Haaretz  reported yesterday  that charges, possibly under the Espionage Act of 1917, will be filed very soon by the Justice Department against two former AIPAC officials, Steve Rosen, and Keith Weissman. The most disturbing part of the story is buried within the Haaretz article. The FBI... More

Iran has become the hottest ticket in town. Not a day goes by without a headline, book, conference or declaration by a world leader on Iran. For the moment, nothing has been getting more attention than the negotiations between Iran and the EU—3 (France, Germany and the UK), to solve the... More

There are four women, three politicos and one 'journalist' (I know already I'm in trouble for this!) whom I find exceptionally ditzy when voicing their opinions. They are Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D—CA, House Minority Leader; Sen. Barbara Boxer, D—CA; Rep. Cynthia McKinney,  D—GA;... More

'Memory  n.  1. The mental faculty of retaining and recalling past experience; the ability to remember.  2. An act or instance of remembrance; a recollection... see smer in Appendix.'   'smer — to remember.  In Germanic murnon, to remember sorrowfully, in Old... More

Eight years ago, on March 20,1997, American hero John R. Boyd was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.  He was 70.  John Boyd was an Air Force fighter jock who learned physics and thermodynamics so he could translate his hunch about fighter combat into a theory.  Then he... More

On this Memorial Day weekend, we think back and remember the valiant courage and heroic sacrifices of those United States Military men and women who gave their all for us. War is almost always bloody. But the peace it can bring soothes some of the pain for those left behind. This is all the more... More

'MARINES,' the T—shirt proclaims boldly, with bright gold letters outlined in red, each letter about eight inches high.  Above that, a red Marine corps seal, then the phrase 'DETERMINATION BRINGS EXCELLENCE,' then, underneath (in case you missed the first one), another red Marine corps... More

What is the Trinity all about, anyway? Why do Christians believe in this doctrine? What does it teach? Is it that important? What do Muslims believe about it? This article addresses these questions and more. As for Islam, Muhammad promises a painful punishment (i.e. hell) for Christians who... More

In the '70's TV series Kung Fu, David Carradine's Kwai Chang Caine, affectionately known as 'Grasshopper', is told by one of his masters that when he is so graceful that he can adroitly walk upon the rice paper without leaving a trace, his learning will be complete. He will then be ready to wander... More

Leaving Islam can be hazardous. Apostasy is a capital crime in a number of Islamic countries. But even in elite conservative circles in the United States, there is a tendency to dismiss or at least ignore some important former Muslims who have a lot to teach us about their former faith, as we face... More

Her story is now fairly well known.  Born to sharecroppers in Luverne, Alabama,  Associate Justice Janice Rogers Brown became the first African—American woman to sit on the California Supreme Court.  Prior to that, this champion of judicial restraint was Deputy Attorney General... More

Nagging questions about the Iraq war remain unanswered.  Both advocates and opponents have failed to address a range of issues even when they seemingly could be used to bolster their respective positions.  Until and unless we obtain answers to some of the questions presented here it will... More

The Cuban resistance — on the island itself — has celebrated its first open—air conference in Havana on May 20th and 21st. More than two hundred delegates from more than 350 opposition groups traveled from several Cuban provinces to Havana, despite the regime's attempts to stop... More

It will be some time before the full impact of this week's sellout by seven so—called 'moderate' Republicans in the U.S. Senate becomes completely apparent. The plan to break Democrat filibusters of judicial nominees was, in reality, no less than a Republican fight to restore the integrity of... More

The denouement of the filibuster kerfuffle has caused an epidemic of twisted britches, purple faces and befuddled expressions. Observers are perplexed and divided for a very good reason. It is aаquite deliberate outcome, reflecting a long established if seldom—admittedаpolitical... More

If your objective were to place a beacon atop a mountain, would you: A: Get a beacon and place it atop the mountain, or B: Get a beacon, suspend it in mid—air near the mountain using poles, wires and helicopters, then shove the mountain under the beacon? If you chose Option A, you should... More

