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April 30, 2004
Kerry's medical secrecyThomas Lifson
Some of the most important questions about Senator John F. Kerry remain unasked, even in the midst of a hard—fought Presidential race.
Senator John Kerry is enduring much critical commentary over the circumstances of his participation in Vietnam Veterans Against the War protests, more than... More
April 30, 2004
Senator Hagel's FlashbackDouglas Hanson
Some months ago, when Representative Charles Rangel (D) NY, first made the call to restart conscription, most people rightfully understood it as a political ploy designed to undermine President Bush in the conduct of The War on Terror. It was a lame attempt to conjure up all of the old '60s... More
April 30, 2004
Iraq: a new Lebanon?Olivier Guitta
The violence in Iraq has gone up one notch in the past two weeks.
Iraqi militias target coalition soldiers and foreign civilians alike. Shias militias, Sunnis, Syria and Iran are among the most active parties trying to defeat us. The mutilation of the US civilian bodies in the streets of... More
April 29, 2004
Hillary's AmericaBob Weir
The recent 'Pro—choice' rally in the nation's capital gave America and the rest of the world a good view of what life would be like in this country if Hillary Clinton were president. There she was, the potential someday nominee for the nation's highest office, growling like a rabid dog and... More
April 29, 2004
A Good Day for Bush and the GOP in PennsylvaniaRichard Baehr
The Baehr Essentials
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court, by a 5 to 4 vote, rejected a challenge to the Congressional redistricting plan in Pennsylvania that was first used to establish districts for the 2002 House races. That plan, passed by a legislature with Republican majorities in both... More
April 29, 2004
Where the boys aren't: the consequencesAlex Frasca
(Part One here)
On the School Front
What is the payoff for this wave of negative imagery of men we examined yesterday?
How will it affect our society and culture?
By now we know that boys lag girls in almost every sort of school performance measure: grades, honors received, participation... More
April 28, 2004
More NYT front page propagandaRichard Baehr
The New York Times does not give away front page space easily. But today, the Times awarded a front page article to a remarkable puff piece by Jodi Wilgoren, the correspondent covering the Kerry campaign. Obviously concerned about unflattering images of the Democrats' multi—millionaire... More
April 28, 2004
There's a hybrid in your futureDan Berard
Hybrid cars have great potential to help achieve America's goal of energy conservation. The so—called hybrid car is a passenger vehicle with a standard gasoline engine, which is supplemented by an electric motor. Similar to a Diesel—electric locomotive, the gasoline engine runs at its... More
April 28, 2004
Where the Boys Aren'tAlex Frasca
Part one of two parts. Part two is here
A revolution in the way American society regards and treats the two sexes has been accomplished in a remarkably short period of time. Very often, this is viewed as victory for feminism, in that more career options have opened to women, and women are... More
April 27, 2004
Oil reserves: Shell game for investors?Dan Berard
On January 9, 2004, the Royal Dutch Shell Group announced that internal reviews revealed that certain proved oil reserves would be re—categorized. The ensuing months have seen headlines blare story after story portraying a scandal—ridden company, as the company's stockholders have seen... More
April 27, 2004
Wal-Mart and the Death of the Labor MovementRichard Baehr
For many years, civil rights advocates have complained that major commercial chains— supermarkets and department stores, avoided locating stores in inner city neighborhoods. Now Wal—Mart has decided to enter these neighborhoods. But the welcome mat has not been thrown out for... More
April 27, 2004
Target: ArafatRachel Neuwirth
After the killing of the appointed Hamas "leader" Dr. Abdelaziz Al—Rantisi, three weeks after his predecessor Sheik Ahmed Yassin, it is apparent that Israeli leaders such as Shimon Peres, a Nobel peace prizewinner, have finally realized that there is no peaceful way to deal with terrorists.... More
April 26, 2004
Another New York Times disgraceEd Lasky
The New York Times again directs its sarcasm at, and shows its contempt for "regular folks" by depicting the grass—roots followers of George Bush as automatons, engaging in "cult—like" behavior, reminiscent of Amway and Tupperware "cultists" selling plastic doodads. This is obvious by... More
April 26, 2004
Forcing Doctors to KillMary L. Davenport, MD
