7, one day before his arrival to celebrate Victory in Europe Day with the Dutch. Their posters carried an image of the U.S. President under a 'Wanted' headline... More
May 21, 2005
Tech Note: searching your own files
Dennis Sevakis
You get that for which you pay. Google now offers a desktop version of their billion—dollar search engine for free! That's right, free! Well, one must spend some time with installation, option selection and waiting for the indexing engine to... More
May 20, 2005
Military-haters in the press
Ed Lasky
The last few years have seen a heightened awareness of the mainstream media's anti—military bias. Plenty of people are noticing it, and even some media brand name correspondents are admitting it. There is plenty of evidence. The New York Times... More
May 20, 2005
Iran's military challenge
Mehran Riazaty
The last week's lethal anti—American demonstrations in many countries across the Islamic world, with about 15 people killed during an protest in Afghanistan, serve as yet another reminder of the widespread Muslim hostility faced by the United States. Muslim clerics... More
May 20, 2005
The new status quo
Steve Feinstein
One of the only good things about a long morning commute is that it affords one the time to listen at length to morning talk radio. The longest—running national morning political/current events talk show may be Imus in the Morning. It's an... More
May 19, 2005
Newsweek and the Age of Deadly Propaganda
Noel Sheppard
Newsweek's retraction of its May 9, 2005 article concerning American investigators desecrating the Koran at a detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba —— along with what many believe to be a rather halfhearted apology by its editor, Mark Whitaker ——... More
May 19, 2005
Shilling for Citgo
A. M. Mora y Leon
In the U.S., it's come like a wave. All of a sudden, far—left media outlets are shilling, embarrassingly enough, for a dreaded Giant Corporation (an oil company!), Citgo, the refining and gasoline retailer once known as Cities Service. Formerly best—known for a... More
May 19, 2005
Are liberals begging for it?
Ronald Wieck
The rules of engagement governing the Tower of Babel that passes for political discourse nowadays trace their intellectual roots to World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., although some of the original sophistication has been stripped away. Designed to minimize brainwork, they encourage... More
May 18, 2005
Harvard is wasting $50 million
Thomas Lifson
Harvard University, in the wake of intense criticism of its President Lawrence Summers for daring to entertain a hypothesis that women and men may differ in their abilities to undertake science, has announced a plan to buy—off its critics. Harvard University... More
May 18, 2005
The Qur'an flushing stress test
Andrew G. Bostom
Exercise testing, or 'stress testing' has been employed routinely since the mid—1960s for both the diagnosis and prognosis of coronary artery disease, or 'hardening of the arteries'. For two decades, as both an allied health professional, and a physician, I... More
May 18, 2005
Flogging and stoning adulterers in the Quran
James Arlandson
As recent as April 2004, a Swiss court annulled a government decision that fired Hani Ramadan for publicly defending the punishment of stoning adulterers to death. He takes the standard line of Muslim apologists (defenders of Islam) that without stoning sexual... More
May 17, 2005
'Very, very bleak'
Thomas Lifson
Democrats, sustained by a mainstream media in friendly hands, can handle election losses, at least when facing the cameras. Deprived of a Senate majority, they are capable of unprecedented filibuster threats to block judicial appointments, while simultaneously blustering about supposed... More
May 17, 2005
Europatsies
James Lewis
Americans like to think that Europeans are sophisticated, and no doubt some of them are. But not in politics. Politically, the peoples of Europe regularly head for the very worst ideas on the horizon. It is a kind of neurotic... More
May 17, 2005
Please don't run, Newt
Rick Moran
Even his enemies concede that Newt Gingrich is a visionary. Listening to him give a speech or engage in a colloquy with Brian Lamb of C—SPAN, one is astonished at the sheer volume of ideas that spring forth from his... More
May 16, 2005
The Social Security bait-and-switch scheme
Noel Sheppard
As amazing as it might seem in the midst of the current Social Security debate, the first reforms to our national retirement program were actually initiated by its founder, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, less than three years after he signed it... More
May 16, 2005
Gunning it in Central Park
Bob Weir
It was around the early 1970's, and New York City was experiencing a wave of robbery—homicides of taxi drivers. A team of 3 male blacks was killing cab drivers after forcing them to drive to Harlem neighborhoods and taking their... More
May 16, 2005
Bush's battlefield position trumps the Democrats
Christopher Chantrill
The critics of the President in the mainstream media are shocked to discover that, after the first 100 days of his second administration, he is stuck in a "quagmire." They note his languishing popularity, the so—far losing fight over Social Security,... More
May 15, 2005
Two birds…one stone
Russ Vaughn
While driving through El Paso recently, I heard a caller to a talk—radio program laughingly suggest that we should embed Army recruiters within the frontline ranks of the Border Patrol so that they could sign up illegal immigrants and thus... More
May 15, 2005
Sufi Jihad?
