Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Piling on the NFL
Domestic violence just doesn't happen on elevators. And it's not just committed by former NFL running backs. But don't tell that to the people who've been calling for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to quit over his fumbling of the Ray Rice case. Based on what's been on TV all week, you'd think pro football and its nearly 3,000 well-paid athletes have the monopoly on domestic violence in America. The U.S. Justice Department disagrees.
The Challenge of Stopping Do-It-Yourself Jihadism
On Thursday, Australian authorities claimed they thwarted a plot by supporters of the Islamic State to grab random people off the street and then behead the captured citizens on videotape. Australia's attorney general said that the massive raid, the largest counterterrorism operation in the nation's history, involving more than 800 police officers and raids of at least 12 properties, was necessary because, "If the ... police had not acted today, there is a likelihood that this would have happened." Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott confirmed that the raids were prompted by intercepted phone calls, from an Australian of Afghan descent believed to be Mohammad Ali Baryalei. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that he is suspected to be the "most senior Australian member of the terrorist group Islamic State, having traveled to Syria in April last year." A proselytizer for the "Street Dawah Movement," Barylei "was outspoken and wouldn't shy from speaking the truth regardless," a former fellow Dawah member told Fairfax Media. "He wasn't pleased with living in Australian society and wanted to live in an Islamic society away from open alcoholism, homosexuality, fornication, drugs and capitalism."
Steve Springer, Evangelism and the Divine Conspiracy
In my new book, "Jesus on Trial," I explain how the Bible itself serves as its own apologetic. Holy Scripture, if we'll give it a chance, can bring us to faith. So one of the main goals I have with my book is to encourage people to crack open this amazing book and give it a chance to work in their lives. They may be surprised. "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). "From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15).
State of the States on Marriage
On the heels of a significant federal district court ruling upholding Louisiana's state marriage law, two other states are taking seriously the "historic and essential authority" they've long held to establish marriage policy through the democratic process. In Mississippi, Governor Phil Bryant has moved to intervene on behalf of the state's marriage law, aiding in its defense before the Mississippi Supreme Court. At issue is whether a same-sex couple can force the state to recognize their "marriage" performed in another state -- so that they can then file for divorce in Mississippi! Governor Bryant argues that the state should not be forced to recognize a relationship the people have already voted not to affirm as marriage. His move to defend the people's interest in marriage comports with the very view set forth by the Supreme Court's ruling in United States v. Windsor last summer when it emphasized that "the definition and regulation of marriage" has long "been treated as being within the authority and realm of the separate States."
The Jihadi Logic
What was the Islamic State thinking? We know it is sophisticated in its use of modern media. But what was the logic of propagating to the world videos of its beheadings of two Americans (and subsequently a Briton) -- sure to inflame public opinion? There are two possible explanations. One is that these terrorists are more depraved and less savvy than we think. They so glory in blood that they could not resist making an international spectacle of their savagery and did not quite fathom how such a brazen, contemptuous slaughter of Americans would radically alter public opinion and risk bringing down upon them the furies of the U.S. Air Force.
Biden Gets Another Free Pass
Remember when the media freaked out for three days over Sarah Palin's completely innocuous use of the term "blood libel"? Nearly every major media outlet took a deep dive on this critical outrage. Millions of Americans learned more about how Jews in the Middle Ages were sometimes falsely accused of kidnapping and murdering Christian children so they could use the blood for ritualistic baking. But more significantly: What did Palin mean? Was she sending a veiled message to evangelical voters? Was it just anti-Semitism rearing its ugly head again?
Quit Defending Abuse
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson's arrest on child abuse charges has sparked a huge debate about corporal punishment, one that exposes deep cultural rifts. I have to admit I've been surprised -- no, shocked -- at those who've jumped to the 217-pound football player's defense. Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity said on his show this week, "I don't want to see this guy get a felony. I don't want to see this guy lose his job. ... He deserves parenting classes." Hannity followed up his defense by taking off his belt and slapping the desk to show how he was beaten as a child, and also described being punched in the face by his dad. "I deserved it," he said.
