For decades presidents of both parties have failed to take action as the attacks on our way of life have grown ever more outrageous.  Presidential passivity makes the perpetrators bolder and more dangerous.  It also atrophies our capacity to change course and take effective action. No,... More

Over the course of the past few weeks — and much to the delight of many conservative new media journalists — no less than seven major news outlets have published rather derogatory articles about Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, the highly—successful proprietor of the... More

The New York Times apparently sees nothing wrong with disclosing the existence of two vital national security programs, but deems the non—outing of a non—undercover CIA agent a grievous threat to this nation's survival. So much so that in the minds of its editors it merits indicting... More

On May 31st, the U.S. airplane manufacturer Boeing upped the ante in its high—stakes competition with European rival Airbus to secure a $3 billion tendering contract for the construction of 22 passenger aircraft for the Russian airline Aeroflot. In a clear effort to gain favor with those... More

Imagine, if you can, a modern society in which scientists positing theories contrary to those accepted by agents of the government are declared heretics and swiftly punished.  Ray Bradbury imagined one in his novel Fahrenheit 451, as did Pierre Boulle in Planet of the Apes. Unfortunately, Al... More

This April, as we awaited Iran's official response to the IAEA's April 28th 'deadline' to halt its uranium enrichment, Amir Taheri predicted that the Mullahs might offer 'confidence building measures' — namely, a temporary suspension of the enrichment process — as part of an overall... More

George W. Bush is an inside—the—box guy fated to grapple with an outside—the—box world.  That, in a nutshell, is the source of all the political problems that have hobbled his presidency. President Bush isn't likely to change enough to execute a dramatic turnaround. But... More

Last week, Senator Rick Santorum and Rep. Pete Hoekstra revealed  declassified portions of a report by the National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) that said Coalition forces in Iraq have recovered several hundred munitions containing degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent.  The report... More

One year ago, on June 23, 2005, the United States Supreme Court opened the floodgates for the abuse of eminent domain by state and local authorities with its Kelo v. City of New London decision. That decision held that private property could be taken by government agencies and turned over to... More

Airbus, the European champion of the cause of state—directed enterprise, is in crisis. Even French President Jacques Chirac has been forced to acknowledge "management problems"  at Airbus' parent EADS, which is partially owned by the French State. Going into the last weekend, a spokesman... More

Whether we like it or not, "we live in a progressive world," writes Jonah Goldberg in National Review.  He means that when conservatives go into the public square they must use the language of progressivism. In debates on public policy, "The good is measured in material terms — greater... More

Phineas Taylor Barnum, the greatest 19th Century showman and huckster, taught the world that by craftily combining equal parts entertainment, science and sensationalism, our natural sense of wonder and curiosity can be exploited to convince the gullible masses of almost anything. Albert Arnold... More

Recent reports from Baghdad have made passing mention of the appearance of vigilantes in some of the city's neighborhoods. Streets have been blockaded by residents, and only individuals with legitimate business are allowed in. Unofficial curfews have been set, with intruders shot on sight after a... More

In today's terror—stricken world, which is more vital to the public's interest: being safe, or being informed? This very question has come before the management of the New York Times twice in the past six months. On both occasions, even though it went completely contrary to the national... More

There is an important trial underway in London which is getting very little media attention. On the stand are seven Muslims accused of plotting a series of terrorist attacks ranging from poisoning the water supply to crashing a British Airways airliner. To carry out the latter, they sought to... More

See: Part One;  Part Two;  Part Three. Soliman al—Buthe (or al—Buthi) wrote an Open Letter to Congress in 2005. Then he initiated a dialogue with me, so we decided on this sequence.   1. In 2005, I commented and asked questions about the Open Letter. 2. Months later in... More

If you wonder why the Left hates America, take a look at a closely related question in Britain, as asked by journalist Simon Heffer in a column in the UK Telegraph. His question sounds different, but you will see that it's really a product of the same socialist media on both sides of the... More

In March, Gabriel Schoenfeld wrote a brilliant piece in Commentary in which he argued that the New York Times revelations about the NSA program warranted prosecution under Section 798 of Title 18, the so—called Comint statute.   In the article he details the history and... More

