American Thinker Blog
March 31, 2006
History repeats itself?
Like Linda Richman, of Coffee Talk!, those who read Jose Ortega y Gasset have been "discuss(ing) amongst ourselves" for some time (since 2000 when Barzun told us to in From Dawn To Decadence). His outlook is very much recognizable today. ... More
March 31, 2006
Priest persecuted for "Islamophobia"
More evidence of Euro—wussies giving in to PC. Muslims do not have to push hard against this priest. The PC European crowd is doing the job nicely. James Arlandson 3 31 06... More
March 31, 2006
MNF spokesman on the no-mosque-entered incident
Yesterday, Multi—National Force Iraq spokesman, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch provided further information on the "no mosque entered" incident during his weekly press briefing. Here is what he said. ( To read the entire transcript, go here and scroll down.) At that... More
March 31, 2006
Michigan ballot initiative on racial preferences
Ward Connerly has won and the amendment to the Michigan state constitution banning racial preferences in college admissions and govt hiring will be on the ballot. Here is my blog post with a link to the Free Press article. Matt... More
March 31, 2006
Pakistan gets women combat pilots
I guess Pakistan is not exactly Saudi Arabia. You go girls! Dennis Sevakis 3 31 06... More
March 31, 2006
NYU chooses appeasement
On Wednesday night, NYU chose appeasement over upholding freedom of speech on campus. An NYU—approved Objectivist student group spent significant time, money and effort to advertise to the public its "Unveiling the Danish Cartoons" panel discussion with the administration's knowledge... More
March 31, 2006
Le bunglér
It appears that every time Jacques Chirac meets with Condoleezza Rica he makes a point to imprint an elegant kiss — on her hand in the old—fashioned way. This is certainly a very nice gesture and a nostalgic remainder of... More
March 31, 2006
Carramba! This Gem of a Notion
(Written to the tune, Columbia the Gem of the Ocean) Ay Carramba! This gem of a notion, Forgive all illegals, set them free; This shrine to each liberal's devotion, To give 'em rights same as you and me; Under tri—color... More
March 30, 2006
A signal to Iran
The U.S. is testing a 700 ton explosive device that is not nuclear. The obvious application to bunker—busting in Iran need not be spoken for the message to the mullahs to be quite clear. Via Breitbart.com: The US military plans... More
March 30, 2006
Academic arrogance
The new Chancellor of the University of California, Santa Cruz likes to live on a grand scale. And for some reason, the Regents of the Ubiversity of California have been inclined to indulge Denice Denton's taste for the finer things in... More
March 30, 2006
Islam suppresses other religions in Algeria
Religious freedom is being denied in Algeria. The Algerian parliament has approved a law banning the call to embrace other religions than Islam. This law states to jail anyone "trying to call on a Muslim to embrace another religion," in... More
March 30, 2006
Kos flaunts his moral vanity and ignorance
Markos Moulitas Zuniga, the Kos himself, has written an article on his blog that treats in a highly personal way what a civil war looks like. Mr. Zuniga riffs off the "chickenhawk" meme. He witnessed the guerilla conflict in El Salvador... More
March 30, 2006
The New York Times unmasked
Kudos to our colleagues at Powerline for unmasking New York Times writer's Eric Lichtbau for misleading (that's the charitable word) his readers about hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The topic was FISA, related, of course, to the Left's accusations... More
March 30, 2006
Ghosts of a glorious past
Some five decades ago Whittaker Chambers wrote this in his classic autobiography: They dying world of 1925 was without faith, hope, character, understanding of its malady or will to overcome it. It was dying but it laughed. And this laughter... More
March 30, 2006
Bookstores now surrendering to Shari'a
The liberals were right: our civil liberties are slowly disappearing now that George Bush is president. Of course most of the liberals not only seem to approve of these infringements on our freedoms they initiate them——all in the name of... More
March 30, 2006
Canada's PM Harper and moral leadership
We have been consistently impressed with the leadership of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who is currently in Cancun, Mexico for meetings with Presidents Bush and Fox at a North American summit. We are all the more impressed now, as the... More
March 29, 2006
Middle East heats up
Eagle—eyed Eric Schwappach has spotted three disquieting developments in his reading of the press in somewhat exotic locales. Frequently the news he finds there makes it to the American press and websites in a day or two. 1. Iran's... More
March 29, 2006
More news not fit to print?
You'd think this story would have received wide coverage, wouldn't you? A panel of former Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judges yesterday told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that President Bush did not act illegally when he created by executive... More
March 29, 2006
Anagrams
A reader send in an interesting set of anagrams. Some come from posters at Lucianne.com, while others are his own. 1— GEORGE BUSH rearranged is HE BUGS GORE 2— AL GORE is LA (Spanish for "THE") OGRE (a monster who... More
March 29, 2006
U-boat threat overstated
I think that Mike Burleson has overstated the threat that the new conventional submarines represent to aircraft carriers. There's no question that the new generation of diesel electrical submarines are deadlier then ever. With their advanced sensors and air independent... More
March 29, 2006
Welcome all
We all came from somewhere, didn't we? Each American has a diverse family tree. 'Out of many, one' applies to us all And is the main reason we stand so tall. What makes us great are the strengths that... More
March 29, 2006
NYU's partial surrender to Shari'a-based hecklers
New York University, which is hosting a forum this evening in which the Danish Muhammad cartoons are to be viewed, has partially surrendered to the demands of hecklers seeking to enforce Shari'a—based prohibitions on images of Muhammad. Despite University regulations that... More
March 29, 2006
Update on the no mosque entered incident
In a Pentagon news briefing yesterday with Joint Chiefs Chairman General Peter Pace and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, more information was provided on the "no mosque entered" incident. Gen. Pace showed slides of the main target areas. Here is an excerpt... More
March 29, 2006
No friend of America
Rarely is a liberal America's friend Proudly wearing on his sleeve A dislike of this land. Vasko Kohlmayer 3 29 06... More
March 29, 2006
Ray Robison and the New York Times
The New York Times interviewed Ray Robison on his examination of recently—released intelligence documents. The anonymous sources quoted by the Times found "nothing" much of significance — least of all proof Saddam was working in WMD programs. Ray begs to... More
March 29, 2006
The PCUSA and "replacement theology"
Jim Berkley, Interim Director of Presbyterian Action, writes with a valuable clarification and correction on the position of the Presbyterian Church, USA as described here I read with interest your article in The American Thinker. With much of it I... More
March 28, 2006
Saddam: "The first thing I did ... was to spit in his face."
