Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Monday, November 30, 2015
A Call for Accurate Language About CO2 in the AGW Discussion
Whenever we quote the alarmists using the term that way, we should follow it with [sic:; actually carbon dioxide, an odorless, colorless, nontoxic gas essential to plant photosynthesis and animal respiration] the first time, and [sic; actually carbon dioxide] every following time in the same article. I know, I know, that might seem pedantic. But we need to do this to drum out of the public's mind (as the alarmists have drummed into it) the false equation of carbon and carbon dioxide, and drum into its mind (as they've drummed out of it) the true distinction between the two.
The Beauty Queen That China Is Desperate to Stifle
Resistance to tyranny comes in many forms, but Anastasia Lin may be first activist to take the fight against dictatorship to the glittery ranks of a beauty pageant. Lin, a 25-year-old actress and model, was crowned Miss World Canada in May. By rights, she should have been in the Chinese resort city of Sanya for the welcoming ceremony of the 2015 Miss World competition last Monday.
Paul Newman & My Electric Toothbrush
When I went to the supermarket today, I was waylaid near the entrance by a guy sitting at one of those card tables that have become omnipresent here in L.A. You can hardly go anywhere without being hit up by do-gooders collecting for some charity or other. I am personally reluctant to contribute to anything unless I know the recipients or know someone who can vouch for them. In this case, however, one of the two guys seated at the table got up and walked towards me, holding their brochure.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Progressivism and Racism
Why did it take so long? I don't know. But it's happened. Students at Princeton University have discovered that the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs on their campus is named after … well … after Woodrow Wilson.
Standing Athwart the Administrative State
As the administrative state distorts America's constitutional architecture, Clarence Thomas becomes America's indispensable constitutionalist. Now in his 25th year on the Supreme Court, he is urging the judicial branch to limit the legislative branch's practice of delegating its power to the executive branch.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
A Confluence of Events
There are things that seem inevitable in retrospect, but if the people running things at the time happened to be a different group of individuals, there would have been nothing inevitable about it. For instance, if Ronald Reagan had won the GOP nomination in 1976 instead of 1980, and defeated Jimmy Carter, as he most likely would have done, the Shah of Iran would not have been overthrown by the Ayatollah Khomeini, American hostages would not have been held for over 400 days and the Islamic reign of terror would not have been ushered in by the feckless goober in the White House.
Illogical Spins on the Logic of Diversity
"From whence shall we expect the approach of danger? Shall some trans-Atlantic military giant step the earth and crush us at a blow? Never. All the armies of Europe and Asia ... could not by force take a drink from the Ohio River or make a track on the Blue Ridge in the trial of a thousand years. No, if destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men we will live forever or die by suicide." —Abraham Lincoln
Friday, November 27, 2015
Restoring a Sense of Gratitude
Many Americans still believe in this nation's enduring principles. It's easy, alas, for our gratitude to become perfunctory — more something we say than something we feel. But take it from someone who has traveled to many countries: A look at what some people around the globe endure can make your appreciation genuine.
Things I'm Grateful For
"Who is happy?" asks a sage in the great Jewish wisdom compendium "Sayings of the Fathers." Answer: "He who is contented with his lot." And how, this Thanksgiving Day, do you acquire contentment when you are constantly barraged with evidence that others have more beautiful possessions or are better looking, more talented, healthier, more admired, more loved, more valued? I count my blessings. Here is a partial list of what I'm thankful for on Thanksgiving 2015.
Here's Something You Should Be Thankful For: Work
Sure, that sounds counterintuitive. Thanksgiving Thursday is the first day of a (for most of us) four-day weekend, a time devoted to gorging on comfort food and nonstop viewing of college and professional football games. It's a time as well for contemplation, already primed by overfamiliar songs in shopping malls, of an even longer holiday season. I grew up in Detroit, where the auto assembly lines shut down entirely for last two weeks of the calendar year. Who needs work?
