Barack Obama — or at least his speech writer: [N]o matter how much responsibility we have, how fancy our titles,...
City Journal, on Obama outdoing the Bush administration: He has already explained that "where Congress is not willing to act,...
Barker is a former pastor who didn't find Christianity intellectually credible. Now, instead, he utters wisdom like this: "By the...
But first, me... A co-worker once told me that he held that the only truths which should be believed were...
Here. Oddly, I don't remember a similar column about Obama's weird (and racist) church. It's almost like she's only selectively...
So Muammar al-Howeveryouspellhisname has gone to the great beyond. When the administration moved to remove him, I (foolishly) initially backed...
Important "Occupy Wall Street" coverage from the geniuses at CNN: The mere fact that the protest is still going strong...
In a day-after-9/11 piece in USA Today, Stephen Prothero struggles to explain why Americans slowly migrated from a largely positive...
A co-worker said he was listening to an NPR report which said that Romney claimed he was a member of...
I hear all this, "You know, well, this is class warfare. This is whatever." No! There is nobody in...
I notice Ron Howard and Jane Lynch also want to pay more in taxes. Great! Go ahead! Write those checks....
NPR, on the fact that markets plunged during and after Obama's speech: To be fair, it's hard to imagine that...
"Common Dreams" tells its readers this is a question conservatives can't answer: Based on Tax Foundation figures, the richest 1%...
From the delightfully-named Barack Obama UFO blog: [Obama, 2009:] "I will never hide the truth because it's uncomfortable.... I will...
The left is expert at using fear to manipulate people. Yesterday, a liberal friend told me he was hearing they...
Via Countdown Magazine: I think the big problem is that, as Christians, we forgot that our identity is wrapped up...
Ah, it's debt impasse time again. A time when both parties — both Republicans and Democrats — must stand on...
... or, at least the backward kinds, which refuse to obey each new cultural dictate. I've stated it for a...
This is hilarious: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is questioning the priorities of lawmakers criticizing the U.S. intervention...
Random Observations: Your one-stop-shop for metareviews! Christopher Hitchens can be fun to read, but he's seldom deep. He excels at...
It's not enough to keep people in the dark ... you have to give them the impression that they're actually...
I don't watch TV much. Last night, on a return flight from Washington DC, I caught some CNN on the...
Imagine you hear from friends that Toyota is a great car. You visit your local dealer, who sells you a...
Many were shocked when it was revealed the Carter's foundation was being funded by Islamic extremists. Most of us assumed...
I used to enjoy watching foreign films with one of my former girlfriends — we'd wander into Blockbuster and rent...
When I was a kid, the epitome of liberal tolerance was the ACLU's decision to defend Nazis and other bigots'...
... as usual. In the name of compassion, of course. First, conjure a bogeyman: In June 2009, Lani (a nickname)...
They both apparently don't mind destroying public records for political cover: There's a Mike Huckabee mystery that won't go away....
I don't watch much TV. Tonight, I watched something called "GritTV" on a local PBS affiliate. GritTV was a wonderfully...
So, am I for it, because I've always favored overthrowing dictators whenever an opportunity arises, or am I against it,...
I used to favor it: after all, why should some rather wealthy person receive Social Security when the system is...
A veritable political microcosm in every drop of electronic ink... Recommended by Google News, believe it or not: In her...
Last night, NBC Nightly News featured Joseph Cirincione, billed as a "nuclear expert." He predicted dire possibilities for the Japanese...
Watched NBC Nightly News yesterday. A few minutes covering the quake, with thousands killed and displaced — and then onto...
In Yemen, the government is apparently attacking protesters with nerve gas. Those with a vested interest in holding onto governmental...
I've pretty much avoided the whole "birther" controversy. On one hand, I don't understand the alleged motivation: the "birthers" seem...
Fuller, who? Eric Fuller, almost everything the media narrative desired: Victim, wounded in the Tucson shooting. Check. Blames right-wing rhetoric....
Well, Sarah Palin is again a truly evil person. She claims she has been subjected to a "blood libel" —...
Washington Post: Hours after the statement's release, two law enforcement sources said that FBI agents had found a 2007 letter...
I'm having trouble thinking of reasonable examples of this allegedly awful "right wing vitriol" which is imperiling both our democracy...
A while ago, I heard a story, related by a college professor, about the high levels of self-confidence — combined...
Well, this seems less than optimal: State and federal officials, driven by the agenda of environmental extremists, have made it...
John Dvorak is complaining about software patents. When I was in school, software was considered to be like a mathematical...
Ah, the filibuster... would could be more American and patriotic than that? Let's remember how Democrats felt about the eeeeevil...
Althouse — who voted for Obama, mind you — ends up essentially to the right of "conservative" proto-candidate Mike Huckabee....
I believe Golda Meir once said that there would be peace between Israel and Palestine when Palestinians loved their kids...
Democrats really care about fiscal responsibility, don't they? Democratic leaders in the House want to raise the estate tax for...
Al gave a very moving speech this week. His closing note: You know, I'm Jewish. So I don't know the...
Extremely sound advice. Kathy Shaidle, on "saving the world": Some of history's greatest villains were convinced they were "making the...
Via Taranto, behold, an "expert" on politics — and associate dean! Voter Turnout Will Determine Election, Says Expert Voter turnout...
Frank illustrates beautifully the way conservatives feel about the Republican party: they suck, but just less than the competition. In...
Watched the aforementioned flick in its entirety before bed last night. I suspect that one of the things going wrong...
Today's entry in the "straining out gnats while swallowing camels" department. "World Leaders", eh? I'd like to know how many...
DDT. Nuclear Power. High voltage power lines. Global warming. Global cooling. The energy crisis of the 1970s. Silicone breast implants....
After a visit to the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum, Mark Krikorian notes a bit of evidence of leftist revisionism: Amidst...
Look, I don't like to make fun of the man; I try go lightly on him in these pages when...
I'm joking, but just barely: Music labels and radio broadcasters can't agree on much, including whether radio should be forced...
If the President really wanted to see the economic damage his policies are causing in the Gulf, he could first...
"Hortense" at Jezebel seems obsessed, like so many on the left, with Sarah Palin. Why is Sarah Palin evil? Here's...
Robert Creamer at Huffington Post has an expose for his left-leaning readers: "Dirty Little Secrets Republicans Don't Want You to...
This world so is upside-down, sometimes... [George W Bush] gave Oscar Biscet, the Cuban political prisoner, the Presidential Medal of...
Day after day of tributes and puff-pieces about Senator Robert Byrd on NPR. Had he been a Republican, with the...
Listening to NPR, if you read outside the liberal bubble, is a bit like visiting an alternate reality where everything...
Obama's been breathing fire and making threats; it's as though he thinks BP hasn't contained the spill, so far, out...
I don't usually criticize people directly for holding other views than mine — except, I hope, on fairly clear factual...
At the close of the 1990s, after years of struggling with ceasefire violations from Iraq's pugnacious leader, and endless speculation...
I'm well aware that part of the reason people tend to vote for Democrats, even when they disagree with much...
I've been mute regarding the oil spill: my reactions are all over the place. On one hand, I think President...
Ed Morrissey: There are two indisputable facts in this story. Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax is a hero — and no one...
Utopians propose alternate realities. These realities have no defects, no problems, no responsibilities. Anyone who says otherwise is (a) making...
Catholic journal First Things, setting up a straw man for Intelligent Design: It is time to take stock: What has...
ABC alleges Steele "played the race card"... The embattled Steele, in the view of many, played the race card today...
So one of the "Militia" members arrested in Michigan is a registered Democrat; while another apparently hated George Bush. At...
Representative Bart Stupak: What are Democratic leaders saying? "If you pass the Stupak amendment, more children will be born, and...
Ann Althouse positions herself in the "moderate" middle between two extremes (warning: impending blogospheric personality spat, about which I care...
Politico: [Obama] tried to call out the Republicans when they fell back on their usual tactics, noting at one point...
Miscellaneous stuff; brief notes which have been piling up... Palin Derangement Syndrome: Let's see, what's so awful about Sarah Palin?...
