Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
I Am Who I Say I Am
When I was a senior in high school I got my picture taken in one of those three-for-a-buck photo booths. Because the lighting was a little off, the color of my skin appeared a bit darker than it actually is. I can't remember exactly why I ended up showing it to the high school dean helping me with my college applications process, but I do remember the joke he made about it to this underachieving B student. "With this picture I could get you into Harvard," he wisecracked. How little both of us knew about what the future would bring two generations later. Progressives don't quite know it yet, but their ideology just exploded in their faces like a cheap cigar. The explosion came courtesy of two big stories, one right after the other over the course of two weeks. The first story was the coming out and subsequent lionization of Bruce, a.k.a. Caitlyn Jenner in all his/her "Vanity Fair" photo-shoot glory. A little fake boobs and a wig here, and a lot of photo-shopping there, and the next thing you know, Jenner is the toast of the progressive town — and woe unto any "bigot," "genderphobe," "fuddy-duddy," etc. who isn't down with the "I Am What I Say I Am" chorus.
Marriage Shines Bright Deep in the Heart of Texas
While the nation maybe waiting to see if the Supreme Court zeros out the actions of voters in 30 states by overturning the provisions in their constitutions upholding the natural definition of marriage, voters are not idle. On Saturday, voters in San Antonio elected a mayor who has condemned the City Council's effort two years ago to make belief in natural marriage — as between one man and one woman — a disqualification for holding public office. In the spring and summer of 2013, FRC joined local activists and our state partner, Texas Values, in drawing attention to a proposed city ordinance that would have barred Christians — or anyone else who "by word or deed" had ever expressed support for natural marriage — from serving in elected or appointed office. Although the public outcry forced officials to water down the language, the law that eventually passed still violated the beliefs of businesses owners by forcing them to recognize fluid categories of sexuality and gender identity, in contradiction to deeply held personal beliefs. Only three council members, out of eleven, voted against the measure.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Saving Internet Freedom
In barely 20 years, the Internet and other communications breakthroughs have changed the world immeasurably. The information age has transformed economies, expanded growth, and improved the quality of life for billions. It has also greatly enhanced freedom for individuals — political freedom in the public square, economic freedom in the marketplace, and social freedom in the community. What made all that progress possible was that Internet developers, innovators, investors, and operators were able to work largely free of government restraint. Today's Internet, with competing networks and an almost endless array of apps, was not created or funded by the government (or by Al Gore, for that matter). These are all marvels of private-sector ingenuity. And these incredible advances in Internet and digital technologies have happened because there have been few government regulations to stifle innovation and competition.
Expanding Relations With the Iranian Resistance
Last week I joined a bipartisan group of political figures and foreign policy experts in taking two steps to encourage the improvement of US policy toward Iran. The group of nearly forty prominent Americans including former senior US civilian and military officials and governors issued a policy statement urging stronger confrontation of Iran's nuclear ambitions, regional hostilities, and human rights abuses. That statement also encouraged the US government to reverse its traditional, unspoken policy of remaining at arms' length from the resistance against the Iranian theocracy. My view and that of the co-signers of the statement is that the ten-point plan of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, represents a viable alternative to an intractably hostile Iranian regime. Simply supporting that alternative and coordinating with it politically would go a long way toward safeguarding Western interests.
Head Over Tar Heels for Freedom
Governor Pat McCrory hasn't exactly been the most popular person in North Carolina after he took sides against religious liberty. Last week, the governor stunned voters by vetoing a bill that would have shielded state officials from performing same-sex "weddings." Taking a page out of Indiana's book, McCrory capitulated to the voices of religious intolerance and rejected protections for people with strong religious beliefs. Thankfully, the legislature refused to take no for an answer and overrode McCrory's veto. But if North Carolina was sending the governor a message, he didn't get it. Despite all the outrage over his decision, the governor dug in his heels and proclaimed it a "disappointing day for the rule of law and the process of passing legislation in North Carolina." The same leader who complained that elected officials should follow the law is now upset that they did! In a statement to reporters, he promised to "continue to stand up for conservative principles" (which will be a little difficult since, on this issue, he never started).
Musings on the Movies
I grew up loving the movies. Thanks to there being several reissue houses in L.A. when I was at my most impressionable age, I grew up mainly a fan of the movies produced in the 30s and early to mid-40s. By the time the 60s rolled around, I still loved the movies, but mainly those produced in the 30s and early to mid-40s. That's not to say I haven't enjoyed a great many films made over the past 50 or 60 years, but most of the stars don't measure up, in my estimation, to the likes of Cary Grant, Irene Dunne, Spencer Tracy, Jean Arthur, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Jimmy Cagney. These days, just about the only people who can lure me to a movie theater are Helen Mirren, Jeffrey Rush, Emma Thompson and Colin Firth.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Our Long Path to Limited Government
Americans should light 800 candles for the birthday of the document that began paving the meandering path to limited government. Magna Carta laid down the law about "fish weirs" on English rivers, "assizes of darrein presentment," people being "distrained to make bridges," and other "liberties ... to hold in our realm of England in perpetuity." But what King John accepted at Runnymede meadow on June 15, 1215, matters to Americans because of something that happened 588 years later in the living room of Stelle's Hotel in Washington, where the Library of Congress now sits. Although the "great charter" purported to establish certain rights in "perpetuity," almost everything in it has been repealed or otherwise superseded. Magna Carta led to parliamentary supremacy (over the sovereign — the king or queen) but not to effective limits on government. The importance of the document was its assertion that the sovereign's will could be constrained.