Hollywood's Twin Takes on Abortion Propaganda
Some pro-abortion feminists recently denounced Hollywood for not producing TV and movie plots wherein the unborn baby is dispatched with zero remorse. It doesn't get more extremist than this. While Hollywood is without question virtually (but not entirely) unanimous in its pro-choice sentiments, even when the abortion option is selected, rarely is it selected without personal angst for the simple reason that there is angst — unless you're devoid of a soul and a conscience.
The Syrian Immigration Cul-de-Sac
The Syrian refugee debate has become a national embarrassment. It begins with a president, desperate to deflect attention from the collapse of his foreign policy, retreating to his one safe zone — ad hominem attacks on critics, this time for lack of compassion toward Syrian widows and orphans.
Narratives Over Facts
Much of the media and Democratic Party obsess about narratives. It is not enough for reporters to report facts, data, and events. They must all be shaped into story-telling elements to tell a larger story or narrative. This approach has become common among both the press and politicians. The Obama administration, in particular, has become obsessed with narratives at the expense of our national security.
Preventing Climate Change Does Not Help the Poor, It Dooms Them!
Many climate scientists argue that we need to mitigate global warming because otherwise it will be the poor who will be hurt the most. Apparently these scientists do not understand their own models. Projections from climate models are based on the rates of poverty reduction, with the highest ('worst') temperature projections resulting when the poorest people in the world increase their incomes from $246 (measured in constant 1990 USD) to $49,000 per year (approximately equal to U.S. GDP per capita in 2014) by the end of the 21st century.
First Amendment Defense Act Protects Freedom and Pluralism After Marriage Redefinition
In June 2015, the Supreme Court redefined marriage throughout America by mandating governmental entities to treat same-sex relationships as marriages. The Court, however, did not say that private schools, charities, businesses, or individuals must do so if they disagree. Indeed, there is no justification for the government to force these entities to violate beliefs about marriage that, as Justice Kennedy noted, are held "in good faith by reasonable and sincere people here and throughout the world." Americans who believe that marriage is the union of husband and wife should continue to be free to live and work according to their convictions.
Thursday, November 26, 2015
1943: A Bloody Thanksgiving in the Pacific
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, take a moment to remember the many Americans who gave their last full measure 72 years ago in the attack on the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. Almost two years after Pearl Harbor, the assault by the 2nd Marine Division on a Japanese-held stronghold started on Nov. 20, 1943, five days before Thanksgiving. In a brutal three-day battle, over 1,000 Americans were killed, and almost 2,300 were wounded. In proportion to the forces engaged, it may have been one of the most costly battles in U.S. military history, with as many casualties suffered in three days as in the six-month campaign on Guadalcanal.
A Country to Give Thanks For
The Middle East is in total chaos. Terrorism is only getting worse. We've got big economic, immigration and racial problems we can't solve. And we're in the middle of a presidential election that looks like it'll end badly for the country -- no matter whom we elect. With all this trouble, tragedy and unhappiness around the world and at home, it's easy to forget the good things we have.
Be Thankful
Being thankful in the midst of adversity is often hard to do. Many Americans are still struggling in the wake of the Great Recession. The headlines of the past week highlight the tremendous challenges we face at home and abroad. Yet we still have much to be thankful for, and we still need God's blessing and hand of protection upon our nation. For these reasons, I pray this year's Thanksgiving truly lives up to its name — a time when we give thanks to God (not government) for the blessings we enjoy.
Giving Thanks
[Today] many Americans will gather with family and friends around a dinner table that will contain a feast that would have been the envy of many kings and princes in ages past. Despite the political, economic, and cultural challenges we face under the failed and hostile policies of the Obama administration, we are still blessed to live in the United States of America.
Campus Administrators Are Reaping What They Have Sown
The recent wave of student protests is aimed at liberal professors and administrators. Current student anger eerily fits the pattern of most left-wing unrest, from the cycles of the French Revolution to the campus riots of the 1960s. First, protests gradually grow more extreme. Venom is directed at fellow leftists who are deemed insufficiently radical.