Within days of the September 11th attacks, the head of Reuters' worldwide news division, explaining the agency's refusal to use the word 'terrorist,' made the famous fatuous remark that 'one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.'  Reuters, it seemed, wouldn't be taking sides... More

Three squadrons of American Marines are picking their way carefully down a Baghdad street, headed for a meeting with the mayor.  The warriors are anxious because attacks in that area have been frequent, and they know that today would be a perfect opportunity for an ambush, not only on them,... More

There are many observers of the New Media who believe that blogs or other on—line communities will one day replace the mainstream media as the best way to transmit news and information to the American public. The rationale behind this revolution is that collectively speaking, bloggers are... More

When the citizens of Colombia went to the polls on May 28 and exercised their civic duty in astutely re—electing Alvaro Uribe with 62% of the vote in a three way contest, the United States was joined by Colombia in realizing another important victory in the global War on Terror. The Wall... More

Germany escaped an awkward situation thanks to Iran's World Cup tournament defeat last Saturday by Portugal, and its elimination from championship competition. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's threats against Israel and his open Holocaust denial prompted some Western countries and... More

Aircraft manufacturers regularly conduct stress testing of the vital components and systems of their new airplanes, to make certain they can withstand the forces that will come with actual use. Lately, the troubles  of Airbus have been applying a stress test to French and EU politics, and the... More

Have you heard that strange sound at night lately? No, it's not cicadas. That's the Democrat bubble deflating, a phenomenon that recurs more frequently than every seventeen years, and sounds like this: Pssssssssssssssssss. The Democrat bubble gets almost no press coverage, even though the media... More

'The evil that men do lives after them, / The good is oft interred with their bones,' wrote Shakespeare in Julius Caesar.  For the media reporting on Iraq it has been a matter of headlining the efforts of maleficent terrorists and burying the news of progress and successes, or not... More

One would think that a global war against terror and the nations that support it would re—focus both our military priorities and the US federal budget to attain victory.  But one would be wrong.  The unhinged anti—war behavior of both Democrat and so—called moderate GOP... More

I've returned from a trip to a southern coastal city battered by Hurricane Katrina.  It is my third trip as part of my church's effort to help those who were wiped out and have no means to get back on their feet. I'm scrubbing out details because some of what I say may hurt unnecessarily those... More

If in the case of Iraq there has been any lessening of resolve among the American electorate, and to read the newspapers and listen to a great many television pundits one might certainly think there has, the events of the past 48 hours should put these doubts to rest. American forces have recovered... More

The important thing to keep in mind about analyses of North Korea's behavior  is William Goldman's famous dictum about producing hits in Hollywood: nobody knows anything. Until Madeleine Albright made her journey to Pyongyang in 2000, paying court to Kim Jong—il in front of over 100,000... More

'Having considered the declaration made by the General Assembly of the United Nations . . . The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide . . . is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.' The quoted text is taken from the Convention on the Prevention and... More

Last month rallies were held nationwide to end the genocide in Darfur. Every decent human being on the planet wants to see an end to the holocaust occurring in the Sudan. As always, ignoring the problem and politics has taken precedent instead of a real world solution. In Chicago Congressional... More

If there were great news out of Iraq, which media outlet would be the least likely to report it? a. An anti—American news network from Qatar b. A terrorist—run television station in Lebanon c. The New York Times d. The Washington Post If you answered 'a' or 'b,'... More

What a surprise.  The Democrats' New Direction for America pdf, their blueprint for capturing control of Congress this Fall, turns out not to be the call to arms, the Democratic Contract with America we were promised, but a bland reassurance to their base.  It is not a message... More

To this day, Republicans owe their sometimes muddled message and inability to campaign effectively against the Democratic Party to their ignorance about the Reconstruction era.  What they think they know is very much the product of history books written by Democrat professors. Today, all... More

With the 2008 presidential primaries well over a year away, John Cox of Illinois is already striding the landscapes of New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina in an effort to generate attention and support for his campaign for the White House. He wants to bring Reagan Republicanism back to... More

