Obama’s Propagandistic Iconography: the Making of a Messiah

June 22, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, President, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | 5 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

A photographic essay of Obama propaganda and the Media’s willing assistance with it

In America we have always been a skeptical people. One of our states even has a skeptical motto. Missouri calls itself the “Show Me State” proving that Missourians don’t imagine they’d be apt to have the wool pulled over their eyes too readily. Consequently, when most American citizens look at their politicians they usually view them through a prism of skepticism and since the assassination of John F. Kennedy, our skepticism has almost bordered on the irrational. (Photo with Obama logo behind by Reuters)

The American press has traditionally been even harder on our politicians and government than even the average American. Since the first days of our country, the press has savaged, doubted, dug up dirt and attacked our politicians, seeming to never believe a word the pols say. From George Washington to George Bush, the press has been at odds with politicians. Yet, for some unexplainable reason, the pretentiousness and presumption of Barack Obama is being allowed to pass uncommented upon. The media especially is allowing him to make all sorts of claims that they should never allow anyone else to get away with. They are unquestioning with his claim to be the candidate of “change” and the candidate that will “reach across the aisle.” Neither claim can be substantiated by the man’s career thus far. He does not reach across the aisle and he is responsible for no great program of change. A properly skeptical press would ask for the proof of Obmam’s claims, but they merely smile and allow him to ramble on as if what he is saying is unassailable.

But the media is especially compliant where it concerns the Obama campaign’s graphic designs, displays that can be so easily compared to religious iconography or even old style communist propaganda. The overblown, obscenely reverential posters featuring Obama’s upturned face in Jesus-like poses have gone uncommented upon by what should be a hard-nosed, doubtful media. These over-the-top graphic images in the form of posters and campaign literature design are amazing for their obvious propagandistic style, yet the media seem not to find any reason to be off put by the absurdity of these graphics. Nor have they noticed the campaign art’s similarity to communist imagery. One can’t help but wonder why this blatant re-use of the graphic style used by Stalin, Hitler and Mao has raised not the slightest question in the minds of the American media?

McCain Promises Hispanics He’ll Revive ‘Comprehensive Immigration Reform’ Measures

June 22, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Elections, GOP, Immigration/Immigrants, News, President, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | 9 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Last year, the so-called Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (Senate bill 1348) went down to a resounding defeat thanks to the vigilance of talk-radio and the blogs. John McCain was a leading voice in favor of passage in the Senate.

Since that defeat, John McCain has claimed that he has “gotten the message” that the country does not want the McCain version of “comprehensive reform” and he has avoided the issue in most campaign appearances.

But Juan McCain still lurks inside of John McCain.

American School Books Redefine ‘Jihad’ to Exclude Violence

June 22, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Education, Foreign Policy, Islam, Islamofascism, Media Bias, News, Religion, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

In yet another example of why the west could be too weak to fight the sort of global terrorism that takes the form of Islamofascism, a textbook monitoring group is charging that American textbooks have been cleansed of mentioning the violence inherent in the Islamic “Jihad.” Now, our children will not be taught what “Jihad” truly means, nor that it has been used as an excuse to kill their fellow citizens because our schools have sanitized Islam of all outrage and violence. Will the media follow this story and report that our children are being exposed to Islamic propaganda like this?

According to the New York Examiner, the American Textbook Council reports that textbooks approved for middle and high schools students have caved in to a politically correct cleansing of Islam and dumbed down history critical to a fuller understanding of Muslim history — one that reflects on our own times.

“Textbook editors try to avoid any subject that could turn into a political grenade,” wrote Gilbert Sewall, director of the council, who railed against five popular history texts for “adjust[ing] the definition of jihad or sharia or remov[ing] these words from lessons to avoid inconvenient truths.”

According to Sewall, several new textbooks, such as Houghton Mifflin’s “Across the Centuries,” have gone through an “amazing cultural reorchestration” to erase the history of violence associated with the word “jihad.”

Sewall fears that a political process has replaced an academic process where it concerns the production and approval of our textbooks.