I have mixed feelings about the presence of clandestine organizations within a Democratic Republic. On one hand, contra Pelosi et...
You've heard it. I've heard it. We've all heard it countless times recently: "Avatar" is the #1, top-grossing film of...
One of the things I hated about the sitcoms of the late '70s and early 80's were the laugh tracks....
Heard, minutes ago, that Coakley had conceded, and that Brown had won in Massachusetts. (Note the lack of a final...
I do think there are reasonable arguments which can be made against, say, waterboarding. I just don't see them, often......
I'm not generally partisan — I like or dislike the same things no matter who does them. And I like...
Fox: Obama's 47 Percent Approval Lowest of Any President at This Point President Obama's job approval rating has fallen to...
Andrew Sullivan bashes Charles Krauthammer for cynically shifting positions on gas taxes in order to embarrass Obama. Krauthammer points out...
Interesting story in LA Weekly about "medical" marijuana dispensaries — which pretty much confirms my suspicion / prediction that "medical...
Neo-neocon: It may seem only yesterday, but in fact it's been three months — exactly. And three months, you may...
If you've been living in a cave — or make the mistake of mistaking mainstream media sources as a reliable...
The US is now transfixed by a rural New York congressional district. The "narrative" from the GOP leadership — besides...
I found the contents of yesterday's Senate speech by Lamar Alexander commendable. After warning Obama to avoid a pitfall which...
I didn't always agree with Bush, but, gosh darn it, the guy was decent, even to those who considered him...
Nice write-up over at TierneyLabs in the New York Times. True confession: I'd love to say, "Oh, I always knew...
Liberal Democrat Gary David Goldberg created Family Ties during the Reagan administration, probably, it seemed to me as rare viewer,...
... or he should have at least known better. For once, I believe the allegation to be at least plausible....
A lot of people, including those far up north, are remarking that Obama's first-round Danish knockout means he's no longer...
I know many Democrats admire and want to emulate Europe, but I had no idea Michigan was already part of...
... and that was via videoconference! The military general credited for capturing Saddam Hussein and killing the leader of al-Qaeda...
If that's a bit vague, it's a reference to sports like soccer, where a player can use his head, which...
BigGovernment links to a disturbing video of schoolchildren being taught to praise Barack Obama, specifically, by name. Lyrics, approximately: Mmm,...
Really interesting note sent to John Derbyshire (bold added): [A friend running for office in Illinois] notes... that the average...
Unemployment is up. And so are Barack Obama's disapproval ratings. What should he do to halt this downward spiral? The...
Dr. Arie Szatkowski, a cardiologist, via Instapundit: If enacted as scheduled on Jan. 1, 2010, policy changes recommended by the...
FiveThirtyEight: [Y]esterday, someone told a real whopper. ABC News, citing the DC fire department, reported that between 60,000 and 70,000...
Today, Sojourners sent a bit of mail containing this: Honor Kennedy with Unity [...] On the occasion of his death,...
I've been trying to think about something entirely positive I could say and think about Teddy Kennedy this week, without...
A few years ago, there was the East St. Louis Democratic precinct leader who was charged with murder as a...
More evidence against the common wisdom: Powerline: "... the drug companies intend to spend $150 million — more than the...
Jonah Goldberg: Nancy Pelosi, who will get her own bound volume in the annals of asininity, has outdone herself. When...
What is "religious" is a largely subjective question which varies from individual to individual. Something which is not a "religious"...
For any of my beloved friends who might possibly, for a fleeting moment, have any lingering doubts about whether they...
Perfunction, quoting political philosopher John Mellencamp. I don't think people fought and gave their lives so that some guy can...
Via InstaPundit: "I'm Barack Obama, and I favor more competition in health insurance." [....] It will come as a surprise...
For weeks now, a good fraction of what NPR has covered has been Sotomayor. And ever single story I've heard...
The Daily Mail: "They think that I was like this evil torturer. ... I wasn't,'' she says. "People don't realize...
AP (ultimately): The Associated Press has learned the Obama administration is in talks with the remote South Pacific island nation...
According to Richard Lloyd Parry, writing in The London Times, North Korea wouldn't be any trouble at all if weren't...
Eric at Classical Values laments that it's almost impossible to have have an adult discussion of whether we want socialism,...
During the campaign, I remarked to a Democrat friend that one nice thing about having a Democrat in office is...
In our previous round, I noted that the left was fond of (a) saying they'd been called "unpatriotic" (by what...
After the 2004 Election, Air America encouraged me to look into the Conyers Report, which alleged massive election fraud in...
I've noticed, when speaking with my more Democratic-leaning friends, a marked versatility (shall we say) in relation to evidence. For...
Left: December 16, 2008: Melissa Etheridge stopped by "The View" Tuesday, but before singing a Christmas song she challenged co-host...
Insty links to "A comprehensive debunking of arguments that Obama is ineligible for the presidency." The piece is named "Claims...
I often hear about the evils of Halliburton -- we went into Iraq to make Halliburton rich, Halliburton bribed somebody,...
Instapundit links to this article, which quotes a lot of people who don't think so. I personally have no idea,...
While noting a New York Times columnist's rants against black women (in his mind, they're bad because they probably supported...
I keep hearing how "the right" is divisive. Is that true? What does "divisive" mean? Let's say a group of...
I began to acquire political consciousness in the Carter-Reagan era -- the first strong political feeling I can recall having...
Gays and lesbians are important contributors to our country. Besides often being among the most economically and/or culturally productive members...
Yesterday, my girl and I were eating at a rather tasty Chinese buffet when I noticed a guy walking out,...
What it is about antisemitism -- today usually couched as "anti-Israel-ism" which usually goes hand in hand with so many...
One large difference between social conservatives and libertarians is that social conservative tend to be more supportive of laws which...
John Bolton believes Russia's invasion has little to nothing to do with anything in South Ossentia, and everything to do...
Banned chemistry book: I had this book as a boy. Never did any of the experiments, though. Good thing: I...
Via Instapundit: Nearly 10,000 of the biggest donors to Republican candidates and causes across the country will probably receive a...
Why I'm not in love with "multilateralism": Each time the UN has stood between innocent civilians and genocide, the UN...
Consider the following paragraph. When and where was it written? I know I should be speaking out when I hear...
The New York Times, adhering to it's you're-a-victim template, complains that female bloggers aren't doing as well as their male...
Althouse: 22% of Americans "believe any state or region has the right to peaceably secede and become an independent republic."...
In 2001, his party affiliation was more than somewhat mysterious: The Media Research Center (MRC) analyzed ABC, NBC and CBS...
The Times: Bush claims executive privilege in Valerie Plame Wilson case The concept of executive privilege rings a special bell...
Sometimes, I remember things I'm probably supposed to have forgotten. For example, what happened to the charges against Tom Delay...
I'm currently watching the last few minutes of "Is Inequality Making Us Sick?" on PBS. The documentary examines evidence that...
In the comments, Mike asked, recently: I guess this leads me to the question, what do you people think about...
If I ever want something original to blog about, all I have to do is go to DailyKos and click...
A few days ago we learned that leftist narcoterrorist group FARC was being paid by Hugo Chavez to undermine Columbia's...
CitizenLink.com: Amid high-profile criminal investigations, Planned Parenthood has announced plans to spend $10 million this election cycle to ensure it...
In The Village Voice, to their credit: I found not only that I didn't trust the current government (that, to...
To repeat my mantra for the last year, I'm not a libertarian, I'm a conservative. I believe a small, limited...
You can read that both ways, really. I've been hearing that Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism has now reached #1 on...
Just remember: Democracy is, if nothing else, about ideological diversity and peaceful disagreement. Democracy means that different ideas and people...
Rediff News: Multiple wives mean financial gains for men in Britain. Men who marry several women are set for financial...
The bible says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. In one sense, I agree: if you believe...
What if I said that a given state judge wasn't aware there was a first amendment guaranteeing freedom of speech...
Boston: Mayor Thomas M. Menino embarked on a highly public campaign yesterday to block CVS Corp. and other retailers from...