Imagine a tiny videoscope placed in a woman's womb well before she became pregnant, and connected by a wireless hookup to a motion picture camera that is outside her body. Let the make—believe camera run continuously until she delivers and the newborn baby placed in the hospital's nursery.... More

There is a surprising amount of ambivalence among the pundits about the last—minute deal fashioned by 14 Senators yesterday to avoid a decisive end to the conflict over the filibustering of judicial appointees. Almost all are certain that their side didn't win, though some on both the... More

Weir Thinking About It Last Saturday, thousands of screaming fans paid a minimum of $185 apiece to attend a motivational seminar given by a television icon who has mesmerized a generation with her ability to seem like the girl next door. Her amazing communication skills have made her... More

I am a rank and file Democrat. My parents and grandparents were Democrats. As a Democrat, I am extremely concerned with the filibusters that you have used against many of the President's nominations to the federal bench. The back—room deal you have just fashioned only temporarily suspends the... More

The utter disdain of New York Times reporters for President Bush makes a mockery of the supposed "separation of church and state" (putatively reporting neutrally, editorializing from the left) in their brand of journalism. The Times' condescension or loathing of the President seeps into news... More

A couple of weeks ago the left—wing blogger Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos told us what the Angry Left is all about. We will be quick, ruthless, and diligent. We won't show mercy, because we haven't gotten any. We will play their game, and play it better. And we will prevail. He was... More

Do homosexuals have a right to live? Do Blacks? What about Muslims?In my mind those questions are simply indecent to ask. They trivialize genocide. Yet when it comes to Israel, its right to live is a wide open question for the hard Left, its hands still dripping blood from a century of Marxist... More

Moses may have parted the Red Sea, Jesus graciously transmuted water into wine, but Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania's junior Senator, is gearing up to convert blue states into red ones. So would sports writer Michael Sokolove have you believe in his New York Times Sunday Magazine article 'The... More

Such discord now 'tween you and us,Mainstream Media and populace:You envenom all that we hold dear,And revel in those things we fear. You denigrate our national prideTaking always now the others' side.A Media mamba, a poisonous pestThat lurks within our Eagle's nest. You arrogant adders puffed... More

Their websites promised a 'warm welcome' for George W. Bush on May 7, one day before his arrival to celebrate Victory in Europe Day with the Dutch. Their posters carried an image of the U.S. President under a 'Wanted' headline for 'crimes against humanity' and 'crimes against the planet'. Some of... More

You get that for which you pay. Google now offers a desktop version of their billion—dollar search engine for free! That's right, free! Well, one must spend some time with installation, option selection and waiting for the indexing engine to slug through its business — this it will do... More

The last few years have seen a heightened awareness of the mainstream media's anti—military bias. Plenty of people are noticing it, and even some media brand name correspondents are admitting it. There is plenty of evidence. The New York Times has run front—page articles regarding the... More

The last week's lethal anti—American demonstrations in many countries across the Islamic world, with about 15 people killed during an protest in Afghanistan, serve as yet another reminder of the widespread Muslim hostility faced by the United States. Muslim clerics are masters of inspiring... More

One of the only good things about a long morning commute is that it affords one the time to listen at length to morning talk radio. The longest—running national morning political/current events talk show may be Imus in the Morning.  It's an entertaining mix of news updates,... More

Newsweek's retraction of its May 9, 2005 article concerning American investigators desecrating the Koran at a detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba —— along with what many believe to be a rather halfhearted apology by its editor, Mark Whitaker —— should act as a... More

In the U.S., it's come like a wave. All of a sudden, far—left media outlets are shilling, embarrassingly enough, for a dreaded Giant Corporation (an oil company!), Citgo, the refining and gasoline retailer once known as Cities Service. Formerly best—known for a... More

