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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... More
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 and the EU—3 (France, Germany and the UK), to solve the... More
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. Cynthia McKinney, ... More
'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... More
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 hunch about fighter combat into a theory. ... More
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 bring soothes some of the pain for those left behind.
This is all... More
'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), another red Marine... More
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 a painful punishment (i.e. hell) for... More
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 a trace, his learning will be complete. He will then be... More
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 who have a lot to teach us about their former faith, as we... More
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 Attorney... More
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 of the questions presented here it... More
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, despite the regime's attempts to stop... More
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 a Republican fight to restore the integrity... More
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... More
If your objective were to place a beacon atop a mountain, would you:
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A: Get a beacon and place it atop the mountain, or
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B: Get a beacon, suspend it in mid—air near the mountain using... MoreMay 25, 2005Run the film backwardsJoseph 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 the newborn baby placed in the hospital's nursery.... More
May 24, 2005Steals and dealsThomas LifsonThere 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 didn't win, though some on both the... More
May 24, 2005What's so great about Oprah?Bob WeirWeir 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 door. Her amazing communication skills... More
May 24, 2005Dear Senate DemocratsTom JosephI 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 you have just fashioned only temporarily suspends... More
May 23, 2005Ruthless vs. RelentlessChristopher ChantrillA 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... More
May 23, 2005Blogs versus the BoycottJames LewisDo 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 the hard Left, its hands still dripping blood from a century... More
May 23, 2005Slurring Bush at the New York TimesRichard BaehrThe 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 the President... More
May 22, 2005Go tell it on the HillDennis SevakisMoses 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 New York Times Sunday Magazine
More May 22, 2005The Eagle and the SerpentsRuss VaughnSuch 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 pride
Taking always now the others' side.
A Media mamba, a poisonous pest
That lurks within our Eagle's... MoreMay 22, 2005Bush won! (in Holland, too)P.J. CostelloTheir 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 for 'crimes against humanity' and 'crimes against the planet'. Some... More
May 21, 2005Tech Note: searching your own filesDennis SevakisYou 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... More
May 20, 2005Military-haters in the pressEd LaskyThe 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... More
May 20, 2005Iran's military challengeMehran RiazatyThe 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 are masters of inspiring... More
May 20, 2005The new status quoSteve FeinsteinOne 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 entertaining mix of news... More
May 19, 2005Newsweek and the Age of Deadly PropagandaNoel SheppardNewsweek'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 —— should act as... More
May 19, 2005Shilling for CitgoA. M. Mora y LeonIn 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, 2005Are liberals begging for it?Ronald WieckThe 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 competing... More
May 18, 2005Harvard is wasting $50 millionThomas LifsonHarvard 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... More
May 18, 2005The Qur'an flushing stress testAndrew G. BostomExercise 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 performed this useful testing... More
May 18, 2005Flogging and stoning adulterers in the QuranJames ArlandsonAs 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... More
May 17, 2005'Very, very bleak'Thomas LifsonDemocrats, 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, 2005EuropatsiesJames LewisAmericans like to think that Europeans are sophisticated, and no doubt some of them are. But not in politics. Politically, the peoples of More
May 17, 2005Please don't run, NewtRick MoranEven 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 inquisitive and overactive mind. The concepts and strategies that he... More
May 16, 2005The Social Security bait-and-switch schemeNoel SheppardAs 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 into law, and, oddly, before it paid out any... More
May 16, 2005Gunning it in Central ParkBob WeirIt 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 cash.
Since I was a member of a plainclothes... More
May 16, 2005Bush's battlefield position trumps the DemocratsChristopher ChantrillThe 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, the 'controversial' Bolton... More
May 15, 2005Two birds…one stoneRuss VaughnWhile 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 eliminate the Army's current recruiting deficits.... More
May 15, 2005Sufi Jihad?Andrew G. BostomThe 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, from new agers in Marin County,... More
May 14, 2005The ACLU campaign to advance communist goalsWilliam J. Becker Jr.[editor's note:... More
May 13, 2005Senate Democrats: plenty of trees, but no forest in sightThomas LifsonThe 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, a demanding nature as a boss, a bit of a... More
May 13, 2005The ghettoization of IsraelJames LewisThe 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 opened by day and locked up by night, to protect cities... More
May 13, 2005Legacy lost: Ronald Reagan's tax simplificationJames A. Leggette and Michael W. FunkTo 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.
