Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Monday, September 29, 2014
What the Left's Scare Tactics on Keystone Pipeline Get Wrong
Earlier this year the Obama administration again delayed a decision about the Keystone XL pipeline. The 1,200 mile, $5.2 billion pipeline could increase North American energy security and create more than 15,000 jobs. But behind the White House's unwillingness to move forward are environmental groups that vehemently oppose the project. Groups like the Sierra Club warn that Keystone "poses a health risk to our communities" and is a "climate disaster in the making." We've lived through these scare tactics before. Exhibit A is the 800-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Since its completion in 1977, this technological marvel has conveyed more than 17 billion barrels of oil, worth more than $1.5 trillion in today's dollars, from Alaska's North Slope to the Port of Valdez for shipment to the lower 48 states. Yet the pipeline was almost not built, thanks to a propaganda campaign by environmental groups beginning in 1969. Most of their dire warnings have proved inaccurate.
Lobbying for Islam
As you may have heard, when Obama finally got around to announcing that he thought the Islamic State was almost as dangerous as John Kerry, Joe Biden, Chuck Hagel and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, had been insisting it was for several weeks, the first thing he did was tell us that the enemy was neither Islamic nor a state. One could argue whether the area the terrorist group controls, an area the size of Belgium, is really a state. But, then, one could argue whether Belgium, a place the rest of us have only heard of because it was the birthplace of Agatha Christie's fictional detective, Hercule Poirot, is a state.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Battle Royal in Iowa
The Machine Shed restaurant, where the waitresses wear bib overalls and suggest a cinnamon roll the size of a loaf of bread as a breakfast appetizer, sells a root beer called Dang!, bandages made to look like bacon strips, and signs that proclaim "I love you more than bacon." For Joni Ernst, however, the apposite sign reads "No one ever injured their eyesight by looking on the bright side." She, nourished by a cinnamon roll, is preparing for a bus tour taking her Senate candidacy to all of Iowa's 99 counties, and she seems to love campaigning even more than bacon, not that any proper Iowa farm girl -- her description of herself -- would publicly rank bacon second to anything. Ernst, a 44-year-old state senator, or Bruce Braley, a 56-year-old four-term Democratic congressman, will replace Sen. Tom Harkin, who is retiring after five terms. Of the five Senate contests in purple states -- Iowa, Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Colorado -- this is currently the closest: The Real Clear Politics average of polls shows a tie (Ernst ahead by 0.2 percentage points).
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Religion & Other Taboo Topics
I recently heard from a woman whose late son had been gay, but had nevertheless been a conservative and had tried to persuade his gay friends not to vote for Obama. I commended her for raising a son who obviously thought for himself. I also let her know that I realized that not every homosexual feels compelled to cast his lot with the Left simply because liberals have adopted same-sex marriage as a major plank in their goofy platform. Still, knowing something about her from earlier exchanges, I asked how it was that she could continue being a Presbyterian when the church hierarchy is not only to the left of the DNC, but virulently anti-Israel, forever denouncing the Jewish state and leading the anti-Semitic chorus of those urging individuals and colleges to divest themselves of their investments in Israeli companies.
From The Comedy Store
Barrack Obama welcomed the offer by France to help the U.S. battle ISIS in Syria and Iraq. They're always a big help. This summer, Disneyworld in Paris set off a huge fireworks show on the Fourth of July, and after ten minutes, France surrendered.
Friday, September 26, 2014
An Emboldened Iran Takes the Stage at the United Nations
Why prospects for cooperation with the Islamic Republic look dimmer than ever.
Homeland the Beautiful
"God bless you, and God bless the Homeland." It won't surprise me if that's how a future President closes one of his "State of the Union " addresses. The un-American term "the homeland" is taking over America. Everywhere I turn it's being used to replace the words "country" or "nation" or "the United States." All the media have accepted the phrase. It's all over CNN, FOX, MSNBC. I hear it on NPR.
