THE FOUNDATION

“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed, and next oblige it to control itself.” — James Madison

INSIGHT

“Awe is an intuition for the dignity of all things, a realization that things not only are what they are but also stand, however remotely, for something supreme. Awe is a sense for the transcendence, for the reference everywhere to mystery beyond all things. It enables us to perceive in the world intimations of the divine… to sense the ultimate in the common and the simple; to feel in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal. What we cannot comprehend by analysis, we become aware of in awe.” —Abraham Joshua Heschel

ICHTHUS IMPRIMIS

“[W]hen you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” —Matthew 6:2-4

FAMILY

“When it comes to figuring out what’s gone wrong with our culture, we can usually rely on the American Psychological Association (APA) to catch on last. Thus, it came to pass a few days ago that the APA released its findings that American girls are sexualized. And that’s bad. If you missed the headlines, it may be because of stiff competition from the breaking news that Anna Nicole is still dead and Britney is still disturbed… It can’t be coincidence that girls’ self-objectification—looking for male attention in all the wrong ways—has risen as father presence has declined. At last tally, 30 percent of fathers weren’t sleeping in the same house as their biological children. The APA is calling for more education, more research, forums, girls groups and Web zines to tackle girl sexualization. But my instinctual guess is that getting fathers back into their daughters’ lives and back on the job would do more than all the forums and task forces combined. Ultimately, it’s a daddy thing.” —Kathleen Parker

CULTURE

“What is it about the Christian faith that so unnerves our public officials and private atheists? Not believing is one thing—persecuting those who do is something else… After all, Jesus’ teachings are not only important to those who consider Him the Son of God; they are the basis for countless tenets of polite behavior. Why wouldn’t we want our children learning to turn the other cheek, go the second mile, reach out in mercy to those who are lonely or impoverished or hurting? Would it be so awful if they strove to emulate His integrity, His selflessness, His love? Oh, it’s a scary thought all right. Better to let our kids watch cinematic bloodbaths, and joke about serial killers and satanic rites and bewitching vengeances. These are the ideals that inspire depth of character. These are what we want to parade before our children, and celebrate with publicly-funded school festivities. Interesting, all the effort our government and courts expend, frantically trying to keep our kids away from a God Who is—by definition—everywhere, all the time. Maybe we think that by systematically removing every element of faith from our society, we’re gradually evolving a more broad-minded generation. But, in fact, we’re not. All we’re really doing is… creating a monster.” —Michael Johnson

LIBERTY

“Given all of this country’s past wars involving intelligence failures, tactical and strategic blunders, congressional fights and popular anger at the president, Iraq and the rising furor over it are hardly unusual… The high-stakes war to stabilize the fragile democracy in Iraq is a serious, costly and controversial business. But so have been most conflicts in American history. We need a little more humility and knowledge of our past—and a lot less hysteria, name-calling and obsession with our present selves.” —Victor Davis Hanson

THE GIPPER

“There can be no real peace while one American is dying some place in the world… for the rest of us. We are at war with the most dangerous enemy that has ever faced mankind in his long climb from the swamp to the stars, and it has been said if we lost that war, and in doing so lost this way of freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment that those who had the most to lose did the least to prevent its happening… If we lost freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth.” —Ronald Reagan

OPINION IN BRIEF

“In the six years since he left the presidency, [Bill] Clinton has taken in nearly $40 million… It ought to be a concern… when so much money is paid to a former president by foreign governments, foreign entities and corporations with interests in U.S. foreign and domestic policies. While Bill Clinton is no longer in a position to determine such policies, his wife… is and she may soon be in an even more powerful position. Given the Clintons’ history of questionable political, business and personal relationships, can anyone say with certainty that the providers of this largesse are uninterested in influencing a President Hillary Clinton through her husband?” —Cal Thomas

GOVERNMENT

“Perhaps the saddest thing… is that some ‘highly qualified’ potential nominees for the Supreme Court ‘had not wanted their names considered’ because the Senate confirmation process had become ‘too bitter and too vitriolic’ and ‘they just didn’t want any part of it.’ The momentous and lasting repercussions of Supreme Court decisions mean that people of the highest caliber and character are needed on that court. There are too few who are ‘highly qualified’ to lose any of them. The ugly and cheap circus atmosphere of Senate confirmation hearings is just one of the factors which cause top notch people not to be nominated, while others who are little more than warm bodies are seated on the highest court in the land.” —Thomas Sowell