Which Is the Weaker Party? Your Call
Which of our two great political parties is the stronger? Maybe it makes more sense to ask which of the two is weaker. The case that the Republicans are weaker is easy to state. Democrats have won four of the last six presidential elections, from 1992 to 2012, and won a plurality of the popular vote in a fifth. This is a vivid contrast from the period 1968 to 1988, when Republicans won five of six presidential elections. The case that the Democrats are weaker is not much harder to make. Democrats have failed to win a majority in the House of Representatives, the branch of government closest to the people, in eight of the last 10 elections, from 1994 to 2012. That's quite a contrast from the period, from 1954 to 1992, when Democrats won House majorities in 20 consecutive elections.
Arming Syrian 'Moderates:' A Willful Suspension of Reality
On Wednesday, Americans got a rare bipartisan vote from the House of Representatives. Too bad it was one embracing monumental stupidity. By a margin of 273-156, the House voted to authorize the Obama administration's aim to arm and train "moderate" Syrian rebels. The authorization limits the number of trainees to 5,000 members of the so-called Syrian opposition, currently located in Saudi Arabia. No new funding is provided for the effort, but the Obama administration believes international contributions will help fund it. If not, the Pentagon is allowed to shift funds of up to $500 million from other accounts to pick up the slack. The administration must also provide status reports to Congress regarding the success or failure of building a viable opposition force.
Divas & Demons
When it comes to divas, the ones who would generally come to mind are Beyonce, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. But one who is clearly entitled to her rightful place on any list of arrogant, demanding, wildly overpaid female celebrities is none other than Hillary Clinton. It's true that, unlike the others, she can't carry a tune in a suitcase. But to be fair she has a talent they lack. She has the ability to crack glass with her unnerving cackle. It's bad enough that Mrs. Clinton went on TV and claimed that she and Bill were flat broke when they left the White House in 2001, trolling for sympathy from all us yokels who are struggling to survive Obama's economic policies. Apparently Hillary's contempt for everyone who isn't Hillary is so great that she assumed that none of us were aware that both she and Bill had multi-million dollar book deals just waiting for them to turn off the lights in the White House.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
A Republic, Madam, If You Can Keep It...
Ben Franklin was approached by a grand Philadelphia lady as the Constitutional Convention ended [yesterday] in 1787. Have you given us a monarchy or a republic, she asked the oldest of the Founding Fathers. "A republic, Madam, if you can keep it," he said. And we can see a twinkle in his eye. Wise old Ben Franklin knew that republics were not easy to keep. But he also knew that Americans had sacrificed greatly to achieve their Independence. Some 25,000 Americans died in the Revolutionary War. We tend to think of it today as all fife and drums playing "Yankee Doodle," a powdered wig and white stocking affair. It was a bloody and brutal contest. British troops and Hessian mercenaries raped their way across New Jersey. They stabbed a Continental Army chaplain thirteen times and left him dying in the road. General Washington led us in war and he led us in peace. Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention for five long, hot months in that spring and summer of 1787. The debates on the floor grew testy, but never violent. Several times, it seemed the convention would break up. Big states and little states clashed. The delegates wrangled over slavery. It was not a friendly affair.
Your 'To Do' List to Save America
The most important words printed in The New York Times since "REAGAN EASILY BEATS CARTER" were from a front-page article last Sunday about how, after six years of Obama, the federal judiciary is now dominated by Democratic appointees. Edward Whelan, head of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, responded to this by saying: "The best way for conservative voters to prevent further damage to the courts is to swing the Senate to Republican control in the elections this November." He's absolutely right. Turn that into a mnemonic, sew it on needlepoint pillows, include it in your wedding vows, right-wingers. For the next six weeks, nothing matters more to the country than Republicans taking a majority in the Senate. When it comes to politics, conservatives need to learn one thing from liberals: All that matters is winning.
