THE FOUNDATION: PUBLIC SERVICE

“I am not influenced by the expectation of promotion or pecuniary reward.” —Nathan Hale, who was hanged for his service to his country

GOVERNMENT

“There’s a weird irony at work when Sen. Barack Obama, the black presidential candidate who will allegedly scrub the stain of racism from the nation, vows to run afoul of the constitutional amendment that abolished slavery. For those who don’t remember, the 13th Amendment says: ‘Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime… shall exist within the United States.’ In Obama’s mind it must be a crime to be born or to attend college. In his speech on national service… at the University of Colorado, Obama promised that as president he would ‘set a goal for all American middle and high school students to perform 50 hours of service a year, and for all college students to perform 100 hours of service a year.’ He would see that these goals are met by, among other things, attaching strings to federal education dollars. If you don’t make kids report for duty, he’s essentially telling schools and college kids, you’ll lose money you can’t afford to lose. In short, he’ll make service compulsory by merely compelling schools to make it compulsory. … This is the problem with national service mania: It seeks to fix what ain’t broke. No, national service isn’t slavery. But it contributes to a slave mentality, at odds with American tradition. It assumes that work not done for the government isn’t really for the ‘common good’.” —Jonah Goldberg

RE: THE LEFT

“Don’t think that a few years of liberals in charge is that dangerous? Just take a moment to consider what liberals dream of doing once they gain absolute power. There is no aspect of our lives—none—that today’s liberals concede is off limits to the meddling use of government power. In their vision there is no dividing line between the public sphere and the private sphere. Limited government is a concept that makes no sense to them… Energy policies are just the tip of the iceberg—although control over energy gives government control over pretty much the entire economy already. In a world run by liberals literally no aspect of our lives will be outside the legitimate regulation of government. That is because anything—even what temperature you like to keep your house—can be turned into a matter of legitimate public concern. Everything we do, including breathing, eating and of course procreating, can be argued to have an impact on those around us or the great mother earth. And if it affects others, it can and should be regulated by those who know best, at least according to the liberals. Liberals want to regulate just about everything: where we live, what fuels we use, what car we drive, whether we can drive or be forced to use government mass transit, where we send our kids to school, what doctor we see, and even to what extent we express our approval or disapproval of others’ lifestyles. It’s hard to find something liberals don’t want to regulate. Is that a world you want to live in?” —David Strom

INSIGHT

“Liberals, it has been said, are generous with other peoples’ money, except when it comes to questions of national survival when they prefer to be generous with other people’s freedom and security.” —William F. Buckley Jr.

CULTURE

“Years and years of history books have taught us that America was shaped by the great deeds of great men and women. It was not. America was shaped by the great deeds of ordinary men and women. America always has been better than its government, that its people have always been more decent than their presidents, and that the strength and greatness of this nation lies in them, the men and women who are not great and who never will be.” —Roger Simon

LIBERTY

“John McCain is trailing Barack Obama by 30 percentage points in support from Hispanic voters, according to this week’s polling from Gallup. Even among Hispanics that self-identify as conservatives, McCain and Obama are even. This is a far cry from 2004 when George W. Bush captured 45 percent of the Hispanic vote. At that time, Republicans were optimistic that Hispanics would become a majority voting bloc for the Republican Party. The McCain campaign has two operative questions: Can ground be picked up among Hispanic voters? And if so, how? I hope that the senator sets his sights on Hispanics. If he does it right, he can gain support from them and in so doing, also inject badly needed focus and excitement into his overall campaign… Hispanics should be reminded that they left countries like Mexico, Cuba, and Honduras, where excessive and oppressive governments limit growth and opportunity, to come to a country where opportunity exists. Why would they want to kill the goose laying those eggs of opportunity by supporting the same kinds of ideas about government that they left behind? Individual freedom, limited government, and traditional values combine to create the American recipe for greatness. McCain must tell the story and provide stark contrast with the big government and moral relativism being sold again by Democrats. Hispanics may grasp the truth when they hear it. If not, at least he will have said what needs to be said. After all, everyone’s future is at stake.” —Star Parker

OPINION IN BRIEF

“It’s time for rage—good, old American rage aimed at those elitist Democrats who prefer to see the folks beggared by soaring fuel prices rather than take the action this very real economic crisis demands. Drill… A partial answer to our immediate problem is at hand. The steady increase in pump prices can be halted and prices somewhat rolled back to a more acceptable level. Yet those Democrats who the people elected to Congress are turning their backs on the voters who sent them to Washington and coldly refusing to lift a finger to help the American people, preferring instead to lay the blame for the problem on big oil, speculators and every place but where it belongs. On themselves. If that doesn’t enrage you, nothing will. Payback time comes in November. Drive them out of office and elect people who will do what needs to be done. Drill, Drill, Drill! Are you listening, John McCain?” —Michael Reagan