"If you make unauthorized copies of copyrighted music recordings, you're stealing." Agree? If so, I think you'll find you'll be...
Naomi Wolf has been in the news a bit lately for alleging that America is a nearly fascist nation. I...
Via Jonah Goldberg, a comment from Theodore Dalrymple (an atheist whom I admire much): This sloppiness and lack of intellectual...
From the New York Times, via Insty: Speaking at a joint news conference at the Élysée Palace, President Nicolas Sarkozy...
Jerusalem Post: This week the Bush Administration legitimized Arab anti-Semitism. In an effort to please the Saudis and their Arab...
Instapundit links to this WaPo story about young professional "world-savers" who can't find lucrative careers in Washington, DC. Armed with...
One of the beautiful things about socialism (and many other non-functional political programs) is that (a) they don't work, and...
"Theodore Dalrymple" comments on a recent spate of articles in The Lancet ("one of the most influential medical journals in...
I thought this was worth quoting wholesale, in light of recent (separate) discussions here on the topic of dissent and...
Today's random question: If "patriotism" can merely consist of having good intentions, and wishing to do what's best for your...
Via Instapundit, a question: Just a random thought on Ahmedinejad speaking at Columbia. Columbia doesn't host ROTC or (I think)...
... what, again? When taken as a whole, then, most transit systems with light rail use more energy and emit...
Speaking of sexual politics, I can't help but wonder how common this sort of thing is in the ACLU --...
Over at Volokh, there's an interesting discussion about Barry Schwartz's The Paradox of Choice. I know an argument is making...
I consider myself a conservationist, but not an environmentalist. What's the difference? For me, it's subtle shift in emphasis between...
We've been told that FISA limits the President's power to perform warrantless wiretaps. This is false -- Congress cannot remove...
LA Times: A lower percentage of Mexican workers in the U.S. is sending money to family members back home, a...
This would seem to be an unprecedented move towards undermining rule of law and process. An outrage was committed on...
Incredibly, via the New York Times business editorial pages: The C.B.O.’s most recent calculations of federal tax rates show a...
This is something that has astonished me for a long time: People do a good job of managing their own...
I've noticed that people who argue that the government needs to take care of the poor are fond of characterizing...
Two nights ago, at dinner with a friend, I mentioned my belief that Universities (by which I mean the liberal...
Rolling Stone editor Mark Taibbi, himself a man of the left, notes: This is another dirty little secret of the...
Malkin's Hot Air has a wonderful video of Al Gore accusing Bush's father of understating the dangers of Saddam Hussein,...
Reuters: Venezuela TV station says troops seized equipment Venezuelan troops have seized an anti-government television channel's broadcast equipment, the station...
I'm from Wisconsin originally; here's a typical cartoon which illustrates the breathtaking economic ignorance so prevalent in the media: Let...
In the course of addressing several ideas promoted by Ron Paul's official campaign website, I recently posted links to several...
Besides being quite talented, they have some refreshing common sense: Pet Shop Boys singer Neil Tennant has spoken out against...
When I first saw John Edwards' house, my first thought was: Won't it be rich (pardon the pun) if this...
In many people's minds, marriage is now a "right". (So does the government thus have an obligation to provide homely...
First, the author: Jane Harman was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992. During her six terms...
Malkin: Romney is rendered speechless by a question read by Matthews: "What do you dislike most about America?" Tim's answer:...
Jim Wallis's group, Sojourners, is like the ACLU in one regard: In theory, they stand for something I generally agree...
TimeOnline clearly thinks the "bible class" aspect of this story is most relevant. Indeed, perhaps so -- since this kind...
Sadly, as with Ted Kaczynski, this is what I'd guessed we'd find, politically: Authorities found two three-page notes in his...
People and corporations who view the government as their personal bank account are a serious problem. But it's not surprising...
I'm just posting this because I often have to refute this misconception. Via World Mag Blog: A new study by...
Nice non-sequitur! Next week: My Little Pony and the pliestocine era... Irwin Stelzer in the Weekly Standard: Consider the simple...
Have actual principles and convictions, don't just fake them. That way, you won't have to remember to keep all your...
Pat Santy re-offers an elaborate theory as to "why psychology seems to attract so many on the left." She traces...
I've had a laugh or two from the over-the-top parodies (and impressive graphics) over at The People's Cube. So I...
I'm not really obsessed with this issue. In fact, I have no real objection to the notion of man-made global...
This is an example of an entry where I got things really wrong. Jeff's point below was about murder, but...
I see that Thomas Eagleton died last weekend. I took his class on the Vietnam war. I was impressed, and...
Via John Ray, from the Times Online, it seems Michael Moore is being exposed by a pair of principled left-leaning...
LA Times: Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull said today that Australia would gradually ban incandescent lightbulbs and require the use of...
Today I received a petition which assured me that cloning animals was a "risky, unnecessary and cruel technology." Well, what...
The stunning thing is, "the right" is actually a creation of "the left." Think of a Democrat you know. Imagine...
"Economics Nobel Laureate Gary Becker and Judge Richard Posner", via Jonathan Adler over at Volokh: An increase in the minimum...
Chris Hedges, former New York Times and NPR reporter, via Volokh: This is the awful paradox of tolerance. There arise...
One of the dominant characteristics of "leftist" movements and policies is that the general effect is usually the exact opposite...
Well, this is one of the most absurd things I've ever seen President Bush blamed for: Sharon Stone blames US...
To reiterate: I was once a huge fan of Jimmy Carter. Over time, I grew to understand, and see ever...
A friend of mine just made this observation: My children will never know a world without advertising in the bathroom...
The New York Sun: Advocates for more pro-growth policies in New York will get new ammunition today with the release...
One of the touching things about "the left" is their apparent naivete regarding the ever-dreaded "legislation" of "values" or "morals."...
In my previous post, I noted Dennis Prager, a Jew, was called a "bigot" for lamenting that a Muslim Congressman...
In one of our strange diversions (from talking about a serial murderer,) Ryan and I ended up debating (in my...
Via Tammy Bruce: GREELEY [CO] - The line of applicants hoping to fill jobs vacated by undocumented workers taken away...
Radar Online profiles new Democratic members of the 110th Congress. Among them are... Jason Altmire who wants to clamp down...
The Dixie Chicks, on trends in country music, my emphasis: [Martie] Maquire says she is not trying to say the...
There are really only two possible general approaches concerning American power in the world: isolationism and involvement. And despite my...
You can probably guess this one already. I'm remembering the screams of outrage when Cheney used the F-word at a...
As a person, from what can be dimly discerned from a distance, George Bush strikes me as a decent enough...
Instapundit directs our attention to a JustOneMinute post about the Iraqi nuke plans: The NY Times quotes Peter Zimmerman, who...
I'm not bringing this up to bash "liberals", but one does get a bit tired of a politicial movement which...
I've been tremendously busy lately, but couldn't help but hear about the latest John Kerry gaffe. I've been no apologist...
Censorship, as I hear it, comes from the right. And in some senses, that's true. I freely admit to wanting...
I was going to go with this story last week, before it was hot, but I wanted to see if...
While reading the Wikipedia article on Hugo Chavez, I noticed this section, regarding the 2004 recall election: Critics called the...
If I, speaking as a conservative, had to summarize the strongest unifying "liberal"/"progressive" deficiency, is it the tendency to appear...
I try. Really, I try. I try hard to give the 9/11 conspiracy theories time and serious consideration. But they're...
When I was a kid, I used to love science fiction. At first, I read everything I could by Asimov,...
Well, I was going to write about the Democratic contender for Missouri's seat in the Senate, but I see she's...
Yet another study carefully quantifies and confirms the obvious -- that people who base their career around wanting public adulation...
Today's news carries stories of terrorist plots, further inconvenience to travellers, cell phones and explosives, dead children, media photo-fakery, and...
There's a certain segment which seeks to find a Christian theocratic motive behind every conservative political doorstep: just about everything...
From the begining this story has been about, and orchestrated by, those who would make money from embryonic stem cell...
