Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Unruly Britannia
They called it "Question Time," borrowing the term from the prime minister's weekly appearance in the House of Commons, but this was surprisingly and refreshingly different. On Thursday, the three main candidates for prime minister — David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg — one by one appeared before an audience of voters at the Leeds Town Hall where for a half-hour voters asked them informed, pointed and detailed questions. The host, the BBC's David Dimbleby, called for questions and occasionally followed up, but mostly voters drove the program. Two of the candidates were called liars right to their faces. In the U.S., we may think our candidates liars, but we rarely have a chance to call them on it. The British complain that they are tired of this long campaign, which has lasted just five months. They should consider what Americans have to put up with — year-around election cycles that never seem to end.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Now Seismic Upheavals Are Humans’ Fault?
This article caught my eye: [More fatal earthquakes to come, warn geologists](http://europe.newsweek.com/nepal-earthquake-could-have-been-manmade-disaster-climate-change-brings-326017) Why? Because it has to do with something I talked about a few months ago in "[The Grand Slam of Climate](http://patriotpost.us/opinion/32761). This evolved out of the "[Triple Crown of Climate](http://patriotpost.us/opinion/19662)" idea that I pushed several years ago on "The O'Reilly Factor." To summarize, the three legs then were the sun, the oceans and *stochastic events,* which is what I will deal with here, and then recently an intuitive fourth leg was added: *The design of the entire system.*
A Winter to Remember
In the Northeast, February 2015 was a month like no other in our lifetime; January through March Harshest since 1717?
ObamaCare, State Sovereignty and the Heckler’s Veto at the Supreme Court
Two questions will dictate not only the future of healthcare, but also the balance of power between Washington, D.C., and the states, and the separation of powers between the federal branches. One concerns state sovereignty, the other the heckler's veto. When justices heard arguments regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare) in King v. Burwell on March 4, Justice Anthony Kennedy and Chief Justice John Roberts suggested ways they might vote to uphold an Internal Revenue Service rule granting taxpayer subsidies to Obamacare exchange policies in states that refused to join that part of the ACA.
GoShunnedMe: Fund Site Dumps Christians, Changes Policy
No one knows how much Aaron and Melissa Klein will raise toward their $135,000 fine — but we know one thing: they won't be raising it on GoFundMe. The charitable site wasn't so charitable to these bakers, who lost their shop and two years of their life fighting for the right to exercise the freedom the Constitution guarantees them. When the government slapped them with a $135,000 punishment for turning down a same-sex "wedding" cake order, Americans across the political spectrum rushed to their aid, giving generously to the cause of free speech and religious liberty. Eight hours after the fund launched, the spigots of charity stopped. At midnight, when the Kleins were just shy of their goal, GoFundMe abruptly pulled the plug and told visitors that the campaign was closed. ([Donations are still being collected here](http://samaritanspurse.org/article/persecution-against-u-s-christians-on-the-rise/).) Publicly, they cited a policy that barred funding for "formal charges of heinous crimes," but judging by the hateful posts by non-givers, that wasn't the only reason.
Thuggish Censors in the Marketplace of Ideas
Baltimore burns, shops are looted, rioters attack firefighters with bottles and bricks. And amid all the violence and ruin, what drives the chattering class into a froth of indignation? That anyone would use the word "thugs" to describe the vandals and criminals reducing Baltimore to rubble. As berserkers ran amok Monday, the city's mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, deplored the destruction: "Too many people have invested in building up this city to allow thugs to tear it down." *That* set the hounds baying. Rawlings-Blake was accused of using a racial slur. Baltimore City Councilor Carl Stokes angrily told CNN that calling rioters "thugs" is just like calling them the N-word. The Rev. Jamal Bryant, who delivered the eulogy at Freddie Gray's funeral, repeated the accusation: " 'Thugs' is the 21st-century word for the N-word," he said Wednesday, "and it is repulsive and it is offensive." Wale, the popular Washington, D.C.-based rapper, told Baltimore teens that Rawlings-Blake owed them a direct apology for saying something so "stupid." Others piled on.
1/20/17 Can't Come Soon Enough
Like everyone else who can't wait for the Obamas to vacate the White House, I want to tell 2017 not to dawdle. No stopping to smell the roses while the rest of us are sniffing the swamp gas emanating from what has come to be known over the past six years as the Offal Office. I have long believed that you could get a pretty good handle on a person if you knew his friends and his enemies. In Obama's case, his friends, those folks for whom he doesn't mind going that extra mile, seem to consist of Vladimir Putin, the Ayatollah Khamenei and the Castros, which explains why Raul Castro recently declared that "Barack Obama is a decent man." As commendations go, that's rather like having Hitler calling you a nice guy. On the other hand, Obama's enemy list includes Israel's Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, Egypt's President el-Sisi, Jordan's King Abdullah II, Christians, America's conservatives, law-abiding gun owners and, of course, Fox News.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
The Challenge: Silent Toward God
With tax season still lingering in our minds and a new election cycle on the horizon, it's easy to find ourselves annoyed with laws and politicians and discouraged about the direction of our country. But why is it that we are so quick to complain and so slow to pray? Whether we feel it is justified or not, all our complaining and grumbling ends in is anger, bitterness and discontentment. Any parent understands that complaining isn't simply unproductive — it is counter productive. Yet it comes so naturally when things don't work out the way we want them to. Most Americans claim belief in God, but as a whole, we just aren't that into prayer. But if we really believed in God, if we really believed in His goodness and His power, wouldn't prayer be a top priority?
