Commentary - 5/17/2008
Landslide Senate farm bill passage makes it veto-proof
Janie Gabbett, Meating Place
Strong bi-partisan support that fueled the wide-margin passage by both houses of Congress fairly ensures enactment, regardless of veto threats by President Bush.
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America and Rome : Compare
Logical Premise, Nolan Chart
Here's one that should please the Ron Paul supporters: he had an ancient predecessor, the Brothers Grachii, who advocated increased participation in the Senate by the people, more protections for the people's rights to own land and property, less restrictions on the people's travel, the right for redress against patricians, land reform (the equivilent, really of money reform back then), and smaller government.
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Death watching Clinton in her
Muhammad Cohen, Asia Times
Here in Hillary Clinton's political base, few are paying much attention to New York State's favorite daughter's incredible shrinking presidential campaign. New York loves a winner and despite her big victory in the Democratic presidential race in West Virginia on Tuesday, that's not Clinton's look. But win or lose, Hillary Clinton ain't New York.
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CAN U READ KANT?
National Center for Policy Analysis
The present is a good time to be young only if you don't mind a tendency toward empty-headedness, says Mark Bauerlein, author of "The Dumbest Generation." He argues that cultural and technological forces, far from opening up an exciting new world of learning and thinking, have conspired to create a level of public ignorance so high as to threaten our democracy.
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‘Perhaps 60% of today’s oil price is pure speculation’
F. William Engdahl, Global Research
The price of crude oil today is not made according to any traditional relation of supply to demand. It’s controlled by an elaborate financial market system as well as by the four major Anglo-American oil companies. As much as 60% of today’s crude oil price is pure speculation driven by large trader banks and hedge funds. It has nothing to do with the convenient myths of Peak Oil. It has to do with control of oil and its price. How
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Cap-And-Trade Folly
Investor's Business Daily
Legislation pending in the Senate might warm environmentalists' hearts, but not because of potential cuts in carbon emissions. Their interest is in the heavy economic costs the plans would inflict.
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Taxpayers Support Gas Tax Relief, Earmark M
National Taxpayers Union
On behalf of the 362,000 members of the National Taxpayers Union, I write in strong support of your "Gas Tax Relief and Earmark Moratorium Act," H.R. 5995. This bill would suspend the federal gas tax while imposing a moratorium on Congressional earmarks. The legislation would provide hard-working Americans with a modicum of relief at the pump without impacting the government’s overall fiscal position.
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Exclusive: Are American Universities in Bed with America's Enemies?
Luke C. Sheahan, Family Security Matters
It all brings us back to the universities accepting foreign cash to fund an intellectual attack on the American idea. If there is not truth and evil then there can be no distinction made between America and her enemies.
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The Federal Landlord
Acton Institute
Dana Joel Gattuso of the National Center for Public Policy Research warns that a provision in the pending farm bill will encourage increasing federal control of private lands (de facto federal ownership) via the mechanism of conservation easements. That got me wondering just how much of the United States is owned by the federal government. Surprisingly, the information seems hard to come by
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Farm Bill Vote a Loss for Consumers and Taxpayers
Fran Smith, Competitive Enterprise Institute
“If the Senate goes the way of the House, taxpayers and consumers will be paying the bills for a Farm Bill that increases farm subsidy programs, provides payments to millionaire farmers, and increases spending by about $20 billion, without any significant reform,” said Fran Smith, Adjunct Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Smith was referring to today’s
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History is Back
Clifford D. May , Foundation for Defense of Democracies
In other words, it’s not – as another senior State Department official told me last week – that Russia’s rulers have been “backsliding” in practice from a democratic ideal they embrace in theory. Rather, they believe in autocracy. They see it as an alternative that is not just viable but superior.
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Danish Pastries
Leslie Sacks, Family Security Matters
The Muslim population in Denmark, constituting a mere 4% of the total, refuses to integrate, consumes 40% of the welfare, and constitutes a majority of the country's convicted rapists. The Danes now acknowledge that their core values of personal liberty, free speech, equality for women and tolerance of other ethnic groups are incompatible with Islam as they know it
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Polar Bear Pushback
Hugh Hewill, Townhall
The industries most likely to be pummeled by the polar bear are energy production, aggregates extraction, transportation, and commercial building because each can be shown quite easily to result in increased emissions of greenhouse gases and each routinely requires federal permits to go about some aspect of their business. (The coal industry may be target number one, followed by oil drilling in the lower
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THREE PEAS IN A POD
Chuck Baldwin, News with Views
Therefore, I think I understand the reasoning of many who are so reluctant to step outside the two major parties and vote for a third party candidate. I seem to recall that I, too, was just as hesitant (though not for nearly as long as some people
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Conservatives in Denial about North American Union and Canadian Sovereignty
Global Research
The Quebec Provincial Police admitted that undercover police infiltrated a peaceful protest against the SPP Conference, whose mandate is for the 3 countries to work towards the formation of a North American Union. An embarrassing video of the failed attempt to provoke violence by the undercover cops was posted for the world to see on Youtube. So far the Conservative government has failed to conduct an inquiry in to this anti-democratic tactic, and has moved Canada one step closer
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Terror Terminology
Oliver North, Fox News
Unfortunately, the DHS policy paper — drafted with the help of anonymous “influential Muslim Americans” — not only makes the current struggle more difficult — it is also riddled with outright falsehoods. The document states, that “The civilized world is facing a global challenge, which transcends geography, culture, and religion.” That statement defies reality. We didn’t label Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Jamiyah Islamiyah and Mahdi Army murderers — to name just a few of the groups I have seen in action – "Muslim holy warriors" — they did. We didn’t call their savage suicidal bombing campaign an "Islamic jihad" — they did.