Just stumbled across this interesting piece in the New York Times by George Lakoff, the guy who advised Democrats they...
Ariana Huffington: The latest analysis by Democracy Corps, a Democratic polling firm, couldn't be clearer: Democrats need to draw sharp...
Well, good to see "excitable Andrew" has made an important contribution to our culture. A while back, we had Madeline...
I, for one, am astounded at the frothing level of Coulter-hatred I'm seeing from the mainstream media. I probably shouldn't...
I've long noted the paradox that the systems which envision people as basicly "good" -- e.g., Marxism/Communism, Nazism, more radical...
... to paraphrase Bill Clinton... I've been reading reviews of Lakoff's Don't Think of an Elephant. So far, I've learned...
I used to be what I'd call a "radical" pacifist -- not "radical" in the sense that I would do...
I see the Democrats are again trying to take poor people, who are already living on the edge, barely getting...
MoveOn.org to Liberals: Choose three positive ideas - A short news article that both points Democrats in the right direction...
Not long ago, the city of Cypress, California -- where I used to work, for a while -- "used subterfuge,...
With the some in the US Border patrol apparently working with Mexico [more] to keep illegal immigrants from being caught,...
Who watches the watchers? I'm not a huge fan of George Will, but I thought this observation was brilliant: [John...
Recently, in wake of the sentencing of Moussaoui, my girlfriend raised some good arguments about the death penalty. This reminded...
Reuters: In a surprise reversal, Mexican President Vicente Fox will not sign a widely criticized reform to decriminalize the possession...
Susan Estrich has some advice for her fellow Democrats on how to win elections. I think she's right on the...
I chanced to hear a few minutes of Michael Savage again the other night. What do people see in this...
It's unbelievable, the harm we did to poor families and children for so many years, all in the name of...
Embracing Marx's economic theories, which were formulated in the nineteenth century and utterly discredited by the close of the twentieth....
Today on the way to work I saw old 1980s Cadillac, with heavily-tinted windows. Clearly painted on the back window,...
You know, just when I'm having a nice week I have to hear about ugly stuff like this -- in...
In my experience, the left lies incessantly: sometimes it seems to me that almost every word out of their mouth...
One simple question: Why do Mexicans want to come to the USA? The answer's obvious -- isn't it? Or is...
It's funny what you can "prove" in the "soft" sciences, like psychology: What the authors found was that Berkeley children...
I had an interesting discussion with a friend recently. She comes from the left end of the spectrum, and I...
I didn't know this: When voters in Zimbabwe, the former Rhodesia, elected a black Methodist bishop, Abel Muzorewa, the Carter...
... is looking increasingly like much ado about nothing. I have no dog in this hunt, but it looks increasingly...
Well this was predictable: Hawaii's gas price controls, imposed last fall when the cost of fuel was hovering around $3...
Episcopalian priest Tom Erich: American religion isn't helping. With relentless attacks on homosexuality, conservative evangelicals communicate the message that diversity...
A column by Patrick Hynes says what many observers have noticed: Democrats have some serious decisions to make about the...
Is it my imagination, or since his crack-up, has Al Gore begun to suspiciously resemble Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard?...
My girlfriend was fast asleep at 8AM yesterday, Saturday morning -- her morning to get caught up on her sleep...
This article will serve as a scratchpad for research on this topic; it may be updated periodically with more information...
I've seen this sort of rhetoric used many times before... The leader of Germany's opposition Greens party said Friday that...
Europeans, why do they hate you? Protests against European newspapers' publication of cartoons lampooning the prophet Muhammad gained momentum across...
La Shawn is all thrilled she got ink in Nation magazine. I guess it's one of those cases where you're...
Does anyone else but me find it more than just a tad creepy that Cindy Sheehan called Bush a dictator...
Colorado Senator Ken Salazar clearly demonstrates, like most leftists, that he relies upon personal invective and slander rather than reasoned...
Here's a liberal who is, apparent sensibly, complaining that liberal radio network Pacific Radio is missing a real opportunity to...
In an earlier installment, remarking on some trenchant Q&O observations about Blunt rigging a question & answer session, yours truly...
Republicans are suffering right now from the appearance (justified in some cases) of being willing to do whatever is politically...
In response to my previous blog about the PATRIOT Act and library records, "Markus" comments: I don't mind that they...
I hear that Syriana handily beat out contenders such as Cinderalla Man for Golden Globe awards. Based on the feedback...
Just had a discussion with a friend about our alleged loss of civil liberties here in the USA. I asked...
Last time, I wrote (emphasis added): I hope Robertson will eventually realize the media loves him for a reason, and...
A word for our elected leaders, from Michael Reagan, amidst the turmoil of Abramoff investigations: When my dad was first...
One of the prime reasons I've been opposed to capital punishment -- at least under the current system -- was...
While the guy sounds like he's a nice guy in person, there are several things in this essay (via James...
I mean, I just don't get it. Why does he do stuff like this: 3. Chomsky claimed that Egypt offered...
From a review of Carter's new book, Our Endangered Values, posted over at World Mag blog: While President Carter believes...
Tonight I sat in a room with about 1,200 others listening to Rudy Guiliani speak. Although it wasn't a political...
Thought for today: "Progressives" are facists. It was rather suprising when I realized this. Consider: Economic control: Someone, I forgot...
And yet some see... America... as the worst country on the planet??? These people -- and they are not uncommon,...
East St. Louis alternates between hilarity and tragedy. When I younger, a judge ruled found in favor of a claim...
Leftist historian Hugh Thomas: "In all essentials Castro's battle for Cuba was a public relations campaign, fought in New York...
The beautiful trick of the left is that they get people to support policies which are the exact opposite of...
There are many sad and deplorable aspects of the current controversy, not the least being the dishonesty of so many...
I've been watching this affair since it was in it's infancy, and "knew" immediately that the reason the Times and...
I have written this down here for posterity, so I can reference it without re-typing it each time... Saddam has...
It's fascinating to watch the political (and religious) left at work -- somewhat in the same way that storms are...
Is, er, um... Scotland: A UNITED Nations report has labelled Scotland the most violent country in the developed world, with...
How does a guy this dense get to be a millionaire? Or, perhaps more accurately, how can a guy this...
During a recent listen to Air America I heard a rather heated ... uh ... agreement (since there were no...
I've been listening to Air America lately. For one thing, these people seem obsessed with Pat Robertson. While most conservatives...
People make the mistake of thinking the left, collectively, actualy means what it says. They remind me of the sheep...
Sometimes, I actually get a twinge of hope for liberals, when I read one writing sensible stuff like this: We...
Powerline references this poll which seems to indicate that support for groups like al Qaeda has decreased in Muslim nations,...
A great observation by "Theodore Dalrymple" (whose real name escapes me at the moment): Political correctness is communist propaganda writ...
Some things are just too bizarre for parody: Grandfather Twilight: Children are dying from bombs and guns. The moon sees...
Apparently, it means you'll have to think: Clooney, who has just directed Good Night and Good Luck, which is about...
You've just GOT to love a group which is so impressed with it's own moral authority that it would hold...
I don't mind that the Canadian liberal party opposed to the war in Iraq. But we kept hearing from Canada...
I want to go back to the days when Christopher Hitchens and I were on opposite sides of the political...
I've been following the flap about the prez's mention of 9/11 for a while now. It's amusing. After the president's...
Forgive me as I indulge in what surely must be one of the most WRONG responses you ever see from...
A few pithy quotes from James Taranto on the left's latest political dogfight du jour. Quoting Ryan Sagar: There's an...
Like LaShawn, I had noticed this too -- yet another story (like the Swiftboat Vets) where the media covers the...
A friend of mine has parents who are deeply liberal. Like the stereotypical image of the liberal American -- and...
Illinois Senator Durbin appears deeply concerned that Gitmo detainees were kept too warm or cool while being interrogated. He argues...
Over at Dissecting Leftism, Dr. John Jay Ray has posted a rather interesting essay about leftist leaders and followers. While...