No Backing Down on the HHS Mandate
The Obama administration is not backing down when it comes to their HHS mandate, which requires all private healthcare plans to include coverage of drugs which can destroy a human embryo, contraception and sterilization services, without copay, under threat of fines of up to $100 per day per employee. Even after a crushing blow in the Hobby Lobby case, where the Supreme Court ruled that the government could not force family businesses to violate their religious beliefs, the administration is adamant about finding a way to force family businesses to violate their deeply held moral beliefs in order to earn a living. In August, they launched a new regulatory proposal to apply an accounting gimmick already required of non-profits like the Little Sisters of the Poor to businesses like Hobby Lobby.
An Unfortunate Legacy
Eric Holder has announced his resignation from his position as U.S. attorney general after almost six years of turning the Justice Department into a partisan political vehicle instead of a law enforcement institution. It's too early to tell as of this writing what prompted his resignation. One would like to think his legacy of scandals and corruption finally caught up to him, but we have no reasonable expectation that this is the case, given this administration's agility at escaping accountability for any and all wrongdoing. No, I doubt it's his malfeasance in connection with the Fast and Furious gunrunning scandal, his obstruction of the congressional investigation into the Internal Revenue Service scandal or any other of a number of legitimate reasons warranting his repentance and resignation.
World Domination
What a difference a year makes. In September 2013, President Barack Obama bragged to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, "The world is more stable than it was five years ago." This week, the president again addressed the U.N. delegates, but claims that the world is somehow more stable thanks to his leadership were, understandably, missing. It is difficult to know whether President Obama has finally learned his lesson or not. The man's hubris knows no bounds. Perhaps now he thinks he can vanquish Islamic extremism on his terms -- a few bombs here, a cruise missile there, a shipment of small arms to pro-Western fighters on the ground elsewhere.
Debates About War Protocol Hamstring Our Defense Efforts
Fox News host Bill O'Reilly wants a mercenary army to supply the ground forces in the latest installment of the war on terror. And it seems the smart set can't stop laughing. The Washington Post's media blogger, Erik Wemple, called it an "insane" idea and suggested that allowing O'Reilly to peddle the idea on "CBS This Morning" was an "insane departure from that show's standard." The whole spectacle, Wemple opined, proved that O'Reilly will "never be much of a thought leader in policy circles." It's true that on the left and the right, O'Reilly's idea is being scorned fairly mercilessly. That's understandable on the left. Arguably the most hated host at the most hated news network (in large part because both are so successful), O'Reilly could come out in support of the law of gravity and the usual suspects would run the headline, "Fox Host Supports Law Requiring Babies and Puppies to Fall from Great Height When Dropped."
Our Real Syria Strategy: Containment-Plus
Late, hesitant and reluctant as he is, President Obama has begun effecting a workable strategy against the Islamic State. True, he's been driven there by public opinion. Does anyone imagine that without the broadcast beheadings we'd be doing anything more than pinprick strikes within Iraq? If Obama can remain steady through future fluctuations in public opinion, his strategy might succeed. But success will not be what he's articulating publicly. The strategy will not destroy the Islamic State. It's more containment-plus: Expel the Islamic State from Iraq, contain it in Syria. Because you can't win from the air. In Iraq, we have potential ground allies. In Syria, we don't. The order of battle in Iraq is straightforward. The Kurds will fight, but not far beyond their own territory. A vigorous air campaign could help them recover territory lost to the Islamic State and perhaps a bit beyond. But they won't be anyone's expeditionary force.
Obama Goes Rogue
Of the countless lessons we've learned from liberals over the past few years, none is more critical than this: If Democrats find an issue important enough and if doing something feels like the "right thing," Barack Obama has the power to act without any regard for separation of powers. So what makes anyone believe that war would be any different? This week, the president OK'd airstrikes against Islamic State targets -- allying us with Bashar Assad, possibly Iran and definitely Qatar -- using an unrelated 13-year-old authorization for use of military force as his legal mandate. Seems like a big deal. It may even be a good idea. Yet even though Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, informed the Senate that ground troops could be needed to finish the job -- whatever that job may be -- the president didn't bother to ask for permission.