The Challenge: Persecuted Christians
Every Western Christian knows it: the feeling that comes when eyes turn away from us, when quiet scoffing and silent anger sweep over us. We know that feeling when we turn down vices, or bring up hopes, or steadily stick to "outdated" morals. They (those who roll their eyes or keep their distance) hear we are Christians and assume we are some mix of naive, boring, closed-minded, prejudiced, and hypocritical. They ask us, again and again, not to judge them — we feel misunderstood. In this "us" vs. "them" mentality, Christians are pre-judged as judgmental. In a graduation speech he gave this year at Liberty University, Jeb Bush said, "How strange, in our own time, to hear Christianity spoken of as some sort of backward and oppressive force.... It's a depressing fact that when some people think of Christianity and of Judeo-Christian values, they think of something static, narrow, and outdated. We can take this as unfair criticism, as it typically is, or we can take it as further challenge to show in our lives the most dynamic, inclusive, and joyful message that ever came into the world…."
Krugman on Rick Perry: Good Government Doesn’t Matter
Rick Perry's entry into the presidential race draws natural attention to the Texas economy. While Perry was governor, Texas created more than three of every ten new jobs in the entire country. And even though a decline in energy prices has slowed things a bit, over the last four years Texas was the third among the 50 states in job creation. Perry and others credit low taxes and sensible regulation for Texas' economic success. The Wall Street Journal editorial board agrees. Last week they wrote: >The Tax Foundation ranks Texas's business climate tenth best, and the state's growth spurt vindicates the Perry formula of low taxes and a light regulatory touch. Between 2000 and 2010, Texas gained a net 781,542 domestic migrants — second only to Florida — while California lost 1.9 million, according to the Manhattan Institute. Last year Texas boasted the three fastest-growing counties with populations above 250,000 (Fort Bend, Montgomery and Williamson).
Saturday, June 13, 2015
War Zones Here and Abroad
I really would like to put the recent riot in my rearview mirror, but Obama and the clucks running Baltimore won't let me. For instance, what Obama took away from the creeps running wild was that urban police should not be allowed to use the best equipment available to protect themselves or their cities from the barbarians. Instead of dropping the hammer on those who riot, Obama has decided that cops should be deprived of riot gear. For her part, Marilyn Mosby, the prosecutor who assured the mob that she would deliver justice on their behalf, has urged a judge to place a gag order on the six cops she indicted and their lawyers. In the meantime, she constantly attacks the defendants in the media. Unless the entire state wishes to see itself humiliated, Ms. Mosby must be called on the carpet by the Maryland Bar Association for displaying such obvious contempt of the First Amendment.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Forbidden at the University of California: 'America Is the Land of Opportunity'
Faculty receive a chilling lesson on what’s outside the realm of acceptable speech.
Insta Graham Support on Life
[Thursday] morning, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) shed his candidate hat and took on another campaign: chief sponsor of the five-month abortion ban. It's a role Senator Graham knows well, having introduced the same legislation last spring — under slightly different circumstances. This time around, the southern conservative has a GOP majority to give him what Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) wouldn't: a vote. After a convincing 242-184 win in the House, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act sailed into the Senate with the country's support firmly behind it! As many as 84% of people throw their support behind measures that stop abortion after the first three months of pregnancy — and that includes *a majority of women!*
Why America Hates the GOP-Obamatrade Deal
Constitutional conservatives don't like it. Trade unions abhor it. Obama critics hate it. Environmentalists despise it. Outside the Beltway bubble, a broad coalition of voters from the left, right and center opposes the mega-trade deal getting rammed through Congress this week by the Republican establishment on behalf of the White House. Here's why. The Obama administration, House GOP leader John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have sold out American sovereignty. Their so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership Commission will have sweeping authority over trade, immigration, environmental, labor and commerce regulations.
When the Media Ignore Domestic Violence in Sports
Brittney Griner was a huge college star in women's basketball two years ago. Her dominance of the sport at 6-foot-8 was unquestioned — she could dunk with ease, and she blocked more shots than anyone else in college basketball history, men or women. Her Baylor squad was the first team in college basketball history, men's or women's, to win 40 games in a single year. Griner was drafted first overall in the WNBA. She also made headlines later in 2013 for coming out as a lesbian. Along with other athletes, like Jason Collins in the NBA, she was lauded by the press for being an "inspiration" to the gay community. Griner and Johnson announced their engagement last August and made an appearance on the TLC wedding-reality program "Say Yes to the Dress."