Andrew G. Bostom
The Sufi branch of Islam has enjoyed spectacularly good press in the West. Hailed as peaceful mystics who believe jihad is a spiritual quest, nothing violent or unpleasant, Sufism has attracted favorable attention and converts from all sorts of Westerners,... More
May 14, 2005
The ACLU campaign to advance communist goals
William J. Becker Jr.
[editor's note: normally, we do not reprint articles which appear elsewhere. However, we are making an exception for this one by our contributor William Becker, Jr. It is available only via subscription to readers of the Los Angeles and... More
May 13, 2005
Senate Democrats: plenty of trees, but no forest in sight
Thomas Lifson
The nomination of John Bolton to be United States Ambassador to the United Nations once again demonstrates the tactical brilliance of the national Democrats. Until the campaign against him was in full bloom, I had never suspected that personal abruptness,... More
May 13, 2005
The ghettoization of Israel
James Lewis
The original ghetto was not the home of The Boyz in the Hood. In the Middle Ages ghettos were pathetically overcrowded and walled—in neighborhoods, in which Jews were forced to live, a kind of living prison. The ghetto gates were... More
May 13, 2005
Legacy lost: Ronald Reagan's tax simplification
James A. Leggette and Michael W. Funk
To put it simply, our tax system is unfair, inequitable, counterproductive, and all but incomprehensible. I've mentioned before, and this is absolutely a fact, that even Albert Einstein had to write to the IRS for help with his Form 1040.... More
May 12, 2005
Winning battles and losing wars
Douglas Hanson
The past few weeks saw an understandable wave of articles and television news spots remembering the fall of Saigon 30 years ago. Everyone had his own take on the significance of it all. The left continues to pound the 'limits... More
May 12, 2005
Laura Bush's Coming Out Party
Selwyn Duke
Sometimes news stories share a common thread that's invisible to most, one that's invisible because it's common to most. Last week there were a few such stories in the news, stories about events whose motivating spirits were kindred ones. One... More
May 12, 2005
Southern Baptists and government schools
Christopher G. Adamo
Far too few among the Christian community are willing to remain steadfast in their beliefs, in the face of the enormous pressures of liberal social change. Fortunately, Bruce N. Shortt exemplifies the meaning of such worthy resolve. Last year Shortt,... More
May 11, 2005
The North Korean nuclear crisis
Frederick W. Stakelbeck, Jr.
Frustrated by the collapse of six—party talks designed to end the North Korean nuclear program, President Bush last week said of North Korean despot Kim Jong—Il: 'There is concern about his capacity to deliver a nuclear weapon. When you are... More
May 11, 2005
Things could get much worse across our southern border
A. M. Mora y Leon
Leftist Mexico City mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a potential Hugo Chavez who may be ruling Mexico by 2007, is now accused by a Mexican newspaper of allowing city funds to bankroll weapons purchases for Mexican Marxist guerrillas. If that's true,... More
May 11, 2005
Public diplomacy in the Middle East
Joseph Ghougassian
What should the United States do to win the minds and hearts of people in the Middle East? Much of the world's media and most intellectual elites oppose us, probably the inevitable result of our unquestioned pre—eminence, militarily, economically, and... More
May 10, 2005
The New Strategery: Why America needs new allies
James Lewis
The year is 2007. Iran explodes its first nuclear device. Its missiles can now reach Paris and London. In response, Europe does nothing; in its customary fashion, it tries to buy peace. Now that Iran is invulnerable to attack, it... More
May 10, 2005
Mexicans are not the problem, terrorists are.