'A' Is for Agitation: What's Really Going on in Jefferson County Schools
There's a big battle brewing in the Jefferson County, Colorado, school system. The manufactured controversy over a proposed curriculum review is generating national headlines. But the fight is not about what misguided students and biased reporters say it's about. "Censorship" is a red herring. The real issue is union control. Here's the deal: Public school teachers in this Denver-area district walked out of their classrooms this week to protest the implementation of performance-based pay. The JeffCo school board approved the new compensation system last week, which rewards the most highly effective teachers with 4.2 percent raises, effective teachers with 2.4 raises and inferior teachers with nothing. Only 2 percent of teachers received no pay raises.
Scots Vote Against Independence, but Controversy Continues in Britain
Last week, the voters of Scotland, in a heavy turnout and from age 16 up, decided not to disunite what has been arguably one of the most successful and beneficial nations over the last 307 years, the necessarily clunkily named United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It was a relatively close-run thing: 45 percent voted for an independent Scotland, just 383,000 fewer than voted for Scotland to remain part of the now-not-necessary-to-be-renamed UK. Had Queen Elizabeth II not allowed herself to be overheard telling a churchside crowd that Scottish voters should "think very carefully" about the issue, the result might have been closer, as polling suggested it would be.
Jay Carney's Pinocchio Problem
By now, everyone knows that there's a revolving door between Democratic politics and the "objective" news media. But does it have to spin so fast? On Sept. 10, CNN announced it hired former White House press secretary Jay Carney as a commentator, citing his "invaluable voice for the network" after his five years inside the Obama administration. By that afternoon, and in heavy rotation in the evening around an Obama speech, Carney was battling for the White House position. Having a direct conflict of interest isn't disqualifying if you're labeled a "commentator." The issue: Can Carney truly offer "invaluable" commentary when the media themselves know that he used his White House podium to spout falsehoods to the press?
Thursday, September 25, 2014
GOP Bordering on Victory
Everyone is on tenterhooks wondering what the Republicans' national strategy for the November elections will be. Shouldn't they be thinking of that soon? The GOP desperately needs a "wave" election to rack up Senate seats this year, because the next two election cycles are not favorable for Republicans. Let's see, what would make a good national issue? Democrats are far savvier than Republicans when it comes to winning elections, and I note that Obama has decided to put off his "executive amnesty" until after the elections. Does that ping any neurons in your tired "Diversity Is a Strength" synapses, Republicans?
The Enduring Myth of FDR and the New Deal
My seventh-grade son recently wrote a U.S. History paper extolling the virtues of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. "It ended the Great Depression," he wrote with great certainty. He's only 12 and parroting what the history texts and his teachers told him. That's his excuse. What's Ken Burns'? Mr. Burns' docudrama on the Roosevelts -- for those who weren't bored to tears -- repeats nearly all the worn-out fairy tales of the FDR presidency, including what I call the most enduring myth of the 20th century, which is that FDR's avalanche of alphabet-soup government programs ended the Great Depression. Shouldn't there be a statute of limitations on such lies?
The Challenge: Technology Addiction
The couple and their three lovely children were ushered to their table in the outdoor restaurant overlooking the grand caldera on the beautiful island of Santorini. The night could not have been more spectacular. The brilliant glow of the full moon reflected off the ocean waters and the lights of the ancient homes cascading down the side of the mountains twinkled like the stars above. Certainly, this would be a memorable evening for this precious family who had obviously gone to great expense to experience the enchanted Greek island. Then, it happened. Shortly after being seated, each family member instinctively pulled out an electronic gadget: the youngest son quickly became enraptured in a hand-held gaming device; the two older children were immersed on their iPhones; even the mom and dad's eyes glazed over as they stared at their iPad screens, missing the glory of their beautiful surroundings. All evening they continued this way, barely setting down their gadgets to even eat. There was no notice of the moon, or of the sea, or of the fresh air and all-encompassing magic around them. There was no more conversation than a passing phrase; no more interaction with their family members than the occasional elbowing of the one next to them and pointing to the screen. It was a night lost forever to the addiction of technology.
Independents Fear Terrorism -- Dems Prioritize Global Warming 'Threat'
New polling shows progressives' peculiar priorities.