Al-Qaida's Out, ISIS Is In!
First, the good news: It turns out President Obama was right. Al-Qaida is being destroyed. One could even say he deserves some credit for this happy turn of events. Which brings us to the bad news: Al-Qaida is dying out because it's being replaced by something far worse. According to a fascinating report in the Guardian newspaper, two of Al-Qaida's leading clerics say that the Islamic State has all but destroyed its parent organization. Basically, people in the market for Jihad think the Islamic State offers the best product on the market. It's ironic. For a decade, terror analysts marveled about how creative al-Qaida was. Lawrence Wright in his gripping account of the rise of al-Qaida, "The Looming Tower," writes that Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri deliberately set out to bring the best practices of the business world to religiously fueled terror and carnage. Al-Qaida's Jihadis got paid vacations, round-trip tickets home to visit family, healthcare, etc. They saved huge money on retirement gifts, since Allah promised to provide 72 virgins at the end of a productive career in lieu of a gold watch.
Rubio the Average American
Marco Rubio bought a bunch of stuff he probably couldn't afford. Welcome to America. So The New York Times has pulled together another hit piece — this one insinuating that Rubio, who the newspaper evidently believes is the GOP front-runner, is both a reckless spendthrift and a financial failure. The story — either clumsily or, more likely, deliberately — confuses offshore fishing boats with "luxury speedboats" and pickup trucks with SUVs to render a distasteful account of Rubio's financial life. But what we really learned is that though Rubio is not great with money, the senator from Florida has relatively modest desires, considering his fame. And his story features the kinds of struggles that middle-class voters often face when juggling bills, family and their investments.
Existential Threats to America
It's to be expected that I hardly agree with President Obama on any political issues, as we have radically different worldviews, but what I don't understand is why there isn't more alarm from all quarters about the potentially existential threats to this nation posed by his policies. Obama's ideas, policies and actions in office are often so outrageous that when you describe them or the threat they represent, people discount your comments as extreme on their face. The trouble is it's hard not to sound extreme when what he's doing *is* extreme. I probably disagreed with Bill Clinton 80 percent of the time, but I never feared that the country was in serious jeopardy under him. As bad as I believed Obama would be in 2008, I never thought those in the political establishment (sympathetic Democratic politicians in Washington and too many ineffective or gun-shy Republican ones) would either join him or abdicate their responsibility and let him accelerate the demise of the nation as rapidly as he has. It would be impossible for one man to do this much damage alone.
Clinton Deploys 'They Hate You' Strategy
Hillary Clinton had one of the worst campaign rollouts in living memory. Her low-key (to the point of inaudibility) announcement video came in the midst of a months-long period of deeply damaging stories about her mania for secrecy (the private email server), which she indulged even at the expense of the law and national security, and her cavalier acceptance of favors in the form of donations to the Clinton Foundation. As these stories mounted, Clinton seemed oddly disengaged. She neither answered questions nor attempted to change the subject. Some Republicans began to get smug. "She's a terrible candidate," they said (your humble columnist may even have let these words slip herself). "She doesn't have the skills of her husband," they said, even predicting that, "This woman will never be president of the United States."
In Turkey and Mexico, Voters try to Strengthen Electoral Democracy
Another election, another surprise. Actually, two elections, in two countries last weekend, with surprisingly pleasant surprises. And in two very large countries: Turkey (population 82 million) and Mexico (119 million), both very important to the United States. In the runup to the Turkish election, speculation in English-speaking publications centered on whether President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP party would get a large enough majority in the parliament to amend the constitution without a popular referendum. The AKP, usually described as mildly Islamist, has been in power since 2002. In some respects it has compiled a record that compares favorably with those of the secularist party coalitions that came before. The AKP liberalized the economy, to the point that its vigorous economic growth made Turkey's bid for membership in the European Union seem plausible. Erdogan also pursued rapprochement with the nation's Kurdish minority.
The Racing Form, Second Edition
The Republican nominating race is a mess: a strong field, but with 10 declared candidates and a half-dozen more to come, we need a bouncer to keep order. I've given myself the job. Rope lines separate the four categories. (A) *Top tier:* 1. Jeb Bush. Solid, no sizzle. Sizzle may be in less demand than eight years ago, but his inability to separate from the pack, his recent campaign shakeup and his four-day stumble over Megyn Kelly's "knowing what we know now" Iraq question have given even his supporters pause. Nonetheless, a bulging war chest, a fine gubernatorial record and a wide knowledge of domestic issues guarantee top-tier staying power.