Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
The War on Cops
There was never a more appropriately named book than “The War on Cops” by Heather Mac Donald, published a few weeks ago, on the eve of the greatest escalation of that war by the ambush murders of five policemen in Dallas. Nor is this war against the police confined to Dallas. It is occurring across the country. Who is to blame? There is a ton of blame, more than enough to go around to the wide range of people and institutions that have contributed to these disasters. In addition to the murderers who have killed people they don’t even know, there are those who created the atmosphere of blind hatred in which such killers flourish.
Obama’s Divisive Double Standards
President Obama’s knee-jerk reaction to the Dallas shootings brings into clear relief his biases and double standards on racially or religiously motivated violence. Have we ever had a president as blinded by his ideology and as oblivious or dismissive about his own biases and the double standards he invokes? If blacks or Muslims commit acts of violence, Obama calls for unity and demands we not rush to judgment. He bends over backward to deny the racial or religious motives of the actors. In countless acts of Islamic terrorism, before he has even expressed outrage or sorrow over the victims’ deaths, Obama lectures us on the immorality of blaming actors of a single religion, tells us how wonderful and peaceful the religion is, and admonishes us against drawing inferences based on indisputable facts.
The Exxon Shakedown
Liberal attorneys general from 17 states have put a big red bulls-eye on the chest of big oil. Their bizarre claim is that, for years, energy companies fraudulently covered up their knowledge that greenhouse gases from fossil fuels cause catastrophic climate change. The most recent chapter of this witch hunt is a remarkable subpoena filed by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, which would require Exxon Mobil Corp. to turn over 40 years of internal company documents. It also demands that Exxon Mobil produce all its internal communication with conservative-leaning think tanks. This is nothing more than an old-fashioned, political mob shakedown of a deep-pocketed industry for money. The attorneys general are hoping for a repeat of the multibillion-dollar tobacco company settlement in the 1990s. The big and obvious difference here is that tobacco companies sell a product that is dangerous to one’s health. The oil and gas companies sell energy that makes all modern industrial life possible.
The New York Times and the Left Have Blood on Their Hands
It was very appropriate that on Friday, the day after the massacre of five Dallas police officers, The New York Times devoted nearly the whole top half of its front page to four enormous photos of the death of Philando Castile, a black motorist killed by a Minnesota police officer. Of course, the paper was printed prior to the Dallas murders; and even The New York Times might not have so prominently featured the Minnesota killing on its front page had the Dallas murders occurred a few hours earlier. Nevertheless, it was completely appropriate. The New York Times has been in the forefront of the left’s hysterical, hate-filled attacks on police officers and whites.
Dallas Fallout
The horrific murderous rampage in Dallas did not lead any of the radical race baiters to pause their incendiary attacks on the thin blue line that keeps Americans of all races as safe and secure as possible. There were ambushes of police in Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee that appear to be motivated by hatred of police. In addition, Black Lives Matter demonstrations in several cities were marked by violence carried out by radical protestors. The worst violence took place in Minneapolis, where more than 20 police officers were injured and more than 100 protestors were arrested.
The Race Narrative
In just the last few days, two African-American men were shot and killed by non-African-American police officers in Minnesota and Louisiana and five non-African-American police officers were shot and killed in Dallas by an African-American man who declared he “wanted to kill white people, especially white officers.” The gap in our racially divided country has never been wider. Immediately, familiar narratives came into play. The narrative for some African-Americans appears to reinforce the belief that racism and discrimination are responsible for whatever difficulties they face. For some whites recent events seem to reinforce the narrative, seen on local news, that African-Americans are violent criminals, welfare cheats or liberal politicians out for themselves instead of others.
Will the National Conventions Change the Delegate Selection Rules — Again?
When the Republican and Democratic national conventions gather in successive weeks in Cleveland and Philadelphia, respectively, one item on their plates will be reconsideration of their parties’ nominating rules. Just about everyone agrees that they are unsatisfactory in some way or another, and many itch to do something about it. But what? Perhaps I can give some advice as one who was present at the creation. I was in Chicago’s International Amphitheatre at the 1968 Democratic National Convention on the one roll call when the delegates voted down the convention managers. It was a resolution, sponsored by Geoffrey Cowan, now head of the Annenberg Foundation Trust, requiring creation of a commission to recommend changes in the delegate selection process.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Lottery Games Online? Scratch That Idea
Jen Flanagan is distressed. The state senator from Leominster, a 40-year-old Democrat, is worried that not enough young people are wasting their money on gambling. The Massachusetts State Lottery offers an abundance of games designed to separate players from their dollars — among them, Megabucks, Powerball, Keno, and Mass Cash, not to mention an endless supply of scratch tickets in denominations ranging from $1 to $30 — but millennials aren’t playing as much as Flanagan thinks they should. “Young people have the lowest participation rates, and these continue to decline,” she writes with concern. “Simply put, millennials don’t play the lottery.” Why? Because they can’t do it online.
The Uncivil War Rages On
Unlike many others, I do not hold Abraham Lincoln in high regard. By his own admission, he did not wage a war that saw 700,000 die in order to eliminate slavery. He had the blood of what today would be the equivalent of eight million Americans on his hands in order to preserve the Union. Towards what end? What would have been so terrible about the two nations existing side by side? Slavery would have come to an end in fairly short order. The two Americas, both speaking English, would have banded together against a common foe at times of war and been obvious trading partners, just as we are with Canada. So what if we had different national anthems? Wouldn’t it be better if, say, one country was deciding between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, while the other chose between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, instead of having to either wind up with Trump or Clinton, the ultimate winner being utterly repulsive to half of the electorate?