Twenty years have come and gone since the passage of IRCA  — The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. If legislation is to be judged by the successful implementation of its title, then IRCA should probably be considered an abject failure as immigration seems to have remained... More

(Book review of While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West From Within, by Bruce Bawer; published February of 2006; 237 pages; $23.95) This stunner of a book about Continental Islam has two main themes. The first is that Europe has a horrific Muslim immigration and reproduction... More

About this time of year, amid summer vacations and grilling hot dogs, the talk once again turns to dads. Father's Day is tomorrow.  Columnists feverishly exclaim the need for dads to be active in their kids' lives, citing the effectiveness of two—parent families.  Despite more... More

The Israeli/Palestinian conflict continues to be played out on the world stage of politics in a theater of highly charged emotions influencing public opinion. In the latest act the world has suddenly realized that western civilization is now fighting the same murders and suicide bombers that Israel... More

[James Arlandson has been enagged in a frank and mututally respectful dialogue with a Saudi Muslim religious authority, Mr. Soliman al—Buthe (aka AlBut'hi), prompted by an Open Letter to Congress Mr. al—Buthe wrote. Part One has a brief Introduction, and Part Two continues the... More

There is almost an epidemic of incidents in whichаAmerican military forces are accused of atrocities in Iraq, and virtually tried and convicted in the media before the evidence is heard, based on shaadowy and inconsistent sources. Even worse, some politicians jump on the bandwagon, and contribute... More

A couple of days ago Senator Kerry clarified his position  on the Iraq War.  At the Democrats' Take Back America strategy conference, in Washington, he said that his vote for the war was a mistake and that we should bring the troops home.  His analogy is Vietnam — in Kerry's... More

On June 14th a doughty band of Israel divestment protesters organized by StandWithUs and the American Jewish Congress stood outside the Northern Trust building in Chicago, rebutting another group of Israel divestment advocates at the annual shareholder meeting of The Caterpillar Company. One of the... More

Airbus crashed this week. Not an actual airplane, but the stock price of its parent, EADS, which fell by almost a third yesterday, before recovering and posting a mere 26% loss in a single day, making it down a third this year. The most fascinating business battle in the world is getting a lot more... More

The aftermath of Zarqawi's death has seen ongoing follow—on operations, both Baghdad specific and countrywide.  In his June 12 press briefing Multi—National Force Iraq spokesman Maj. Gen. Bill Caldwell stated that 'in the last 48 hours coalition forces conducted 140 company and... More

Let me ask you this: when, prior to last week, was the last time you heard of the Jersey Girls? I can't give a definite answer, which in itself is telling. Not that I was paying any large amount of attention, but there was a lot of noise in between the Afghan and Iraqi campaigns, intense... More

Almost overlooked in the celebrations surrounding the elimination of Zarqawi is a considerable body of evidence that the Lion of Anbar was seeking to dramatically extend the range of his operations. The day before Zarqawi was at last struck down, the London Times carried a short piece reporting on... More

In America, people are innocent until proven guilty, unless of course they are Republican. No finer example of such legal relativism has occurred in recent memory than the case of President Bush's top advisor, Karl Rove. For months, virtually every mainstream media outlet proclaimed his guilt... More

It was the first day at the Battle of Gettysburg and things were not going well for Abe Lincoln's boys in blue. Robert E. Lee's Johnny Rebs had arrived on the battlefield almost behind General Oliver Otis Howard's 11th Corps which panicked the 'Dutchmen' and sent them flying towards the town of... More

I have no inside knowledge of what happened in Haditha, of course, but I can examine media stories for sourcing and quality of reporting. When the reports in Time Magazine and others are subjected to close scrutiny, there is much less solid evidence than one would expect a major media enterprise... More

In the very first chapter of her 2002 book, Slander: Liberal Lies About The American Right, Ann Coulter exposed the duplicitous character of those who 'demand[ed] campus speech codes, an end to 'intolerance,' and 'hate speech' laws' while continually bearing—down on a single target when... More

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld is expected to be handed down this month. The case could quite likely become the most high—profile instance of justices redefining the U.S. Constitution using contemporary foreign law. Hamdan would thereby constitute an unprecedented... More