Did you ever wonder how involuntary euthanasia took root in the Netherlands and spun out of control? Many of the elderly in Dutch retirement homes have learned to dread going into the hospital, fearing that their lives may be terminated. How did a casual attitude toward medical killing become... More
April 26, 2004
The October SurpriseRichard Baehr
In every Presidential election cycle there is talk of an October surprise. Usually the talk comes from the party out of power, which expects that the President, whether he is running for re—election or is term limited from doing so, has the ability to manipulate certain news events (generally... More
April 25, 2004
Massive EU political corruption explosedMichael Morris
An Austrian MEP (Member of the European Parliament) has exposed, with photographic evidence, a massive scam of expense money, by hundreds of MEPs, including 30 from the UK alone. It's no wonder that all these gravy—train European politicians don't want the EU project to fail in the British... More
April 24, 2004
Counterpoint: high voter turnout is not always goodThomas Lifson
Bob Weir writes, as he always does, movingly, about the debt we owe to the men and women who fight today, and who have fought for us in America's wars, throughout our two—plus centuries of political liberty. Our freedom has never been free, and the debt owed to the blood of our warriors is... More
April 24, 2004
Point: voting is everyone's dutyBob Weir
How are my fellow Americans doing today? Are you enjoying the lifestyle the rest of the world wishes they had? Are you well fed, clothed, and sheltered? Do your children have the opportunity to go to school, get their education, and look forward to becoming a part of the American dream the way you... More
April 23, 2004
Advantage: IranDouglas Hanson
The recent insurgency by the Shia extremist supporters of Muqtada al—Sadr has finally brought to light the operations of Iranian agents of influence in Iraq. For those in the intelligence and operations cells of the Coalition Provisional Authority and Combined Joint Task... More
April 22, 2004
Why is Bush Pulling Ahead?Richard Baehr
The Baehr Essentials
Last week the President's poll ratings suffered after fighting picked up between coalition forces and Shiite radicals in the south, and with Baathists and foreign jihadists in the Sunni triangle. But this week, the President's numbers shot up in virtually every poll (to 5% and... More
April 22, 2004
World without HonorChristopher Orlet
Nathan Bedford Forrest, Confederate Army general and Ku Klux Klan founder, is not generally considered one of history's more honorable figures. But like all true southern gentleman—or wanna—be gentleman—Gen. Forrest knew how best to appeal to his conquered troops, a generation of... More
April 21, 2004
Big news brewing in Japan?Thomas Lifson
Almost unnoticed by the American press, the aftermath of Japan's hostage crisis in Iraq is developing in a direction which may have permanent and serious positive implications for American foreign and military policies.
Prime Minister Koizumi's response to the kidnapping of the first three Japanese... More
April 21, 2004
Planning for future oil suppliesDan Berard
Guy Caruso, Chief of U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA) published an article in Forbes on 4—14—2004 making the case that Saudi Arabia could double their oil production capacity by 2025. Mr. Caruso believes that Saudi Aramco could increase production rates from a maximum capacity... More
April 20, 2004
Gasoline prices & finger-pointingDan Berard
Gasoline prices are up again and fingers are pointing in many different directions. Energy problems are a fundamental challenge for America. The short term spike in retail prices at the pump is only a foretaste of serious disruptions ahead, unless tough choices, informed by realistic perspectives,... More
April 20, 2004
Bush-bashing, part twoBob Weir
I'm reminded of what the great comic genius, Jimmy Durante used to say: 'Everybody wants ta get into da act.' The latest 'tell all' book to attempt a hatchet job on President Bush has just had its national premier on that televised anti—Bush marketing machine known as '60 Minutes.' Bob... More
April 20, 2004
Terrorism ReduxGregory A. Collins
The Iraqi and Israeli Conflicts ComparedThe conflict in Iraq is an accelerated mirror of the evolution of the Arab world's conflict with Israel following the war of 1948. Analyzing the situation in Iraq in this manner provides insight into its future. The Arab conflict with Israel, as well as that... More
April 19, 2004
Teresa's tax returnsThomas Lifson
John Kerry is stonewalling on the issue of releasing his wife's tax returns. Probably, he has no choice in the matter. They aren't his to release. We can't be certain that he has even seen them himself.