It's odd, but college students these days are not walking around with little green books called "The Wisdom of Saddam," the way they did with Mao's little red book in the Sixties. Odd thing. But maybe Saddam's words are not... More
March 28, 2006
The pro-privacy party?
Democrat Congressman McDermott was just found by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to have violated Republican Congressman Boehner's privacy rights when he disclosed the illegally tapped phone call between Boehner and Gingrich. A few days ago,... More
March 28, 2006
Th case of the missing prosecutor
In the graft trial against former Illinois Governor Ryan,the jury has deliberated for eight days without a resolution and two jurors were just removed for making false statements in their jury questionaire. To remove jurors so late in the deliberations... More
March 28, 2006
Cap
Caspar Weinberger, who died earlier this morning, was among the greatest Secretaries of Defense in our country's history. It was 'Cap' who single—handedly managed the Reagan—era military buildup that brought the Soviet Union to its knees. When President Reagan took... More
March 28, 2006
Correcting media disinformation - no mosque entered
The March 26 incident may very well have been staged by Moqtada al—Sadr's Mehdi army. The lies were then delivered: US forces entered a mosque and innocent Iraqis were killed. Those lies were then broadcast worldwide as Iraqis protested in the streets. The... More
March 28, 2006
Out of the closet with hypocrisy intact
The distortions, the self deceptions and yes the lies surrounding the misnamed Christian Peacekeeper Teams' hostages continues. Fears that Iraqi captors might harm a Canadian hostage if they knew he was gay forced his partner to remain silent as loved... More
March 28, 2006
More socialized medicine failures
Should the aged be left to die? Apparently socialized medicine in Britain is failing those not only at the beginning of life, where doctors in that oh so civilized nation are asking "Should babies born before the 25th week of... More
March 28, 2006
An alien environmental-wacko species invades Chile
Doug Tompkins, the Bolinas environmentalist who made a billion—dollar fortune on pure unfettered capitalism in the sweatshop— and synthetic—fiber world of the clothing—manufacturing industry in China, has bought some land in Chile and is using it to impose his own... More
March 28, 2006
The Pope and the secret Christians in China
Pope Benedict XVI has expressed a desire to visit China, in the wake of the appointment of chinese Cardinal Zen, one of 15 new members of the College of Cardinals. Many issues remain obstacles, and a Papal visit will not... More
March 28, 2006
They have no shame
Last week the authoress and liberal supporter Erica Jong appeared on the Today Show talking about her illicit sexual fantasies involving Bill Clinton. This sixty—four year lady is a textbook illustration of liberals' profound moral malaise. Having lost their moral... More
March 27, 2006
Hugo Chavez wants your vote
Looking for something to be alarmed about? Forget Dubai. Try Venezuela's potential takeover of the U.S. voting apparatus. A secretive, intransparent company called 'Smartmatic' that's known to have ties to the Venezuelan government, has just bought a U.S. voting machine... More
March 27, 2006
Time Magazine's loose cannon
The last time we took note of Michael Ware, Time Magazine's Baghdad correspondent, it was to comment on his decision to embed himself with troops fighting in Iraq. Troops on the other side, that is. He continues true to form.... More
March 27, 2006
Interrogation techniques and the Christian"peace" activists
Reader Tom Carew from Dublin, Ireland writes about the sort of interrogation techniques which may have led to the release of the ungrateful "peace" activists last week: The rescue of Norman Kember & 2 colleagues raises some thought—provoking challenges, such as those... More
March 27, 2006
PCUSA's anti-Semitism (continued)
Last Friday, Diana Appelbaum investigated the moves of the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) toward divestment of shares in companies doing business with Israel, as well as disturbing theologhical moves indicative of underlying anti—Semitism. A new report from the group Bearing... More
March 27, 2006
Shaming Yale
John Fund today continues his superb coverage in Opinionjournal.com of "Taliban man" at Yale, with a column on a worthy Afghani woman Yale might have admitted, instead of Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi, the Taliban's former ambassador at large. Makai Rohbar, an Afghan... More
March 27, 2006
Should premature babies be left to die?
The front page of the U.K. Sunday Times featured a disturbing article yesterday. The question it explored was this: Should babies born before the 25th week of pregnancy be left to die? Yes, you are reading correctly. Britain's state run National... More
March 27, 2006
Shari'a dreams
Radical Islamists, and indeed many ordinary Muslims, dream of the day when Shari'a law will govern the earth. But dreams and Shari'a can be a difficult mix, as a case in India demonstrates. The Pioneer of India reports: A Muslim... More
March 27, 2006
Support Cuba's Guillermo Farinas
Although Cuba is treated like an equal instead of a pariah in places like the United Nations, the Internet is virtually illegal in Fidel Castro's Cuba. Almost alone among the world's nations, including even oppressive states like Burma and Zimbabwe,... More
March 26, 2006
Irresponsible Journalism Using Opinion Poll Science.
If you went to CNN's Cover Story today here's what you'd see: Be worried, be very worried The climate is crashing, and global warming is to blameSunday, March 26, 2006; Posted: 11:27 a.m. EST (16:27 GMT) Editor's note: The following is... More
March 26, 2006
Freedom of speech for me, not thee
Liberals may sanctimoniously stroke themselves at their open mindedness and tolerance for all but when push comes to shove they're narrow, intolerant and truly bigoted. Look what happened when — eek! eek! — evangelical teens utilizing their freedoms came to the epicenter... More
March 26, 2006
The Iraqi military view of OIF
No combat history is complete until you've heard from both sides in the conflict. This report completes the information loop on Operation Iraqi Freedom. Some of the 100 interviewees include Saddam's personal secretary, commanders of both Republican Guard Corps, the Special Republican... More
March 26, 2006
The state of the Democratic Party
From the Los Angeles Times: Members of a county Democratic Party pulled an Arab American candidate from their election ticket amid a furor over comments he made four years ago that some interpreted as sympathetic to Palestinian suicide bombers. At... More
March 26, 2006
Just a bit silly?
