Right Opinion
The best of conservative opinion and commentary, updated daily.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Seriously, What Is John Kerry Doing?
Let's concede for a moment that most of us don't believe the United States should be taking sides in conflicts abroad. Even so, most Americans would probably agree that at a minimum, our diplomatic efforts should not cause unnecessary harm. Which brings me to Secretary of State John Kerry's recent misadventure in the Middle East. It seems like a rather big deal that Egypt, Israel, Fatah, Jordan, Saudi Arabia -- ostensibly all allies of ours -- agree on something. This development, one imagines, might be something the United States would be interested in fostering rather than destroying. Certainly, the idea that Hamas' power should be neutralized and the influence of the "moderate" Palestinian Authority expanded sounds like a plan worth pursuing.
Proposed Amendments Reek of Hypocrisy
Let us now praise Democratic hypocrisy. Throughout my life, various Republicans have suggested amending the Constitution in one way or another. A few years ago, they suggested revising the 14th Amendment to get rid of automatic birthright citizenship. Before that, some proposed amending the Constitution to lock in the traditional definition of marriage. Ronald Reagan wanted a presidential line-item veto added to the Constitution. On nearly every occasion, Democrats opposed such efforts, not just on the merits but on the puffed-up principle that we mustn't "tinker" or "tamper" with the genius of the Founding Fathers' constitutional design.
Democrats, the Constitution and the Rule of Law
Have we arrived at the point in our nation that a Democratic president and powerful members of his administration can act as lawlessly as they choose without any significant objection or protest from the Democratic Party, the liberal media and Democratic voters? Deny it as they might, liberals seem to have less fealty than conservatives to the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. Stop right there, you say. Democrats are no different from Republicans. Both parties are equally guilty.
Driving Off a Cliff
Last week, The Washington Post's Tehran, Iran, correspondent was arrested. The charges are unspecified, but according to the paper, Jason Rezaian, 38; his Iranian wife, Yeganeh Salehi; and two other U.S. citizens were detained. State Department spokesman Marie Harf issued a protest that didn't even rise to the level of tepid, saying "Our highest priority is the safety and welfare of U.S. citizens abroad." Reassured? Rezaian and the others join a list of Americans held captive -- many for years and years.
Kerry the Clueless
John Kerry is upset by heavy criticism from Israelis -- left, right and center -- of his recent cease-fire diplomacy. But that's only half the story. More significant is the consternation of America's Arab partners, starting with the president of the Palestinian Authority. Mahmoud Abbas was stunned that Kerry would fly off to Paris to negotiate with Hamas allies Qatar and Turkey in talks that excluded the PA and Egypt. The talks also undermined Egypt's cease-fire proposal, which Israel had accepted and Hamas rejected. "Kerry tried through his latest plan to destroy the Egyptian bid," charged a senior Palestinian official quoted in the Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat -- a peace plan that the PA itself had supported.
Bipartisanship is Alive and Well, but Not in the Obama White House
Bipartisanship is dead. That's the conventional wisdom, and there's a lot of evidence to support it. But there's evidence to the contrary as well. On two important issues, veterans' health and job training, congressional Republicans and Democrats have, with little notice, reached constructive bipartisan agreements. These are both issues on which everyone agrees government should be involved. The country certainly owes something to veterans. And no one's proposing to eliminate job training programs altogether.
Hollywood Plays Around With Virginity
Back in the 1950s, C.S. Lewis saw chastity as under attack with "all the contemporary propaganda for lust that makes people "feel that the desires we are resisting are so 'natural,' so 'healthy,' and so reasonable, that it is almost perverse and abnormal to resist them." You can now safely delete the word "almost." Today virginity isn't a virtue but a burden. Chastity is a freak show and anyone who chooses to keep it is a carnival barker. In today's entertainment world, weirdos -- especially sexual weirdos -- drive a juicy plot, so virgins are in vogue, as a target or merely as an anthropological curiosity.
Hamas' Propaganda Victory
The pictures are horrific: schoolroom walls covered in blood, parents running with injured children against a backdrop of bombed-out rubble, women with outstretched arms imploring Heaven. But they do not tell the full story of what is happening in Gaza any more than the casualty or rocket tallies printed daily in The New York Times and elsewhere do. Midweek, the Times reported that 1,410 Palestinians have died and only 59 Israelis, while Israel had launched 3,577 rockets into Gaza compared to 2,753 fired by Hamas at Israel. But these figures are grotesquely dishonest, implying a moral equivalence that simply does not exist.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
The Loophole Is Obama
It's been reported everywhere -- The New York Times, The Washington Post, Fox News -- that the William Wilberforce Sex Trafficking Act requires that any non-Mexican children who show up on our border be admitted and given a hearing. (New York Times, July 7, 2014: "Immigrant Surge Rooted in Law to Curb Child Trafficking.") The problem, we've been told, is that a loophole in the sex trafficking law mandates these hearings -- or "removal proceedings." But there is no such loophole.
Rule of Law Suits Congress
The House voted yesterday on a resolution that authorizes the House of Representatives to sue the President for his repeated disregard of the Rule of Law and the separation of powers. The outstanding question remains whether courts will grant the House standing or not. Under the Constitution, it's the duty of Congress as the legislative branch to make the laws and the Executive Branch to see that they are faithfully executed. Under Obama, however, these roles have become increasingly blurred and, unsurprisingly, always at Congress' expense. Laws passed by the Legislative Branch have been delayed, waived, selectively enforced and, in some cases, created out of whole cloth to suit the President's needs without input from Congress.