The rules of engagement governing the Tower of Babel that passes for political discourse nowadays trace their intellectual roots to World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., although some of the original sophistication has been stripped away. Designed to minimize brainwork, they encourage competing... More

Harvard University, in the wake of intense criticism of its President Lawrence Summers for daring to entertain a hypothesis that women and men may differ in their abilities to undertake science, has announced a plan to buy—off its critics. Harvard University will spend $50 million over... More

Exercise testing, or 'stress testing' has been employed routinely since the mid—1960s for both the diagnosis and prognosis of coronary artery disease, or 'hardening of the arteries'. For two decades, as both an allied health professional, and a physician, I performed this useful testing... More

As recent as April 2004, a Swiss court annulled a government decision that fired Hani Ramadan for publicly defending the punishment of stoning adulterers to death. He takes the standard line of Muslim apologists (defenders of Islam) that without stoning sexual sinners, the world can never... More

Democrats, sustained by a mainstream media in friendly hands, can handle election losses, at least when facing the cameras. Deprived of a Senate majority, they are capable of unprecedented filibuster threats to block judicial appointments, while simultaneously blustering about supposed Republican... More

Americans like to think that Europeans are sophisticated, and no doubt some of them are. But not in politics. Politically, the peoples of Europe regularly head for the very worst ideas on the horizon.    It is a kind of neurotic compulsion that has haunted them for centuries. When... More

Even his enemies concede that Newt Gingrich is a visionary. Listening to him give a speech or engage in a colloquy with Brian Lamb of C—SPAN, one is astonished at the sheer volume of ideas that spring forth from his inquisitive and overactive mind. The concepts and strategies that he espouses... More

As amazing as it might seem in the midst of the current Social Security debate, the first reforms to our national retirement program were actually initiated by its founder, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, less than three years after he signed it into law, and, oddly, before it paid out any... More

It was around the early 1970's, and New York City was experiencing a wave of robbery—homicides of taxi drivers. A team of 3 male blacks was killing cab drivers after forcing them to drive to Harlem neighborhoods and taking their cash. Since I was a member of a plainclothes undercover unit, I... More

The critics of the President in the mainstream media are shocked to discover that, after the first 100 days of his second administration, he is stuck in a "quagmire."  They note his languishing popularity, the so—far losing fight over Social Security, the 'controversial' Bolton... More

While driving through El Paso recently, I heard a caller to a talk—radio program laughingly suggest that we should embed Army recruiters within the frontline ranks of the Border Patrol so that they could sign up illegal immigrants and thus eliminate the Army's current recruiting deficits. I... More

The Sufi branch of Islam has enjoyed spectacularly good press in the West. Hailed as peaceful mystics who believe jihad is a spiritual quest, nothing violent or unpleasant, Sufism has attracted favorable attention and converts from all sorts of Westerners, from new agers in Marin County,... More

[editor's note: normally, we do not reprint articles which appear elsewhere. However, we are making an exception for this one by our contributor William Becker, Jr. It is available only via subscription to readers of the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals. published for the legal... More

The nomination of John Bolton to be United States Ambassador to the United Nations once again demonstrates the tactical brilliance of the national Democrats. Until the campaign against him was in full bloom, I had never suspected that personal abruptness, a demanding nature as a boss, a bit of a... More

The original ghetto was not the home of The Boyz in the Hood. In the Middle Ages ghettos were pathetically overcrowded and walled—in neighborhoods, in which Jews were forced to live, a kind of living prison. The ghetto gates were opened by day and locked up by night, to protect cities... More

To put it simply, our tax system is unfair, inequitable, counterproductive, and all but incomprehensible. I've mentioned before, and this is absolutely a fact, that even Albert Einstein had to write to the IRS for help with his Form 1040.        — Ronald... More

The past few weeks saw an understandable wave of articles and television news spots remembering the fall of Saigon 30 years ago. Everyone had his own take on the significance of it all.  The left continues to pound the 'limits of American military power' line as if they'd never heard of the... More

