Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Jimmy Carter, Bought & Paid For
There was widespread agreement that until Barack Obama came along, Jimmy Carter had a lock on the title of Worst President in American history. However, after he left office, an expensive publicity campaign waged by Habitat for Humanity tried to convince us that he had been magically transformed into a latter-day saint. Amazing what can be accomplished by simply snapping a few photos of a schmuck holding a hammer while standing on a stepladder. But he's no more a carpenter than he was a farmer. The man never got his hands dirty doing either. However, that doesn't mean his hands aren't filthy. In the 35 years since Ronald Reagan evicted him from the White House, Carter has become a bought-and-paid-for propagandist for Islam.
Obama's Attempt to Turn the Page Undermined by Policy Failures
It's not in the printed text, but the most revealing words in President Obama's seventh State of the Union address came near the end. After the scripted line, "I have no more campaigns to run," elicited Republican applause, Obama ad libbed, "I know, because I won both of them." Thus the last quarter of Obama's presidency resembles the first quarter, when he shut off discussion with House Republicans by saying, "I won." But his second winning percentage was lower than his first -- the only American president of which that can be said -- and the House now has a record and the Senate a near-record Republican majority. The first half of Obama's speech was a deft attempt to, as he said, "turn the page." The year 2014, he said, was "a breakthrough year for America," the economy was finally growing at a respectable rate and U.S. troop deployments in war zones are nearly down to zero.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Gun Rights Should Cross State Lines
Down the street or across the country, a valid driver's license is all you need to lawfully get behind the wheel of a car. If you've met your state's conditions to be issued a license -- passed the test, submitted your fingerprints, paid the fee -- there's not a state in the country that won't honor it. A valid license to carry a firearm should be treated the same way. In many respects, Americans who esteem the Second Amendment have reason to be upbeat these days. In opinion polls, a majority of respondents says protecting gun ownership is more important than enacting stronger gun control. Three out of four Americans would oppose a ban on private possession of handguns. Putting their money where those convictions are, consumers turned out in droves to buy firearms during the holiday season: Though Black Friday sales generally were down last year, purchases of guns on the day after Thanksgiving went through the roof. The FBI conducted a record 175,000 background checks on Nov. 28 -- an average of almost three per second -- then set another record the week before Christmas.
The Mushrooming Welfare State
America's national character will have to be changed if progressives are going to implement their agenda. So, changing social norms *is* the progressive agenda. To understand how far this has advanced, and how difficult it will be to reverse the inculcation of dependency, consider the data Nicholas Eberstadt deploys in National Affairs quarterly: America's welfare state transfers more than 14 percent of GDP to recipients, with more than a third of Americans taking "need-based" payments. In our wealthy society, the government officially treats an unprecedented portion of the population as "needy." Transfers of benefits to individuals through social welfare programs have increased from less than one federal dollar in four (24 percent) in 1963 to almost three out of five (59 percent) in 2013. In that half-century, entitlement payments were, Eberstadt says, America's "fastest growing source of personal income," growing twice as fast as all other real per capita personal income. It is probable that this year, a majority of Americans will seek and receive payments.
Remembering the Last Lion
Fifty years ago this Saturday, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill died at age 90. Churchill is remembered for his multiple nonstop careers as a statesman, cabinet minister, politician, journalist, Nobel laureate historian, and combat veteran. He began his career serving the British military as a Victorian-era mounted lancer and ended it as custodian of Britain's nuclear deterrent. But he is most renowned for an astounding five-year-tenure as Britain's wartime prime minister from May 10, 1940, to June 26, 1945, when he was voted out of office not long after the surrender of Nazi Germany.
MSNBC's Maddow Now Rewriting Instant Replays
That MSNBC routinely, almost compulsively, mischaracterizes what conservatives say is nothing new. It's what makes the network so adorable. But in a recent trend, anchor Rachel Maddow has been upping the ante, altering quotes we *just heard her play on tape*. On Monday night, for example, Rachel ran a news clip from President Reagan's 1983 Martin Luther King Day signing ceremony: "Chris Wallace, NBC Reporter (by miraculous coincidence, currently a Fox News anchor): 'There was an air of celebration in the Rose Garden and an underlying tension. White House officials wrestled for days how to usher in a holiday the president opposed. They finally decided to embrace it. ... Maybe that's what today was about, that blacks have the power to make politicians do things.'"