Does Marriage Matter?
If we're going to fight the toxins that constantly threaten our culture, we have to make certain that we go about it the right way. It's going to involve a lot of vigilance and courage on your part. It's going to mean keeping a sharp eye out for the most pernicious influences and taking stands that may not be very popular, either with your children or even with many other parents. But there's something else you have to do first if you're to succeed in creating a healthier culture and building a grounded, courageous, and fulfilled family. It's one of the most important things you can do because it provides a steady force, a place of comfort for your children in a harsh world, and more joy for you than you could ever imagine.
Why Exposés of the Clintons Fail
In dipping into Daniel Halper's interesting new book about the Clintons' return from the grave that they had dug for themselves during their White House years (from an approval rating of 66 percent after his impeachment, he plummeted to 39 percent upon leaving the White House to a chorus of pardon-induced Bronx cheers), a thought occurs: We have been reading these exposes about the malfeasance of the most corrupt presidential family in American history for over two decades! For some reason the scandals that these books reveal never sinks into the American mind. Today, despite Bill Clinton's public record of shoddy financial deals, brutal politics and endless abuse of women, he is the most beloved of recent presidents.
WWI, the Not So Great War
World War I began as most wars do with patriotic fervor and predictions of a quick end. It lasted four years. While the match igniting the "war to end all wars" was lit by the assassination of Austria's Archduke Ferdinand on June 28, 1914, formal declarations of war occurred 100 years ago on July 28 (Austria declares war on Serbia) and Aug. 1 (Germany declares war on Russia, and Russia on Germany). Aug. 1, 1914 will be commemorated Sunday at a charity event to benefit current British war veterans at Highclere Castle, the site of the PBS series "Downton Abbey." The observance will begin with a worship service led by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord George Carey, followed by period music, games, speeches, and other events one might find at an American state fair.
'God Bless America,' With Irony
It was billed as a "Stop the Invasion" rally, and it drew thousands of protesters to the steps of the State House on Saturday. Outraged by Governor Deval Patrick's proposal that Massachusetts shelter some of the unaccompanied minors from Central America who have been surging across the border, the crowd chanted: "Send them home! Send them home!" Massachusetts may be a liberal Democratic stronghold, but these protesters were no fringe phenomenon. According to a new Boston Globe poll, 43 percent of Bay State voters, a plurality, say the children should be deported. Similarly, 43 percent oppose Gov. Patrick's offer to temporarily house 1,000 young migrants in a state air base. Asked whether any state funds should be spent to take care of the children, 57 percent answer no.
Father of ObamaCare Makes a 'Speak-O'
Last week, by 2-1 vote, a Washington, D.C., appellate panel ruled that the Obama administration unlawfully changed Obamacare. Meanwhile, on the same day, on the same question, a panel from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the other way. This issue is headed for the Supreme Court. Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute, is -- according to CNBC -- the "intellectual godfather" of what is perhaps Obamacare's most serious court challenge. Cannon says when Congress drafted Obamacare, they made it clear: Tax credits, grants and other subsidies would be available only to those enrollees who sign up via state-funded exchanges.
Alas, Poor Obama, I Knew Him Well
I realize that conservatives like to take pot shots at Obama over his constantly flying off to engage in fund-raising events. Heck, I enjoy taking those pot shots as much as anyone. In fact, some days it's the only exercise I get. But we should always engage in fair play. In that spirit, I must ask, channeling my inner Hillary, what difference, at this point, does it make where he is? After all, he needn't be in the Oval Office or in the White House Rose Garden in order to say, "I can't comment in the midst of an ongoing investigation " or "Let's not get in front of the facts" or "I'm going to hold my breath until President Putin decides he's tired of being isolated by the global community."
Obama and the Road Not Taken
The Obama administration often denies any responsibility for the current global chaos or claims that it erupted spontaneously. Yet most of the mess was caused by, or made worse by, growing U.S. indifference and paralysis. Over the last five and a half years, America has had lots of clear choices, but the administration usually took the path of least short-term trouble, which has ensured long-term hardship. There was no need to "reset" the relatively mild punishments that the George W. Bush administration had accorded Vladimir Putin's Russia for invading Georgia in 2008. By unilaterally normalizing relations with Russia and trashing Bush, Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton only green-lighted further Russian aggression that has now spread to Crimea and Ukraine.
A Middle Course on Foreign Policy
With metronomic regularity, there is a choreographed minuet of carnage. Israel is attacked. Israel defends itself. Perfunctory affirmations of Israel's right of self-defense are quickly followed by accusations that Israel's military measures are disproportionate. Then come demands for a cease-fire, and the attackers replenish their arsenals. The accusations and demands are ascribed to something fictitious, the "international community." The word "community" connotes a certain cement of shared values and aspirations. So, what community includes Denmark and Yemen, Canada and Iran, New Zealand and Congo, Italy and North Korea? "International community" is empty cant that bewitches the minds of earnest diplomats such as John Kerry but does not interest Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Should You Trust NOAA Claims About May & June Records?
Last month was the hottest June since record keeping began in 1880, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Monday. It marked the third month in a row the global temperature reached a record high. According to the NOAA data, April and May were also global record-breakers. "The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for June 2014 was record high for the month at 61.20°F (16.22°C), or 1.30°F (0.72°C) above the 20th century average of 59.9°F (15.5°C)," the NOAA said in its monthly climate report. "This surpasses the previous record, set in 2010, by (0.05°F) 0.03°C."