The wife of British hostage Norman Kember, a member of the 'Christian Peacemakers' rescued last week in Iraq, said in an interview that she thought it was 'a bit silly' of her husband to go to the troubled country. We... More
March 26, 2006
Freed hostages update
The deceptively labeled "peace activists" from the deceptively named Christian Peacemakers Team recently freed from captivity in Iraq have not only refused to thank their rescuers, they've refused to give additional information about their captors which might help free other... More
March 26, 2006
First official Muslim protest against barbarism?
If you've been wondering when truly civilized Muslims are going to stand up and condemn the barbarians, it may have just happened in Australia. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils said the prosecution of... More
March 26, 2006
Ambassador Munchausen Hits the College Circuit
As is usually the case with unemployed leftists, mandatory student activity fees are being tapped to keep Ambassador Muchausen (aka Joseph Wilson IV) afloat and propagandizing in the groves of academe. Monday night he spoke at Florida State University and... More
March 26, 2006
Airbus rudder safety questioned
Shortly aftre 9/11, American Airlines flight 587 crashed on Rockaway, after takeoff from Kennedy Airport. There has long been speculation the plane was brought down by a terror attack, though the official cause of the crash was a failure in... More
March 25, 2006
The tragedy of drugs... and liberalism
Rhonda Bye, once a beautiful model and a talented computer consultant, is dead. She was killed by drugs — heroin and cocaine, reportedly — and by her homeless lifestyle on the streets of San Francisco. She was also killed by... More
March 25, 2006
Senatorial Popularity – Survey Says....
SurveyUSA.com has posted popularity ratings for all 100 of our esteemed Senators. The Survey results are dated March 23rd and list each Senator's percentage approval, disapproval and the difference between the two. Assuming that the survey at least approximately reflects reality,... More
March 25, 2006
Boo-hoo
John Mearsheimer, of the "Israel Lobby" paper, was interviewed by the Asia Times about its reception. The man who said his 40 plus pages of footnotes was just the "tip of the iceberg" and who blames the inability to publish the paper... More
March 25, 2006
UN fears for Palestinians in Iraq
Wait a minute... I thought the entire Arab world hated Israel only because of the plight of the Palestinians. I thought the UN was a promoter of this simplistic and biased view. What... the Iraqis are mistreating the Palestinians? ... More
March 25, 2006
British hero in Iraq
Two days ago captain Pete Norton, 43, was awarded the George Cross, Britain's top award for heroism. On July 24 of last year, Mr. Norton was called to the scene of a roadside bomb ambush which had targeted a US... More
March 24, 2006
Danish Imam in hot water
Abu Laban, The Danish imam who was a key instigator of the boycott, and who traveled the Arab world publicizing the phony pig picture allegedly of Muhammad (but actually from a French hog—calling contest) is in deep trouble. Agora reports... More
March 24, 2006
Russians hid from UN inspectors in Iraq
More and more information is coming out on the extent of Russian perfidy in aiding Saddam's WMD programs. Ray Robison posts documents showing Russians hid from UB inspectors on supposedly surprise inspections. Ray makes the following interesting comment: Note this... More
March 24, 2006
Iran accelerates nuke program
While Tehran's diplomats are bogging down US efforts to stop its nuclear program, Iran is assembling centrifuges at a faster and faster pace, according to the UK Guardian. According to diplomats, the Iranians are in the process of achieving a... More
March 24, 2006
A new ports controversy?
Brian Schwarz reports from China in his website China Challenges: Are you ready for another controversy involving America's ports and national secuirity concerns? The Associated Press reports: In the aftermath of the Dubai ports dispute, the Bush administration is hiring... More
March 24, 2006
Mad Albright talks of "power politics'
She actaully has the chutzpah to talk about the need for "power politics" when writing an op—ed for the Los Angeles Times. That would be the same Madeleine Albright, the Secretary of State, who went running after Yasser Arafat—begging and... More
March 24, 2006
Operation Swarmer: mission accomplished
Operation Swarmer has concluded — a very successful operation as this article explains. The press mostly got the context wrong, so proper credit may never be given to the US and Iraqi troops involved. As is true for so many other... More
March 24, 2006
Ivy League in disgrace
The dementia which has gripped much of the leftist intellectual elite is spreading through the Ivy League, once—upon—a—time the most prestigious universities in America. Harvard fired its president and published anti—Semitic claptrap, Yale invites the Goebbels of the Taliban to... More
March 24, 2006
Explosive charge against Harvard/Chicago research paper
Alan Dershowitz has charged that the authors of the notorious research paper on the "Israel Lobby" pulled research from neo—Nazi sites. Dershwotz would be unlikely to make such an incendiary charge unless he himself had done research into the issue. The... More
March 24, 2006
Boneless wonders
On January 28, 1931, the inimitable Winston Churchill said this about Ramsay MacDonald, Britain's Prime Minister at the time: I remember when I was a child, being taken to the celebrated Barnum's Circus, which contained an exhibition of freaks and... More
March 24, 2006
How to decode liberalism - Sudoku or Gary Trudeau?