Elsewhere, I gave three typical examples of intelligent liberal voters who knowingly betrayed strongly-held personal beliefs in order to support...
An excellent point: I shouldn’t be amazed that with all the media chest-thumping about their heroism in the Watergate story,...
George Washington, extreme right-winger, clearly unfit for public office: "The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference...
John Hinderaker asks: I have to say, though, that I really don't understand what the Democrats are doing on Bolton....
Introduction [If my wordy introduction bores you, skip to the "Analysis" section below. Thanks.] Last night I decided to tune...
Illegal immigration as I've never heard it explained: I've been a reporter in Arizona for 30 years. As the border...
Sometimes, as a "conservative" -- e.g. one who thinks America's former Constitution and government form is a good thing, and...
Background Like many others, when I became a Christian, the question of how faith and politics mixed was one of...
Speaking about the recent spate of food-throwing violence on the left, conservative blogger ShrinkWrapped suggests a motive: When your enemies...
Several weeks ago, I heard a report on NPR which stated, in no uncertain terms, and (a) audits determined that...
In case we didn't have any real problems to worry about today, we can fret obsessively about this: The president...
Colorado Senator Ken Salazar -- who I once mistakenly confused with a nice guy -- recently called popular psychologist and...
In response to "Money is the root of all evil", Perry Eidelbus comments: That's one of the biggest misquotes of...
If you been following the Cornyn flap, Beldar's got a great set of comments. In particular he complains about something...
"Just two buddies playing in a tractor -- and signing billions in business deals."On the occasion of Vlad Putin's visit...
I am amazed by the ability some people have to deny the obvious when it conflicts with cherished political theories....
Carter ostracizing CastroEver the Cold WarriorSometimes, it's hard to make it all the way through a MSM "news" article without...
Just the party of the people, you understand... Pointing to the left's success in using tax-exempt organizations to raise funds,...
Liberals lead the way: Just when you thought the Federal Election Commission had it out for the blogosphere, the San...
Gosh, I wish John Kerry had won. Who knew that the Democrats were so prescient? I mean, I always wanted...
Why Joe Biden has no chance in the Democratic Party; and why today's core of the Democratic Party cannot effectively...
To Stalin or not to Stalin -- that is the question. And apparently, it's almost a toss-up: 42 percent of...
Fredric Bastiat on socialism, in What is Seen, circa 1848: The more one examines these "forward-looking" schools of thought, the...
Exactly how many ways does this Howard Dean statement not make sense? "I want to reach out to people who...
As a recovering "centrist" who still harbors definite left-leaning tendencies, one of the more "leftist" ideas I believe in is...
History repeats. Democratic Congressman Maurice Hinchey, regarding Rathergate: Now, I mean, I have my own beliefs about how that happened:...
At one time, I admired Noam Chomsky. I had absorbed this attitude, unquestioningly, through my college education. I at first...
Regarding Eason Jordan, Baldilocks quips, pithily: Observe as a new meme is born: the right-wing blogger as First Amendment antagonist....
One of the arguments brought to bear regarding gay marriage is that marriage a private affair. Glenn Reynolds today expressed...
Leftists are so weird. Tonight I heard a woman claim that it wasn't any of our business whether Ward Churchill...
We are often told about some policy "widening the gap between rich and poor." We are told this is evidence...
A grand unified theory of political behavior which answers a nagging question that's been bothering me lately...
You won't believe how much Ward Churchill -- who just called the 9/11 victims 'little Eichmanns' -- makes each year. Or maybe you will.
I've noticed this recurring pattern when debating with liberals: Liberal: Your policies are evil. Conservative: No, actually, yours hurt people....
The following is from an article about how a shadowy group of elite advisors in the US have led our...
Two popular leftist tropes... First allegation: "Blue" states (Kerry-voting states) paid more taxes, "red" states received more of the benefits....
"I play with them and then I smash them." "I will not enage them." "To get that close to that...
I'm listening to Air America right now. The meme is that Condi is incredibly dishonest, and Barbara Boxer is an...
Want a chastity belt? An Pennsylvania abortion-rights group demands the state legislature provide them for free. No kidding!
Leftist front group National Council of Churches (NCC) is apparently doing it's best to makes sure young people don't end up improving the world...
Listening to Medved, a leftist asserts that one of the biggest money-makers these past years have been the pharmaceutical industry...
What has killed more people? The recent tsunami in Asia, or one year of socialized medice in the UK? The answer may suprise you.
Well, guess what? It's another installment in our continuing drama: "Protecting homosexual behavior trumps the First Amendment." Be sure to tune in for next week's installment: "Homosexual male church daycare workers mandated by law."
Heather O'Donnell: Ten or so interrogators would gather and sing the Rolling Stones’ “Time Is on My Side” outside [would-be...
Peggy Noonan apparently believes idealism is fine for dead liberals, but wrong for living conservatives.
I have written here and here my thesis that the main "point" or effect of making homosexuality a protected category...
Happened to hear a few moments of today's "Michael Medved" show. The topic was Bush's inauguration, and a caller, "Chuck",...
Perhaps the left is something quite different than I'd imagined -- perhaps it's just the tip of an historical iceberg.
In the business world, I learned that marketing copy would be of higher quality if it were written while wearing...
The New Yorker: Just before Thanksgiving, John Danforth, the United States Ambassador to the U.N., expressed his frustration with the...
A long review of John Carpenter's late-80s movie about aliens. Or is it Republicans? Or is it
really about himself?
Derek Draper: Although politics does not necessarily provide excitement or power, it does provide a ready-made identity, one where your...
AP: More than 700 previously uncounted ballots were added in [Democratic-leaning] King County after election workers, under the close watch...
I've argued before that O'Reilly is note actually a conservative. And this thought from "Rightwingsparkle" raises the question again: I...
Been a bit behind on keeping caught up with other blogs, but noticed that last month Deb had attracted a...
I just caught onto the Al Franken/David Horowitz fight. Seems Al called one too many conservatives "racist", as usual without any justification. Unlike so many others, Horowitz didn't take it lying down...
Okay, it may be a cheap shot to even quote Democratic Underground -- it makes the liberal position look rather...
Katie Grant, concerning British Prime Minister William Gladstone: Gladstonian liberalism... was a political creed dedicated to limiting taxation, promoting trade...
The philosophy of liberalism, by which I mean claiming to always be "for the little guy" or underdog, is utterly...
Garrison Keillor: I am now the chairman of a national campaign to pass a constitutional amendment to take the right...
Previously, when discussion abortion, I've always used the terms "pro-life" and "pro-choice" -- being fair, I figured, by given each...
Until this election, I'd never voted for a Republican for President. So I'm not much of a stalwart conservative, at...
The latest bit of evidence in my ongoing question to understand leftism: The psychiatrist Hadassah Brooks Morgan says that John...
Weekly Standard: Every candidate that Clinton endorsed, raised money for, or conducted a campaign appearance on behalf of, lost. Toss...
I think the left has utterly lost it. Or at least a much-too-sizable contingent. Yesterday, while waiting in line at...
Three thousand Americans killed in a single day by Muslim extremists. As the nation descends into economic shock and air...
The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice presents itself as a faith-based group who argues that "reproductive choice" (including the choice...
Other than suggesting a trade for Alberta (mostly in jest, mind you), I've been largely ignoring the whole "red state"...
The left is up in arms about the treatment of the Tablian prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay. Listening to the specifics of their complaints reveals the breathtaking ignorance of their position...
... for me: I don't even believe that the morality issue is what cost Kerry this election. But I love...
Will prominent members of the left now finally keep their promise and move to Canada, or other places abroad? Not...
I'd like to point your attention to an article by Chris Suellentrop which ran a few days ago in Slate...
I'm listening to Air America and the spin is that since the real results seemed so "vastly different" than the...
Kerry opens a new line of attack in Rochester, Minnesota, and
Random Observations is granted an exclusive interview with campaign spokewoman Stephanie Cutter.
Republicans are trying to disenfranchise minorities in the Badger State again! Or perhaps I'm being ironic...
