Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Termites at Work on American History
President Barack Obama has launched a new initiative to get American schools to teach computer science. Appearing at a Newark, New Jersey, middle school, the president suggested that students, especially girls and minorities, should learn "not just how to use a smartphone but to create the apps for a smartphone." If we lived in a country where most students were graduating from high school with good English and math skills and with a firm grasp of American history and government, we might be in a position to make time for advanced computer skills. But we don't. Only about 68 percent of Newark's students even graduate from high school.
Thinking About Torture
For a long time I resisted the word "torture" when discussing the "enhanced interrogation techniques" used against high-value captives in the war on terror. I don't think I can do that anymore. The report put out by Diane Feinstein and her fellow Democrats may be partisan, one-sided, tendentious and "full of crap," as Dick Cheney put it the other night on "Special Report with Bret Baier." But even the selective use and misuse of facts doesn't change their status as facts. What some of these detainees went through pretty obviously amounted to torture. You can call it "psychological torture" or something to that effect, but such qualifiers don't get you all that far.
A Travesty of a Report
The report by Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee regarding CIA interrogation essentially accuses the agency under George W. Bush of war criminality. Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein appears to offer some extenuation when she reminds us in the report's preamble of the shock and "pervasive fear" felt after 9/11. It's a common theme (often echoed by President Obama): Amid panic and disorientation, we lost our moral compass and made awful judgments. The results are documented in the committee report. They must never happen again. It's a kind of temporary-insanity defense for the Bush administration. And it is not just unctuous condescension but hypocritical nonsense. In the aftermath of 9/11, there was nothing irrational about believing that a second attack was a serious possibility and therefore everything should be done to prevent it. Indeed, this was the considered opinion of the CIA, the administration, the congressional leadership and the American people.
I Don't Care if Obama Thinks We're Stupid; Just Repeal ObamaCare
Instead of using this space to pretend the newly released CIA "torture" report confirms that the United States is the most evil nation in the history of the universe, I'm going to address Jonathan Gruber's confirmation that he believes we're all stupid. Assuming you are not under any rocks or haven't been in an underground bunker without access to media, you will have heard that Gruber, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the principal architect of Obamacare, made some unflattering comments about his fellow Americans. At a panel event last year, discussing how the administration was able to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, Gruber openly admitted that the administration deceived the American people in numerous important respects about the legislation, bragged about the administration's lack of transparency in the process and outright called the American people "stupid," which I think is arguably the least of these three sins, though it's the one getting the most airplay.
The Great Comeuppance Day
In times gone by, people, especially those in small towns, would say about those in their midst who were best described as arrogant and narcissistic that they were riding for a fall. The local citizenry would long for the day the spoiled brats would get their comeuppance. Although the term has gone out of favor, the feeling remains. But because the targets of this natural resentment often had great wealth, status or power, their victims usually had to accept that these good-for-nothings would continue to skate obliviously through life until God at last had His chance to deliver the appropriate judgment.
Campus Hysteria
Rolling Stone magazine has now apologized, sort of, for publishing a lurid account of a gang rape at a fraternity at the University of Virginia that -- it has become increasingly clear -- never happened. But the larger story is why so many people -- editors, readers and university officials -- bought the story in the first place. Within three days of publication of the fantastical account, which read more like third-rate pulp fiction than investigative journalism, the university president had suspended all Greek activities on campus. As with the Red Queen from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," it was "sentence first -- verdict afterwards."
What 2014 Means for 2016
The defeat of Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu by Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy in last weekend's Louisiana runoff ends an election year that has been very successful for Republicans -- and has implications for 2016. Some observations: (1) Democrats relied heavily on legacy candidates -- and lost nevertheless. Mary Landrieu's father, Moon Landrieu, was elected to the Louisiana legislature in 1960 and as mayor of New Orleans in 1970 and 1974. Her father's anti-segregationist legacy helped Mary Landrieu appeal to black voters and win narrow victories in 1996, 2002 and 2008. It wasn't enough in 2014.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
It's Not About Race
Remember Kelly Thomas? Didn't think so, but it's understandable. Thomas was an unarmed mentally ill homeless man from Southern California who was tasered, clubbed and beaten to death in Fullerton by three cops in July of 2011. Thomas' face was pounded to a pulp and, after losing the ability to breathe normally, he died later in a hospital of brain damage. Video of the awful incident -- including Thomas' screams and his cries of "Dad! Dad!" -- was recorded on security cameras and there was a minor outcry at the time over police brutality.