Paul Shlichta recommended a few days ago in The American Thinker that we all learn Sudoku, so we can decode the Libspin of the media and Hollywood. That makes a lot of sense. But here's a short—cut— just learned from my... More
March 24, 2006
All religions other than Islam are heresy
So says the Saudi Ministry of Religious Endowments: "The Permanent Council for Scholarly Research and Religious Legal Judgment has studied the queries some individuals brought before the Chief Mufti... concerning the topic of the construction of houses of worship for... More
March 24, 2006
French foolishness
Jacques Chirac appears to be losing it. As his capital city erupts in protest, the President of France walks out of high level EU meetings because one of his countrymen dared to speak in English. Sky News reports: The President... More
March 24, 2006
Saddam and his Russian friends
Ray Robison has posted a full translation of the document from the Saddam Files revealing the extent of Russian help in providing information on US battle plans. While I have no illusions about Putin and his regime, it is still... More
March 23, 2006
Protestors vandalize recruitment center
Tom Anderson writes about a disturbing incident yesetrday: Yesterday, in my town of Dekalb, Illinois, 20 protesters entered and destroyed property in a Armed Forces Recruiting Center. Idiot Protesters. I hope the police round up this group and throw the book at them. ... More
March 23, 2006
E-mail to ingrate Christian Peacemakers
We all rejoice at the rescue of the three individuals who are members of your organization. Yet your statement on that rescue needs to be amended for accuracy. They were not "released," they were rescued by special forces of the... More
March 23, 2006
Ed Lasky on the Tammy Bruce Show
Ed Lasky will be joining syndicated talk show host Tammy Bruce Thursday morning at 12:30 PM Eastern, 9:30 Pacific Time. The show is available on the internet here. Click on the Tammy Bruce Show, and then go through a process of... More
March 23, 2006
The worst regime in the world
North Korea, a country honored with a visit by Clinton Secretary of State Albright, is a chamber of horrors, Millions died in famines as the government refuse aid because it might compromise its power. Whole families have been executed in... More
March 23, 2006
Protecting Muslim children in the U.K.
Apparently, the Muslims are making the Brits get comfortable with Islamic law. An oraganization calling itself "The Muslim Parliament" is making pronouncements. It's website identifies it as a forum whose purpose is to debate, campaign and lobby on issues concerning... More
March 23, 2006
Leftist dishonesty
Following the failed vote on the EU Constitution last year, there has been a pronounced tendency toward trade protectionism among European countries. As an article in the Business correctly notes the commitment of France and the other great continental economic... More
March 23, 2006
Blame the Jews
John Mearsheimer, co—author of the research paper from which Harvard has removed the Kennedy School logo in apparent embarrassment, is now blaming the power of the Israel lobby for his failure to get it published in America. The Forward reports: John Mearsheimer... More
March 23, 2006
Ambassador Munchausen
How utterly outrageous is this? The serial liar whose story was debunked by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, is still peddling his book and his lies with the help of a really uninformed press. The man who rattled the... More
March 23, 2006
Antique media exposed on Balkan quagmire
Retired New York Times reporter David Binder has charged the New York Times and Newsday with "journalistic crimes" for their reporting of the 1990s Balkan Wars. Writing in a forward to Peter Brock's new book, Media Cleansing: Dirty Reporting, Journalism... More
March 22, 2006
Noam Chomsky, greedy capitalist
And a hypocrite, too. Peter Sweitzer of Canada's National Post points to Chomsky's use of tax—avoiding trsusts, investments, and money—making schemes: The iconic MIT linguist and left—wing activist frequently has lashed out against the "massive use of tax havens to... More
March 22, 2006
Quote of the Day
"Anyone who declares war on Israel declares war on the European Union." Hans—Gert Poettering, German member of the European Parliament and chairman of the Group of the European People's Party and European Democrats, the largest in the 732—strong EP. Poettering made... More
March 22, 2006
Thank-you, M'am. May I have Another?
Matt May has a helpful suggestion for President Bush: During yesterday's press briefing, President Bush allowed deranged lunatic Helen Thomas to ask a question. She proceeded with a question based on myth, lies and innuendo and then interrupted the President... More
March 22, 2006
More bad news for New York Times shareholders
The New York Times Company has provided first quarter earnings guidance, and it is well below consensus expectations. In early trading today, the stock is down over 2%. According to the company's own press release: ...first—quarter diluted earnings per share... More
March 22, 2006
Harvard backs away from "Israel lobby" paper
The Harvard Kennedy School of Government logo has mysteriously disappeared from the disgracefully shoddy paper recently co—authored by its academic dean Stephen Walt. (The 'logo' remains in the Harvard Abstract to the paper. And the report is still listed as... More
March 22, 2006
UN capitulates
Michelle Malkin, who led the American media on the story, reports that the UN has capitulated (without explanation) and withdrawn a posted "anti—racism" graphic that amounted to a veiled attack on Denmark. The whole affair demonstrates how contemptible that organization has... More
March 22, 2006
Photo editorializing
Check out the choices for photographs illustrating stories on President Bush's news conference yesterday. Photo editors editorialize freely: Fox News versus New York Daily News Joseph Crowley 3 22 06... More
March 22, 2006
Ending a Chinese television show
Brian Schwarz reports from Shanghai: Last Friday, viewers of the most popular economics talk show on Shanghai television were hit with a disappointment — their favorite presenter was absent and his show cancelled. The show was called Lang Commentary of... More
March 22, 2006
Blood money for NYT
When Moody's announced it was considering lowering the rating of New York Times Company debt instruments, it cited weak cash flow as one factor. Apparently, almost a million dollars has flowed into its coffers from an 8 page advertising section... More
March 22, 2006
Liberal love and wisdom
"I have wisdom. I feel love. I live in the present and I try to present a dimension that brings harmony and healing. My concept is the opposite of George W. Bush," boasted guitarist Carlos Santana in a recent... More
March 22, 2006
The NYT Misinforms On Pentagon Psyops
The last paragraph of today's New York Times* article 'No Breach Seen In Work In Iraqi Propoganda' is a classic "gag a maggot" exercise in hypocrisy. In its last paragraph, Tom Shanker cautions the Pentagon about information operations and writes, apparently with... More
March 21, 2006
Iranian escalation in terrorist prison break?