Will Iran Nuclear Deal Cause Dollar to Lose Its Strength?
The U.S. dollar is getting perilously close to losing its status as the world's reserve currency, and the current nuclear deal with Iran could push it over the edge. For years much has been written about the risks from debasing our currency as a result of deficit-spending, debt-accumulation and reckless money-printing. What's vital to grasp now is that Americans will experience an abrupt decline in living standards once the dollar loses its status as the world's reserve currency. Worse, the dollar's demise would also precipitate a new financial crisis — one that would make the 2008 collapse look like a summer storm. The U.S. is a relatively benign economic world power. No one knows what it would be like if, say, the Chinese yuan becomes the reserve currency for global trading. But it's apt to be far less benevolent than the dollar norm we all now just take for granted.
Our Dismal GDP Numbers: Under Obama U.S. Stuck in Slow Growth Rut
Here's some advice to the White House: it might be time for President Obama to cancel the rest of his economic "mission accomplished" tour and help figure out how to get the U.S. growing again. The Department of Commerce delivered the miserable news Wednesday morning that economic growth nearly ground to a halt during the first quarter, up a microscopic 0.2%. Even more disturbing, because the population is growing at about 0.8%, real per capita GDP is actually negative. Remember we also had an abysmal jobs growth number for March. Once again economists blamed the frigid and blizzard conditions on the east coast; and no doubt weather was a factor in the subpar performance. But this is a long-term pattern under Obama, not a seasonal blip. Back in 2009, Vice President Biden promised us a "Summer of Recovery" and nearly six years later we are all still eagerly waiting for it.
The Lusitania's Role in History
Owning a fragment of history — a Gettysburg bullet, a Coolidge campaign button — is fun, so in 1968 Gregg Bemis became an owner of the Lusitania. This 787-feet-long passenger liner has been beneath 300 feet of water off Ireland's south coast since a single German torpedo sank it 100 years ago Thursday. It contains the 4 million U.S.-made rifle bullets and other munitions that the ship had been carrying from neutral America to wartime Britain. It is commonly but wrongly said that the sinking altered history's trajectory. Yet some people, including Britain's first lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, hoped an attack on a ship would pull America into the war. They may have facilitated Lusitania's calamity by not taking available measures to prevent it. Of the 1,198 who perished, 128 were Americans. In "Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania," Eric Larson notes that early in 1915 warfare was evolving. On January 19, two zeppelins conducted Germany's first air raid on Britain. On April 22, near Ypres, Germans sent a cloud of chlorine gas drifting toward French and Canadian lines.
Is There a Dime's Worth of Difference Between the Two Major Parties?
At last count there were about three dozen potential candidates for president on the Republican side. Although Hillary Clinton is the expected Democratic nominee, should she falter, there are probably about a half dozen people ready to take her place. Without knowing who the candidates will be and without knowing who will win the election, can we say today with some confidence what difference a Republican or a Democratic victory would mean in 2016? Paul Krugman asked this question the other day in The New York Times.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Strawberry Field Hands Forever?
Immigration restrictionists often claim that there are no "jobs Americans won't do," if only US borders would be secured against economic migrants who are willing to work hard for low pay and few benefits. If the fruit-and-vegetable industry couldn't rely on seasonal farmhands from Mexico and Central America, for example, growers would perforce offer the higher wages necessary to attract American citizens to pick the country's fresh produce. What alternative would they have? Let crops rot in the field? In reality, agriculture is no more of a zero-sum industry than any other, and there is no fixed number of people it must employ. That point is strikingly made by recent stories on the development of new technology poised to transform the nation's $2.5 billion strawberry business.
Obama Turns Machiavelli on His Head
The most quoted political wisdom from Machiavelli regarding adversaries is that "it is better to be feared than it is to be loved." President Barack Obama's Middle East policy may well go down as the turning point in U.S. foreign policy in which Machiavelli was turned on his head, setting the stage for the whirlwind of chaos and war. What is one to think about the Obama administration's extended talks and unilateral concessions on forging a nuclear agreement with Iran that undermines long-standing U.S. allies in the Middle East and invites greater tumult in an already unstable region? It is not just the alliance with Israel that is being frayed, it is also the alliances with Sunni Arab states, such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates who find their security interests critically jeopardized by a deal that virtually guarantees a future nuclear Iran. Prospects of hegemonic nuclear power by the Shia Republic of Iran will compel other states, notably Saudi Arabia — the home of the Sunni's Mecca and Medina holy sites — to go nuclear.
