COMMENTARY AND OP-EDS
Who Really Wants the "Blank Check?"
Much has been made of President Bush's supposedly wanting a "blank check" to conduct the war in Iraq. One need not be overly enthusiastic about how the war has gone in order to observe that, for whatever else might be said of it, a "blank check" is not and has [...]
Senator Obama Lets It Slip
Today's print edition of the Washington Times, in the "Inside Politics" section, quotes Senator Barack Obama as congratulating the Bush Administration on opening talks with our peace-loving friends in Iran (peace-loving, that is, when they're not engaged in acts of piracy, hostage taking and building The Big One). Senator Obama [...]
Don't Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out
MSNBC is carrying an Associated Press story that Cindy Sheehan has "resigned" as an anti-war protest leader. The first three paragraphs read thusly:"FORT WORTH, Texas - Cindy Sheehan, the soldier's mother who galvanized an anti-war movement with her month-long protest outside President Bush's ranch, says she's done being the public [...]
Just a Little Restraint
Readers of our blog will note that Peter Ferrara and I will be discussing the Memorial Day anti-war protests by John Edwards and his backers. I for one think that, strictly as a legal matter, the anti-war group has the right peacefully to protest any time it wants. But that [...]
Respect for Our Fallen Braves, M.I.A.
While the American Civil Rights Union chose to honor our fallen heroes on Memorial Day, certain others in the state of Washington thought it better to desecrate the gravesites of America's war veterans. (HT: Flynn Files) Their chosen mode of "protest" was both predictable (burning flags) and telling (replaced with [...]
Arlington: A Salute to the Fallen Brave
Just down the road from my office is Arlington National Cemetery. More than four million people visit the cemetery annually, many coming to pay final respects at graveside services, of which nearly 100 are conducted each week. Brave soldiers from every war in which America has fought - from the [...]
Paul Mirengoff Speaks Up on Immigration
Our ACRU bloggers have attempted to bring to this site the views of exceptionally bright and intellectually honest conservative thinkers concerning the immigration debate going on in Congress and around the country. Eric Langborgh has posted a videotaped discussion by former Attorney General (and ACRU Board Member) Ed Meese, and [...]
And the Winner is: Nobody
There have been five national polls over the last few weeks asking respondents whether they approve or disapprove of the President's and Congress's performance. The polls have been taken by CBS/New York Times; Hotline; Fox; Gallup; and Rasmussen. What with his support for the very controversial immigration bill, gas prices [...]
Charles Krauthammer Speaks Up on Immigration
In keeping with the ACRU’s commitment to a free and robust exchange of ideas (no speech codes in these parts), I re-produce below, from RealClearPolitics, Charles Krauthammer’s views on the current debate in Congress on illegal immigration. Dr. Krauthammer believes that the bill under consideration does indeed create amnesty, but [...]
A Dictionary for the Politically Incorrect (cont'd)
And now for your enjoyment at the outset of this long weekend, a few more entries in the Dictionary for the Politically Incorrect:"Welcoming and Inclusive Attitude" = what the Establishment Clause provides if you're an Islamofascist or a Druid."A Strict Wall of Separation" = what the Establishment Clause provides if [...]
Ed Meese on the Immigration Debate: Rhetoric vs Reality
Here is the Hon. Ed Meese, ACRU Policy Board Member and former Attorney General under President Ronald Reagan, commenting on the Bush-Kennedy immigration bill currently being debated in congress in a "Heritage In Focus" video, produced by the Heritage Foundation:Be sure also to read what Mr. Meese recommends instead regarding [...]
Texas Senate's Approval of Religious Expression Reveals False Dichotomy
Sometimes it takes good news to reveal how bad things really are.A headline yesterday in the Dallas Morning News stated plainly, "Senate Approves Religious Expression Measure," referring to the Texas Senate. Yet, it is peculiar: hadn't the First Amendment of the United States - and virtually every state constitution, as [...]
Double Standards — A Correction
In the blog I posted on double standards being used to assess the job-worthiness of Alberto Gonzales, on the one hand, and Janet Reno, on the other, I said that the assault on the Branch Davidian compound during Ms. Reno's tenure resulted in 58 deaths. That is incorrect. According to [...]
This Could Give Double Standards a Bad Name
Congress is preparing to take a vote of "no confidence" in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. I have previously written about the all but complete disconnect between this sort of political theater and the Constitution, which provides for nothing of the kind. In France, sure. Here......But I digress. The principal "charges" [...]
Thomas Sowell Speaks Up on Immigration
The ACRU does not lobby for or against pending legislation. This does not prevent us from joining an important national debate, however, by bringing readers the views of others (and sometimes our own) on issues relevant to the discussion. Many of these issues, if not all of them, long pre-existed [...]
Let the Voters Decide—For a Day, Anyway
Many readers will remember that Farmers Branch, Texas, a Dallas suburb, recently enacted an ordinance to the effect that landlords may not rent to illegal immigrants. The ordinance went to a vote after a pro-illegal immigrant group waged a vigorous campaign to, as they put it, "Let the Voters Decide." [...]
The Farmers Branch Absurdity
Farmers Branch, a small Texas town near Dallas, passed an ordinance imposing penalties on landlords who might rent their apartments to illegal aliens. The act included a requirement that the voters must approve it. In an exceptional turnout last Saturday, the voters did approve, 68% to 32%.The ACLU and various [...]
There Is No Such Thing As A "National ID Card"
Below is a description of the provisions of what is inaccurately being called the National ID Act. These are minimum standards which all states are required to follow, as a matter of national security and illegal immigration. All states are free to have whatever requirements they choose, above and beyond [...]
Is This Parliament?
The Senate is poised to take what is being called a "no confidence vote" on Attorney General Gonzales. The Senate Majority Leader appears to be unaware that this maneuver is at best constitutionally problematic, since while no confidence votes are all well and good in parliamentary systems, they have no [...]
Steyn: "America, Z Beautiful"
Columnist Mark Steyn has a must-read Op-Ed at the New York Sun today concerning illegal immigration. As he points out, sponsors of the recent accord between the White House and the Senate don't like the word "amnesty" any more than the deal's critics do. Rather, Steyn argues, we should call [...]