Guest Commentary Most of those involved in the immigration debate agree that immigration policy needs to be reformed. How to reform the system exactly is a matter of considerably greater disagreement. Immigration is a complex issue affected by numerous factors … Continue reading
General
Sex, Life, and Death
Two summers ago, while passing through an airport, I caught a TV news story: double homicide in Ohio. The victims were a young woman and the nine-month-old fetus she was carrying. The murderer was her lover, the unborn baby’s father. … Continue reading
Washington’s Masque of the Red Death
New administrations normally inspire commentators into rummaging through a thesaurus to extract that single phrase or word that is apposite to the times. Instead musing about a reincarnation of The Square Deal, The New Deal, The Great Society, or the … Continue reading
Cap-and-Trade Update
On Sept. 30, Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and John Kerry (D-MA) unveiled their proposal for cap-and-trade (C&T) legislation. The Senate bill calls for a 20 percent reduction of U.S. CO2 emissions by 2020, and an 80 percent reduction by 2050—targets … Continue reading
Hope vs. Appeasement
In his inaugural address, President Barack Obama reached out to the world’s rogue leaders, telling them, “We will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.” No doubt, this sentiment and the worldview that underlies it have … Continue reading
The Philosophy of Mao and Mother Teresa?
“[T]he death of ten to twenty million people is nothing to be afraid of.” —Mao Tse-tung “Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being’s entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life … Continue reading
V&V Q&A: Dr. Charles Hull Wolfe, a 20th Century Life
Editor’s Note: The “V&V Q&A” is an e-publication from The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an intriguing thinker or opinion-maker that we hope will prove illuminating to readers everywhere. This … Continue reading
Obama and the Verbal Culture
The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama demonstrates at least three important points about the current political scene. First, in a one-word Joe Bidenesque fashion, Mr. Obama’s selection can be described as amazing, stupendous, fantastic, and … Continue reading
The Nobel Committee Dishonors Itself
Even CNN was shocked. Even the Obama White House was shocked. “Only nine months into his presidency,” reported a baffled CNN news anchor this morning. “President Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. The announcement made jaws drop even … Continue reading
A Teachable Moment on Communist China
When I first heard it, I didn’t believe it. Alas, it’s true. Last week, New York City’s Empire State Building was aglow in red and yellow. Why? To commemorate the 60thanniversary of the victorious revolution of the People’s Republic of … Continue reading
“Got Hope?” The Theological Virtue of Obama
As someone who teaches and writes about international politics, I can confidently say that last week was one of the strangest in memory, from the G-20 circus in my backyard (Pittsburgh) to the political zoo at the United Nations. President … Continue reading
The G-20 Meeting is Over (Thank Goodness!)
Count me among the cynics when it comes to G-7, G-8, and now G-20 meetings. They seem to involve little more than photo ops and platforms for politicians to bore us with platitudinous pronouncements—at great expense to the taxpayers in … Continue reading
New Life for the CTBT
Guest Commentary The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), an agreement which would ban all nuclear tests, may soon be revived from its purgatory in the Senate. It was signed by President Clinton in 1996 and rejected by the Senate in … Continue reading
Why All the Fuss? Because America Remains a Conservative Country
The huge “9/12” protest in Washington was the latest expression of discontent over President Obama’s leftward policy thrust. The discord is evident from the “Tea Party” movement to the chaotic “townhalls” on “healthcare reform.”The mainstream media and American left are … Continue reading
Monetary Madness
China, Russia, et al. are talking about shifting their monetary reserves out of U.S. dollars. Gold has hit $1000 per ounce, even though wholesale and retail prices exhibit a deflationary bias. The United Nations has called for a new world … Continue reading
Bush Quietly Saved a Million African Lives
What if a president, on his own initiative, under no demands from staff or from supporters or opponents, set out to spend an unprecedented amount of money on AIDS in Africa, literally billions of dollars, at a time when the … Continue reading
Obama’s "Change We Can Believe In:" Paying Off the Unions
Guest Commentary Barack Obama has surprised supporters and opponents alike by choosing centrists for his Cabinet. The leading exception is Labor Secretary-designate Rep. Hilda Solis, a long-time supporter of coercive unionism. Big Labor is pushing so-called card check, hoping to … Continue reading
Character Makes All the Difference in the World
Editor’s Note: The following commencement address was delivered by Lawrence W. Reed at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School, in Joplin, Missouri, on May 21, 2006. Guest Commentary Thank you! Actually, I can’t thank you enough for the honor of addressing … Continue reading
Scotland: Seven Centuries After William Wallace
Guest Commentary I am an American citizen of Scottish extraction, and few things stir my blood more than the colorful history of my ancestral homeland. Through the centuries, rugged Scots stand tall among those heroes who gave every ounce of … Continue reading