The High-Wire Washington Visit of Japan's Prime Minister
History will be made today. For the first time, a leader of Japan will address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress. Such recognition of a critical U.S. ally in Asia is long overdue. Japan's phoenix-like rise from the devastation of war is a testament to the country's policymakers and citizens. Japan has blossomed into a vibrant democracy and the world's third-largest economy. Yet amid the excitement of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's U.S. visit, there is also some trepidation over the degree to which he will handle issues of history that remain contentious. Abe has much ground to cover in his address. Japan has been the exemplar of a responsible nation for 70 years. Eschewing the violent militarism that led to catastrophe in the 20th Century, Tokyo embraced passive foreign and security policies. The bilateral alliance has been a linchpin of American national interests in Asia, including the maintenance of peace and stability — but Japan has come to depend upon the United States for much of its defense.
Zero Inflation Is Holding the Economy Together
Don't expect any miracles from the economy. But don't expect a collapse, either. In political terms, it's kind of a Mexican standoff. Team Obama says they saved us from another Great Depression. And they point out that 3.1 million jobs have been created in the last 12 months. Republicans counter that this is the slowest post-WWII recovery on record and that real GDP is roughly $2 trillion below potential. They add that the labor-force participation rate is 62.7 percent, a 39-year low, and that there are at least 15 million people who work but can't get jobs. Yet both sides may actually come together for a major pro-growth initiative: an Asia-Pacific free-trade deal that will lower tariffs and other barriers. Lower tariffs are lower taxes.
The Lying Game
Will the next presidential election be won by a lie? Truth has long since been replaced by "narratives" on the American Left. Rather than discuss genuine issues and objective facts, progressives prefer to make up a politically effective story. It doesn't matter whether the story is false, as long as it sways the public's emotions and wins the day. The ends justify the means. This "lying game" strategy often shows up in politically sensitive scientific debates. In honor of Earth Week, let's look at one of the patron saints of environmentalism, Rachel Carson. Carson wanted to eliminate DDT, the most effective pesticide for fighting one of the greatest plagues faced by humanity, malaria, because it was weakening the shells of bird's eggs. So Carson falsified data to convince the public that DDT was carcinogenic. Carson brought about a global ban on DDT, probably saving a few birds, but at the cost of allowing malaria to blind or kill millions of people in the Third World. Carson may not have set out to kill people, but only Mao, Stalin and Hitler are responsible for more deaths during the twentieth century. Yet instead of condemning her, we name schools after her.
The Rolling Stone Gathers No Facts
When the Rolling Stone devoted a great deal of space to a cocked-up story about a gang rape that took place at a University of Virginia frat house, they had a pretty good idea it never happened. After all, they knew that the reporter had not spoken to anyone but the alleged "victim." Even the Stone wouldn't cover a traffic accident without interviewing those involved, the police and any eye witnesses. All of that is covered in the first week of Journalism 101. However, all the rules are tossed out when the story involves any of the left's favorite narratives. So if black hooligans riot, it's reported as if it were an insurrection of slaves in 1850 Mississippi. If a white cop shoots a black thug, it's reported as if it's 1950 Mississippi. And if college boys are accused of rape, it's assumed the rape actually took place, although even government statistics indicate that it's just about as likely that the sex was consensual and that the coed woke up the next day, entertaining second thoughts.
Friday, May 1, 2015
A Site for Soros Lies
If you think the media uses credible and honest sources to report the news, think again. You'd be surprised at how many "mainstream" outlets rely on a left-wing advocacy organization funded in part by liberal billionaire George Soros. The organization is called RightWingWatch and tracks the statements of conservative politicians and leaders for the sole purpose of feeding distorted — and sometimes even fabricated — versions to their allies in the media. Now, it's no surprise that press who are outright hostile to conservative views like Huffington Post rely on RightWingWatch's propaganda, but it is shocking that that this kind of truth-optional reporting is utilized (and therefore legitimized) by mainstream networks like CBS, Politico, and others.
The 'Upgrading' of Bruce Jenner
The last year could be described as The Year of Transgender Propaganda. The Hollywood and news media push on the latest frontier of "gender fluidity" demonstrates the libertine left's absolute arrogance that the LGBT revolution is an unstoppable juggernaut. Time placed Laverne Cox on a "Transgender Tipping Point" cover last June, and the aggressive culture tipping took off. Amazon created a series around a retiree and father of three deciding he was a woman in "Transparent," and won Golden Globes. Fox's "Glee" had their female football coach grow a beard and be celebrated by a "historic" 200-member transgender choir. The cherry on this vomit is Bruce Jenner.