Is Iran escalating its involvement in Iraq? A radical change in tactics by masked rebels in the Sunni triangle may signal more highly organized "special ops" type battles in the Iraqi insurgency, possibly aided by Iran's El Qods Brigade. That... More
March 21, 2006
Driving Christianity underground
China has a flourishing phenomenon of underground churches, a result of official intolerance. It looks as though Afghanistan needs a similar approach. James Arlandson 3 21 06... More
March 21, 2006
They call themselves "realists"
The co—author of the now—notorious "Israel Lobby" article John Mearsheimer believed Israel was going to expel 3 million Arabs from West Bank/Gaza—some realist. This from a "scholar" who teaches future leaders in America? Ed Lasky 3 21 06 ... More
March 21, 2006
Crocodile tears
Captian Ed at Captain's Quarters gives lie to the claim that the crux of the Arab—Israeli dispute revolves around Arab concern for Palestinians.Ed Lasky 3 21 06... More
March 21, 2006
The Saddam files
Ray Robison continues to analyze the docuemnts released from the Saddam files, and finds proof of "Saddam's WMD and terrorist connections all proven in one document." Have you noticed how silent the media have been? The "Bush lied" claim doesn't... More
March 21, 2006
A great debate
The Harvard Crimson, taking note of the controversy over the Kennedy School research paper we debunked yesterday, raises our hopes for a necessary debate: In response to Dershowitz's challenge to a debate at the Kennedy School—made through The Crimson—Walt and... More
March 21, 2006
A sign of realism at the Washington Post?
The Washington Post has hired Ben Domenech, co—founder of the estimable Redstate.org website, to be its in—house conservative blogger. A very promising development. Consider the innaugural opening line: This is a blog for the majority of Americans. I am tempted to... More
March 21, 2006
The UN's veiled attack on Denmark
Given that Denmark published the cartoons that riled up so many Muslims, one would think that the powers—that—be at the UN might be sensitive to sending the wrong message. Or is this attack (discovered by the eagle—eyed Michelle Malkin) on... More
March 21, 2006
How confused can they get?
There was a priceless piece in yesterday's U.K. Guardian. Aptly titled 'Prison Comfort,' it offers suggestions on how to eliminate the unpleasantness of incarceration and transform it into a positive, fulfilling and enjoyable experience (no, I am not kidding). The... More
March 20, 2006
Hope springs eternal
From Iraq The Model, sober yet hopeful words on the third anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom and that country's future. Green buds of democracy on this first day of spring: Before the liberation we were suffering and we had no... More
March 20, 2006
Dictators United
Libya's Kadhafi, after giving up his nuclear program, seemed to be mending his ways. Not for long. According to All headline News: Libyan leader Moammar Kadhafi says ousted leader Saddam Hussein should still be considered Iraq's legal president and the... More
March 20, 2006
The last plane
When I was a lad in the 1950s, and would gaze skyward to catch a glimpse of airliner traffic, more often than not I would see a Douglas—built airliner: DC—3s, DC—4s, DC—6s, and DC—7s. Douglas Aircraft ruled the civil aviation... More
March 20, 2006
Harvard's discredited dean
The New York Sun editorializes on the subject of Stephen Walt, academic dean of the Kenedy School of Government, whose recent working paperis the subject of an AT debunking today. ...it's not too early to suggest that it's going to be... More
March 20, 2006
Art trumps politics in Venezuela
Venezuela is a highly politicized, polarized society where verbal combat dominates radio, television, and sometimes spills into the streets or sucks in outsiders, as President Vicente Fox of Mexico in his spat with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez last November well... More
March 20, 2006
Ray Robison on the Saddam tapes (continued)
Our contributor Ray Robison has reviewed the Saddam tapes recently released and has found lots of evidence that smashes myths peddled by opponents of the war. This is an ongoing project, so be sure to check his site regularly. Some... More
March 20, 2006
The third anniversary of OIF
I strongly recommend going to www.defenselink.mil, which has devoted itself to special coverage of the 3rd anniversary of Opn Iraqi Freedom. There you will find remarks and comments by President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, MNF —Iraq commander, Gen. Casey,... More
March 20, 2006
A reason to rejoice
History has been made in the UK as three opera albums appeared in the top ten on the country's music charts. One cannot but rejoice in this, since it is one of the great tragedies of our time that we... More
March 19, 2006
Muslims seek to impose Shari'a Law on the UK
As in the Danish cartoon riots, Muslims aggressively seek to impose Shari'a on the infidels of Europe. This time the target is marriage law. The BBC reports: Muslims in Britain are to challenge UK law which forbids husbands from having... More
March 19, 2006
Muqtada Al Sadr was in Tehran
When the Golden Mosque of Samarra was blown up several weeks ago, Muqtada Al Sadr gave a blustering interview — from Lebanon. What we were not told at the time was that Al Sadr also went to Tehran. The question... More
March 19, 2006
How Pinch is squandering the Sulzberger family fortune
The dramatic announcement that Moody's is contemplating lowering the debt rating of the New York Times Company prompted Jack Risko of Dinocrat.com to take a look at the debt—financed acquisition of about.com a year ago. He does not like what... More
March 19, 2006
Muslim cultural genocide
Finally, the truth has come out. Some our Muslim pals in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia committed an act of religious and cultural genocide by actively assisting the Taliban blowing up the thousands year old statues of Buddha carved into the side... More
March 19, 2006
Conversion to Christianity = Death Sentence
So much for America's ameliorating influence on our "allies" in the War on Terror. Fox News (via AP) reports that a man is being prosecuted in Kabul, Afghanistan, for converting from Islam to Christianity 16 years ago while working as... More
March 19, 2006
Wafa Sultan in the Sunday Times of London
The now—famous Arab—American whose Al Jazeera debate garnered much attention, writes in today's Sunday Times: 'Until I came to United States I used to believe that Jewish people are not human creatures,' she says. 'Unfortunately this is the way I... More
March 19, 2006
Operational update & historic context for Operation Swarmer
At the Multi—National Force Iraq website an update on Operation Swarmer has been posted. As readers will note, it is much more than the just—for—show, lightweight exercise by which many in the antique media have described it. Those Malicious Minions of... More
March 19, 2006
Rip-roaring spy tale
Our contributor Paul Jackson, in his Sunday Calgary Sun column, recounts some of the exploits of Len LeSchack, a former Naval Reserve officer who did some extraordinary things when working for the United States government. I won't spoil the fun... More
March 18, 2006
Mad Mahmoud menaces Europe.