FOR THE RECORD

“Congressional attacks on speculation do not alter the oil market’s fundamental demand and supply conditions. What would lower the long-term price of oil is for Congress to permit exploration for the estimated billions upon billions of barrels of oil domestically available, not to mention the estimated trillion-plus barrels of shale oil in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. Some politicians pooh-pooh calls for drilling, saying it would take five or 10 years to recover the oil. I guarantee you we would begin to see a reduction in today’s prices even if it took five to 10 years for us to get the first barrel. Put yourself in the place of an OPEC member knowing there would be a greater supply of U.S. oil five or 10 years, hence maybe driving oil prices lower to say $40 a barrel. What will you want to do now while oil is $130 a barrel? You would want to sell as much oil now and OPEC’s collective efforts to do so would put downward pressures on current oil prices. Right now the U.S. Congress is OPEC’s staunchest ally.” —Walter Williams

POLITICAL FUTURES

“To preserve Social Security and our economy, we need a three-pronged approach. First, it’s time to start raising the retirement age. Social Security started in 1935, and at that time slightly more than half of workers lived to reach the retirement age of 65. These days, though, life spans are much longer. Our government needs to encourage people to work longer or, at least, not tap their benefits at age 62. The best way to increase the retirement age would be to increase it over time (say two months per year until it reaches, say 68) and then index it for longevity after that. Next, lawmakers should ensure that Social Security and other entitlements only go to those who need help… Reducing payments to wealthy seniors would leave more available for lower income retirees. Finally, our government needs to shore up Social Security with personal retirement accounts. The concept is simple, and would work similarly to an IRA or 401(k). All workers would be able to invest a small percentage of their Social Security taxes in an account that they would own. The money would go into a few simple, low-cost investments that would grow over time, just as other retirement plans do. These accounts would not replace employer-sponsored retirement plans, but increase the ability of Social Security to pay benefits to them… Our country needs fundamental entitlement reform. And quickly—before the growing tide of retirees overwhelms our budget.” —Ed Feulner

THE GIPPER

“Those who would trade our freedom for the soup kitchen of the welfare state have told us that they have a utopian solution of peace without victory. They call their policy ‘accommodation.’ And they say if we only avoid any direct confrontation with the enemy, he will forget his evil ways and learn to love us. All who oppose them are indicted as warmongers. They say we offer simple answers to complex problems. Well, perhaps there is a simple answer—not an easy one, but a simple one—if you and I have the courage to tell our elected officials that we want our national policy based upon what we know in our hearts is morally right… [E]very lesson in history tells us that the greater risk lies in appeasement, and this is the specter our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to face.” —Ronald Reagan

SELECT READER COMMENTS

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“Thank you very much for ’Obama, the national security neophyte.’ I’m saving a copy for future reference. But don’t you think ‘neophyte’ is a bit generous? My understanding of the word is that it refers to a new learner, and I haven’t seen any evidence that Obama is willing to learn at all.” —Vacaville, California

“It is absolutely frightening to think that a candidate as inexperienced as Obama could be the next President of the United States. If put into effect, Obama’s positions on national security would weaken the country immeasurably. McCain should put more emphasis on this critical issue since most voters are unaware of its importance and Obama’s lack of knowledge on the subject.” —Charlotte, North Carolina

“I love that portrait of Obama with that far away look, the martini, the cigarette, and all the other liberal nut-cases on the wall behind him. Is that available in dartboard size? I think you could make some money with it. Thanks for all your efforts, may God bless you and keep you online forever!” —Bakersfield, California

“When I first started receiving The Patriot Post, I was overwhelmed by the extent of the content. There is always so much! Then, I began to read it and have been astounded by the importance of every sentence. I love the quotes, I love the editorials, I love the information and I love how everything is based on the truth, beauty and goodness of America. Thank you for doing such important work.” —Batavia, Illinois

THE LAST WORD

“I realize that some conservatives have a big problem with America talking to the bad guys. They become very indignant at the idea that we might even converse with anyone who is implicated in terrorism. I don’t share this view. I don’t have a problem with talking to anyone, as long as you go into the meeting with a lot of loaded guns. In other words, my problem is not with talking with folks like Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. The problem is: who is going to do the talking? Certainly a President McCain has the experience and resolve to sit across the table with the bad guys and not fall for their deceptions or give in to their pressures. With an unseasoned guy like Obama, whose global experience may be confined to an occasional visit to the International House of Pancakes, who knows?” —Dinesh D’Souza

Veritas vos Liberabit—Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher, for The Patriot’s editors and staff. (Please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm’s way around the world, and for their families—especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who granted their lives in defense of American liberty.)