On Domestic Violence, NFL Uses NOW's Playbook
When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell handed down a mere a two-game suspension for domestic violence, he took his cue from some of the very same women's groups now calling for his head. Goodell first suspended Ray Rice, a star player, for two games four months after Rice's grand jury indictment for third-degree aggravated assault. A hotel video showing Rice dragging his then-fiancee's limp body out of an elevator "went viral." Rice reportedly admitted to Goodell that he punched her in the face, knocking her down. For this, Goodell suspended Rice just two games.
From Pete Rozelle to Roger Goodell
Being a sports impresario -- in this case an NFL commissioner -- has never been easy. I know such magnificoes oversee the most prosperous sport in the country. They just put the logo of the NFL on a product line and watch the money flow in. Do they have a line of formal wear or of gardening equipment? It is only a matter of time, and sports fans will be drawn to them with wallets open. Does the NFL have a line of women's lingerie? Apparently, Mr. Roger Goodell, the present commissioner of the NFL, is contemplating it. Why else would he be so apprehensive about a handful of women critics out there squalling in the audience along with his millions of admirers, both men and women, both wearers of lingerie and opponents. Goodell has just appointed four women to some sort of policy positions in the NFL to appease this angry minority. As I say, being a sports impresario has never been as easy as it looks.
Why Do Americans Hate America?
After some hand-wringing over British citizens who have chosen to fight with ISIS, Prime Minister David Cameron said he thinks one reason for the defection is that too many of the defectors have forgotten what it means to be British. As a means of fighting the radicalization of young people, he wants all of Britain's schools to again teach "British values." It is a diagnosis Americans would do well to consider because an unknown number of Americans (FBI Director James Comey says he doesn't have a precise number because they are "hard to track") have abandoned their country to fight with jihadists.
Where Have All the Allies Gone?
The so-called Islamic State has left destruction everywhere that it has gained ground. But as in the case of the tribal Scythians, Vandals, Huns or Mongols of the past, sowing chaos in its wake does not mean that the Islamic State won't continue to seek new targets for its devastation. If unchecked, the Islamic State will turn what is left of the nations of the Middle East into a huge Mogadishu-like tribal wasteland, from the Syrian Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf. And they will happily call the resulting mess a caliphate.
Leaving a Lasting Legacy
If you could take any aspect from the family you grew up in and bring it into the family you have created, what would it be? A certain holiday tradition? The way your home was always filled with visitors? The friendship and affection your parents had for each other? Or maybe even the tough, but refining love they showed you? What would you obliterate, if you could? The alcoholism? The sting of abandonment? Strict rules and unfair punishment? Short tempers? Your answers to these questions may reveal more than you think. Even though it's true that history has a tendency to repeat itself -- especially along bloodlines -- every generation has the opportunity to add to, or to take away from the list of things that "run in the family."
Obama Needs Congress to Approve This War
The United States last declared war many wars ago, on June 5, 1942, when, to clarify legal ambiguities during a world conflagration, it declared war on Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Today's issue is not whether to declare war but only whether the president should even seek congressional authorization for the protracted use of force against the Islamic State. Promising to "destroy" this group with the help of "a broad coalition" of "partners," Barack Obama said last week, "I welcome congressional support for this effort." He obviously thinks such support is optional, partly because this "effort," conducted by U.S. combat aircraft, is something other than war. There he goes again.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Freedom From Speech
A new book exposes the Left’s war on free expression -- and how universities led the way.
Obamanomics Victimizes President's Biggest Supporters Most
Politics is often filled with paradoxes, and here is one that nearly defies explanation. The demographic groups that voted most heavily for Barack Obama in 2012 have suffered the most from this president's economic policies. Maybe the people in these demographic groups -- blacks, Hispanics, single women and young people -- are economically uninformed, or maybe for these groups, when it comes to voting, it's not the economy, stupid. Whatever the explanation, the facts speak for themselves: Obama voters have not benefited from his policies.