His wife, on whose fortune rests his lavish lifestyle, has never appeared to be exactly... More
April 19, 2004
UN Anti-American murder in KosovoMichael Morris
The cold—blooded killing of two female American police officers serving with the UN in Kosovo must be fully investigated, and the four Jordanian—dispatched police assailants —— minus the dead one —— who were allegedly responsible for the unprovoked... More
April 18, 2004
Japanese hostage updateThomas Lifson
The first three Japanese hostages kidnapped in Iraq have now returned to Japan, accompanied by Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aizawa, who met them in Dubai, where he had been standing by. Yesterday, we noted that their behavior —— two of them expressed a desire to stay in Iraq, and... More
April 18, 2004
UN will set the clock back in IraqMichael Morris
It appears as if some on the right are now willing to surrender to the comfort—zone urge of allowing the UN back into Iraq. This is a political compromise between Blair and Bush that will significantly harm the already finely balanced situation, and may one day, in hindsight, come to be... More
April 17, 2004
A rigged BBC poll and bin Laden's EU truce offerMichael Morris
Solid evidence has emerged to suggest that a recent poll by the BBC's World Service, was not only systematically rigged, but that bin Laden's offer of a truce with Europe a mere six days after the survey's results were published, may indicate that the BBC's anti—American propaganda is aiding,... More
April 17, 2004
Bush in plain languageBob Weir
In his press conference this week, President Bush once again made it clear that we are in a war for survival against a ruthless international terrorist organization that will use torture and mass murder to achieve its goals. He carefully outlined the steps being taken to build a secure and free... More
April 16, 2004
Your children may learn that Muslims discovered AmericaEd Lasky
A Native American tribe has forced distributors of an Arab studies guide for American teachers to remove an inaccurate and absurd passage that Muslim explorers preceded Columbus to North America, and eventually became Algonquin chiefs named Abdul—Rahim and Abdallah Ibn Malik! The Middle... More
April 16, 2004
Iraq, Israel, and the Electoral CollegeRichard Baehr
The Baehr Essentials
President Bush has slipped in most national poll the past few weeks. These polls sample 600 to 1,000 voters, typically over the course of three days. The average of the various recent polls give Senator Kerry about a 2 to 4 per cent lead in a head to head race with... More
April 16, 2004
Numbers RacketDouglas Hanson
The parade of retired generals has finally been heard. General Abizaid, Commanding General of CENTCOM, has requested more manpower to garrison Iraq. More than a few news outlets have reminded us about how seemingly prescient the now—retired Army leadership has been about this... More
April 15, 2004
Let them keep diggingThomas Lifson
A substantial portion of the American left is so obsessed with hatred for George W. Bush that they cannot fathom how their words and deeds appear to others. Events of the last few days provide several examples of counter—productive behavior by leading Democrats and their allies in the... More
April 15, 2004
The Wisdom of Quiet DiplomacyRichard Baehr
Former President Clinton met with Yassar Arafat 15 times, more often than he met with any other foreign leader during his 8 years in office. Now, on the $250,000 an hour lecture circuit in synagogues across America, Clinton bemoans how Arafat stiffed him at the Camp David summit, and then... More
April 15, 2004
Are the British allowing Iranian infiltration?Michael Morris
Over the last couple of weeks, the UK media has been crowing about the relative peace within the British jurisdiction of Basra and Southern Iraq, compared to the difficulties the Americans have been facing in other parts of the country.
The press has been telling us that the Americans are just... More
April 14, 2004
''Outing'' as a political strategyEd Lasky
The ploy of 'outing'—— publicizing someone's religious heritage, sexual orientation, or ethnicity to discredit that person's beliefs or impugn his motivation —— is a disturbing manifestation of the increasingly polarized debates occurring in our nation over a range of... More
April 14, 2004
Planned Parenthood v AshcroftMary L. Davenport, MD
Warning: This article contains graphic testimony of abortion procedures; not for the faint—hearted.