RE: THE LEFT

“If the marital lives of a presidential candidate’s [Mitt Romney] great- and great-great-grandparents are a legitimate topic of journalistic inquiry, what about the marital lives of presidential candidates themselves? We have in mind a particular candidate, who, without naming any names, is now the junior senator from New York and the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Nine years ago we learned that the future senator’s husband, who then held a high position in the federal government, was carrying on an extramarital sexual affair with an employee who was only a few years older than the age of consent. This came to light when the husband lied under oath about it in a lawsuit in which another woman alleged that he had made unwanted sexual advances toward her. Several other women also claimed that the husband either had affairs with or forced his affections upon them. The husband was not indicted for perjury, but he was impeached, though not convicted. The senator-to-be did not divorce her husband; indeed, in her public statements at least, she not only stood by her man but made him out to be the victim of what she called ‘the vast right-wing conspiracy.’ Now… she wants the whole topic to be off-limits.” —James Taranto

POLITICAL FUTURES

“There are two big facts about the 2008 election: FACT #1: Running as a bland, business-as-usual Republican will be a dead loser. In 2006, the American people repudiated the GOP, because the idea of Republicans’ trying to manage the liberal welfare state they inherited from the Democrats was a dead loser. I am not sure many Republican consultants have come to understand this. FACT #2: Focusing on an anti-Hillary campaign will also be a dead loser. The Clintons are the most determined and intense politicians of our lifetime… If a campaign is going to degenerate into a mud-slinging contest, the Clintons will always win because they are vastly more ready to jump into the pit. The recent attacks over David Geffen and Barack Obama are just a sample of how quickly and fiercely the Clintons will attack if the campaign is simply about who can ‘out negative’ whom.” —Newt Gingrich

FOR THE RECORD

“While some people are focusing on the possibility that Bill Clinton might embarrass his wife, pollsters I talked to say that another remark of [David] Geffen’s points to an even bigger problem for her chances to become president. Mr. Geffen told [Maureen] Dowd that he found Mr. Obama ‘inspirational’ and fresh: ‘He’s not from the Bush royal family or the Clinton royal family.’ The dynastic nature of recent presidential elections is bound to be a major issue this time around. After all, everyone agrees that Jeb Bush, a successful just-retired governor of a large swing state, would be a natural candidate for president if he had a different last name. Should Mrs. Clinton win and serve two terms, the presidency will have been held by members of two families—the Bushes and the Clintons—for 28 years. (That could be good news for Jeb Bush, who will be only 63 in 2016.)” —John Fund

SELECT READER COMMENTS

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“After reviewing your last essay, I have a question. I am not suggesting the invalidation of the Second Amendment, but the meaning of ‘arms’ has certainly changed in the 220 years since the Constitution was written. Is it therefore unreasonable for someone to define what arms a private citizen should be able to own? In your admirable zeal to defend the Constitution, I doubt that you would argue that the private ownership of mortars, RPG’s, shoulder-fired ground-to-air missiles, etc. should be legal. If you find this a specious argument, then you tell me where the line should be drawn.” —Washington, DC

Editor’s Reply: We believe that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms” means today precisely what it meant at the time the Second Amendment was ratified. Our Founders did not talk about individual “arms” in their day in reference to cannon, but they certainly referred to them as those necessary for “the security of a free State” and individual security. We believe that a good indication for individual arms covered under these terms would be those used by law enforcement in the conduct of their duty. We believe that heavier arms should be maintained in state arsenals as they are today. Of course, self-defense applies against enemies foreign and domestic. As Justice Joseph Story (appointed by Madison) noted, “The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers…”

“Congratulations, Mr. Alexander, on one of the most comprehensive essays on global warming anywhere. I am very familiar with most of the sources you have cited, and you have tied these together into a compelling and thoroughly readable summary on this topic.” —Stanford, California

“I wish to express my sincere admiration for Mark Alexander’s political acumen. He is the first writer I’ve encountered who has correctly attributed Al Gore’s loss in the 2000 presidential election not to the worthy people of Florida (for all that smoke and noise about hanging chads and Democrat-designed ballots) but to Al Gore’s home state of Tennessee. Tennessee folks have endured Mr. Gore’s being foisted upon us as a ‘Tennessean’ for years, and finally we who knew him best (of those outside the Beltway) gave Mr. Gore a well-deserved ‘NO!’ Hopefully, his brand of ‘eco-terrorism’ will also find its way to the dustbin of history without making much more mischief.” —Chattanooga, Tennessee

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