The College Rape Club
Sorry this column is late. I got raped again on the way home. Twice. I should clarify -- by "raped," I mean that two seductive Barry White songs came on the radio, which, according to the University of Virginia, constitutes rape. TAKE BACK THE NIGHT! Even the feminist-whipped media parted company with Rolling Stone magazine over Sabrina Rubin Erdely's story about an alleged fraternity gang-rape at the University of Virginia -- since retracted. But while dismantling every part of this preposterous rape claim by a woman Rolling Stone calls "Jackie," journalists rush to assure us that "sexual assault at colleges and universities is indeed a serious problem," as an article in Slate put it.
Crippling Children by Selling Them Racism
The recent "rash" of police officers killing blacks is prompting "civil rights activists" to describe America -- despite the election and re-election of a black president -- as still a simmering caldron of racism. Never mind that according to the CDC, in 2012 (the most recent year with available data) 140 blacks were killed by cops -- versus 386 whites killed by cops. This dreary movie scene comes from a film about inner-city black teens called "Menace II Society." A black high school teacher speaks to two former students: "Being a black man in America isn't easy. The hunt is on, and you're the prey! All I'm saying is ... all I'm saying is -- survive! Alright?" In case the identity of the alleged "hunter" is unclear, we hear a police siren in the background. Cops are out to get young black men.
The Future of the New Republic and Us
I should like to pose a question to the overnight press baron Chris Hughes, who owns the New Republic that he has rendered moribund with astounding speed and no class at all. My question is an old-fashioned one that might have circulated within the humanities faculty at universities two generations ago. "What," I would ask, "makes a book more authoritative and satisfying than a news report?" Most of the profs in their tweed jackets, and some pulling on their briar pipes, would answer that the author of a book has more time to write it than the author of a news story, and the author of a book has more sources to consult and more interviews to conduct. He or she works from more evidence and writes with greater care -- at least one would hope. To which today's slightly crazed neoteric shouts some gibberish about "a vertically integrated digital media company" and leaves the room, preferably with the slam of a door.
Why Release a Report on the CIA in Wartime?
What good purpose is served by releasing a report on CIA enhanced interrogation techniques while we are still at war with an enemy whose techniques include beheading Americans? Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and her Democratic colleagues say that the CIA lied about their tactics and exceeded their authority while seeking to obtain information from suspected terrorists. There is a dispute among politicians and intelligence experts as to whether these tactics resulted in any information that was helpful in defending the U.S. from another terrorist attack. In a recent op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, former CIA Directors Michael Hayden, George J. Tenet and Porter J. Goss claim enhanced interrogation did provide useful information, which ultimately led to finding Osama bin Laden at his hideout in Pakistan. The CIA maintains the tactics, the use of which ended more than seven years ago, prevented new attacks and were responsible for gaining intelligence information from Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The Challenge: Begin With Christmas
He gave up Heaven, power and honor in exchange for a dirty feeding trough, helplessness and a cross. He gave up all the benefits that come with being God just so He could save us from our own mess. The Creator of the Universe became like us and lived among us. But the miracle that makes Christmas worth celebrating is much more personal than God *with* us. The miracle of Christmas is that God came here to be born *within* us. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, he took on the broken and corrupt spirits of every person who would ever choose to believe in him -- and he crucified them along with himself. 1 Peter says, "He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin…" And when Jesus walked out of his grave, he paved the path to full, abundant and eternal life.
It's Beginning to Cost a Lot Like Christmas...
