It seems that the Saudi Arabians are continuing their dangerous game by supporting and radicalising Sunni Muslims in Iraq. I noted the danger of their game--advancing their Wahhabi/Salafi style of Islam while trying to contain the blowback of those like Osama bin Laden who don't think the Kingdom is Islamic enough--earlier, and in the context …
Are We Really Being Persecuted?
The ACLU's Jeremy Gunn and his Evangelical dinner host both show an amazing lack of knowledge of U.S. history in Gunn's piece Accommodating the faithful. The first question was as follows: First, could he identify any country in the world where there is more religious freedom than in the USA? That's not an entirely fair …
The Tricky Part of 9/11 and the Middle East
Today is the sixth anniversary of the 11 September attack, and this time it's on the same day of the week (Tuesday) as the 2001 original. I've spent a lot of time on this site on the subject of the Middle East, from the 2001 piece When the Sheep Have Anthrax onwards. There's one thing …
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The Tyranny of Peer Pressure
George Barna's recent surveys show two things: The future of children is Americans' greatest general concern. The effect of peer pressure is the greatest specific concern surrounding their future. It should be. As readers of this blog are aware, I contend that peer pressure has the rule of law in this society, and this starts …
In and Out of the UK
It seems that everyone now is commenting on the high emigration rate of the United Kingdom; the now the Aussies are making this a feature at Winds of change create a very different Britain. It's something that this blog has looked at (here and here.) There's no surprise that wealth is driving it. But, as …
Western grasshoppers and Chinese ants
"Spengler's" piece about Western grasshoppers and Chinese ants points out one of the sad facts of U.S. economic policy: its willingness to endure long-term trade deficits without allowing those who accumulate the dollars to invest them in U.S. equities. A couple of years ago CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corporation) made a bid for Unocal. …
A Show Stopper for Everyone in the Marriage Debate
The sudden "revelation" by the California Governor and Attorney General, who say marriage can be eliminated in the future is only news to those who have not thought the issue out very carefully. Before Christians in California go off and begin a quest for a constitutional amendment, they need to think about a few things. …
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Why Our Government Is In Trouble
In CIA: The perils of being a good citizen, Dmitry Shlapentokh tells us why we missed the coming of 9/11: It also means that naive folks who look for "truth" and "efficiency" usually do not exist in real life. They are mostly characters from Hollywood movies where the good guys finally triumph over the bad …
Perhaps the Smashmouth Approach Would Have Been Best
The resignation of Alberto Gonzales is sad, but could have been avoided if Gonzales had taken more of a "Clintonesque" approach with the U.S. Attorneys firing. U.S. Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President and the Attorney General. There's no reason why Gonzales needed to go through a long justification of their termination. The …
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Romney Muddles Abortion Stance
The truth is that Romney's abortion stance was a muddle to start with, and this only makes things worse. In all fairness, however, there are two "conservative" takes on the abortion issue from a legal standpoint. The first is that the issue should have never been federalised to start with. Had Roe v. Wade never …
Positive Infinity 