The first thing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did when he came to power was purge his diplomatic corps. The fanatics of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard pushed out the career diplomats of the more softly spoken (and corrupt) Mullahs like Rafsanjani. This week... More
March 18, 2006
Off-the-scale Nannystatism
Why we want to be as little like Europe as we possibly can (except for the food). From the Times of London: THE stops could be pulled for ever on many church organs because of an EU directive designed to... More
March 18, 2006
The Saddam tapes (continued)
On Friday the Foreign Military Studies Office released several new translations of audio and video tapes. These tapes contain Saddam and his ministers in secret talks. I recognized several of these tapes as the ones released by Bill Tierney at... More
March 18, 2006
French woes
France is once again on the brink of upheaval, as the government attempts to reform — ever so slightly — the country's socialist—like labor laws. At issue is the government's plan voted in on March 9 designed to help young... More
March 18, 2006
NYT admits it fell for fraudelent Abu Ghraib story
Of course, it defends itself by noting that it made sense to trust this man who testified he was the "man in the hood." The Times' alacrity in believing stories from individuals that serve to defame America is the bigger... More
March 18, 2006
Special Prosecutor's response to motion to dismiss
Yesterday evening Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald filed his response to Lewis Libby's Motion to Dismiss in which Libby argued Fitzgerald's appointment exceeded statutory and constitutional limits on such appointments. To make it easier to comment on it, Rick Ballard has... More
March 17, 2006
New York Times Company faces major blow
Moody's Investors Service has announced that it is contemplating lowering the rating for the debt of the New York Times Company, striking a possible major blow to the stewardship of Pinch Sulzberger. According to Editor & Publisher, a left—leaning publication,... More
March 17, 2006
Quote of the Day
"You might prefer to believe [an alternative history] in which the failure to attack Iraq produces the most benign consequences: perhaps Saddam really gives up his lifelong ambition to be the new Saladin; perhaps Iran meekly agrees under little pressure... More
March 17, 2006
Antique Media lacks context on Operation Swarmer
If it hadn't been for the heli—borne assault footage that allowed the antique media to have an Apocalypse Now moment as they fondled their Vietnam war template, there wouldn't have been any coverage of Operation Swarmer. As it is, they've... More
March 17, 2006
The nature of the Palestinian economy
When Arafat and company launched terror attacks against Israel is destroyed an economic partnership that had lead to great advances for both the Israelis and the Palestinians. Israel's booming economy had great labor demands that were met by Palestinians, and... More
March 17, 2006
Schumer aide pleads guilty
The party of corruption? How about a close aide to Senator Schumer who pleads guilty to serious campaign dirty tricks? The Washington Times reports: A former Democratic operative will plead guilty to a federal charge of illegally obtaining Maryland Lt.... More
March 17, 2006
The Arab stock market collapse
We have been following the little—noted collapse of stock prices on several markets in the Arab world. The New York Sun picks up on an article in the U.K. Telegraph: It is known for Porsche—driving princes and the lavish lifestyles... More
March 17, 2006
Wordsworth goes to Shanghai
In a couple of weeks' time, works by British poets will start appearing in the underground corridors of the Shanghai metro. This seemingly insignificant event is indicative of a seismic shift that has been taking place in Chinese society. As... More
March 17, 2006
Poor Casey
Poor Casey sees his mother, Being used but once again, To mouth words of another, Likes of who did him in. Poor fool she is, and poorly used, To claim the mother's place, Of one who died and now's abused,... More
March 17, 2006
How to kill U.S. Marines
Thomas Smith, Jr., writing at Townhall.com, draws our attention to an incredibly irresponsible (and that's the most charitable interpretation) New York Times article published in January. The Times gave our enemies what amounts to a briefing in how to exploit... More
March 17, 2006
Throwing cold water on the Saddam document release
Our contributor Ray Robison does not share the enthusiasm of many bloggers over the release of captured documents. Writing on his website Ray Robison, he notes that only those boxes marked NIV [no intelligence value] are to be released. NIV... More
March 17, 2006
St. Patrick's Prayer
According to The History of the Irish Race by Seamus MacManus, the following is the sacred prayer or hymn chanted by Patrick and his missionaries as they were marched to Tara to face the pagan king there. He wrote it, the... More
March 16, 2006
Hamas is run by Muslim Brotherhood
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) has just published a penetrating assessment of the Hamas victory in the Palestinian territories, authored by its president, Yigal Carmon. It is startling. First, Hamas is not just a national terrorist organization. It... More
March 16, 2006
Ode to W
I'm going to step way out on a branch And tell the President I'll bet the ranch On his job as a leader in war and peace. I don't care how the polls inflate or decrease Their trumped up numbers,... More
March 16, 2006
Blaming Israel
Richard Baehr is, of course, right when he notes that The New York Times (and, indeed, most of the world) reflexively blames Israel for everything. I especially enjoyed it after reading a wonderful Haim Harari lecture at FrontPage magazine. Harari... More
March 16, 2006
Blame Israel
Increasingly, the NY Times blames Israel for every problem, even those which haven't happened yet. As Larry Summers might say, anti—Semitic in effect, if not intent. Steven Erlanger bemoans the Palestinian economy to be: If Israel withholds revenues from a... More
March 16, 2006
Mr. Baldwin goes to Washington
Self righteous actor Alex Baldwin joined with other wealthy artists to lobby Congress for $35,000,000 for the National Endowment for the Arts. Baldwin advocates for arts on Hill Actor Alec Baldwin joined other artists Tuesday on Capitol Hill to kick... More
March 16, 2006
Regrets for clear thinking
Every once in a while things happen in Massachusetts that make a native's head spin. A perfect example occurred this week as a political candidate spouted craven nonsense. It started with Lt. Governor Kerry Healey's announcement of the selection of... More
March 16, 2006
Award-winning leaking of wartime secrets
One of the methods used by the American left to legitimize its questionable practices is the bestowing of prestigious—sounding awards. The overwhelming leftist dominance on elite campuses enables a vast panoply of impressive—sounding placques to be handed out like Halloween... More
March 15, 2006
More assaults on freedom of speech/press
The winds of the Muslim protests against the publication of those cartoons are still blowing, battering freedom of speech. In Denmark, where the cartoons originated Denmark's top prosecutor said Wednesday he will not press charges against the newspaper that first... More
March 15, 2006
Schumer finally shuts up
From ABC's site The Note: ABC News' Liz Marlantes reports that when Sen. Schumer was asked about Sen. Feingold's measure on Tuesday, he said, "the leadership is discussing this. I'm not going to comment." At which point, a reporter said,... More
March 15, 2006
Pentagon preparing for Israeli strike at Iran?