Bob Weir
Weir Thinking About It Recently, I had an opportunity to speak with a woman who told me she was a regular reader of my column and agreed with me, most of the time. She went on to say that there... More
May 10, 2005
Subsidizing Palestinians
Richard Baehr
The Los Angeles Times endorses a recent Rand Corporation analysis calling for $33 billion in international aid for the Palestinians over ten years, to build or rebuild their society. The history of providing money to the Palestinian Authority since Olso... More
May 09, 2005
Roosevelt's Social Security plan included private accounts
Noel Sheppard
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's original Social Security plan included provisions that would have allowed people to make personal investments — not altogether different from the private accounts that President Bush is currently proposing. In fact, this was one of three 'necessary principles'... More
May 09, 2005
The albatross myth: boomers need not bankrupt us
Jeff Goldsmith
The advance patrol of the 76 million baby boom generation reaches age 65 in the year 2011. Catastropharian pundits and forecasters are already warning about a 'demographic time bomb' and a potential doubling of our tax burden to care for... More
May 09, 2005
Boycott the boycott
James Lewis
An academic obscenity is taking place in Britain. On April 28, the union bosses who claim to represent some 50,000 university professors in the UK, voted to boycott two universities in Israel. But they gave the Israeli teachers a choice:... More
May 08, 2005
China and America face off on trade and finance
Brian Schwarz
Many Americans have a conflicting — and often contradictory — image of China. Replacing Japan as America's leading economic rival, China has moved from Mao Zedong's backward agricultural country, consisting mostly of poor farmers, into the world's largest factory... More
May 07, 2005
A new concept of sovereignty
Michael Neibel
When, at his inauguration speech on Jan. 20th President Bush said: 'America speaks anew to the peoples of the world,' he was announcing a new foreign policy for America, which he calls the 'Forward Strategy of Freedom.' Evidently he wants... More
May 07, 2005
The Jews should own the 'Kingdom of Heaven'
James Arlandson
In Ridley Scott's monumental movie, 'The Kingdom of Heaven' (May 2005) (the phrase is another way of saying 'Jerusalem' in the film), the European Crusaders and the Muslim Crusaders fight over the city, with the Muslims coming out victorious. The... More
May 06, 2005
China's growing influence in Africa
Frederick W. Stakelbeck, Jr.
China's rapid ascension as an influential economic and political force in Africa is raising complex questions concerning the security of the African continent and the future of its people. China's involvement on the continent has increased dramatically over the past... More
May 06, 2005
OK, shall we switch to pagan morality?