Sometimes news stories share a common thread that's invisible to most, one that's invisible because it's common to most.  Last week there were a few such stories in the news, stories about events whose motivating spirits were kindred ones.  One involves the latest developments in the case... More

Far too few among the Christian community are willing to remain steadfast in their beliefs, in the face of the enormous pressures of liberal social change. Fortunately, Bruce N. Shortt exemplifies the meaning of such worthy resolve. Last year Shortt, along with T.C. Pinckney, made waves at the 2004... More

Frustrated by the collapse of six—party talks designed to end the North Korean nuclear program, President Bush last week said of North Korean despot Kim Jong—Il: 'There is concern about his capacity to deliver a nuclear weapon. When you are dealing with a tyrant like Kim Jong... More

Leftist Mexico City mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador,аa potential Hugo Chavez who may be ruling Mexico by 2007, is now accused by a Mexican newspaper of allowing city funds to bankroll weapons purchases for Mexican Marxist guerrillas. If that's true, it's a worrisome portent of the kind of... More

What should the United States do to win the minds and hearts of people in the Middle East? Much of the world's media and most intellectual elites oppose us, probably the inevitable result of our unquestioned pre—eminence, militarily, economically, and culturally. Nowhere is this more true... More

The year is 2007. Iran explodes its first nuclear device. Its missiles can now reach Paris and London. In response, Europe does nothing; in its customary fashion, it tries to buy peace. Now that Iran is invulnerable to attack, it begins to push more aggressively against Israel and its Muslim... More

Weir Thinking About It Recently, I had an opportunity to speak with a woman who told me she was a regular reader of my column and agreed with me, most of the time. She went on to say that there was a topic in a column a few weeks ago that she took exception to. It was this one about Governor... More

The Los Angeles Times endorses a recent Rand Corporation analysis callingа for $33 billion in international aid for the Palestinians over ten years, to build or rebuild their society. The history of providing money to the Palestinian Authority since Olso is that the money came and went, and no new... More

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's original Social Security plan included provisions that would have allowed people to make personal investments — not altogether different from the private accounts that President Bush is currently proposing.  In fact, this was one of three 'necessary... More

The advance patrol of the 76 million baby boom generation reaches age 65 in the year 2011. Catastropharian pundits and forecasters are already warning about a 'demographic time bomb' and a potential doubling of our tax burden to care for them.  In early September, 2004, Alan Greenspan joined... More

An academic obscenity is taking place in Britain. On April 28, the union bosses who claim to represent some 50,000 university professors in the UK, voted to boycott two universities in Israel. But they gave the  Israeli teachers a choice: They could escape the boycott if they denounced their... More

Many Americans have a conflicting — and often contradictory — image of China. Replacing Japan as America's leading economic rival, China has moved from Mao Zedong's backward agricultural country, consisting mostly of poor farmers, into the world's largest factory for most... More

When, at his inauguration speech on Jan. 20th President Bush said: 'America speaks anew to the peoples of the world,' he was announcing a new foreign policy for America, which he calls the 'Forward Strategy of Freedom.' Evidently he wants to move America away from the disastrous policy of the past,... More

In Ridley Scott's monumental movie,  'The Kingdom of Heaven' (May 2005) (the phrase is another way of saying 'Jerusalem' in the film), the European Crusaders and the Muslim Crusaders fight over the city, with the Muslims coming out victorious. The unexpected consequence effect of the film, on... More

China's rapid ascension as an influential economic and political force in Africa is raising complex questions concerning the security of the African continent and the future of its people. China's involvement on the continent has increased dramatically over the past several years, fueled by... More

America's left has persuaded itself that we stand at the brink of a theocratic abyss. Caricatures of voters who happen to be both politically active and unashamed of their Christian faith are bandied about not just the fever swamps of the left, but also in mass media outlets. While many on the... More