Our contributor Jonathan Strong believes that it is, and has some pretty good evidence on his side at The Strong Conservative.... More
March 15, 2006
The document release ruse?
Like others, I was relieved when I heard of plans to release archived documents seized from Saddam Hussein. (Reuters) — The Bush administration on Monday said it was preparing to release prewar Iraqi government material from a trove of documents... More
March 15, 2006
A new attack on black conservatives
The Los Angeles Times runs an absurd op—ed on Claude Allen: Did the pressure of being a black conservative lead him to crime? Talk about bigotry and prejudice! I think this columnist needs to look in the mirror. To take... More
March 15, 2006
RCP's New Look
Our friends at Real Clear Politics have unveiled a new look for their website. I like the new look a lot, and find it both easier on the eye and more convenient to access the various excellent resources RCP provides... More
March 15, 2006
Hamas and the House subcommittee
Hamas, the political faction in control of the Palestinian Authority, teaches mothers to raise their children to become suicide bombers and other heroes of jihad. The most vivid evidence is found on broadcast media controlled by Hamas. Congress is getting... More
March 15, 2006
Leftward ho: top tax rate in Britain hits 57.1 per cent
The British financial weekly The Business reports that according to the latest figures the overall marginal tax rate for Britain's top earners has been pushed up to a whopping 57.1 per cent. In Britain taxes, budget and fiscal policies are... More
March 15, 2006
Newspaper hard drives seized
The sanctity of newspaper reporters' and editors' notes and other work product received a blow in Pennsylvania. The case involves a leak of confidential data: the password to a database of criminal records. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: ...the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office... More
March 14, 2006
Can conservative movies compete in the market?
Tired of the Oscars? Had it with Michael Moore? Well, Jason Apuzzo argues that they are going to be around, doing their far—left propaganda for a long, long time. The reason: They're making money at it. Not from Middle America,... More
March 14, 2006
Just who was that hooded man?
The New York Times has been caught with its hood down. Or up. Apparently a prisoner the Times triumphantly identified on its front page as the infamous hooded Abu Ghraib prisoner... isn't. And his tale of horrible, horrible torture at... More
March 14, 2006
The petrodollar bubble and its aftermath
Arab stock markets, infused with petrodollar megabillions, are starting to slide, according to Bloomberg. Dubai, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are all sliding after huge booms that left many shares overpriced. Edward Chancellor, writing in the Wall Street Journal... More
March 14, 2006
Election myths
Jay Cost, a brilliant young political scientist, explores election myths surrounding the 2006 election. In 2004 he produced horserace blog which proved to be the most accurate in predicting the outcome of the 2004 election. Here's a sample, but I strongly... More
March 13, 2006
Tapping the Eastern Europe labor pool
Once again, Islamic extremists harm their own people. As riots and sadistic attacks spread in Europe, nations are beginning to see the folly of their ways in relying on Muslims to fill their labor ranks. They have begun to shift... More
March 13, 2006
ACLU hypocrisy
The ACLU now defends Government pay to clergy — radical, hate spouting radical Islam Cleric in a New York prison. No worries of a violation of Establishment Clause seems to trouble the ACLU here. Hypocrisy, pure and simple. The New... More
March 13, 2006
Privatizing government facilities
The Chicago Tribune editorially endorses the effort underway by Mayor Daley to lease public facilities to private operators: Mayor Richard Daley pulled off a coup in 2004 when a Spanish—Australian consortium agreed to pay $1.83 billion to lease and operate... More
March 13, 2006
Fallout from Dubai?
UAE may convert its dollar holdings to euros. Via Marketwatch. Ed Lasky 3 13 06... More
March 13, 2006
History repeats itself
The oil—for—food scandal recapitulates itself. Chirac once again is a handmaiden of corruption that hurts the poor and the downtrodden. Sebatian Mallaby writes in the Washington Post, The Congo... has mountains of debt and canyons of poverty, so it's a... More
March 13, 2006
Canada's PM visits troops in Afghanistan
I am more and more impressed with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He has just gone on a top secret visit to Canadian troops serving in Afghanistan. According to the left—leaning Toronto Globe and Mail, The Prime Minister enters a zone... More
March 13, 2006
Hillary Clinton – liberalism's perfect personification
In a recent appearance Hillary Clinton told her audience that 'there are lots of things that we should be angry and outraged about these days.' This she followed up with a string of lies and distortions. Watching Mrs. Clinton one... More
March 13, 2006
An open letter to Congress
Dear Representative: We are of the belief that the release of captured Iraqi tapes and documents now in the possession of our government should be expedited with all haste. We believe that information contained in those documents would substantiate our... More
March 12, 2006
No peace in our time
While we—are—the—world politically correct naifs, including President Bush, babbled that September 11 was merely the work of a few disgruntled, unrepresentative Moslems and that most Moslems are really and truly willing to accept others and live in peace, such events... More
March 12, 2006
Missing headlines (a continuing series)
Despite much bad publicity in the press, The Washington Post reports: "Army Guard Filling its Ranks" Ed Lasky 3 12 06... More
March 12, 2006
Plame's thin cover
As Scooter Libby's life continues to be turned upside down by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, The Chicago Tribune discovers just how easy it was to penetrate the allegedly "secret" identity of Valerie Plame. Simple internet searches alone could have done... More
March 12, 2006
New Dutch case law on Muslims and terror
From the AP: Dutch judges convicted nine men Friday of belonging to a terrorist group, a landmark verdict that concludes promoting a violent version of Islam can itself be an act of terrorism. [emphasis added] The case opens a new... More
March 11, 2006
Denmark's apologies not good enough
Just about everybody in Denmark has expressed regret that the Mohammed Cartoons may have caused offense. But that isn't good enough. Denmark must kowtow really low before it will satisfy "Muslim preachers," namely one Tareq al—Suweidan. This is of course... More
March 11, 2006
Jimmy Carter out of the anti-Zionist closet
Jimmy Carter is out of the anti—Zionist closet. In a column in the Pakistan Daily Times entitled "Colonisation of Palestine precludes peace" Carter writes "The pre—eminent obstacle to peace is Israel's colonisation of Palestine..." To be sure, he ends his... More
March 11, 2006
What is it about the Left's constant heckling?