The antique media and the punditry continue to dismiss or ignore the overall geo—strategic picture concerning our stand—off with Iran over the development of nuclear weapons technology.а Largely unnoticed is the US and Coalition's successfulаmaneuvers to establish an outer cordon... More

If Osama bin Laden, Ayman al—Zawahiri, and all of al Qaeda's leaders in Iraq and throughout the world laid down their arms and surrendered to American forces, would the media report it as good news? Judging from the press's reaction to the killing of Abu Musab al—Zarqawi in Iraq by the... More

The good thing about the reelection of President Bush in 2004, according to Matthew Parris this week in the London Times, is that it gave a chance for the neoconservative project to be tested to destruction.  He refers back to a May2004 piece in which he wrote: What the President and his... More

Hibhib lies several miles northwest of Baquba, Iraq, which is about 40 miles north of Baghdad.  As the reliable site Iraq the Model tells us 'Most of its people are from the Azzawi tribes,' and it is 'famous for producing some of the finest Arak in Iraq.'  (Arak is a popular alcoholic... More

Every June, I am reminded by the life and death of a man who became an Integral part of not only our family, but America as well.  On June 11, 1979, America mourned the passing of John Wayne. The life and legacy of John Wayne, continues to take center stage in the lives and hearts of... More

As the Soviet armies marched across Europe during World War Two, the continent's civilian populations trembled with fear. Justifiably so, since rape, mass executions, looting and pillage were the order of the day. Horrible as it was, the Soviet terror was not all that unusual by historical... More

In the days after the alleged rape in Durham, North Carolina occurred, now—infamous District Attorney, Mike Nifong, must have believed he had died and gone to litigators' heaven. There he sat, weeks from a city election, in a town unmatched by many in terms of racial, social and class... More

Evidence accumulates of a hoax in Haditha. The weblog Sweetness & Light has done an estimable service gathering together the articles which cast substantial doubt on the charge of a massacre of civilians at Haditha . Because the blog is too busy gathering and fisking the news, I offered andаthe... More

Spin — as in media spin, of the kind that we experience too much of — can be used not only to impart a desired meaning; but to deprive an event of any meaning whatsoever, to rob it of the expected impact it might have in the ordinary course of events. We've seen the technique (which... More

The first reaction that most Americans had to news that the Jordanian born terrorist Abu Musab al Zarqawi was killed in a precision bombing raid by the United States Air Force yesterday was one of elation mixed with a grim satisfaction that a huge obstacle to bringing peace and security to Iraq was... More

Leftist media, congressmen, and elitist groups have already committed premature evaluation concerning the role of members of the Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment.  The left and our drive—by media have already pronounced our troops guilty of murdering 24 men, women,... More

Did you hear that sound early Wednesday morning? That was millions of Democrats gasping when Brian Bilbray beat Francine Busby for the open House seat vacated by newly imprisoned Randy Cunningham in California's 50th Congressional District. What's that old saying about counting one's chickens?... More

One of the first things Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper did after the weekend arrests of 17 suspected Islamic terrorists in Ontario was to pick up the phone and thank President George W. Bush for American assistance in tying the alleged plot together. That was most assuredly unlike the... More

Rapidly unfolding events in Somalia are grabbing more and more media attention.  The country of Black Hawk Down now seems poised for a climactic battle in the capital city of Mogadishu between rival militias who have been fighting one another since February. First, some background from the... More

We face an Islamist enemy for which no deception, no cruelty, no inhumanity is too low in battling the infidel. I have previously �argued that the Jihadis (among others) were fabricating incidents pointing to American involvement in massacres of Iraqi civilians. With the Haditha story, the... More

AMSTERDAM—For the past semester, I've lived above one of this city's notorious hash—and—marijuana coffee shops, on a corner in the this city's famed Red Light district. Legalized drugs and prostitution are generally what Americans think of when they think of Amsterdam,... More

I've read that as you get older, your dreams become less exciting.  Not mine.  Earlier this evening, after another of my wife's spectacular suppers, I was sitting in my La—Z—Boy —— with my feet up and my hand wrapped around a glass of single—malt whiskey... More