Teachers Unions Succeed in Ending Scholarships

June 22, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Business, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Education, News, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

One would assume that everyone wants to see that our kids get the best education possible. I mean, who could possibly be against kids getting the best opportunities? Well, apparently the one entity that you’d expect to really care about kids is the one standing in the way of their education: teachers. Sadly, it is obvious that teachers as a group don’t care a whit about kids, at least as far as their union is concerned.

Take the Republican led policy called the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. It is a program that provides worthy minority student in the Washington D.C. school system with $7,500 a year for tuition and fees at private schools. We all know that government schools are nearly universally substandard and this program helps minority kids find their way to better schools so that they might get a better education.

Naturally, the Teachers union opposes it.

Serving

June 22, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Education, Family, News, Religion, Society/Culture, Thomas Brewton | Comments Off

-By Thomas E. Brewton

Being a Christian is more than attending church. And it’s not being selective in the ways you choose to follow Jesus.

Sunday’s sermon at Black Rock-Long Ridge Congregational Church (North Stamford, Connecticut) was delivered by Pastor Steve Treash. His subject was “I Serve.”

Christianity is more than just desiring to become a better person. You must be be ready to act when God presents opportunities for you to serve others.

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:25-28)

Again in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi:

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. _

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! _

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:1-11)

Christians must be prepared, indeed eager, to serve at home, in the workplace, and especially in the church.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

Serve joyfully and with a full heart.

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. (Ephesians 6:7-8)

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:12-17)

English Paper Puts Self on Mt. Rushmore

June 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Foreign Policy, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

I guess this is what strikes the English as amusing, but the Guardian Newspaper has decided it would be super neat to place their logo on Mt. Rushmore to advertise their coverage of the United States. This sort of disrespect for one of our most recognizable national monuments is a great idea to get Americans interested in the Guardian’s American version, isn’t it?

Yes, there’s nothing like defacing a national monument in order to sell newspapers!

Just look at that enticing main page! Why, I can just feel the great respect the Brits have for us right away, don’t you?

So, I thought for a fun weekend project we might return tit for tat by visiting some of the Brit’s favorite landmarks and monuments to see what we might find.

First up on our travelogue we head to Trafalgar Square to take a gander at the great Nelson Column. There he stands looking brave at the top of his famous column. Just look at how he gazes over the whole of England, keeping it safe and watching over it like a father. We know that with Nelson looking over the British Isle no harm could ever come to it… right?

Ah, but if Nelson can’t do the job, there’s always the great lion at his feet that will scare away the blue meanies. Look how scary he is, with a roar that scares people from as far away as Moscow!

From Trafalgar Square, we take a little jaunt on over to the newly christened McDonald’s Bridge ™. Spanning the River Thames the McDonald’s Bridge ™ lends easy access from shore to shore. Would you like an apple pie with that? Just look at the majesty!

Ah, Britannia. We hardly knew ye.

How to Speak ‘Democrat,’ By Representative Thad McCotter (R, Mich.)

June 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Corruption, News, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Class, now simmer down, class. We have a guest speaker today and an eminent one at that. I’d like to introduce Congressman Thad McCotter who will be giving us a lecture on how to speak Democrat. It’s very instructive and we’d like to thank Congressman McCotter for coming today.

Now wasn’t that wonderful class? Let’s give Representative McCotter a nice round of applause.

(See the YouTube page if this video is not working properly.)

What Passes for ‘Journalism,’ Giving Obama a Free Pass

June 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, President, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Recently the Rockford (Ill.) Register Star subjected its readers to another fine example of sloppy journalism aimed at exalting the Obama candidacy. It is so bad, so pointless, so filled with empty platitudes and meaninglessness that one might suspect it was written by Barack Obama himself instead of a reputed journalist. But it is a perfect example of the sort of slavish devotion the Illinois press is bestowing on it’s almost native son.