This week the Partial Birth Abortion Law test case, Planned Parenthood v Ashcroft, is coming to a close in San Francisco. Simultaneously, two parallel trials in New York and Lincoln,... More
April 14, 2004
Thank You MarthaRichard Baehr
Thanks to last year's campaign by Martha Burk and her small cadre of feminist activists, the Augusta National Golf Club decided to spare the corporate sponsors of the CBS broadcast of the Masters from any nationwide boycott of their products, by having CBS televise the tournament... More
April 13, 2004
The Islamic HydraRachel Neuwirth
Day after day, fanatic Arabs/Muslims murder "the infidels" and proudly profess their noble goal of spreading Islam and ruling the world. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, now ——— perhaps hundreds of millions later——— are driven by this ideology. Could a... More
April 13, 2004
War and PoliticsBob Weir
Fallujah, Iraq — Marine corporal John Smith from Peoria, Illinois is hunkering down behind a bullet— riddled wall as he grips his weapon and listens to the spine—chilling sound of bombs exploding nearby. He peers through a crack in the concrete to keep an eye on the... More
April 12, 2004
Depleted uranium: the saga continuesDouglas Hanson
As Coalition forces were gearing up, the weekend before last, for the high intensity battles now underway in Iraq, the anti—American left was resurrecting a tactic from the post—Gulf War I era to take a proven weapon out of the arsenal of US and UK soldiers. Equally insidious is... More
April 12, 2004
The Iraqi IRAMartin Kelly
Punditland is ablaze with analysis of Senator Edward M. Kennedy's recent fulmination that Iraq has become George W. Bush's Vietnam. As in so many things, the Senator is wrong. What is doubly surprising is that so many analysts with impeccable credentials in the study of history and political... More
April 12, 2004
The need to blameRichard Baehr
Nineteen Arabs hijacked four commercial jets and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing almost 3,000 people on 9/11. But for many people, this is an afterthought or a minor part of the story. The real criminals are those who did not prevent the attacks. In their... More
April 11, 2004
No NuanceSteven Zak
Nicholas Goldberg says that Israel and the US see the world "without nuance."
In a recent commentary in the Sunday Los Angeles Times, Goldberg takes Israel —— along with the big Satan —— to task for their inability "to make distinctions among terrorists." An example of the... More
April 11, 2004
Sunday Telegraph plays the Nazi cardMichael Morris
In today's UK Sunday Telegraph, an article titled: 'US tactics condemned by British officers,' uses Nazi terminology to describe the US military's behavior in Iraq.
It's in an article written by Sean Rayment, the newspaper's defense correspondent, who quotes heavily from an unnamed senior... More
April 10, 2004
The Daily Telegraph's war support in questionMichael Morris
You heard it here first folks: the last bastion of British Conservatism appears to have thrown in the proverbial towel on their support for the war in Iraq. The Daily Telegraph, part of Conrad Black's troubled Hollinger Group, is starting to back—track on their once unshakeable belief that... More
April 9, 2004
The battle for Japan's soulThomas Lifson
The Iraqi kidnappers of three Japanese civilians have launched another front in the War on Terror: a battle for the soul of Japan.
Prime Minister Koizumi has resolutely ruled—out capitulation to the demand that Japan withdraw its Self Defence Force [army] contingent deployed to... More
April 9, 2004
What about our 'hearts and minds'?Michael Morris
The last week in Iraq certainly has been a hellish one; there is nothing wrong with admitting it.
Many Coalition soldiers have fallen on the frontline for a worthy cause, and it would be to dishonor them, if we shied away from accepting the new realities currently present in Iraq. Our dead and... More
April 9, 2004
Machiavelli on IraqJames Holmes
Uprooting a totalitarian regime —— a regime that has penetrated all corners of society —— and replacing it with something more humane is no easy task. This week's fighting in Fallujah and other hotspots attests to this sobering fact. Regime change involves not simply... More
April 8, 2004
Jenin and Iraq: The Usual CalumniesRichard Baehr
On the first night of Passover in late March 2002, a Palestinian suicide bomber walked into the Park Hotel in Netanya, Israel and blew himself up in the dining hall. About 200 mostly elderly Jews (some of them Holocaust survivors) were sitting down for the traditional Seder meal. The... More
April 8, 2004
Mosque hit! Mosque hit!Michael Morris
The British media continue to sink deeper and deeper into a quagmire of baloney.
The supposed bombing of the al—Kubaysi Mosque in Fallujah has been misreported with unabashed vigor. And this time, it isn't just the usual suspects, such as the BBC, The Guardian and The Independent, ... More
April 8, 2004
Does Anyone Remember?Bob Weir
Does anyone remember these historic words?
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."
Senator Ted Kennedy should... More
April 7, 2004
The Most Important WMD Story You Haven't SeenThomas Lifson
The U.K. newspaper Scotsman on Sunday has publicized a leaked document which shows that
Charles Duelfer, the new director of the Iraq Survey group, concludes that hard evidence does exist that Saddam had the ability to wreak terror with the weaponry.
Our columnist Douglas Hanson is shown to... More
April 7, 2004
A Boston Surprise this Summer?Thomas Lifson
The Democrats have hitched their Presidential hopes to one of the strangest nominees in a long time, John Kerry. His cold aloofness, his thin—skinned nastiness, his habit of marrying wealthy women and living grandly on the proceeds, and his unique propensity for deep—cutting... More
April 7, 2004
BBC lies again.Michael Morris
The BBC is paid $5bn per year by British taxpayers to provide supposedly high—brow news analysis. But when you read BBC—published rubbish such as: 'Analysis: Growing Shia discontent', one has to wonder whether we are dealing with bias or just plain stupidity.