The rubber chicken circuit can be brutal. So one of the best indicators of how likely it is that a potential candidate will in fact run for national office is how much effort he expends to campaign for his party's candidates in the Congressional election two years before the presidential race.... More

The Iranian nuclear program crisis is currently presenting the greatest challenge to the national security strategy of the Bush Administration. Strategists, diplomats and policy makers are all hard at work trying to craft a course of action and an international coalition that will dissuade... More

One thing can be said for Iranians — they've sure come up with a novel method of running a secret nuclear program. The U.S. ran the Manhattan Project (more in hope than execution, it turned out) as one of the most secret programs of the Second World War. The USSR's first bomb test in 1949... More

Summer is about to begin, but according to the drive—by media, it is winter for Republicans who almost certainly will lose one chamber of Congress, if not both. In fact, you can't swing a Democrat pollster lately without hitting some press member waxing gleefully about left—wing gains... More

The financial markets gave a convulsive shiver a month ago when the Fed raised its Fed Funds rate to 5 percent and allowed as how it might well pause in its monthly quarter—point increase action.  'Oh no you don't!' came the unmistakable response, as global stocks, the dollar, US... More

John Robinson is the sort of man whose views on matters scientific and environmental must be taken seriously.  His conclusions on oil spills, based on long experience, do not comport with environmentalist orthodoxy, to say the least. A member of Santa Barbara—based Heal The Ocean, John... More

Recently, multiple deserving tributes to Bernard Lewis' career as a scholar, and public intellectual, have been written in celebration of this remarkable nonagenarian (see here for example  )—the latest by Reuel Gerecht  appearing in the Wednesday May 31, 2006 online edition of The... More

It was one of those brisk autumn mornings that make you wish you could stay in bed and soak up some more zee's. My partner and I had just picked up a couple of containers of coffee and were heading toward a street in Queens Village to work surveillance on a suspected drug supply house. Before we... More

Part One may be read here. It introduces Mr. Soliman al—Buthe's Open Letter to Congress. James Arlandson responds today. JA: Greetings. I am finally getting back to you after a long time. I have been occupied with posting articles on various issues concerning Islam. I must admit that when I... More

On April 3, 2005 Mr. Soliman al—Buthe (aka AlBut'hi), a Saudi Wahabi, wrote me a letter in order to open a dialogue. Included was An Open Letter to Congress, in which he explained a gentler and kinder Wahabi movement that began in the eighteenth century by Muhammad ibn 'Abdul al—Wahab,... More

Last October, American soldiers serving in Iraq stripped the dead body of a young man, tied it to the back of a humvee, and dragged it through the city.  No such incident ever happened, of course.  To publish such a story would be to slander America's men and women in uniform, and we... More

[Book review of While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West From Within by Bruce Bawer; published February of 2006; 237 pages; $23.95] This stunner of a book about Continental Islam has two main themes. The first is that Europe has a horrific Muslim immigration and reproduction... More

As the news stories and reports about Haditha pile up, as Judge & Jury Murtha declares that it was cold—blooded murder, and as the worst possible outcome seems to be inevitable, remember: We Don't Know What Really Happened. If the worst did occur then those Marines from K Company,... More

Have you noticed the drive—by media's blossoming love affair with Al Gore? Like so many springtime infatuations, this one is likely to end badly. Faced with polls indicating Hillary's un—electability in 2008, and fearful of her energizing effects on the Republican base, the... More

Western apologists for Islam are wont to say that the Islamic world of a thousand years ago was far advanced of Christendom, militarily, economically, and culturally. This is a curious claim because the implicit standard of judgment is that of modern secularism, a standard that neither the Islamic... More

Over a year ago we alerted readers to a very significant case involving outrageous abuse in the name of political correctness. Thomas Klocek, who taught at DePaul University for 14 years, was summarily fired for the 'crime' of speaking to the anti—Israel, pro—Palestinian mindset... More

One British professor emailed and called it "monstrous." Another wrote that  "We live at a time of insane politics." And distinguished retired professor in London writes that "just because we (as also in your country) have dangerous fanatics, please do not consign us to limbo. We need to... More