This time, the Register Star is seen assuring Illinoisans that a President Barack will be good for the state because “he’s been here.” That’s it. That’s the entire message. He will be good for Illinois because “he’s been here.” No explanation, no examples, no further revelation is needed… and the paper offers none.

So, what does it mean? Who knows? But it is a good sound to it, doesn’t it? Why Barack will be great because “he’s been here,” ya know? Of course, he’s “been” to all the other 57 states, too. Why he’d be better for Illinois over mere visitation than he would for anywhere else is never addressed. But, who needs explanations? The warm fuzzy feelings that the Illinois media and the Obama campaign radiates is all most Obama supporters need. No logic or serious policy discussion is needed.

CT ‘Bad Boy Clause’ Passes, Unions Oppose Punishing Criminal Public Employees

June 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Crime, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Corruption, News, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

In an historic decision that I hope is duplicated in other states, Connecticut has finally passed the “bad boy clause,” a law that would find public employees (like elected politicians and state workers) who are convicted of criminal behavior having their pensions denied them as a result of that criminal behavior.

Of course, unions are against this law. They claim it would be a breach of their union contracts, but really all they want is to shield their criminal members from the consequences of their criminality. Why is it no surprise that unions want to reward criminal behavior by allowing those who steal from the public and break the public trust by allowing them to continue stealing from the public treasury in the form of unearned and undeserved pensions?

This is just another example of why unions are not in the public’s interest and should never be allowed for state workers. Unions are not interested in the public good. They are only interested it what they can get for their members.

The idea of a union is antithetical to good government at every level.

The Silence Is Deafening

June 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Government, Corruption, News, Society/Culture, Taxes, The Heritage Foundation | Comments Off

-By The Heritage Foundation

The year 2008 is not just an election year. It is also the year that marks the beginning of a demographic transformation that threatens the fiscal stability of this country. Already, Social Security, . But this year, the first of the nearly 80 million baby boomers begin to draw out, instead of contribute to, our entitlement programs. The consequences of this shift will come quickly and will be staggering.

Already Medicare spends more each year than it takes in. In just six years, Medicare will draw more than 45% of its budget from general revenues. Already Social Security and Medicare consume 7.5% of our GDP. Unless changes are made, that figure will jump to 13% by 2030. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the increased deficits or taxation required to cover this explosion in spending would cripple the U.S. economy. A diverse coalition of 16 budget experts from seven think tanks (including American Enterprise Institute, Brookings Institution, Concord Coalition, The Heritage Foundation, New America Foundation, Progressive Policy Institute and Urban Institute) met for more than a year before producing a paper calling for honest political leadership on the issue. Now at least one congressman has come forward with an honest proposal.
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Figuring Out God, Prophecy and other scary words

June 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Family, Morals/Sex, Religion, Resa LaRu, "Warchick" Kirkland, Society/Culture | 1 Comment

-By Resa LaRu Kirkland

Reading some scriptures last night–that I’ve read a million times before–seemed to have new meaning with current events. Could this be what we are seeing happen right now?

Here’s what I was reading, and what I thought of it. (Only the Prophet can speak with any authority about God’s direction for His gospel, but we are ALL–as God’s children–entitled to the gifts of prophecy, discernment, and understanding concerning everything else in our lives and the lives of those we love or have responsibility over, so lay claim to it people and use it! NOW!)

Daniel 11: 21-22
21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
22 And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.

First of all, let me stress that I do NOT believe that these verses are speaking of the anti-Christ, if there is a single person he is meant to represent. All men who seek to steal your freedom and set themselves above you, anyone who is a respecter of persons and believes you must do as THEY say–and NOT what is right–are anti-Christs. That was the war in Heaven and that is the war now–between those who want free will (Christ’s plan)and those who want force(Lucifer’s plan).