... MoreMay 12, 2005Winning battles and losing warsDouglas HansonThe 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 of American military power' line as if they'd never heard of the... More
May 12, 2005Laura Bush's Coming Out PartySelwyn DukeSometimes 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 involves the latest developments in the... More
May 12, 2005Southern Baptists and government schoolsChristopher G. AdamoFar 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, along with T.C. Pinckney, made waves... More
May 11, 2005The North Korean nuclear crisisFrederick 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 dealing with a tyrant like Kim... More
May 11, 2005Things could get much worse across our southern borderA. M. Mora y LeonLeftist 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, it's a worrisome portent of the kind of... More
May 11, 2005Public diplomacy in the Middle EastJoseph GhougassianWhat 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 culturally. Nowhere is this more true... More
May 10, 2005The New Strategery: Why America needs new alliesJames LewisThe 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 begins to push more aggressively against Israel and its Muslim... More
May 10, 2005Mexicans are not the problem, terrorists are.Bob WeirWeir 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 was a topic in a column a few weeks ago that she took exception to. It was
More May 10, 2005Subsidizing PalestiniansRichard BaehrThe Los Angeles Times endorses a recent Rand Corporation analysis calling for $33 billion in international aid for the... More
May 9, 2005Roosevelt's Social Security plan included private accountsNoel SheppardFranklin 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... More
May 9, 2005The albatross myth: boomers need not bankrupt usJeff GoldsmithThe 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 them. In early September, 2004, Alan Greenspan... More
May 9, 2005Boycott the boycottJames LewisAn 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: They could escape the boycott if they denounced... More
May 8, 2005China and America face off on trade and financeBrian SchwarzMany 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 for most... More
May 7, 2005A new concept of sovereigntyMichael NeibelWhen, 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... More
May 7, 2005The Jews should own the 'Kingdom of Heaven'James ArlandsonIn 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... More
May 6, 2005China's growing influence in AfricaFrederick 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 several years, fueled by... More
May 6, 2005OK, shall we switch to pagan morality?Dennis SevakisAmerica'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... More
May 6, 2005Hollywood does The CrusadesJohn B. DwyerI 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 9/11, as the US prepared to... More
May 5, 2005Jihad 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
More May 5, 2005Why Vietnam was lostAndrew SumereauRevisionism 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 utopian societies. This makes the new chroniclers... More
May 5, 2005Flying pigs: British Labour plays the race cardJames LewisMost 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 from the British oak. We think of the people there as utterly decent, as most of... More
May 4, 2005Jihad begot the Crusades (1)Andrew G. Bostom[Part 2, including end notes, can be read here]
The New York Times' Alan Riding recently
More May 4, 2005China's grievances and Japan's politicsJohn BergstromFor 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 Chinese... More
May 4, 2005How we won the war in VietnamJames LewisI 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. It was fought to defend free peoples against the hyper—aggressive Soviet Empire. And I... More
May 3, 2005Les Blogeurs and the Euro ConJames LewisI 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 a blogger like
More May 3, 2005What should we do to save our children?Bob WeirWeir 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 a recent MSNBC program, 'Scarborough Country,'... More
May 3, 2005New Social Security proposal exposes left-wing hypocrisyNoel SheppardAt 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 in the... More
May 2, 2005Is illegal-alien legalization a political spoil?A. M. Mora y LeonI 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 a large laundry workers' union... More
May 2, 2005A whiff of panicChristopher ChantrillLast 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... More
May 2, 2005The headlines of our youthKerry MarsalaScanning 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 our nation. Is it possible that we no... More
May 1, 2005Counterpoint: a red state kinda guy, livin' blueThomas 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... More
May 1, 2005Point: red state politics, blue state tastesCharles A. CoulombeI 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,... More
May 1, 2005Kofi Annan's Jewish gambitEd Lasky and Thomas LifsonKofi 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 diplomatic... More