As has happened so many times before, the other day we saw another conservative — Condoleezza Rice — being heckled by a disgruntled anti—war activist. Have you noticed that it is always the Left that resorts to such tactics? One... More
March 11, 2006
Can you say "dishonest"?
Yesterday's Washington Post carries an article co—authored by Dan Eggen and Walter Pincus which is a masterful bit of distorted reporting. The article contends that a former Department of Justice attorney, David S. Kris, now with Time Warner, considered the government's... More
March 11, 2006
Venezuela's bloggers are under attack
An investigative story by Venezuelan blogger Alek Boyd appears to have been the trigger for the first published threats to prosecute him, Gustavo Coronel, Miguel Octavio, Daniel Duquenal, Francisco Toro, Luis de Leon and Iruna Urrutia. The threats appeared in... More
March 11, 2006
Tom Friedman and $100 oil
Tom Friedman is almost giddy at the prospect of oil costing $100 a barrel. Of course, this perfectly reflects the New York Times mindset. Many of the opinion columnists are quite wealthy or/and live in the city, so don't let... More
March 10, 2006
Happiness at Harvard
Harvard students would seem to have it made in the shade. They are all winners of an intense competition for admission, and their collective career prospects could not be brighter. But a new course, "Positive Psychology," teaching how to be... More
March 10, 2006
The single most stupid columnist statement this year (so far
Jackson Diehl of the Washington Post cops the booby prize: In the past year Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has quietly corrected several of the Bush administration's most self—defeating first—term foreign policies —— such as its insistence on obstructing European... More
March 10, 2006
Trade, money, and the Dubai Ports deal
Our contributor Dennis Svakis traces the bigger issues of the DPW deal roadblock on investment decisions, currency value, and economic health at Constitution Alley. A thought—provoking piece. Here's a sample: The price of crude oil has already risen substantially over... More
March 10, 2006
The Chamberlainized State Department
An article in today's New York Times highlights the success the Bush administration has had in pressuring (by law enforceemnt measures) North Korea to agree to restrict its nuclear weapons programs. The article quotes a State Department official who bemoans... More
March 10, 2006
Hillary, Ms. Mendacious
I'm not sure what Hillary! gained from leading the charge against the Dubai port deal whose scuttling may have violated the WTO rules, cost us in lost business and overseas investment, and diminished the ties to a critical ally. I... More
March 10, 2006
The Soprano State
That's a nickname for North Korea by a US State Department spkesman. The Australian publishes an overview of North Korea's ganster—like ways of earning hard currency: drug smuggling, counterfeiting, pirating CDs, and no doubt other rackets yet to be identified.... More
March 10, 2006
Facts after the fact on the Dubai Ports deal
After the fact of the demise of the US terminals deal — yes, I said terminals not ports; nobody was going to be controlling those ports — let's take a look at an excerpt of the Fact Sheet that's been... More
March 09, 2006
Denmark's jitters
Our friends in Denmark continue to suffer national trauma over the wrath being directed their way from the Muslim world. A passionate belief in free speech seems to be predominating over the impulse of some to submit to the deamnds... More
March 09, 2006
Like a harlot
Reading the environmentalist platitudes on the website of Mikhail Gorbachev's Swiss—based Green Cross fills me with an almost indescribable disgust. Here we have a former party apparatchik and an unrepentant communist masquerading as an environmental activist, because he thinks this... More
March 09, 2006
NYT's statistical sleight of hand
The New York Times has a pattern of reporting facts and statistics in manner leading to erroneous conclusions favorable to management's interests. March 6's report on the consequences of parental notification onb abortion rates is a classic case in point,... More
March 09, 2006
Air America rides into sunset while Johnny Cash lives on
It's been a week since Air America left the airwaves in Phoenix. In the stories relating the liberal talk programs demise, the press notes that AA was launched as a 'counterweight to conservative—dominated' radio. It has become clear that Air... More
March 09, 2006
More thoughts on Dubai Ports
In the world of pure economics, the sale of US ports to Dubai makes perfect sense. That is because only economic motivations matter. Dubai could own the ports, operate them for profit if possible, and sell them to somebody... More
March 08, 2006
How the South was Won
Richard Johnston of the University of British Columbia and Byron Shafer of Wisconsin have written a book, The End of Southern Exceptionalism, which argues that the GOP took control of the South from Democrats (segregationist Dixiecrats) becuase of economic issues,... More
March 08, 2006
Dubai does DC
Youssef Ibrahim writes a highly useful assessment of the Dubai Ports World imbroglio in the New York Sun. He is identified as a resident of Dubai and a business consultant, though I remember his work as a journalist for the Wall Street... More
March 08, 2006
Spain's Foreign Minister
According to a Pakistani news source, Paktribune.com, the foreign ministers of Spain and Pakistan met in Islamabad, and in a press briefing foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said Spain has regretted over publication of blasphemous cartoon and announced support to... More
March 08, 2006
CBS and "The Unit"
I hereby apologize to any American Thinker reader watched The Unit last night because I wrote a blurb for it yesterday. The plotting was uneven and the writing at times overwrought, especially in the scenes with the young, in—denial wife. If... More
March 07, 2006
You're still being lied to
While the front page of today's New York Times carries yet another Edward Wong article proclaiming hopefully that "As the threat of full—scale sectarian strife looms, the American military is scrambling to try to weed out ethnic or religious partisans... More
March 07, 2006
Manly men
Bookworm, the crypto—conservative blogger, has some worries about what's happening to our men and asks ...what happens when you make military s | 