Our Stake in the Union
If words are what matters, then President Obama used plenty of them in his second-to-last State of the Union Address. But for all 59 minutes, the President seemed to spend his speech -- not communicating, but convincing. In this latest installment of presidential priority-setting, "legacy" seemed to take precedence over "leading" a divided government. For his sixth turn at the podium, President Obama prominently featured themes like "family," the third most repeated word of the hour. And while we support the emphasis, what we don't support are the President's actual policies, which undermine the family he speaks so highly of. As usual, his speechwriters were lingual magicians, managing once again to wrap President Obama's extreme liberalism in a cloak of platitudes and conventional language. If there were ever a need for a presidential lexicon, [Tuesday] night's address demonstrated it. (Even the Washington Post agrees with that.) Without context, the average viewer might think this President was a truly moderate leader. Only later do they discover the radical meaning he's attached to his mainstream phrases.
Winston Churchill: A Man for All Times
It is an old debating point: Do the times make the man, or does the man make the times? In the case of Winston Churchill, whose death 50 years ago Saturday the British are remembering with more than nostalgia, it is both. The times in Churchill's case were both World War I, in which he served as a battalion commander, and World War II, which he helped win for Britain and America. By the standard he set, all political leaders since -- with the possible exception of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan -- are mere pygmies. Yet, even they pale in his shadow. No one else can touch Churchill for his vision, leadership and most of all persistence. Like Babe Ruth who struck out a lot, but who also hit many home runs, Churchill "struck out" more than once, but his successes far outweigh and overwhelm his failures.
Duke University's Call to Prayer
A few weeks back, many Americans were understandably perplexed by Duke University's decision to allow Muslim students to sound the call for Friday prayer (the adan) from the belfry of its famed Chapel tower. After all, the Chapel has its roots in Methodism, Duke having been historically linked to the United Methodist Church. Moreover, you would think that the left-wing professoriate that dominates the Duke campus would raise concerns about an old bugaboo, the separation of church and state. Imagine if Catholic students called on Duke to allow Gregorian Chant to be sung from the belfry or Baptist students called upon Duke to allow a weekly sermon of fire and brimstone. The Rev. Franklin Graham, the evangelist and son of the Rev. Billy Graham -- for many Americans a kind of Protestant Pope -- reacted with a sense of astonishment that typified the reaction of many Americans. He said, "As Christianity is being excluded from the public square and followers of Islam are raping, butchering, and beheading Christians, Jews, and anyone who doesn't submit to their Sharia Islamic law, Duke is promoting this in the name of religious pluralism." Thus as Duke students frolicked through their days flinging Frisbees and cutting classes and as their earnest profs rode skateboards to nearly empty classrooms, Fridays would be marked by the Islamic adhan ringing from the Chapel belfry for the Muslim few -- the majority of Duke's 700 Muslims are apparently not that religious. This was the state of things until Jan. 15.
Selma Snub vs. Eastwood Eclipse -- Who's the Victim of Discrimination?
Where's the Clint Eastwood Million Cowboy March on Hollywood? The case for bias against Eastwood is far stronger than that of the alleged "snub" of the movie "Selma." "American Sniper," a new film directed by Clint Eastwood, set box-office records for a film opening in January. Yet he was "shut out" of the director category. Was Clint Eastwood, a white, unabashed George W. Bush-supporting Republican, a victim of political discrimination? The Martin Luther King Jr. biopic received two Oscar nominations, one for "Best Picture." Cause for celebration? No, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences "unexpectedly" overlooked the film's director and actors for the other prestigious categories.
Challenge: The Word
If you've spent much time in church, you have likely often heard the first verse from Psalm 42, "As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God." But if you're like us, those words may sometimes seem a bit stale. Both of us have often sung them on Sunday - but not always with sincerity. Yes, we long for God. But if you took a good hard look at how we have spent our time through the years, you might think we long for other things a bit more -- things like a clean house, time with friends and "enough" sleep. And as good as "digging into the Word" sounds, sometimes it's hard ground to break through. When we discuss the reality of how we live, we have to confess that there are times when we truly think about how we really *should* read it and sincerely intend to study His word....later. Perhaps you know what we mean. Have you ever found yourself moving toward a quiet time, and then suddenly a thousand other things begin fighting for your attention? You remember that you need to respond to that email. You start making a grocery list. You get sleepy.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Restate of the Union
President Obama sure is consistent. His State of the Union address sounded like his other speeches: What I've done is great! America is in a much better position. We've created a manufacturing sector that's adding jobs. More oil is produced at home. I cut deficits in half! Give me a break. The deficit is lower now not because of any prudence on Obama's part but merely because the $800 billion stimulus spending blowout didn't continue. All the president does is *increase* spending: free community college, free Obamaphones, free birth control, etc. Yes, our annual deficit is lower, but it's still $488 billion! Our $18 trillion national debt increases by $3 million every minute!
