In case you didn’t notice . . . With George W. Bush out of office and a Democrat in the White House, the secular media stopped its handwringing over the president mentioning God. With Rick Santorum’s surge, the hysteria has … Continue reading
American History & Presidents
Satan and Santorum: Perspective from Reagan’s Evil Empire Speech
Editor’s note: A longer version of this article first appeared at The American Spectator. The secular world today trembles and shudders at the sight of Rick Santorum speaking on good and evil at Ave Maria University in Florida in 2008. Santorum’s statement came … Continue reading
V&V Q&A (Presidents Day Special): What Would Reagan Do? The HHS Mandate and A Very Different President
Editor’s Note: The “V&V Q&A” is an e-publication from The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College. In this latest edition, professor of political science and executive director of the Center—Dr. Paul Kengor—is interviewed by Kathryn Jean Lopez—editor-at-large of National Review … Continue reading
What If We Removed Wartime Conscience Exemptions?
Last Friday, President Obama responded to Catholic bishops’ concerns over his controversial mandate compelling Catholic institutions to provide contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing pharmaceuticals. Many media sources reported Obama’s action as an “accommodation,” with some describing it as a “reversal.” It is hardly that. Many Catholics … Continue reading
Strategic Abdication
From Damascus to Tehran, a test for world leadership is underway. Daily, the Syrian military—well-armed, highly trained thugs whose current mission is to keep dictator Bashar Assad in power—kills up to 200 or more of its own citizens. Protests from … Continue reading
God and Man at CPAC: Facing the 2012 Election
Amidst the hoopla, cheers, and ear-piercing whistles of enthusiastic approval for Republican presidential nominees at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, several themes emerged. The most important of these centered on the conflict between what may be titled American foundationalism … Continue reading
The Catholic Bishops v. Obama? President Obama and Justice Ginsburg on America’s “Rather Old Constitution”
I’ve gotten some very interesting emails regarding President Obama’s mandate commanding Roman Catholics (and many evangelical Protestants) to violate their consciences by providing mandatory contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing pharmaceuticals. The emailers noted that Obama’s action will force Catholics to challenge the president … Continue reading
The Choice: Bain Capitalism or Solyndra Cronyism
Obama’s "Healthcare" Mandate: What Would Reagan Say?
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at CatholicVote.org. February 6 was the anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth. It comes at an appropriate time. February is also the month of Presidents Day and the birthday of Lincoln, the … Continue reading
STREAMING VIDEO — What is a Reagan Conservative?
Register for the April 19-20 conference here>> Dr. Paul Kengor, the executive director of The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College, delivers a lecture to the Family Research Council in Washington, DC. This lecture previews a talk … Continue reading
The State of the Union: An Inside Report
On Tuesday evening, I had the honor of attending the State of the Union address as the guest of Congressman Mike Kelly (PA-03). Here are my impressions in abbreviated form: The address seemed more like a rewrite of previous speeches … Continue reading
The Tax Rate Scandal
When Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney casually estimated that his effective tax rate is around 15 percent, progressives immediately pounced on the issue. To this ideological minority with its Ahab-like obsession on class warfare, a rich American paying an effective tax … Continue reading
Patrick Henry, Patriot
Among America’s amazing pantheon of founders, Patrick Henry stands out for his stirring speeches and fervent commitment to liberty, virtue, and small government. The Virginia planter, lawyer, and politician strongly denounced Great Britain’s political and economic control of the American … Continue reading
The 2012 Republican Primary and the Seeds of 1966
The Republican primary contest has come down to a choice between Mitt Romney and the anti-Romney. It is another in a series of battles between the non-conservative and conservative wings of the GOP. Arguably, the political seeds of today’s Republican … Continue reading
Readying Romney for the Class-Warfare Machine
Editor’s note: A longer version of this article appears at today’s American Spectator. If Mitt Romney gets the GOP nomination, prepare for a season of class warfare in America unlike any before. Not only has President Obama been pushing class warfare unceasingly for … Continue reading
Rick Santorum’s Rosetta Stone
Editor’s note: Lee Wishing will be a participant in an April 19-20 conference hosted by The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College on “The Challenge 2012: The Divided Conservative Mind.” I live in Western Pennsylvania, just across … Continue reading
Remembering the Battlers of the Bulge
On December 16, 1944, the men of Lieutenant Lyle Bouck’s platoon had their all-night vigil interrupted by a pre-dawn fusillade of artillery rounds from a hundred German guns, their muzzle flashes punctuating the darkness like a volley of fireballs hurled … Continue reading
On Hitchens, Havel, and Kim—and Totalitarianism
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at TheBlaze.com. They say that famous people die in groups of three. I recently heard the news of the death of Christopher Hitchens, one of the world’s best-known atheists and polemicists. … Continue reading
On Vaclav Havel—and Chris Hitchens
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator today. Vaclav Havel is dead. Among other forces and powers, he is among the seven individuals most responsible for peacefully ending the Cold War; the great liberators who brought freedom … Continue reading
Goodbye, America: More Recollections of Deer Seasons Past
Last week I wrote an article on Deer Season a half century ago, focusing on my grandmother’s town in the mountains of Emporium, Pennsylvania. Each year, my grandmother and other households opened their doors and kitchens and beds to perfect … Continue reading