Recent comments by Senators Leahy and Schumer critical of Justices Roberts and Alito demonstrate the senators' significant misunderstanding about the role of the Supreme Court and reveal their own flawed judicial philosophy.
In the August 20 edition of Newsweek, there is a column by Jonathan Alter entitled, “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” In the guise of reporting facts, it reports instead the personal opinion of Mr. Alter that the extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) “sold out the Constitution,” specifically the Fourth Amendment guarantee against “unreasonable search and seizure.”
Alter claims that “historians … will see this episode as a classic case of fear … trumping principle amid the ancient tension between personal freedom and national security.” Unfortunately, Alter’s acquaintance with historians seems slight. He may know some names, but he hasn’t read […]
The latest spate of articles accusing the Bush Administration of trampling the US Constitution in prosecuting the War in Iraq have quoted Bruce Fein, cited variously as a "conservative lawyer" and "a deputy attorney general in the Reagan Administration." He is not being quoted because he is a reliable source but because he says what the opponents of the war want said. Factual inquiry stops there.
The following is an article of mine that ran in UPI papers on September 19, 2002 – after we had declared and commenced war on anti-American terrorists but before the Iraq War:
Commentary: Are we at war?
The United States does not legitimately go to war because the president says so. Or because the United Nations, or NATO, or any other organization says so. Or even because some other nation commits an act of war against it.
The only legal way for the United States to go to war is stated in the Constitution, which gives Congress the power “To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal….” The […]
Here’s my latest article, which ran in today’s Human Events Online:
President Bush and the Constitution aren’t Enemies
The latest spate of articles accusing the Bush Administration of trampling the US Constitution in prosecuting the War in Iraq have quoted Bruce Fein, cited variously as a “conservative lawyer” and “a deputy attorney general in the Reagan Administration.” He is not being quoted because he is a reliable source but because he says what the opponents of the war want said. Factual inquiry stops there.
On 5 August, John Diaz, Editorial Page Editor of The San Francisco Chronicle penned the latest anti-war tirade […]
John Gizzi over at Human Event Online, in his latest “Gizzi on Politics” post, has written an important post regarding the ACLU’s efforts to thwart local ordinances to protect against the crime and costs of illegal immigration. Here’s the relevant section:
The ACLU Strikes Again — And Again — For Illegal Immigration
At a time when thirty two states have successfully enacted legislation to deal with illegal immigration and more than fifty local governments have either taken action or are considering it on the issue, there is a major roadblock that their actions will almost surely have to overcome: the American Civil Liberties […]
Here’s my latest article over at National Review Online, published July 31, 2007:
Impoverished Poverty Program
Oh, no, Obama
Barack Obama announced last week his policy agenda to combat urban poverty. As president, he would spend an additional $6 billion a year for such things as:
- Providing funding in 20 cities across the country to replicate successful child- and youth-development programs like the Harlem Children’s Zone in New York City and the Town Hall Education, Arts & Recreation Campus in the District of Columbia;
- Providing federal financial support for unwed fathers who help raise their children, while cracking down on those who fail to pay child support;
- Expanding the Nurse-Family Partnership program, which […]
A recent article in The Sunday Paper – “What is an American? Immigration debate reveals patriotism-and nationalism” – has been brought to my attention. In this article, my essay on what it means to be an American, first published at National Review Online in the days following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on our country, was cited. I thought this was a good time to republish that essay here:
What Is An American? A Primer
You probably missed it in the rush of news last week, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper there […]
Barack Obama announced last week his policy agenda to combat urban poverty. As president, he would spend an additional $6 billion a year for such things as:
