We live in an age in which few important conflicts can be described accurately and economically, which is to say, bluntly. Race and religion are obvious examples of domains in which condescension—masquerading—as—sensitivity must be employed. So too, the realities of world... More

Throughout the course of history, the overriding tendency of those in power is to manipulate that power to their own benefit. Regardless of any noble premises on which governments might be founded, over time they nonetheless degenerate into self—serving conclaves, whose ultimate purpose is... More

Everyone knows that many millions of the Muslims in the Arab world have a deep hostility towards Jews or 'the Jew.' It seems to have reached a metaphysical level or has debased into an irrational state of mind. The question is: where does it come from? From the anti—Israel news media? The... More

The United States is great Satan and Israel is a little Satan    —Mahmood Ahmadinejad The ultra—fundamentalists always want to control the entire regime in Iran. Ahmadinejad's victory in the run—off of the sham electoral process has given them this opportunity. ... More

When we think of the globalization of culture, why do we tend to think of little more than Britney Spears CDs and Nike shoes? You can make an argument about the merits of these cultural exports, but mass—market consumer entertainment is by and large what gets discussed under the label of the... More

Balagan is a slangy Hebrew word, derived from Russian, used by the Israel Defense Forces to describe what is happening with Sharon's Gaza disengagement strategy: 'chaos; a screw up!' It is less than 60 days before the 8000 residents of more than 20 villages that make up Gush Katif in the coastal... More

Possession may be nine—tenths of the law, but not when the law wants your possessions.  This past Thursday was a dark day for freedom in America, as the Supreme Court once again proved that its contempt for the Constitution is only matched by its willingness to court communism.  In... More

Property rights are the fundamental building blocks of Liberty.  The freedoms we enjoy in these United States may be our heritage through Natural Law and given to us by the Creator, but the free exercise of those fundamental rights is dependent upon a devout view of the sacred right to... More

For a moment last week it looked as though the Republicans were going to give away the store on Social Security reform.  Britain's Guardian reported rumors that the Republicans in Congress were going to draft a bill 'stripped of President Bush's proposed personal accounts financed with payroll... More

Weir Thinking About It In light of the recent Supreme Court Kelo decision that allows municipalities to force property owners from their homes to make way for businesses that pay more tax revenue, it's appropriate to ask, do we ever really own anything? Think about it. We live in the land of the... More

Dear Mr. President, I've no idea what your advisers are telling you, but based on my own experience in Washington I suspect they are talking more bluntly among themselves than they are to you.  So I'm writing to deliver an unpleasant message you must hear, and hear now: We are in danger of... More

Seinfeld was a television marvel. Perhaps the most successful situation comedy series of all time, it ran from 1989 to 1998, and has become an omnipresent aspect of our lives as it continually runs in syndication and lives on in best—selling DVD box sets, making fortunes in the hundred... More

A trade liberalization agreement with Central American nations, CAFTA, is before Congress. Regrettably, the usual assemblage of protectionist forces has amassed enough political force to torpedo this highly desirable treaty, and its passage appears unlikely. CAFTA is being marketed on the basis of... More

GM is cutting 25,000 jobs, It's stock rises on the news. Ford announces new 'restructuring' plans to make itself more competitive, a 5% reduction in its U.S. salaried force. The balance of trade figures appall with each monthly release. Real manufacturing jobs emigrate with each passing year. China... More

Traditional Muslims who understand the Quran and the hadith (reports of Muhammad's words and actions outside of the Quran) believe that Islamic law or sharia expresses the highest and best goals for all societies. It is the will of Allah. In February 1998, the Taliban, who once ruled in... More

Misguided blame—America apologists, ranting political partisans and hopelessly myopic media reporters have been having a field day of late with all manner of supposed transgressions committed by Government officials and the U.S. military. First, the Democrats in the U.S. Senate feigned horror... More

Iranians today go to the polls for a runoff election. Although the mullahs approved all candidates allowed on the ballot, it is worthwhile examining them in their own words. Rafsanjani vs. Ahmadinejad Relations with the United States Rafsanjani: 'I believe that if the Americans renounce their... More

Yesterday's five to four Kelo decision by the Supreme Court, upholding the taking by the state of  the private property of one for the private use of another, smacks of irony both dramatic and tragic. One of the definitions given by Merriam—Webster for 'irony' is an 'incongruity... More

One week before the end of its term, the Supreme Court has handed down a decision, Kelo v. City of New London, which greatly weakened the protection of property rights explicitly recognized in the Constitution. At issue is the power of governments to confiscate homes and other real estate, and set... More

It was only a few weeks ago that liberals on Capitol Hill and in the 'mainstream' media were caterwauling about the raging corruption of House Majority Whip Tom Delay (R.—TX). Since then however, the subject completely changed to the plight of those poor, misunderstood 'detainees' being held... More

An open letter to Congress Now, let me get this straight. Here is a senator, who by any standard has denigrated the reputation of our nation, disparaged those whose job it is to defend his right to speak those words, refused to apologize and then did apologize in one of the most despicable... More

There is no end to demagoguery and deception practiced by the mullahs in Iran. As the ruling tyrants are working to generate an appearance of popular legitimacy by claiming a grossly inflated 62% voter—turnout in the last week's presidential election farce, their rogue conduct at home and... More

The prisoner, a 44 year--old female captured near Baghdad University, was held incommunicado for five months in a dark airless 6 by 12 foot cellar where it was impossible to stand erect.  The prisoner spent her days and nights confined to a mattress, blindfolded, her hands and feet... More

There's something pathetically childlike about the Bush—hating, anti—war left these days. It's not just Dick Durbin's big mouth or John Conyers' grandstanding about the Downing Street Minutes. The left has been galvanized by poll numbers showing the American people exhibiting war... More

Sen. Richard Durbin took to the floor of the United States Senate late Tuesday afternoon to ostensibly apologize for his offensive, stupid and seditious remarks comparing an American military base to the murderous regimes of the most notorious despots the world has ever seen. Sen. Durbin apologized... More

Senator Robert Byrd's previous occupation as a butcher never seems to come up when the press describes his history. It seems that mundane occupational histories of politicians matter only when they are Republicans. This is a method employed by the liberal media to demean Republicans,... More

According to the logic of a recent report issued by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), denying accused criminals a job constitutes an unethical breach of 'academic freedom.' So, if Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein had doctorates and respectable publication records,... More

I voted for our current president twice for one fundamental reason: he exhibited the unique, personal leadership characteristics, I believed our country needed the first time he ran and continues to need today.  He looked at a situation, sized it up, made a decision, told you what he was going... More

Airbus and Boeing have been fighting over the market for civilian jetliners for over three decades. As Airbus, a subsidized multi—national offspring of French firm Sud Aviation, grabbed market share, other firms suffered. Along the way, long—established American manufacturers such... More

Argentina, whose government defaulted on $100 billion in debt in late 2001, is astonished that Italy in particular remains angry at the South American state for running out on its tab and getting away with it. After all, the two nations have close historic ties. Astonished indeed. After... More

How wrong can you be?а No, we are not talking about the analogical genius, Senator Dick Durbin (D. al—Inois).а We are talking about the greatаMark Steyn, a genuine genius columnistаwho calls Dick Durbin unpatriotic.а Come now, Mr. Steyn.а Dick Durbin isn't unpatriotic.аHe is... More

An analysis of Quran 5:33 Traditional Muslims who understand the Quran and the hadith (reports of Muhammad's words and actions outside of the Quran) believe that Islamic law or sharia expresses the highest and best goals for all societies. It is the will of Allah. In September 2003, Scotsman Sandy... More

He was born on August 15, 1915, the youngest son in your typical large Irish Catholic family.  Kevin had four brothers and four sisters.  Their dear mother, Fanny Susannah, offered many a heartfelt prayer that her children would be talented. They were. This is the entry under Dad's... More

Weir Thinking about it In case anyone still wondered if the Democrats were on a collision course with political obscurity, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin's recent comments on the floor of that once venerable institution should have removed all doubt. Comparing American interrogators at Guantanamo... More

It is important that support for Israel in the US Congress is bipartisan. Israel, the only functioning democracy in the Middle East, has no real friend in the world other than America. The stability of that friendship, demonstrated by support in the Congress (and among the American people) over... More

I was channel surfing recently and part of this ritual involved a stop at the Military Channel.  Sometimes they have programs that interests me and other times I move on. This time, they got my attention.  It was a documentary depicting the U.S. Marine advance on Baghdad in the... More

The US Navy has begun development of a new ship, currently designated 'DDX.'  In addition to the standard missions of a surface warship (air defense, anti submarine and anti ship warfare) the DDX will be designed to provide support for Marine amphibious landings.  It will achieve this... More

In a recent article, the Associated Press reported the following: Nine Inch Nails dropped out of the MTV Movie Awards after clashing with the network over an image of President Bush the band planned as a performance backdrop. The Bush image was to accompany the song "The Hand That Feeds,"... More

After his most recent display of malignant partisanship and disregard for our country's security, people in the rest of the country are no doubt wondering, as one writer here speculated yesterday, whether Illinois Senator Dick Durbin has lost his mind. If you missed the senator's latest, his... More

Faithful readers of this site know that I took several days away from regular posting due to a death in my family. I have struggled with issues of family privacy over the last few days, in deciding whether or not to write about my dearly departed mother in law, Margaret Baxtresser. In the end,... More

We Perisans are united in the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood, to let the world hear our voices of boycotting yet another phony and sham selection (not election) by the illegitimate Islamic regime in the land of Iran. We are standing together to let the world hear our continuous, everlasting... More

Months ago, as the war in Iraq spooled up and we poured men and equipment into the breach, those on the left compared this conflict with the war we fought in Vietnam.  Somehow, the war in Vietnam had become the defining event against which would be judged all of our future conflicts, wars and... More

For the last couple of weeks, lefties in Britain have been leaping to the defense of the three teenaged sisters, aged 16, 14, and 12, who have each recently brought a little bundle of joy into the world.  These brand—new single parents live with their single—parent mother,... More

Just as Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman is the Republicans' favorite Democrat (now that Zell Miller is retired from the Senate), Arizona Senator John McCain is the Democrats' favorite Republican. McCain's selective opposition to domestic policy initiatives of the Bush administration and his... More

Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey (who, for the record, never claimed he spent Christmas in Cambodia) once called Bill Clinton 'an unusually good liar.' Unfortunately, American culture has degenerated to such a point that this statement, coming as it did from a fellow Democrat, was hardly perceived as... More

One year ago today, June 11th, 2004,  Ron Reagan, Jr. spoke these words at his father's memorial service in California: 'Dad never wore his religion on his sleeve, and never felt he had a mandate from God, unlike some other politicians.' If any politician ever had a mandate from God, it was... More

President Bush is scheduled to meet with South Korea's President Roh Moo—hyun today to patch up the cracks that have appeared in the 53 year—old alliance. 'The future of the alliance may well be at stake,' Charles L. Pritchard, now visiting fellow at the... More

Winston Churchill once remarked, 'In war, nothing ever goes according to plan except occasionally, and then by accident.' One of history's best examples of this is the near—disastrous USAAF air raid against the German—run oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania on August 1, 1943. The... More

Europe, as a potential superpower rival to America, is reeling in the wake of voter rejection of its constitution in France and Holland. Speculation abounds that Italyаand even Germanyаmay abandon the euro as currency. Now Airbus, the flagship for Europe's dirigiste model of technological and... More

The word "barbarian" comes from the ancient Greek, and originally meant a person or peoples who spoke a foreign tongue. The Greeks considered a barbarian to be an alien or outsider, one who was not of their language or culture.  This term was later applied to the Germanic invaders of Rome, who... More

We are now in the middle of a full—blown Jihad, that is to say we have against us the fiercest prejudices of a people in a primeval state of civilization. Gertrude Bell, Baghdad, Iraq, September 5, 1920 The carnage in Iraq continues——much as Bell described 85 years... More

We must all work to stamp out the scourge of terrorism that in the Middle East makes war an ever—present threat.а — Ronald Reagan The primary foreign policy focus of Ronald Reagan's Presidency was confronting and ultimately defeating the Soviet Union without firing a shot.аYet, during... More

Last week, members of a Dallas area chapter of Moveon.org carried a petition containing about 700 names to 26th District Congressman Michael Burgess's office. The purpose was to urge the conservative Republican to work against Tom Delay, the House Majority Leader, because of alleged violations of... More

In recent years, the US State Department has called the Islamic Republic of Iran the world's "most active state sponsor of terrorism." The Islamic Republic has been in a state of war with the world since its inception 26 years ago. The Islamic Republic is waging a war of construction, the war to... More

Quietly, almost without notice overseas, Arabs have become the biggest single constituent group in Israel's Labor Party. The party of David Ben Gurion, Golda Meir, Moshe Dyan, Abba Eban, Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, and Ehud Barak now finds that Israeli Arabs outnumber Kibbutz members, the... More

They've had the stuffing bombed out of them in Afghanistan. They've had their financial resources revealed and weeded out, their money men arrested and thrown in jail, their supporters and enablers cowed by a law enforcement effort involving upward of 80 countries and thousands of investigators.... More

In the wake of the French 'Non!' and Dutch 'Nee!' to the EU constitution, every scribbler is beside himself.  It's the end of the European project, the end of the Euro, and the end of the 'social model.'  It's the end of Europe itself!  It is certainly the end of something. ... More

I'm confused. The left, in the personage of Amnesty International, is claiming that the Guantanamo Bay detention camp is as bad as the old Soviet Gulag camps. They called it "the gulag of our time." Notice that they artfully avoid using the words "Soviet" or "Russian" or "Siberian" before the word... More

On Saturday  May 4th, the Associated Press quoted a source from U.S. intelligence and foreign allies who avowed havingg enough evidence to prove that several top Al Qaeda operatives are hiding in Iran — with the complicity of the Iranian government. If that is confirmed (and in... More

It was hard to not sense something was gravely wrong when Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez announced he would put his Caribbean oil headquarters in Havana, Cuba, a city of absolutely no economic significance, in fact, of no actual economy.   Havana's only significance is political, as the... More

Even with all the discussion of media bias since the dawn of the cable revolution and the intense media scrutiny offered by the explosive growth of the blogosphere, the essential story of media bias is still best revealed by a trenchant example from forty years ago. The media treatment then (and... More

'MSN Search Toolbar' web & desktop searching Way back on 21 May, which must surely be the techie equivalent of the stone age given the rapid and inexorable progress of science and its application — after all, how many new models of cell phones and ring tones have popped up in the... More

Iran's long march to develop nuclear weapons continues behind the facade of so—called negotiations with the European—3 (France, Britain, and Germany) and with Russia.  How anyone could consider this bunch as having any  ability to restrain the mullahs is beyond... More

Despite continuing outrage among conservatives over last week's sellout of Senate Republicans by seven 'moderates' in their midst, it is clear that Arizona Senator John McCain, the apparent leader of the effort, presumes himself to be a big winner. While McCain has been positively deferential... More

'When the people realize they have the power to expose the deceit underlying a government prone to repression, it is the beginning of that regime's end,' — Peter Ackerman, The Boston Globe A resilient, yet experimental venture by the Bush Administration into uncharted waters has proven... More

Weir Thinking About It Remember when you were a child and were always asking your parents for things? You wanted more toys, more ice cream, and more rides on the Merry—go—round. If it weren't for your parents you'd have buried yourself in dolls, Batman figures, trains, planes,... More

The Army has been deliberately flouting the legislated ban on women in direct combat roles, causing considerable anger among some in Congress.  The controversy came to a head last week, with Congressional Republicans backing down from enacting a measure to freeze the number of... More

For half a century the ruling class of Europe has owned the project of European unification. Nobody bothered to ask the voters. But now they have made a mistake. Purely as a gesture, France, Holland and Britain scheduled popular referenda on the EU Constitution. The entire political and media... More

I am confused by the liberal media. Until yesterday's revelation that Mark Felt was Deep Throat, I was pretty sure that liberals disapproved when a top official of the FBI gathered information from the Bureau's formidable investigative apparatus, and then used that information to accomplish a... More

Legendary scenes of determined settlers bravely moving west in a journey to fulfill America's 'manifest destiny' are being quietly resurrected. Only this time, Chinese migrants, not American settlers, are driving west into the cold, forbidding environment of the Russian Far East and Siberia. As... More

The extremely comfortable and secure American Jewish community is totally unaware of the deadly peril that is even now threatening the security that it takes for granted. But in the near future, this peril will become too visible and immediate to be ignored any longer. I speak of the FBI's ongoing... More