A vile person who shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries, to whom the people will NOT give the honour of the kingdom? Does that mean the majority will not elect him? I’ll get to that in a minute…only a few verses later there seems to be a confirmation of that fact.
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Rabbi Shmuley Boteach to Address Independence Day Rally

June 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Education, Israel Teitelbaum, News, Society/Culture | Comments Off

-By Israel Teitelbaum

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, host of the daily national radio program, The Rabbi Shmuley Show on Oprah & Friends, XM Satellite Radio, and host of the award-winning national TV show, Shalom in the Home on TLC, will address a rally for school choice this coming July 3rd, 7:30 PM, at the Leon and Toby Cooperman JCC, 760 Northfield Ave., West Orange, NJ. This event, combined with a Freedom Concert, will launch a grass roots drive on behalf of national legislation to restore equal educational opportunity for every child.

Boteach has been a long time advocate of parental choice in education and is also the international best-selling author of 19 books, including his most recent work, The Broken American Male: And How to Fix Him, released by St. Martin’s Press in January of 2008. His recent works, Parenting With Fire and Ten Conversations You Need to Have With Your Children were both launched on Oprah’s TV show.

In 2007, Rabbi Shmuley was labeled “a cultural phenomenon” and “the most famous rabbi in America” by Newsweek magazine, and was named one of the ten most influential rabbis in America. Also in 2007, Rabbi Shmuley was honored by The National Fatherhood Initiative, receiving their most prestigious award for his efforts on Shalom in the Home to promote the importance of a caring father in the contemporary family. He was also named by Talkers Magazine as one of the hundred most important radio hosts in America.
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Jailed for Blogging

June 20, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Corruption, Inernet, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, Technology, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Bloggers are being arrested more and more as the importance of the Internet is realized by governments across the world, at least so warns the BBC. It seems an alarming report where community activists and democracy advocates are finding themselves being oppressed by government, arrested, and maybe even tortured because of their blogging. But, one little fact of the story is never really focussed on in this alarming BBC report on the release of the WIA report from the University of Washington. The fact that bloggers aren’t threatened much in democratic nations has been glossed over by this report.

Unfortunately, a cursory reading of this piece would leave the reader with the vague feeling that people all over the world are being arrested merely because they are blogging, but that isn’t quite the case. The way this report is written serves as a perfect example of a PCism more concerned with upsetting the tender sensibilities of tyrannical, undemocratic governments, than in reporting the oppression of its citizens. It’s a PCism gone so far that it makes the report uninformative at least to the most important aspect of the reason these bloggers are being arrested.

Here is how the BEEB starts their almost whitewashed report:

More bloggers than ever face arrest for exposing human rights abuses or criticising governments, says a report.

Since 2003, 64 people have been arrested for publishing their views on a blog, says the University of Washington annual report.

The BBC also gravely informs us that, “Citizens have faced arrest and jail for blogging about many different topics,” and that “Arrested bloggers exposed corruption in government, abuse of human rights or suppression of protests. They criticised public policies and took political figures to task.”

The report goes on to explain why this new threat to bloggers has arisen.

The report said the rising number of arrests was testament to the “growing” political importance of blogging. It noted that arrests tended to increase during times of “political uncertainty”, such as around general elections or during large scale protests.

But one thing the BBC report does not do is fully explain what sort of nations are making all these arrests. Now, to the BEEB’s credit, they do include one little line to let us know were some of these arrests have been carried out.

More than half of all the arrests since 2003 have been made in China, Egypt and Iran, said the report.

But, still, the reader could easily miss the fact that this threat to free speech is, for the most part, occurring in nations of a certain nature, nations that are not free and open societies.

Transcript of Lecture on Google, Net Neutrality, Monopolies, Click Fraud, Privacy

June 20, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Business, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Google, Inernet, Media Bias, News, Scott Cleland, Society/Culture, Technology | Comments Off

-By Scott Cleland

Unleashed: Transcript of Griffin/Cleland talk on Google, net neutrality, monopolies, click fraud, privacy

For those who like the written format, here is the transcript of ChipGriffin’s interview of me on all things Google.

The transcript is just below the podcast button to hear the interview.