This report, by Paul Wood,... More
April 6, 2004
Spinning Their WheelsThomas Lifson
The left wing journalists, who dominate the staffs of most large newspapers and the alphabet television networks, have reached a critical point. Driven by their conviction that George Bush simply must be defeated, and surrounded by friends and colleagues who share this same worldview, key editorial... More
April 6, 2004
Al-Sadr: A Nasty Piece of WorkMichael Morris
The Iranian backed Shiite cleric, Moqdata Sadr, has probably known for quite some time about the impending announcement made yesterday, when the Iraqi Governing Council issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with last year's murder of the moderate cleric Abdel—Majid al—Khoei, in... More
April 6, 2004
The Referendum on IraqRichard Baehr
The Baehr Essentials
[Editor's note: Today we begin a regular series of columns by Richard Baehr, one of the founders of The American Thinker. He has written a subscription—only newsletter of political analysis for many years. In his columns for us, he will cover politics, the world of... More
April 5, 2004
EU Corruption Exposed. AgainThomas Lifson
The European Union, the would—be global rival of America, is a deeply corrupt institution. Its design insulates its bureaucrats, and even its ostensibly democratic representative body, the EU Parliament, from public accountability. Eurocrats make their rules in private, and determine winners... More
April 5, 2004
The BBC: Pro-EU and Anti-AmericaMichael Morris
Humans tend to polarize in their cultural and political beliefs. People join others who support their beliefs and oppose those who have a different view. Issues may be small and local, or encompass an entire worldview. People will bifurcate, absent unifying external threat.
In Britain, the old... More
April 5, 2004
An Open Letter to Dan Rather and CBS NewsDouglas Hanson
Dear Mr. Rather:
I was stunned when I read some of the language concerning civilian contractors who risk death in Iraq, which you reportedly used in a segment on your CBS Evening News March 31st. Like many other Americans, I stopped watching your broadcast some time ago, so I am relying on... More
April 4, 2004
What It Takes to Make a Bottle of WineThomas Lifson
Kudos to the San Francisco Chronicle for beginning today a promising 39—part (!) series of articles, explaining the numerous steps which go into making a bottle of wine — from dormant vines to popping the cork at the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York. The first chapter, run on... More
April 3, 2004
The Latest Cause Among BlacksThomas Lifson
In a rally at Harlem's large and influential Abyssinian Baptist Church (once under the pastoral care of the late Cong. Adam Clayton Powell), 'community leaders' agitated against the new liberal radio network Air America, as a victimizer of the black community.
None of the American newspapers... More
April 3, 2004
US to Fingerprint British VisitorsMichael Morris
Being half—British myself, it may sound odd, but I am genuinely overjoyed that the US will start fingerprinting and photographing British visitors to America, from September 30th.
This has already kicked up the usual fuss and hyperbole amongst the liberal press here in the UK. The following... More
April 2, 2004
All Hail the New BBC Chairman!Michael Morris
Watching the BBC report on itself, which it's recently been doing frquently, is always an enlightening experience.
On Friday afternoon at about 3:00pm GMT, BBC News 24 was getting very excited about the imminent arrival at BBC headquarters in London, of their new Chairman, Michael Grade, in... More
April 2, 2004
Pesticides, Precursors, and PetulanceDouglas Hanson
It has become established conventional wisdom that 'no stockpiles of WMD have been discovered in Iraq.' But this reading of the evidence uncovered to date is premature at best, and highly questionable. A closer look at the data, and at the uses made of it, is essential for those who wish to... More
April 1, 2004
On the Backs of MinoritiesThomas Lifson
It's a familiar story of good and evil. A new boss comes into a company, and immediately fires minorities, replacing them mostly with whites, hoping to earn more money for the venture capitalists backing the takeover. Liberal journalists normally rush in to condemn the heartless racist capitalists.... More
April 1, 2004
EU Whitewashes Muslim Anti-SemitismMichael Morris
Once again the EU has proved that they will happily manipulate the findings of any report which does not serve the ultra—liberal tendencies of their unelected and politically correct Eurocrats.
A report on the rising tide of European anti—Semitism was released yesterday by the... More