Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Female Warriors and the Bottle
It is apparently a little-known fact in the Obama administration that girls are weaker than boys and that grown women are weaker than grown men. Moreover, women training for combat positions suffer physical injuries at twice the rate of men, and they suffer significantly higher rates of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety after exposure to combat. Of course, you probably knew this by simple observation or by reading the sports page and noting that women's athletic records are significantly lower than men's records. But then, you are not in the Obama administration.
The Death of Gratitude
The Roman philosopher and statesman Cicero insisted that gratitude was "the parent of all the other virtues." Cicero did not define gratitude as Mafia-like loyalty or mutual back-scratching. He was not referring to a pop socialism where all supposedly owe their successes to the government. Instead, gratitude is proof of humility and offers perspective. It is an appreciation for others, often now dead, who have helped to make us what we are. Without it, we are narcissists and self-absorbed amnesiacs.
Partying Hipsters, Shrimp Fight Club and Monkeys in Hamster Balls
In honor of the release of the new "Star Wars" movie, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., subtitled this year's "Wastebook" as "The Farce Awakens." The latest edition of this annual report details 100 spending programs, totaling $108.5 million, that are a complete waste of your money.
Trumpy Christmas
Merry Trump. Happy Trump Year. Everywhere you look it's not Christmas, it's Trump, Trump, Trump. The billionaire who's blown up the Republican primary process has supplanted Christmas. He's supplanted New Year. At Donald's house, instead of a Christmas tree, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a Trump Tree.
Merry Christmas!
Christmas can be one of the busiest times of the year. Our many activities can be meaningful and fun but can also be exhausting and even distracting. How much time do we spend reflecting upon what really happened that first Christmas? Hectic days work against quiet reflection. Additionally, we've heard the story of Jesus' birth so often that it can seem almost incidental to our celebrations.
No Peace or Goodwill
Not for a long time has the world seemed so removed from the angelic proclamation of 2,000 years ago: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). Millions have died in countless wars over the last 100 years. People continue to die today as the result of worldwide terrorism and daily shootings in too many American cities.
A Conservative Party Jeopardized by Trump
If you look beyond Donald Trump's comprehensive unpleasantness — is there a disagreeable human trait he does *not* have? — you might see this: He is a fundamentally sad figure. His compulsive boasting is evidence of insecurity. His unassuageable neediness suggests an aching hunger for others' approval to ratify his self-admiration. His incessant announcements of his self-esteem indicate that he is not self-persuaded. Now, panting with a puppy's insatiable eagerness to be petted, Trump has reveled in the approval of Vladimir Putin, murderer and war criminal.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Email Records Show Hillary Clinton Ignored Concerns About Security of Internet Devices
The Clinton machine and its media mouthpieces would have you think that a presidential debate or primary contest is only the "trial" Hillary Clinton has to face. Incredible new documents this week show that she ought to face another sort of trial for her email games and related national security breaches at the State Department. This week, Judicial Watch released new documents, obtained as the result of a federal court order, containing more than 50 State Department internal emails from 2009 and 2011 warning of serious security concerns involving the use of "highly vulnerable" Blackberries by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her staff in the executive offices of the Foggy Bottom headquarters.
Washington Irving's Christmas
Back before there was cable TV, Washington Irving won the war on Christmas. The great early American writer had an outsized role in giving us Christmas as we know it. A little background, according to "Christmas in America: a History," by Penne Restad. Back in merry old England, Christmastime in the 17th century was merry indeed, a raucous affair that incurred the displeasure of the Puritans.
The Politics of Nutrition Science
Have you heard? The GOP is declaring war on science again. In February, a government-appointed nutrition advisory panel said Americans should eat less sugar and red meat. It also suggested that environmental considerations should factor into a healthy diet, which livestock producers understood as an attack on their industry. Republicans in Congress think the guideline process is out of control and are now trying to rein in the panel. By their lights, nutrition scientists should concern themselves with nutrition — not sustainability. Critics say they're pandering to special interests.
