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
Politics
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
Confessions of a Former Environmentalist: Five Reasons Why I Gave Up on “Green” Policies
I used to be an environmentalist. I once wrote that “scientists are right about climate change.” I long opposed logging clear-cuts and excessive drilling. I even voted for the Green Party candidate (gasp!) for president. But this long-time supporter of … Continue reading
Meet Terrisa Bukovinac, a Pro-Life Democrat and Atheist
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. Terrisa Bukovinac is not your typical pro-lifer, and she isn’t your typical presidential candidate, either. Bukovinac is challenging President Joe Biden in the Democratic primary to protest the party’s pro-abortion … Continue reading
What Did Cause the Civil War?
Nikki Haley recently provoked a firestorm of controversy for failing to name slavery when asked by journalists what caused the Civil War. A chorus of critics, including President Joe Biden, censured her response. Biden declared, “Let me be clear for … Continue reading
The Puzzling Jurisprudence of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. Retired Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor died Dec. 1 in her home state of Arizona, at the age of 93. Justice O’Connor was the first … 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
Indi Gregory: Third Infant to Die at Hands of UK Government
Good parents do everything in their power to protect their children. But what happens when the government takes that power away? Once again, the United Kingdom has given us the answer. Dean Gregory and Claire Staniforth, a British couple from … Continue reading
Andrew Mellon: Hero of the 1920s
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. The following article is excerpted from a speech delivered by the author in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for Grove City College’s Institute for Faith & Freedom on June 6, 2023. The video … Continue reading
Russia’s Perpetual Culture of Death
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at The American Spectator. “I feel only sympathy for the Russians. No people have suffered as much death.” That was the response of a colleague of mine, Jan, a Polish professor … Continue reading
Tragic Farce: The Origins and Destiny of Critical Theory
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. Karl Marx once famously commented that Hegel wrote that history repeats itself. Marx then supplemented this by noting that this happens the first time as tragedy, the second as farce. … Continue reading
Deconstructing “My Body, My Choice” Hypocrisy on Both Sides
To show partiality in judgment is not good. Proverbs 24:23 There is nothing more dangerous to authoritarianism than a principle applied impartially. Authoritarianism thrives on group bias. Thus, one of the cures for authoritarianism is a willingness to be fair … Continue reading
Integrating Politics and Science—By First Separating Them
Freedom inherently involves risks. If you want your children to roam free at the local playground, they might injure themselves on the big slide. If you want the freedom to watch baseball, someone might get hit in the head by … Continue reading
Averting Nuclear Armageddon—in October 1962 and Today
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at National Catholic Register. It is ironic and scary that 60 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis that brought the world’s two superpowers to the brink of nuclear Armageddon, President Joe … Continue reading
Between a Blackrock and a Hard Place: The Consequences of Corporate Social Activism
With the stock market down nearly 20% year-to-date in 2022, investors are paying close attention to the financial performance of their portfolios: seeking to protect 401Ks, looking for safe havens, and trusting that their fiduciary asset managers are making the … Continue reading
Troubling New Research on Political Bias and Bigotry
Talk about a strange political year. African Americans and Jewish Americans are typically the two most reliable liberal voting blocks in the country, and yet there have been troubling news stories and now data regarding the people who support them. … Continue reading
Mikhail Gorbachev Meets His Maker
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. When I heard about the death of Mikhail Gorbachev, I sighed. He was one of the final remaining pivotal figures in the end of the Cold War: Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan, … Continue reading
The Orwellian Inflation Reduction Act
You know the old joke: How can you tell when a politician is lying? When his/her lips are moving. That extreme cynicism about politicians is reinforced by the recent passage of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). In addition to … Continue reading
Which is more extreme? The evolution of abortion positions
In the land of the mainstream media, conservative and Republican positions on so-called “culture war” issues are always “extreme,” while they rarely raise such concerns about liberal and Democrat positions. They then “helpfully” suggest ways that Republicans could attract more … Continue reading