Honestly. I try to see the world from "the other" point of view. But sometimes my curiosity, and ability to...
Was just browsing the Amazon customer reviews on Dick Morris's Because He Could -- Morris's answer to Clinton's My Life,...
Lately I've had the pleasure of wandering around left-leaning blogs of principle. It's refreshing to find them -- I had...
The New York Times: To Bush-bashers, it may be the most infuriating revelation yet from the military records of the...
We lost power today for a few minutes. I haven't checked to how the microwave oven and VCR weathered this...
The BBC, a few weeks ago: US light crude settled at a record closing price of $51.09 on Tuesday, up...
Congratulations, my fellow Americans.
You are again making me deeply ashamed of our cluelessness. First, for feeling the need to blame someone for every ill in the world. And second, for being to lazy to try to figure out who to blame.
Oil causes many problems in the world, and increasing oil taxes is a necessary step towards solving these problems. Or is it?
Oh no! The gap between rich and poor is widening! Gather the villagers! Grab your pitchforks! Light the torches!
Once upon a time the media laughed at Ronald Reagan's ideas about how stimulate the economy. They mischaracterized his plan as "trickle down economics". Nobody's laughing any more...
Kerry argues you can't "impose" a democracy on people. The question is open as to whether it can or will work in predominantly Muslim countries, or at least Iraq in specific. But Kerry's statement is at odds with reality.
Bruce Bartlett: An Oct. 3 report in the Boston Globe recounts many of the ways in which the old Imperial...
Who mislead us about Bush's alleged timber company? Bush? Kerry? Or, perhaps, was it FactCheck.org itself? I find something fishy about their reasoning.
Via Dr. John Ray's "Of Interest" blog: Chase's take on the Unabomber is that he is the social product of...
Was able to catch last night's debate. In my opinion, Bush looked good: confident, tough. The grimacing didn't really work...
A friend forwards a template Amnesty International letter about Haitian refugees to George Bush. I take the time to write back to my friend and address some of the core arguments of the letter.
Things seem to have gone nuts in the last several days: As you probably know, USA Today reported yesterday that...
Why do they hate us? Why do they hate us? Linda Heard demonstrates precisely why they hate us. Clip and save this for the next time a left-leaning friend of yours brings up the topic.
Only applies to conservatives... Some black pastors say the Bush campaign's appeals have made them more determined than ever to...
According to the guys at
INDC Journal, it's looking like John Kerry might have cheated in the debates. Ask me if I'm shocked. Actually I am. I guess I'm just not
surprised.
Sometimes you can tell a lot from the little things: Random Observations about the first presidential debate, Kerry and his crew, and their actions and reactions in a telling news article...
I'm having a real laugh these days about who is being called "conservative". Consider Glenn Reynolds, for example. Glenn is...
Comments on comments on comments about Kerry's comments about Allawi's speech. Or: My view of Kerry's critique of our foreign policy. Ach, just read it.
Why are Democrats currently out of power? What strategies will they be able to use to get it back? What does this mean to us as a nation?
I'm going to be blunt about this: I believe it likely that people in the center of the Democratic party have considered staging attacks on themselves, of various sorts, in order to win sympathy and make conservatives look bad.
Astonished Head: Whether the Kerry campaign had anything to do with the documents or not, their near-total incompetence in handling...
I'm clearly having trouble avoiding this topic, but the debacle raises too many hilarious points. I'm loving the "Rove did...
One last thought: Rathergate reminds me of a Jeff Goldbum appearance on SNL after "Jurrasic Park" came out. As a...
There's a point I'd like to make here which I think has been overlooked. Many of my associates on the...
You are so insecure you must grab a sign away from a little girl and tear it up because she...
From World Magazine Blog: Fahrenheit 9/11 premiered to a full house of Iranian moviegoers in the capital city of Tehran...
Bill Dyer makes a lot of sense, but ultimately, I disagree with his recommendations regarding where we need to go from here. I think what he's suggesting, though I agree it's sensible, may backfire.
Once, I'm told, one of Abraham Lincoln's aides inquired why he would not be meeting with another politician. Lincoln replied:...
I spent a few minutes this morning wandering the fever swaps over at Democratic Underground. Was nice to see there...
Have you heard about the stunt 60 Minutes pulled? They slimed Bush using forged documents. My two cents on the matter.
Via NRO: I am a lifelong Democrat, and I have always loved the ethnic, religious, and regional varieties of Democrats...
Diary of an Anti-Chomskyite: As an ex-Leftist who grew up in a very Leftwing family of Jewish Bostonians, I can...
You've heard this one before. And, as is usually true with these stats, it's about as meaningful as saying that movie tickets are more expensive than ever before...
His frequent mentions of Jesus Christ in official speeches demonstrate the President's dangerous religious extremism, and clear inability to grasp the proper separation between church and state.
The AP newswire can change a lot of people's minds at once. But lately, it seems they've been making a lot of "mistakes", and curiously, they all seem to benefit one candidate's campaign.
Those of you who are paying attention noticed that, before Bush had even completely his acceptance speech, Kerry opened up...
John Kerry has been attacking George Bush over increased medicare premiums: John F. Kerry promoted his economic message in this...
It's been a long-honored tradition, a rule even, in American politics that you stop campaigning during the other party's convention....
Kevin T. Keith of "Lean Left" has responded to my perplexed post regarding his blog's claim that O'Neill has lied....
A short excursion into FAIR convinces me they're anything but...
This is very cool. The sign says: Young liberal idealist looking for conservative or Republican person to discuss hopes and...
Much of what I post passes, apparently, unnoticed or at least uncommented. But there's a few threads that, probably due...
Dale Franks: This is paranoia. There's simply no other word for it. I mean, sure, it's an amusing kind of...
Thomas Lipscomb drops a bomb on the Kerry campaign: The Silver Star smells fishy, and Navy Secretary Lehman has "no idea" who wrote those words to which his name was signed. Meanwhile, no response returned from the SS Kerry...
O'Neill lied, right? Or maybe not... I take a quick look at a typical anti-SwiftVet slam -- and find it wanting. Did O'Neill lie? It's not impossible, but this is hardly proof...
Quoth Zell Miller... Consider one of our greatest Democratic Presidents: John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Back in 1963 President Kennedy proposed a...
The overwhelming impression one gets of Kerry is that of a man who manufactures his own history at will...
Alan Keyes supports reparations. What next, Hillary Clinton comes out supporting vouchers and privatized social security? A few thoughts on why I think Alan's stance is sorely misguided...
Last time we highlighted a well-credentialed leftist who is sure we invaded Iraq to gain alien technology. Today's sad but...
In City Journal: The Census Bureau has just released figures showing that the D.C. public school district spends a mind-boggling...
Moore made much hash of the fact that Bush was told about the events of 9/11, and then spent seven...
Another whopper of a lie from the Kerry campaign? Another fabrication? Who would have believed it! Why, it's almost enough to make one
cynical about the current Democratic candidate's honesty!
Just wanted to recommend an interesting blog: lately, I've been reading what gets posted at EU Referendum, an interesting pair,...
There are indeed, I am told, major differences between Kerry and Bush's stance on Iraq: A new one is, apparently, that Kerry would have been a more insightful consumer of intelligence. Yet what does Kerry's record say?
When it comes to the truth, his own allegations aside, it seems Mr. Carville "can't handle the truth." We've heard...
Jesse Jackson claims Jesus was a liberal. LaShawn barber points out this is biblical illiteracy -- from a supposed "Reverend" at that. But if you examine the passages closely, you'll see it not only supports LaShawn's contentions, it actually teaches the
opposite of what Jesse says it does...
John Ray argues that wealthy people and cultural elites who are leftists do so because they think they "get a...
Some comments about Bill O'Reilly remind me where I stood, politically, a decade or two ago, and what happened in the meantime to bring me where I am now.
Well, Fox has started to cover the story... the usual route for left-unfriendly facts. Without Fox, nobody would have to...
Quoth Lileks: If Kerry’s story is a lie, it’s significant, but not because we have a gotcha moment – gee,...
