The Occupy Wall Street movement has yet to define itself, and remains in a state of flux and complexity. Commentators attempting to stereotype OWS, and reduce it to a simple formula, might consider Albert Einstein’s maxim that “politics is more complicated than physics.” Our local chapter of OWS is called Occupy Seattle. Let me offer […]
After nearly a decade of deployments, surges, and setbacks, after thousands of lives lost and over one trillion in taxpayers dollars spent, President Obama has announced that – in keeping with the timetable originally established by President Bush – all U.S. troops will withdraw from Iraq by the end of the year. At a time […]
I recently came across a perennially timely quote by William Penn — the colonial American proponent of democracy and religious freedom who founded Pennsylvania: “A people who will not be ruled by God are destined to be ruled by tyrants.” Even though Penn was a Quaker who was harshly critical of other faiths, in particular those […]
They say that money is the mother’s milk of politics, and now that the field of Republican presidential hopefuls has solidified, the media has locked onto fundraising numbers as the primary means of measuring the viability of the candidates. Not surprisingly, establishment favorite Mitt Romney is far and away the best funded candidate. Rick […]
The state of American politics is such that the question of whether or not their own grandchildren should be torn limb from limb and thrown in the garbage has become a routine subject of speculation for presidential candidates. The state of American presidential candidates is such that they can dispassionately entertain the dismemberment of their own smallest progeny. They are the men of whom C. S. Lewis wrote, the men without chests.
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg – or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your […]
Call it an occupational hazard, but I can’t look at the Occupy Wall Street protesters without thinking, “Who parented these people?” As a culture columnist, I’ve commented on the social and political ramifications of the “movement” – now known as “OWS” – whose fairyland agenda can be summarized by one of their placards: “Everything for […]
The ink was barely dry on the asterisk in Jimmy Hoffa Jr.’s rant about taking out those “sons-of-b*tches”—referring to Tea Party members—when the vice president made his own contribution at a Labor Day rally. “This is a fight for the existence of organized labor,” the veep shouted. “You are the only ones who can stop […]
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has a lengthy track record of jaw-dropping political statements. Among them, the lifelong Roman Catholic has been a huge disappointment to her Church on matters of unborn human life, which I’ve personally written about on many occasions. But it isn’t just Pelosi’s actions on the sanctity and dignity of human life. […]
A memorable moment in the Occupy Wall Street movement this month took place in Atlanta, when Congressman John Lewis (D, GA) showed up and expressed a desire to address the assembly. Rep. Lewis has a busy schedule, and when asked to wait his turn he walked out. Elitist types on both ends of the political […]
Catholics make up about a quarter of the American electorate and have backed the popular-vote winner in every presidential election since 1972. That track record continued through 2008: While weekly churchgoing Catholics slightly favored Sen. John McCain, Catholics as a whole backed President Barack Obama by a margin of 54 to 45 percent. Given the […]
I hate to say it, but watching the various YouTube videos of the “Occupy Wall Street” protests and reading accounts of protesters’ goals and “demands” prompts me to shake my head with a resigned “I told you so.” I’ve been warning this was coming. Recently, Regnery Publishing released my new book, Don’t Let the Kids […]
In 1983, I became an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Convention, and I arrived there, ironically, thanks in part to the loving support of several good Mormons. Prior to my ordination I had studied in a variety of schools including Bucknell University, Bangor Theological, Pacific School of Religion, Jesuit School of Theology, and Golden […]
The need to worship is hardwired into the human psyche. Yet, as unfashionable as it’s become in the last century to worship the God of Creation, the same cannot be said of the worship of political heroes. The most notable — and horrific — examples that come to mind are found in the frenzied, almost religious zeal […]
Acting as unofficial scorekeeper, Sojourners Founder and CEO Jim Wallis recently declared, “There really is a class war going on, and the upper class is winning.” However, many of the class warfare protesters who are taking to the streets to “occupy” Wall Street and American cities are the disgruntled children of well-to-do parents. A quick […]
In another example of Obamacare overreach, the current administration is planning to pry into your private health care records. The proposed new regulation, issued by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), demands that insurance companies submit detailed health care information about the patients they insure.* What this means, in […]
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is being urged to seek the Republican presidential nomination. There is a genuine groundswell for Christie. Asked [last] week at the Reagan Library whether he will enter the race, Christie gave a very interesting answer. Citing the example of Ronald Reagan, he stated: “I know, without ever having met President […]
The US representative to the UN for mangagement and reform delivered a scathing critique of the new UN budget–which was delivered piecemeal and incomplete to donors and reflects a massive spending increase that outpaces inflation. With 15 reports still to be considered, the UN budget is already at “an alarming” $5.5B, the US said. Considered […]
To the uninitiated, Vladimir Putin has seemingly just undertaken what President Obama might call a “reset” of the Russian political landscape. In fact, the prime minister’s announcement Saturday that he would swap offices with the current president, Dmitry Medvedev, just clarifies an abiding reality: There is not, and since at least 2000 never has been, […]
Envy is sadness or discontent at another’s good fortune or excellence. Dante defined it as a perversion of one’s own good; a “wish to deprive” others of their own good. Augustine deemed it “the diabolical sin.” Conservative columnist George Will quips that envy is the most miserable of the deadly sins because it brings not […]
During [a recent] Republican presidential debate, Herman Cain argued that, as a survivor of colon and liver cancer, he would have died if “Obamacare” had been in place when he sought critical treatment. It was a stunning statement, and it certainly underscores the real concern that people have with bureaucratic control of their health care. […]
To develop a thorough understanding of Islam, one must learn to “connect the dots.” For instance, Muslims who adhere to non problematic aspects of Islam, indirectly indicate their acceptance of problematic aspects of Islam—such as enmity for infidels, death for apostates, subjugation for women, and so on. Consider the Muslim beard. Because Muhammad wanted his […]
Is America condemned to endless war? And if so, what implications does that have for the American psyche — the American soul? A friend of mine who is a practicing poet writing under the pen name Pavel Chichikov shares a poem composed after hearing the roar of F-16s — presumably engaged in protecting the citizenry […]
Among other qualities, a good presidential candidate must be knowledgeable and able to think outside the box; equally important, he must not be naïve or gullible — certainly not swallow everything the enemy says hook, line, and sinker. During the recent Republican candidate debate, Congressman Ron Paul exhibited his ignorance and gullibility when the panel […]