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The Ron Paul Machine Continues On...
Julio Almanza, American Chronicle
Today I finished reading the Revolution: A Manifesto written by Ron Paul, the presidential candidate for the Republican Party. I have to say, never in my young life have I ever read such a clear cut, concise, book about (in his own words) what the role of government really ought to be, sound monetary policy, and an noninterventionist foreign policy.
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Protecting our families and the Second Amendment
Barbara Cubin, Little Chicago Review
When it comes to governing, most of us agree that the less involvement the federal government has the far better off we are. This is especially true on issues concerning local matters, such as education or the right to carry a concealed weapon.
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McCain Joins Global Warming Cult
Cal Thomas, Townhall
Cults ignore evidence and facts contrary to their blind faith. Science should never be blind to opposing views, but the apostle of global warming, Al Gore, and his new disciple, John McCain, want us to believe in a 2008 version of the Pete Seeger anti-war lyric: "we were - knee deep in (carbon monoxide) and the big fool said to push on."
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Too "Complex"?: Part III
Tomas Sowell, Townhall
However, once the notion of "a living Constitution" became fashionable, the Constitution's protection of property rights has been "interpreted" virtually out of existence by judges.
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US ROLE IN IRAQ THREATENS SECURITY
Charles Peña, News with Views
Even an unfriendly Iraqi government would not represent a direct military threat (just as Saddam Hussein never did). While Islamic extremist terrorists might remain in Iraq (a presence that did not exist under Saddam and was enabled by the U.S. invasion), they would be a threat to the Iraqi government, but not to America.
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The Economy Is Cyclical? It Just Aint So!
Roger W. Garrison, The Freeman
But despite the once-popular notion of a built-in 55-year cycle dreamed up by Russian economist Nicolai Kondratieff, no such econo-rhythms have any claim on our attention.
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(Legal) Climate Change
Investor's Business Daily
Tort Reform: Three years ago, Missouri capped the damages a jury can award in a malpractice suit. The result has been a significant decrease in claims against doctors — and fewer of them leaving the state.
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The Big, Bad Right-Wing Wolf
L. Brent Bozell III, Media Research Center
It would not be crazy in this electoral cycle to imagine that the vast right-wing donor army has no real ardor for conservative-spurning John McCain, and so they would rather spend their cash on anti-Obama ads instead of pro-McCain messages. But it would be crazy for anyone trying to paint himself as a straight shooter to discuss political negativity and ignore so shamelessly the ferocious forces on the left.
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Gasbags
Phil Maymin, Fairfield Weekly
I find it hard to argue against any tax cuts, even those intended to be only temporary. I suppose it is possible to design degenerate cases, but in principle any cut in taxes, especially when accompanied by a cut in spending, leads to a smaller and more constitutional government with less possibility of corruption and violations of our rights.
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"Islam needs more criticism, not less"
Jihad Watch
So says novelist Brad Thor. Why does Islam need more criticism, not less? Watch the video and find out -- he explains it very cogently. Watch also for his latest, The Last Patriot, which puts into a thriller much of what we see in real life at Jihad Watch every day. Bravo, Brad!
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Wiki-Whacked by Political Bias
Matt Sanchez, Pamamas Media
In 2001, Bernard Goldberg wrote his groundbreaking book Bias to confirm what we already knew: the media colored the news according to a liberal ideology. Today, Wikipedia, the “world’s largest encyclopedia,” has the potential of becoming the liberal left’s largest propaganda machine.
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Mad Cow Madness and the State Monopoly on Regulation
Joshua Snyder, Nolan Chart
A move last Friday by the Justice Department yet again illustrates that the Bush administration is anything but small government, anything but free market, anything but conservative.
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Public/Private Partnerships: Government-Sanction Monopolies
Tom DeWeese
It is little understood by the general public how public/private partnerships can be used, not as a way to diminish the size of government, but in fact, to increase its power. These bonds between government and private international corporations are a double-- edged sword.
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Myanmar tragedy and 'global warming'
Joseph Farah, World Net Daily
I'll tell you why. Because Al Gore is promoting solutions to this phantom problem of "global warming" that will, ultimately, reduce all of us to the kind of helpless, landless serfs who lost their lives in Myanmar. Gore and his friends want more government control over the population, less industry, controls on private property, regulations on communication and rule by an elite socialist clique
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The Real Immigration Double Standard
William T. Quick, Pajamas Media
If the guest you have invited to a party at your house shows up in native garb, you welcome him as your equal, your friend and fellow. But if the burglar who broke into your home wears the same foreign clothing and demands the right to live in your spare bedroom? Perhaps not so much.
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Global Warming: Mostly Hot Air
Mike McNally, Pajamas Media
The past few months have not been good to the still-infant discipline of climate change alarmism — that strange amalgam of pseudo-science, crystal ball gazing, and mass hysteria that was formerly known as global warming alarmism until it became apparent a few years back that the globe had in fact stopped warming, and
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