For those that are still with me, I don't think you be shocked to learn any of the following, but...
I'm told Fox News is supposed to biased towards the right. Perhaps that's true with some of their editorialists, but...
Moderate conservatives, and other forms of ordinary people, are a naive bunch when it comes to politics. Consider the Iraq...
Thomas Jefferson: God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure...
WSJ: When it comes to Canadian identity, Fox News Channel is apparently a threat. Al-Jazeera, on the other hand, is...
As I was reading some of the reviews of this popular book debunking a lot of Moore's lunacy -- and...
This short story starts with the left says something the right does is disgusting. But guess what? You'll only be suprised by ending if you've never read a conservative blog before. You'll want to know anyway, though.
The Washington Post: The matters leading to impeachment aren't the only ones where Mr. Clinton veers from the nonfiction category....
Earlier I mentioned Al Jazeera's coverage of Al Gore's speech. Another Gore snippet, as highlighted by Hugh Hewitt and others:...
Al Gore plays fast and loose with the truth. No, let's be honest: Al Gore is lying. And he knows it. But Al Jazeera uses his words to further anti-American hatred among it's readers. No embellishment is needed.
This time reported in the NY Times, if you can believe it: Contacts between Iraqi intelligence agents and Osama bin...
How often have I heard my left-leaning friends and associate accuse Republicans of cynically manipulating the "religious right" into supporting their platforms?
Hitchens, quoting George Orwell from 1945: The majority of pacifists either belong to obscure religious sects or are simply humanitarians...
Hindrocket: The fact that the Democrats were desperate to snag as a Vice-Presidential candidate a pro-life Republican who vigorously supports...
It's old news, but I just stumbled upon these comments by Vox Day. In response to this: City Council members...
Just saw a debate centered around Linda Chavez's new book, Betrayal (popular term these days, eh?) in which Alan Colmes...
I was extremely unhappy that Ronald Reagan beat Jimmy Carter. Eight years later, I was starting to come around, despite...
A friend recently sent me a letter about the potentially troubling case of Maher Ahar, asking what I thought...
TIME magazine and ABC news slant their coverage of the fast food debate they're creating, and Radly Balko gets involved. But what do food-control advocates really want? I offer a few thoughts on the debate...
Howard Dean's defunct campaign is now selling his supporters' private information. The word "irony" is somewhat overused, but I think it applies here. Alanis?
I've had friends -- libertarians even -- say I seem to be a libertarian. Indeed, in many ways, my philosophy is close: I believe in minimal economic regulations and am also cautious about using government to "do good" in the social realm. So why am I not a libertarian?
Why do people believe what they believe? For a lot of reasons which suprise me! Some thoughts and confessions about why we believe as we do.
Oh good heavens: National Review's Byron York has tracked down Louis Letson, the physician who treated Kerry for the wound...
Can the international community prevent genocide? A reader asks, and I put my opinion out there for the first time. This is not the feel-good essay of the year...
Newsday runs an impressively fawning (and clueless) piece about Air America. It was too cute not to mention publicly.
I'm heartbroken. When I was a little boy in the early 70s, my family attended a small Presbyterian church in...
Information Mansoor Ijaz reveals shows that there may be more to Mr. Clarke's recent actions, and his involvement in the 9/11 tragedy, than meets the eye. You
must read this.
Opponents impersonated in political ads; death threats and dark, violent mutterings. Good heavens! Consider the content of the minds producing such statements...
Richard Clarke apologized! Bush didn't! What does it all mean?
The National Debate: ... is it not a tremendous conflict of interest to have Jamie Gorelick, the Asssitant Attorney General...
If you've been paying attention to the news lately, you've heard the EPA's latest warnings about the purported dangers of mercury consumption in fish. Could this be the first blow of a one-two punch?
Bunnie Diehl recounts seeing someone engaged in an "evil" smear campaign against the Bush at a recent party in Washington, DC. Apparenty, the trick has worked just fine...
Clarked seemed to tell the 9/11 committee that he should not be suspected of any partisan motivations or loyalties because he was a Republican. But is that what the record really shows? Pull the thread and watch the sweater unravel...
Was Hitler a leftist or rightist? Today we look at a leftist argument that Hitler's alleged leftist tendencies are nothing more than a conservative myth. What we find instead is a stunning display of bad logic, nonstandard definitions, omitted data, and ad homen arguments about rightists.
At one [Al-Anon] meeting, we had to share something about a higher power. And I said that as a Jew,...
What changed the press coverage of Howard Dean? Who wants to dominate AM talk radio now? A
New York Times article profiling Al Franken provides a fascinating peek at how the message you hear is being crafted behind the scenes.
I occasionally spend some time in a deliberate effort to see the world through the "other" (leftist) point of view....
Note: Since I wrote this, I've been corrected: Kerry only offered to pay for tuition at public university levels, not...
There's been much discussion among conservatives (how sad that it should be limited thusly) about Kerry's recent dissembling. And indeed,...
This isn't the sort of thing I normally wade into; I'm not a big fan of petty partisan politics. But...
So how do the Spanish bomblasts play in the Democratic Underground? Once, again, we get a chance to do a little study of applied psychology. One can only hope that DU is some kind of elaborate Republican hoax; if these commenters represent any significant subset of the Democratic faithful, our country is in deep, deep trouble.
Good heavens, Random Observations seems to have become a "media bias" blog lately. I swear, it's not because I'm trying....
New York Second Circuit Federal Court Judge Sifton has decided that the US Constitution compels us to oppose Christianity and favor other religions. What version of the Constitution is he reading?
Is raising taxes fiscally responsible when we are in a recession? Can you really cut taxes in order to get out of a deficit? The answers may suprise you.
Guess who's accusing the President of saying negative things about his political opponent? Wow, that's an amazingly bold move, considering the recent behavior of the accusers.
P.J. O'Rourke: You say we (reporters) are distracting from the business of government. Well I hope so. Distracting a politician...
I'm watching a press conference with a white house official. They've released the payroll records which demonstrate George W. Bush...
What can we learn from M*A*S*H, the National Prayer Breakfast, Gregg Easterbrook, and Ronald Reagan's 1976 campaign about judging a book by its cover?
Guns and knives in school. Kids having sex in the bathroom. Disrespecting the teacher and failing to show up for...
A quick look at one thing John Kerry is going to do to make health care in America more affordable. Sadly, it seems to violate common sense.
Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo has some reasonable complaints regarding WMD. For one, that Perle has long complained that...
Here's a high school with some interesting priorities: The Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee banned "West Side Story" because its members...
Sorry: I normally try to keep Random Observations more of a news-channel-like format. But lately, I'm going to be putting...
Rambling about sushi, politics, leftist hatred, and blogging...
I'd always been taught that Hitler and his party belonged, politically, to the right wing. But the closer I looked, the less true that seemed to be...
How things have changed: In 1776, our country fought a revolution to gain its freedom from what was considered an...
Some things don't change, do they? Frederick Bastiat, in The Law, written in 1850AD: "Socialism, like the ancient ideas from...
World on the Web, quoting Jerry Bowyer: Laffer was right; when rates go down, receipts go up. The evidence for...
Tim aruges liberals' dislike for Bush is fueled by something other than principle, but that recent conservative complaints about spending show conservative principle is alive and well.
A friend tells me Bush sucks: He's cutting arts funding massively! But alas, I'm learning a sad, sad lesson about the credibility of liberal statements.
Ben Stein: I would not be a Republican if I didn't think there was something noble about being in it....
"Jane Galt" says Americans are getting more conservative. I disagree: hardcore liberals themselves have shifted left, leaving the rest of us further away from their own positions.
Fed up with George W. Bush's overspending? According to the National Taxpayer's Union Foundation, he's the best of a bad lot.
Sadly, another liberal provides an example of "How Not to Think." Or, perhaps "How to make mistakes in order to arrive at a predetermined result." Also: Conservatives are happier, in general, than liberals.
Analysing Leftism: The Left have always wanted more spent on welfare and made "Fascism" a swear-word. President Bush deposed a...