I don't know about you, but the first time I heard that Hollywood — actually Sir Ridley Scott, a Brit — was doing a movie, Kingdom of Heaven, on the Crusades, I said to self  'Oh no...' In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, as the US prepared to respond militarily, the word... More

[Part 1 of this article can be found here] Jihad conquests and early Muslim rule in Syro—Palestine Moshe Gil, in his seminal analysis A History of Palestine, 634—1099,а emphasizes the singular centrality that Palestine occupied in the mind of its pre—Islamic Jewish inhabitants,... More

Revisionism is a booming industry for historians. Columbus was once a hero, discoverer of a new world, carrying the glory of Christendom to savage and pagan lands. Today he is a villain, despoiler of paradise, carrying disease and slavery to utopian societies. This makes the new chroniclers happy;... More

Most of us want to think well of the British. We feel a fondness for them, a kind of family tie. Britain seems more like America than the rest of Europe.  Historically the United States grew as a sturdy branch from the British oak. We think of the people there as utterly decent, as most of... More

[Part 2, including end notes, can be read here] The New York Times' Alan Riding recently opined that  '...[The C]rusades were waged, [by] European monarchs, lords, knights and their armies of devout followers to fight — and settle — in an area stretching between what is... More

For decades, optimists in international relations have argued that closer economic integration and growing trade ties between Japan and China could help these two Asian rivals overcome their historical mistrust of each other.  But with recent anti—Japan protests in many Chinese cities,... More

I can just hear the sneers at this headline. Won? The senseless Vietnam War, which killed people for no reason at all? The answer is yes. We won the real war in Vietnam; that war was called the Cold War. It was fought to defend free peoples against the hyper—aggressive Soviet Empire. And I am... More

I owe an apology to the French. Like others who have seen French politicians in action, I had simply come to the conclusion that contemporary France is hopelessly cynical and self interested. I was wrong. Any country that can produce a blogger like Etienne Chouard has not given up its values; not... More

Weir Thinking About It Have you ever scared away imaginary monsters so your child can go to sleep? How about the real monsters who snatch children off the street or from their bedrooms in the middle of the night? On a recent MSNBC program, 'Scarborough Country,' the host talked about the epidemic... More

At his press conference last Thursday, President Bush added a new 'progressive indexing' proposal to his Social Security reform plan that not only largely resolves the program's imminent insolvency without raising payroll taxes, but also exposes an almost unconscionable hypocrisy in the Democrats'... More

I went to Saturday's illegal alien rally in Los Angeles, called 'The March for Immigrants' Rights.' About 1,000 people, led by a noisy red—shirt wearing communist party—type contingent waving red banners touting May Day, turned up. After them marched in a large laundry workers' union... More

Last week in NRO the eminent theologian and political philosopher Michael Novak gently chided the emotional Andrew Sullivan for his over—the—top criticism of the Catholic Church.  It is not true, he wrote, that the papacy of John Paul II saw an unparalleled quashing of dissent... More

Scanning the news, the topic of our children plays upon the pages.  It would seem that the days of reading heartwarming stories of Little League teams overcoming the odds and winning their division finals have disappeared from news sources across our nation.  Is it possible that we no... More

[Charles Coulombe, in his article today, raises issues both familiar and important to many people. Like me.*] I am hopelessly attracted to the blandishments of the big city. Not all big cities, necessarily, but the ones which offer great food, lots of culture, and a cosmopolitan mix of ethnicities,... More

I was born in Manhattan and raised in Hollywood. Those two facts, plus my Catholic religion, my severely—mixed—but—primarily—Francophone ethnicity, my parents' theatrical background, my father's love of books and history, and the odd circumstances of the 1960s have,... More

Kofi Annan is desperate. The cover—up of the massive Oil—for—Food scandal, the biggest financial fraud in history, is starting to come apart at the seams. Investigators have resigned and will be subpoenaed to testify before the United States Congress. Although diplomatic immunity... More