If you thought shoppers were putting a lot on their credit cards this Christmas, it's nothing compared to what the U.S. government is charging. Based on the 1,603-page CRomnibus, the only thing more loaded with goodies than Santa's sleigh might be this spending bill. And with barely a day and a half to read it, there's no telling how much will go unnoticed in the race to make a deal. Most members were up late combing through the text, trying to decide if they'll hold their nose and vote for the deal, which could be on the floor early as tomorrow. As usual, the spending bonanza is the byproduct of hasty and irresponsible governing -- a trend the new Congress pledges to stop. For now, writes John Hayward, the bill will probably be "good enough for the permanent Beltway culture, which will be riding… down streets coated with a fresh blizzard of taxpayer dollars, jingling all the way." From upping the limit of political contributions to saving the rhinos (or is it RINOs?), the package is exhibit A (B, C, D, E…) why we need new leadership in Washington that stops cheating Americans and starts fighting for them. As we mentioned yesterday, the bill does put a freeze on Homeland Security funding after February 27, giving the Republican majority a chance to beat back the President's lawless order on amnesty.
The Plague of Overcriminalization
By history's frequently brutal dialectic, the good that we call progress often comes spasmodically, in lurches propelled by tragedies caused by callousness, folly or ignorance. With the grand jury's as yet inexplicable and probably inexcusable refusal to find criminal culpability in Eric Garner's death on a Staten Island sidewalk, the nation might have experienced sufficient affronts to its sense of decency. It might at long last be ready to stare into the abyss of its criminal justice system. It will stare back, balefully. Furthermore, the radiating ripples from the nation's overdue reconsideration of present practices may reach beyond matters of crime and punishment, to basic truths about governance.
The Other America
Germany's first chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, supposedly once said that there was "a special providence for drunkards, fools and the United States of America." Apparently, late 19th century observers could not quite explain how the U.S. thrived when by logic it should not. That paradox has never been more true than today. The U.S. government now owes more than $18 trillion in long-term debt. Even after recent income tax hikes for the very wealthy and huge cuts in the defense budget, the Obama administration will still run an annual budget deficit of nearly $500 billion.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Behold: The Great Congressional Landgrab of 2014
Page 1,163 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) states: "The land conveyed under this subsection shall be used only as a motocross, bicycle, off-highway vehicle, or stock car racing area, or for any other public purpose consistent with uses allowed under the Act of June 14, 1926 (commonly known as the 'Recreation and Public Purposes Act')…" You may ask yourself: *What in the world does this have to do with defending America against the numerous threats we face?* The answer is: nothing. The NDAA, however, is the last appropriations train leaving Washington before the new Congress, and it is being slathered with all sorts of things that have nothing to do with the single most important job of the federal government -- defending America from all enemies, foreign and domestic. This is a job all public officials pledge to carry out, and for Congress, it should begin with taking their responsibility to exercise the power of the purse seriously. Quite simply, that means using the NDAA to fund defense.
Remembering True American Heroes
Mention Hawaii to most people, and they think of sand and surf. But this sun-drenched vacation mecca is also home to one of the most infamous events in history: the Dec. 7, 1941 Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Early that morning, waves of fighter planes swept eastward and bombed the American installation, sinking four of the eight U.S. battleships docked there and badly damaging the rest. American casualties were heavy: 2,403 killed and 1,178 wounded. Small wonder that President Franklin D. Roosevelt called it "a date which will live in infamy." The United States declared war on Japan the next day, pulling us into World War II.
The Senate CIA Report and Democratic Treachery
Putting American lives on the line for a political payout.
Congress Files Bill in Saint Nick of Time...
Congressional leaders are making their spending list -- but I'm not sure they're checking it twice. When the House finally released its $1.1 trillion CRomnibus tonight, it's reportedly missing a very crucial piece: the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (ANDA). That means Californians, who were hoping for some relief from their state's order that all health care plans cover abortion, will leave 2014 somewhat empty-handed. Although members urged Health and Human Services to deal with the problem, nothing about the language they included in the bill is binding. Until Congress steps in with an actual legislative remedy, religious groups, churches, and schools can't fight the state in court on its mandate -- a problem the CRomnibus could have easily fixed.