Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. I was saddened to learn of the unexpected death of Tony Dolan, who passed away at age 76. Tony was the chief speechwriter to President Ronald Reagan in a “speechwriting … Continue reading
Paul G. Kengor
Hollywoke: The Motion Picture Academy of Bigotry
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. Our 2024 Reagan film received widespread acclaim from moviegoers (albeit not from ideologically motivated critics) for the roles rendered by several key actors. They included Dennis Quaid as Reagan, David Henrie as young Reagan, Penelope Ann Miller as … Continue reading
Lee Edwards, Dean of Conservatism, RIP
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. The conservative movement this week lost an elder statesman, its dean. He was Lee Edwards, 92 years old. Edwards was so very important and dear to both the conservative movement … Continue reading
Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving Memories
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. My cell phone buzzed Saturday evening as I left the “wine and spirits” store with a selection of fine vino for the holidays. It was my cousin Drew. I hastened … Continue reading
‘We Win, They Lose’: Remembering Richard V. Allen
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. We win, they lose.” That Reagan statement was a declaration for the ages, a denouement to the 20th century, encapsulating what Ronald Reagan did to defeat the Soviet Union and win … Continue reading
A Moment of Unity: Reagan United the Country Like No Other
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. One of the cool things about being a biographer with special expertise on a specific subject — in my case, Ronald Reagan — is that readers come to you with … Continue reading
The American Righteous Cause—Then and Now
Reply
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. The Declaration of Independence was, of course, just that. It was an official declaration of independence by the “United Colonies” (upper case), as they were thus described by Thomas Jefferson, … Continue reading
You Can Never Have Enough—Kids
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. A particularly idiotic aphorism touted by our mindless culture is this cliché: Wait until you have enough money before you have kids. This nugget serves as secular wisdom, courtesy of … Continue reading
Pearl Harbor and the Vanishing WWII Vet
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. I think often of my late good friend Charles Wiley. I was introduced to Charlie by my Grove City College colleague David Ayers. Dave knew Charlie way back, and the … Continue reading
The Faith of the RFKs
Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Crisis Magazine. On April 25, EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo did an exclusive, hour-long interview with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Kudos to both Arroyo and Kennedy for sitting down to dialogue in a civil, thoughtful manner that’s … Continue reading
Two Years In, Why I’m Not Optimistic About Putin’s War on Ukraine
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at the National Catholic Register. On Feb. 24, 2022, I was awakened by dinging text messages and phone calls from an old friend, an expert on Russia, the Cold War and communism. He doesn’t … Continue reading
The Tumultuous Life and Conversion of Eldridge Cleaver
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. One figure that liberals didn’t commemorate this Black History Month is Eldridge Cleaver, the Black Panther Party ringleader of the 1960s. The reason is no great mystery: Had Cleaver remained … Continue reading
Russian Dissident Alexei Navalny Dies in Brutal Arctic Gulag
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. In a breaking story that will have serious international implications, we’re just learning from the Russians that dissident and opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died in Vladimir Putin’s gulag. Specifically, … Continue reading
The Last Hero of the Cold War … Lech Walesa Survives
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. There were seven. Seven figures above all, with varying influences, some more intentional than others, who brought down the Berlin Wall, freed Eastern Europe from communism, took down the Soviet … Continue reading
The MLK They Ignore
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at The American Spectator. The date was September 1, 2015, a Tuesday. It was an unusual day at the Rowan County courthouse in Kentucky. County Clerk Kim Davis arrived shortly before 7:00 a.m. … Continue reading
It’s a Wonderful Film — Yes, the Best Ever
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. Asked in an interview recently to name my favorite Christmas movie, I went through the usual routine of naming several candidates — new and old, mostly black and white — … Continue reading
Sandra Day O’Connor: The Story Behind Her Appointment and Decisive Abortion Vote
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at National Catholic Register. Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, died Dec. 1 at age 93. For pro-life Catholics, her appointment by President Ronald Reagan was a grave … Continue reading
Henry Kissinger: His Legacy and Controversies
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at National Catholic Register. Henry Kissinger was a legend in foreign policy. Whether you see that impact as positive or negative, for better or worse, depends on where you stand on … Continue reading
Killed by a ‘Silly,’ Deadly Communist
Sixty years ago today, the president of the United States was murdered by Lee Harvey Oswald. No one experienced the tragedy like John F. Kennedy’s wife. The image of Jackie Kennedy almost instinctively, in a motherly way, scrambling to the … Continue reading
The 16th Annual Ronald Reagan Lecture featuring Dr. William Inboden and Dr. Kiron Skinner
“Confronting a Dangerous World: Lessons from Ronald Reagan’s Foreign Policy” November 2, 2023 Crawford Auditorium, Grove City College