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Who Is on the Side of American Workers?
Is it Hillary Clinton? Bernie Sanders? Democrats in general? Or is it the supply side policies of the GOP? Economists have been studying economic wellbeing and its determinants since the days of Adam Smith and we know quite a lot about it. So let’s jump to the bottom line. Aside from the rule of law and free markets, the most important determinant of the average wage is economic growth. And the most important ingredient in economic growth is capital accumulation. More capital, more growth.
Is Anemic Growth the New Normal?
America’s economy has now slouched into the eighth year of a recovery that demonstrates how much we have defined recovery down. The idea that essentially zero interest rates are, after seven and a half years, stimulating the economy “strains credulity,” says James Bullard, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. But last month he and other members of the Federal Reserve Board understandably felt constrained to vote unanimously to continue today’s rates for an economy that created just 38,000 new jobs in May, and grew just 0.8 percent in the first quarter, after just 1.4 percent in the previous quarter.
Saturday, July 9, 2016
The ‘Pigs in a Blanket’ Crowd Got What It Wanted
If you are prone to microaggressions you might want to stop reading and evacuate to your safe space because what I’m about to write is politically incorrect. All lives matter. Every single life matters. Back home in the Deep South, we used to sing a song in Sunday school — “Red and yellow black and white — they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” We are all God’s children no matter what color our skin might be.
Rigged 101
Hillary Clinton has scored a highly characteristic political “victory” - namely, not getting indicted. During a political season when “rigged” has been the most emotive description of the economy and political system, Hillary and her enablers have conducted what appears to be a seminar in Rigged 101. First, Bill Clinton had an impromptu “social” meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch. If Bill is a much reduced figure, he still has his unfailing instinct for the inappropriate. The confab was followed up with a report in The New York Times that Hillary might keep Lynch on as AG, as if to remove any doubt about Lynch’s conflict of interest.
Dallas Update
Little is known about the three suspects in custody, and Dallas officials said [Friday] afternoon that they are still looking for more people involved. But we are learning more about the dead shooter, Micah X. Johnson.
Hail, Britannia!
Perhaps it’s because we get so little good news on this side of the Atlantic, but I found myself ecstatic when I heard that the Brits had bid bye-bye to the EU. Although they hadn’t needed to fire a musket, they had nevertheless fought for their own independence and, like their American cousins 240 years ago, they won against seemingly impossible odds. We have our July 4th, they now have their June 23rd. In addition to which, Prime Minister David Cameron, Obama’s partner in crime, read the writing on the wall and announced he will be stepping down in October. So, within three months of each other, the two schmucks who had the most to do with selling us out with the Iran nuclear deal will be history.
Only in Wonderland: America’s Journey Down the Rabbit Hole
Just as Lewis Carroll’s Alice fell down a rabbit hole and spent many bizarre adventures wandering through Wonderland, America has also found herself a bit lost in her own upside down, completely absurd and dreadfully confusing Wonderland. This week’s events surrounding Hillary Clinton’s investigation by the FBI are simply added chapters to America’s “very curious” rabbit hole journey. While the critics of Hillary Clinton’s investigation protest that authorities are diving into her personal life, or simply trying to persecute her for being a woman, the chief concerns are facts, justice and the rule of law.
Freedom and Obligation — 2016 Commencement Address
President Arnn, members of the board of trustees, assembled faculty, families and friends, and, most important, members of the Hillsdale College Class of 2016, I am both honored and grateful to participate in these commencement exercises. It has been some years since my wife Virginia and I have been to Hillsdale together. Of course we have known Dr. and Mrs. Arnn for many, many years, and we have been quite close to Hillsdale throughout his tenure. We admire the work that is being done here to educate young men and women — one of whom, Hillsdale graduate David Morrell, a wonderful young man, served as one of my law clerks a few years back.
The Gong Show Election of 2016
Many of those reading this article remember The Gong Show. It ran on NBC from June 1976 to July 1978 and briefly reprised in the 1980s. It featured amateur talent, much of it rendering absurd humor. Three judges awarded ridiculous prizes to the least deplorable performance. Ironically, The Gong Show was in some ways an unintended reflection of an era of uncertainty in America at the time.
Friday, July 8, 2016
Let’s Debate the Iraq War. Let’s Not Rewrite History
Believe it or not, you can simultaneously believe a number of things about the Iraq war and its aftermath. You can believe Saddam Hussein wasn’t merely a “bad guy,” but that he harbored terrorists and offered them safe haven and material support. You can believe that the Bush administration genuinely believed Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction, and also that the war turned out to be a massive strategic failure. You can believe that the administration believed the Iraqi people would embrace democratic institutions once the Baathist regime was overthrown, and also that the project failed, leaving us with a bloody mess.
Hillary Clinton’s Non-Indictment May Not Help Her
Unindicted co-conspirator: Technically, the term, made familiar in the Watergate scandals, does not apply to Hillary Clinton, since no one has been or apparently will be indicted in the emails case. But if you read the bulk of FBI Director James Comey’s statement, it’s plain that Hillary Clinton and her top aides conspired to do things that violated the law. And yet Comey made it clear she would not be indicted. Comey said that “no reasonable prosecutor” would indict her, even though the facts he set out show that she violated section 793(f) of the criminal code. That section does not require criminal intent but imposes liability in cases of “gross negligence.” It’s hard to distinguish that from Comey’s description of the conduct of Clinton and her aides as “extremely careless.”