Hillary Is the Islamic State's Best Recruitment Tool
During the little-watched pre-Christmas Democratic debate, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Donald Trump of being the Islamic State group's chief recruiter. Relying on her penchant for blaming videos for Islamic evil, she stated that the Islamic State is "showing videos of Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists." Well, no.
Don't Let Principals Censor the Internet
In a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit last August, Judge Rhesa Hawkins Barksdale argued that a rap song featuring allegations of sexual harassment against two high school coaches represented a threat to civilization itself. As Barksdale explained it, coaches are teachers, teachers are essential to education, and "without education, there can be little, if any, civilization."
Congressional Black Caucus Turns Back on Its Own Children
The omnibus spending bill just passed by Congress is, if nothing else, in the spirit of the season. It's a huge Christmas tree: a grand structure on which every political interest imaginable has hung its own pet program. This is to the tune of $1.1 trillion to $1.8 trillion in explicit spending and another $622 billion in indirect spending through "tax extenders." Yet, as lobbyists in Washington showed up en masse for their shares of the fruitcake, one group was elbowed out and left with coal for its stocking.
White House Inadvertently Admits That a Child Is a Child 'Even Before Birth'
The Executive Office of the President of the United States — aka Barack Obama — released a document in the days leading up to Christmas that proves once again that reality conspires against even the most careful liars. The White House intended the document in question — dryly titled "Long-Term Benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" — to build the case for expanding the value and availability of food stamps.
The Worst Reporting and Punditry of 2015
If we're counting press clips, in politics the year 2015 was dominated by Donald Trump. The liberal press is emotionally conflicted on this one. Some are delighted with the notion that he's going to destroy the Republican brand with oafish overstatements. Some are disgusted that he's still in the race despite all the negativity they've piled all over him. And now some are worried he might even win and, in so doing, end civilization as we know it.
How to Manufacture an Anti-Muslim Hate-Crime 'Epidemic'
Step one: Find an expert with an impressive-sounding academic title to legitimize shoddy advocacy propaganda. Meet Brian Levin. He's the one-man band behind something called the "Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism" at California State University, San Bernardino. The "center" (that is: Levin) claims to be "nonpartisan" and "objective." But he is a former top staffer of the militant, conservative-smearing Southern Poverty Law Center, which was forced to apologize earlier this year after including famed black neurosurgeon and GOP 2016 candidate Ben Carson on its "extremist watch list" of hate groups.
Shock and Awe Over Agrabah
Americans hardly need another polarizing issue to argue about. But according to a new poll, voters are increasingly at odds over US policy toward Agrabah. In a survey released Friday, Public Policy Polling asked a national sample of voters: "Would you support or oppose bombing Agrabah?" The results were revealing. Thirty percent of the Republican respondents supported a bombing campaign, while 13 percent were opposed. Among Democrats, 19 percent were in favor of bombing, compared with 36 percent who were against.
A Contrary Christmas Tale: How Germany Won WWII
One of the most enduring symbols of the Christmas season is a pine tree festooned with sparkling ornaments, adorned with crystalline splashes of snow, and circled with twinkling lights. Now picture this tree with a swastika on top where an angel should be perched, and you've transformed it into one of the most horrific artifacts of the modern world — the Nazis' attempt to co-opt a tradition in order to advertise a loathsome political program. Although it took a global alliance to defeat Hitler's armies on the battlefield, the ideology that enthralled Germany for a dozen years refused to be crushed. Indeed, the miasma of National Socialism continues to live and has crept into the cultural fiber of most Western nations, especially the United States.
Obama Appeases the Ayatollah, Again
During negotiations over the Iranian nuclear deal, the Obama administration did whatever was necessary to appease the ayatollah's demands. Many on the left hoped that by negotiating with Iran, the regime might moderate its anti-Western attitudes, curb its belligerence and open up to world trade.