Dennis Sevakis
America's left has persuaded itself that we stand at the brink of a theocratic abyss. Caricatures of voters who happen to be both politically active and unashamed of their Christian faith are bandied about not just the fever swamps of the... More
May 06, 2005
Hollywood does The Crusades
John B. Dwyer
I don't know about you, but the first time I heard that Hollywood — actually Sir Ridley Scott, a Brit — was doing a movie, Kingdom of Heaven, on the Crusades, I said to self 'Oh no...' In the immediate aftermath of... More
May 05, 2005
Jihad begot the Crusades (2)
Andrew G. Bostom
[Part 1 of this article can be found here] Jihad conquests and early Muslim rule in Syro—Palestine Moshe Gil, in his seminal analysis A History of Palestine, 634—1099, emphasizes the singular centrality that Palestine occupied in the mind of its... More
May 05, 2005
Why Vietnam was lost
Andrew Sumereau
Revisionism is a booming industry for historians. Columbus was once a hero, discoverer of a new world, carrying the glory of Christendom to savage and pagan lands. Today he is a villain, despoiler of paradise, carrying disease and slavery to... More
May 05, 2005
Flying pigs: British Labour plays the race card
James Lewis
Most of us want to think well of the British. We feel a fondness for them, a kind of family tie. Britain seems more like America than the rest of Europe. Historically the United States grew as a sturdy branch... More
May 04, 2005
Jihad begot the Crusades (1)
Andrew G. Bostom
[Part 2, including end notes, can be read here] The New York Times' Alan Riding recently opined that '...[The C]rusades were waged, [by] European monarchs, lords, knights and their armies of devout followers to fight — and settle — in an area... More
May 04, 2005
China's grievances and Japan's politics
John Bergstrom
For decades, optimists in international relations have argued that closer economic integration and growing trade ties between Japan and China could help these two Asian rivals overcome their historical mistrust of each other. But with recent anti—Japan protests in many... More
May 04, 2005
How we won the war in Vietnam
James Lewis
I can just hear the sneers at this headline. Won? The senseless Vietnam War, which killed people for no reason at all? The answer is yes. We won the real war in Vietnam; that war was called the Cold War.... More
May 03, 2005
Les Blogeurs and the Euro Con
James Lewis
I owe an apology to the French. Like others who have seen French politicians in action, I had simply come to the conclusion that contemporary France is hopelessly cynical and self interested. I was wrong. Any country that can produce... More
May 03, 2005
What should we do to save our children?
Bob Weir
Weir Thinking About It Have you ever scared away imaginary monsters so your child can go to sleep? How about the real monsters who snatch children off the street or from their bedrooms in the middle of the night? On... More
May 03, 2005
New Social Security proposal exposes left-wing hypocrisy
Noel Sheppard
At his press conference last Thursday, President Bush added a new 'progressive indexing' proposal to his Social Security reform plan that not only largely resolves the program's imminent insolvency without raising payroll taxes, but also exposes an almost unconscionable hypocrisy... More
May 02, 2005
Is illegal-alien legalization a political spoil?
A. M. Mora y Leon
I went to Saturday's illegal alien rally in Los Angeles, called 'The March for Immigrants' Rights.' About 1,000 people, led by a noisy red—shirt wearing communist party—type contingent waving red banners touting May Day, turned up. After them marched in... More
May 02, 2005
A whiff of panic
Christopher Chantrill
Last week in NRO the eminent theologian and political philosopher Michael Novak gently chided the emotional Andrew Sullivan for his over—the—top criticism of the Catholic Church. It is not true, he wrote, that the papacy of John Paul II saw an... More
May 02, 2005
The headlines of our youth
Kerry Marsala
Scanning the news, the topic of our children plays upon the pages. It would seem that the days of reading heartwarming stories of Little League teams overcoming the odds and winning their division finals have disappeared from news sources across... More
May 01, 2005
Counterpoint: a red state kinda guy, livin' blue
Thomas Lifson
[Charles Coulombe, in his article today, raises issues both familiar and important to many people. Like me.*] I am hopelessly attracted to the blandishments of the big city. Not all big cities, necessarily, but the ones which offer great food,... More
May 01, 2005
Point: red state politics, blue state tastes
Charles A. Coulombe
I was born in Manhattan and raised in Hollywood. Those two facts, plus my Catholic religion, my severely—mixed—but—primarily—Francophone ethnicity, my parents' theatrical background, my father's love of books and history, and the odd circumstances of the 1960s have, together, produced... More
May 01, 2005
Kofi Annan's Jewish gambit
Ed Lasky and Thomas Lifson
Kofi Annan is desperate. The cover—up of the massive Oil—for—Food scandal, the biggest financial fraud in history, is starting to come apart at the seams. Investigators have resigned and will be subpoenaed to testify before the United States Congress. Although... More
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