A lesson from my own experiences in unforeseen problems and how not to stop drinking on campus.
Last month, I noted that Amy Sullivan had advised the Democratic faithful that if they expected to have a prayer...
Sabine Herald: In France right now there's actually a political debate about whether civil servants should be paid depending on...
British pilots' union and airline officials think air marshals are going to be dangerous. The record says otherwise.
Once in a great while I find myself wandering Democratic Underground. It's always a refreshing experience.
How do you keep peace with an aggressive enemy? Roddenbury shows us the way!
I'd been wondering how Paul Simon had been doing lately. I remembered him as a presidential contender who impressed me...
A rant about memos of dispicable recent behavior by the Senate Intelligence Comittee Democrats, and the response I get when I mention this kind of evidence to their supporters...
Just discovered Amy Sullivan's June Washington Monthly article, "Do Democrats Have a Prayer?" which tries to persuade Democratic candidates, like...
The good general wouldn't fib to us, would he? I'm watching him CSPAN-2, and from what he says, I'm mighty tempted to conclude he would...
Once again, homosexuality is used as a wedge issue against freedom of speech and religion...
You'd think with the mishaps in Florida, and all the screaming about people's votes "not being counted" and hanging chads, we'd want more than ever to make sure elections are fair. Yes?
J.P. Carter at the Evangelical Outpost provides evidence here and here that we can increase taxes collected from wealthy citizens...
Stephen Malanga over at the always-thought-provoking City Journal writes about a new friend or foe list New York is keeping...
It's that old case of darned if you do, darned if you don't...
Recently, a friend of mine said he didn't agree with politically or economically isolating despotic regimes. This is my answer as to why I agree with economic sanctions and boycotts...
Thomas Sowell uses election returns as further evidence of how innacurate the "Rich Republican" myth is...
Yet another event reminds me why I'm grateful to live under the US Constitution, and grateful our judges haven't completely "intepreted" it's fundamental rights away just yet...
Those of you from other parts of the world may not be aware of it, but in St. Louis we're having a little grocery store strike at the moment...
The Nation's Katha Pollit says conservatives can't take it when people disagree with them. Oh really?
We think of Michael Moore, defender of smalltown America, as the opponent of huge, faceless business which put the "little...
I can only reprint this (via Instapundit): Sampson's ordeal is Canada's shame Feds took see-no-evil approach to his claims of...
"Government big enough to give you everything you want is government big enough to take everything you have."...
Just when you think you really *know* a celebrity...
Houston Chronicle: The Pentagon has withdrawn most of its forces from the strategic Mideast nation of Saudi Arabia, ending a...
Remember the statistics that prove that if you own a gun, it's more likely to kill someone in your family...
A Dane was just sentenced to 8 days in jail for discrimination: Seems he won't serve pizza to French and...
My last whisp of respect for Kofi vanishes with this remark, via Instapundit: "'Nobody (asks) you if you want the...
Germany apparently pays out in order to set Mali hostages free: [T]hough Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said on Monday it...
The prevailing myth is that conservatives are rich titans of industry, the upper crust, while liberals are the poor, suffering...
Bernard Lewis, sage and much-maligned originator of the phrase "Clash of Civilizations", and author of Islam: What Went Wrong? has...
Recently, Barbara Streisand sent a fax to the city of Brookfield, Wisconsin, asking them to name a street after one of her favorite politicans...
City Journal: No fewer than 22 council members ... have sponsored Bill 386, directing the city to consider secession from...
Middle East Forum: By going beyond our declared agenda of advocacy for the Iraqi people and bringing this kind of...
Free speech on campus shouldn't be a conservative cause. In fact, it shouldn't be a cause at all...
Oh good heavens. Kweisi may have told the Democrats not to rest on their laurels, but I'm not sure that...
Kweisi Mfume actually upbraided NAACP's chairman for saying all Republicans were Nazis! Apparently Kweisi is getting smart and learning to...
For those who have just emerged from a cave, European antisemitism is on the rise. And that's putting it mildly,...
Farm subsidies have been a hot topic for years. But recently, the flame's been stoked yet another notch higher. A short primer and recent developments...
Imagine I told you that if you worked for me, my company would pay you $70,000 annually, and implied this might be a base level for an "open-ended" salary. What if you signed on and discovered, by mid-year, you'd only been compensated $2,400, and could probably only expect about $6,000 compensation total? That's the kind of distortion we're talking about here...
Writes P.J. O'Rourke: Compared with Hillary Clinton, Bill is a big pile of humility. "While Bill talked about social change,"...
Orson Scott Card writes obtensibly about the proposed wall between Israel and Palestine, but uses the article to explore what...
According to NewsMax the U.S. State Department is continuing to give away parts of Alaska to Russia. No doubt, this...
There are sincere, well-meaning Christians who invoke their faith to argue for "progressive" policies. But does the bible or the example of Jesus lend support to this political goal?
Recently Sungwoon Bang escaped from North Korea into South Korea. After his first escape attempt, he was encarcerated by the...
Tom Randall comments on moves by Western environmentalists to deny the flush toilets they use to the developing world....
Are the Clintons working for a Bush victory in '04? According to Dick Morris (FWIW), the Clintons are working to...
Deb and her husband, previously terrorized by munchkins-from-hell, have decided to stay and try to fix the situation. In her...
There are those who argue our government should support every language spoken by it's constituents. Newsday reports that Multnomah Country,...
Vincent Ferrari documents some truly amazing Democrat flip/flops over at Insignificant Thoughts. Go. Read. Be aghast....
Manoor Ijaz in National Review: Analysis of documents found in the rubble of Iraq's intelligence headquarters show that contrary to...
Remember the debate about JFK's Catholicism: you know, will he listen the Church and thus give the Pope executive influence over the U.S.? As far as we know, the Pope never took the bait. But guess who has?
Are you concerned about what happens with the University of Michigan case? Just wait until you see what the United Nations has in store for us!
Is affirmative action constitutional? Is the goal of a specific racial diversity at U Michigan a 'compelling reason' to set aside constitutional protections against racial discrimination? (Notes and observations on the debate as broadcast on C-SPAN.)
Kevin from FunMurphys inadvertantly pushes one of my buttons in a comment regarding Boycott France?: If a woman has the...
Well, the U.S., despite French assertions to the contrary, isn't totally alone. There are a number of people who, believe...
Tom Daschle is an odd creature. Apparently, he recently said: I'm saddened, saddened that this president failed so miserably at...
Yours truly has been away for a while; no net access; profuse apologies. Its been said that lovers of law...
I have. I've carefully catalogued each and every reason I've heard that they hate us. I have friends from Asia,...
Okay, as a Wisconsin boy, I've got to take some umbrage with the first part of that term. I eat...
Last night on my way home I was listening to BBC radio news. In the BBC's productions, I've frequently heard...
A self-identified liberal, quoted elsewhere on Random Observations: Liberals value much more an individual's personal choice and freedom... a conservative...
During Bush's State of the Union address, he proposed a number of measures which don't sit well with many conservatives...
With Libya and Syria replacing the US on the UN Human Rights Commission, Saddam's defiance of unanimously-approved "disarm or else,...
Conservatives are fond of saying the theoretically-unbiased media are actually biased leftwards. Liberals often respond with the opposite charge. Here's...
This article in HealthNewsDigest.com describes how the "dolphin safe" label on tuna has been subtly changed: The Humane Society of...
Far-left liberals live in a very different world than mine. I'd be happy to consider moving to their neighborhood, but...
Something that occurred to me while I was corresponding with the bright insomnomaniac: Ever notice that when President Bush uses...
Did you know that in this century there are still U.S. elections in which race determines fitness for public office?...
When ideas compete on a level playing field, everybody wins! Do I want a country dominated by only one party?...
Those of you who knew me years ago know that when a concealed carry referendum came up in St. Louis,...
I first learned of Noam Chomsky though Computer Science. He was noted for formalizing grammars -- valuable to us CS...
Today I did an experiment, and learned something. Recently, new Senate majority leader Bill Frist helped out after a deadly...