Column
Reality Beckons in Ukraine
An out-of-context video featuring Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, quoted him claiming American sons and daughters will have to fight and die in Ukraine. Isolationists and pro-Russian propagandists all seized on the video to denounce American funding of Ukraine's war effort. Understanding Zelenskyy's statement in its context, he is right.
Taking on the 1619 Project: Bagging 2 Birds With 1 Stone
WASHINGTON -- I have long held that when the left gains control of an entity -- whether it be a city, a university or even a simple educational project -- it loses all awareness of what the initial purpose of that entity might have been. It brings the city or the university or the simple educational project to foozle, that is, to ruin.
Will We Pay Any Price? And Bear Any Burden?
“…We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty." – John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address Jan. 20, 1961. Those were simpler, though not less dangerous times. The Soviet Union was seen as America’s number one enemy. China had not begun to challenge its position as the world’s most powerful nation. Foreign…
The Calvin Coolidge Presidency at the Century Mark
WASHINGTON – How people understand history largely depends on who writes it and from what perspective. Calvin Coolidge, our 30th president, has received what might be called a raw deal from historians like Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and Henry Steele Commager, among others. They created a caricature of Coolidge that includes blaming him for the Great Depression, which began in 1929, the year after…
Greetings From a Small Town in Florida
WASHINGTON -- There is a phenomenon that has been creeping across America for at least the past 30 years that I have yet to comment on. Social scientists, however, have been writing on it for a long time. It is the phenomenon of people on the right moving into neighborhoods that are already heavily conservative. On the other hand, people on the left end of the political spectrum tend to stay…
Biden Claims GOP Wants to ‘Sunset’ Entitlements: What About His Party?
During President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech, he got booed after accusing “some” Republicans of seeking to “sunset” some of the so-called entitlements[SP1]. Biden said: “Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans ... want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. ... Anybody who doubts it, contact my office. I’ll give you a copy. I’ll give you a copy of the…
Looking Up, Looking Down, Seeing Red
While the military is focused on foreign objects flying over American and Canadian territory, a more disturbing threat to our national security is occurring on the ground. Federal, state and local governments are behind in their response to the acquisition of American land by people and companies associated with the Chinese government.
Satan Is So Hot Right Now
This week, the Grammys were held in Los Angeles. They featured a star-studded cavalcade of singers who can’t sing, songsters who require a team of dozens to write their songs and dancers who can’t dance. They also featured a full-on satanic ritual onstage, starring used-to-be-just-a-gay-dude-then-genderqueer-now-gender-nonbinary singer Sam Smith and transgender female (translation: biological…
Mike Pompeo vs. the Libertarians
Former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will probably run for president. People call him a “staunch conservative.” In our extended interview, I give him a hard time about that. “Conservative” once meant promoting limited government. But lately Republicans push new regulations and drive up America’s debt by spending more.
Trial Balloons in the Sky and into 2024
Say the words “espionage” and “communism” to a younger generation and they might think you’re talking about spy novels and Cold War history. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thinks both words describe contemporary threats. During a visit to a town made famous by the 1948 film starring Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lionel Barrymore and Lauren Bacall, Pompeo told me he believes the…
It's About Time: Bring on the Tanks!
WASHINGTON — I have been following the pledging of combat tanks to Ukraine by the European allies. It is impressive. I do not think it is an exaggeration to claim that Vladimir Putin's war of aggression in Ukraine has roused all Europe's wrath. Even little Portugal has gotten into the act. I think it is long past time for Putin to come to the negotiation table. Are his poorly trained and…
The Great Chicken Egg Conspiracy
Poultry houses have slaughtered millions of chickens in the United States to stop the spread of avian flu. The disease spreads quickly and can contaminate egg production. Along with other factors, this has caused a shortage of eggs and a spike in prices. But even some healthy populations have stopped laying eggs, and that has led to the great chicken egg conspiracy.
Racializing the Death of a Black Man by the Police, Part I
It became national, indeed, international news that five Memphis police officers grabbed, punched, beat, pepper-sprayed and stun-gunned a black suspect, named Tyre Nichols, who later died at the hospital. A picture of him in his hospital bed showing his swollen, battered and bloodied face went viral on social media.
Surprising Answers From Pompeo on Spending, Defense & Entitlements
The next presidential race is on. One probable candidate is former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He just released a new book: “Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love.” Pompeo must be a smart guy. He graduated first in his class at West Point. Then he went to Harvard Law School. Interviewing him makes it clear that he is smarter and more thoughtful than most…