Opportunity for All, Favoritism to None
Growing up, most Americans are taught to treat everyone fairly and recognize the importance of equality under the law. Despite political disagreements and the headache of elections and campaigns, we learn that a free society plays no favorites. Most of us still believe in that. Unfortunately, many in Washington, D.C., don't. You can see it in the way the federal government treats businesses, from Wall Street to internet search engines. Politicians rail against corporations and vow to protect taxpayers, investors, and users with tough new regulations. They need help crafting legislation, so they turn to the big players -- whether they're banks, tech companies or manufacturers -- and ask for expert advice.
Japan Targeted by ISIS
Two hostages will be killed unless a $200 million ransom is paid.
Private Sector, Not Obama, Created Lower Gas Prices
In President Obama's State of the Union preview, he touted low gas prices as an example of positive economic results. "America is now in a position to really turn the page," he said and cited in part the fact that "gas prices have dropped." No doubt, the plunge in gas prices from $4 per gallon to just over $2 has benefited the economy. Drivers enjoy the cost savings at the pump each week; many families are saving upwards of $400 monthly in lowered fuel costs. Lower energy costs also bolster employment growth as goods can be produced less expensively. As transportation costs decline, retail prices decline as well. But can the president claim credit for these savings? Not so much.
Wedding Planner Groomed for Marriage Fight
When Lana Rusev fled Ukraine, she was trying to *avoid* the religious persecution she's now experiencing in Florida! The wedding planner, the latest in a long string of Christian targets, is watching with horror as the hostility she had once seen in Eastern Europe followed her to America, courtesy of Jacksonville's radical LGBT community. Obviously when she saw the Statue of Liberty, *'Give me your tired, your poor, your yearning to violate your conscience'* wasn't what the Ukranian had in mind. For more than two decades, Lana has been adjusting to her life in the U.S. -- but she never dreamed that adjustment would include an assault to the very freedoms she came here seeking. When she started her business, Simply Elegant Wedding Planning, Lana was anxious to help area brides and grooms celebrate their big day by coordinating the smallest of details. So when a lesbian couple approached the Christian consultant, the thought of being intimately involved in every stage of planning for a ceremony that conflicted with her faith was a non-starter.
The 'NAACP Bombing' ... or The Barbershop Bang?
From the liberal media's coverage of my beautiful adopted hometown, you'd think we live in a KKK-infested hotbed where every person of color fears for his or her life. Take a look at these ominous headlines: --"Bombing of NAACP headquarters harkens to bad old days" -- MSNBC --"Colorado Springs explosion recalls violence against NAACP" -- The Washington Post --"NAACP Bombing Evokes Memories of Civil Rights Strife" -- Time magazine --"Explosion outside NAACP office could be a hate crime, officials say" -- Los Angeles Times
Obama's Tax on Stay-at-Home Moms
President Obama's disrespect for motherhood has manifested itself in policies ranging from support for same-sex marriage to defense of a form of abortion that involves forcing a baby into a drug-induced premature delivery and then leaving that little one to die. When it comes to the most vulnerable and innocent human beings -- those for whom great mothers have great hearts -- Obama has a heart of stone. It is demonstrably true that he does not believe a child has a right to a mother or a need for a mother. If he did, he could not support same-sex marriages in which two men can adopt a child or even hire a surrogate to incubate a baby for them.
The Persistence of Policing for Profit
Eric Holder's Forfeiture Reform Is Welcome but Does Not Go Nearly Far Enough
The Last Taboo
What happens when we run out of taboos? The question arises thanks to a column in Salon.com from one Jenny Kutner, an assistant editor "focusing on sex, gender and feminism." This particular column focuses on an 18-year-old woman who is currently dating. That wouldn't be odd, except that she is dating her biological father. Apparently, this woman's father left her family when she was 4; when he came back into her life, she was 16. "It was so weird and confusing," she said. "I was seeing my dad for the first time in forever but it was also like, He's so good looking!" Days later, they had sex. "We discussed whether it was wrong and then we kissed," the woman said. "And then we made out, and then we made love for the first time. That was when I lost my virginity."