Category: Politics & Government

Opinions on contemporary political happenings and the workings of civil government.

Issues: No Dichotomy

  

The issue that first got many evangelicals involved in politics was abortion. After that, it was a threat to private schools from the IRS. Those were both in the 1970s. As the 1980s progressed, so did the “gay rights” agenda. That has increasingly received attention. All of these are sometimes categorized as the “social issues.” Commentators often talk about those being the hot-button issues for evangelicals because they are focused on problems of morality. I cannot argue with that. They… Read more »

Supreme Decisions

  

This seems to be Supreme Court week. First, we have the confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan, then two decisions are handed down by the Court that have significant ramifications, one for good, the other just the opposite. The good: the Second Amendment has survived the scrutiny of the Court—how nice of them to decide it’s really there. By a slim 5-4 decision, the Court declared that the right to keep and bear arms applies to states and cities, too, thereby… Read more »

What Real Hearings Would Be Like

  

I don’t watch Supreme Court confirmation hearings. I have much better things to do than see a preordained script followed. What’s taking place in the Kagan hearings right now is nothing but a show for the cameras. You won’t hear the nominee say anything of substance. Then again, that’s really not necessary in her case. We may play a game about not knowing what she believes, but everyone really does know already. The key is for her not to tell…. Read more »

Hubris Personified

  

Let’s highlight three astounding examples of hubris today—people who believe they know everything and/or they try to remake themselves without anybody noticing. Well, it’s not working; people are noticing. Our first example is Helen Thomas. If you haven’t heard about her fiasco, you’re probably not watching any news at all. The video of her telling Jews in Israel to “get the hell out” and go back to Poland or Germany has burned up the internet. The firestorm led to her… Read more »

Disrespect?

  

I know a lot of American citizens were disturbed by President Obama’s absence on Memorial Day from the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington Cemetery. I’ve been there on a number of occasions, and it is meaningful to observe the changing of the guard. While I understand the dismay expressed by many, there are two reasons why I didn’t share it fully. First, Obama was going to another cemetery in Illinois, so he was marking the occasion;… Read more »

This Was Not a Peace Ship

  

There’s really no doubt now that the so-called peace ship heading to Gaza was bent on killing Israelis. The videos make it clear that the Israeli soldiers were attacked immediately upon boarding the ship for an inspection. It’s also now known that a large number of the 700 passengers were connected with Islamic jihadist groups known for terrorism. Some even had ties to Al Qaeda. The cartoonists have caught on to the truth: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rightly defends… Read more »

An Israeli Primer

  

A primer is a book of basics. It is intended to ensure that students grasp the essential foundations of a subject. I think we need a primer on the nature of the conflict in the Middle East over the state of Israel. Fact #1: Israel is a self-governing entity that is a friend to the free world. Fact #2: Israel is surrounded by enemies that want to destroy it. Fact #3: All these enemies are Islamic believers. Fact #4: Hamas,… Read more »