This interview turned out to be one of the most comprehensive and in-depth discussions I have had on all things Google — that’s been captured for web listening or reading.
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Chgo Trib: Giving Away Obama T-Shirt With Subscription

June 19, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Remember how the media claims they are fair and balanced? Remember how “journalists” say that all they do is “report the facts” and that their overwhelming lefitism is left at home when they ride their eco-friendly bikes to work? Remember how they claim that they are the “watchdogs” of politicians and don’t involve themselves in politics? Apparently the Chicago Tribune didn’t get that memo because an Obama supporter visited a local Chicago store to snap the picture to prove that Obama shirts are being offered in exchange for a subscription.

So on my way to Saloon Democrats, I stop by the Walgreens on Clark and Lake. And what do I see just inside the entry? A woman with a bunch of baseball hats and tee-shirts trying to sell subscriptions to the Chicago Tribune.

The deal is, if you sign up for the Chicago Tribune at one dollar a week, you can get one of the hats or teeshirts for free. And what’s on the teeshirt? Why “Obama” of course. It wasn’t the official campaign logo but it was his name splashed across the white cotton fabric. The only reason I noticed is because the woman called out to everyone entering the store saying they could get a free “Obama” teeshirt if they signed up for the Tribune.

So much for just being “reporters,” eh? But remember, the media is NOT in the bag for Obama!

But, doesn’t this cozy relationship between the Trib and the Obama campaign seem to put their objectivity in doubt?

Of course, there was a day when the media did overtly chose sides and support particular candidates. I wouldn’t mind if we’d go back to those days. Because what we have now is the claim that the media is dispassionate even as they support Obama with their every move while pretending they aren’t! I’d rather the truth from the media than a lie any day.

(Photo Credit: IllinoisDemNetwork.com)

Environmentalists Want us Cast Into Stone Ages

June 19, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Energy, Global Warming, News, Science, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

The talk of the country is the high cost of gasoline, we all know. At over $4 a gallon, the cost of gas is severely affecting the finances of every single American. From the costs of just getting around to the costs of food, the high cost of gas is reaching deep into all of our pockets.

The solution to many, of course, is to drill our own substantial oil reserves that we have not touched in decades. If we are so stuck on foreign oil, if we are so reliant on nations that despise us, why not drill our own oil? We have plenty of it, after all.

So, drilling our own has become the prevailing opinion in American’s minds. We drill our own and eventually it will ease our reliance on our enemies for energy and we just might be able to bring the costs of our gasoline down, to boot. Who could be against it? Who doesn’t want us to save money, become more self-sufficient, and continue to grow and improve our country?

Environmentalists, that’s who.

These envirowackos are trying to stop drilling in Pinedale, Wyoming at the same time as the national debate is beginning to turn, at long last, to increasing the drilling for oil in our own country. They claim that the drilling now going on has negatively affected the environment there.

In a day when Americans are struggling financially. When food is climbing to prices that will cause some Americans to find they cannot afford to eat. In a day when we are forced to kow tow to foreign enemies because we are reliant on their oil. In a day when the need for that oil causes us to involve ourselves in unsavory alliances… with all these thing happening to us, the environazis are trying make it worse by trying to make it harder at every turn for our own sources of energy to be developed.

These people wish us to be returned to the stone ages, there can be little doubt. They want to stop human advancement, destroy our economy, kill people by the millions through hunger, and destroy modernity.

First of all, humanity is not a “plague” on the earth. In case some may have forgotten, humanity is just as natural to the earth as the animals are. Secondly, it is a fact that every human on earth could be gathered in the state of Texas and still have 1,000 feet of living space. I point this out to show how little space we really do cover on this planet. The environment is not being threatened by humanity, especially considering the fact that man has realized his folly and made great strides in protecting that environment.

These environinnies are dangerous. And this newest anti-American effort by environmentalists in Wyoming is yet more proof that they stand against humanity.

New Hollywood Film Casts Old West Cowboys as ‘Imperialists’

June 19, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Entertainment, Media Bias, News, Patriotism, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

What’s history for if Hollywood and our other entertainment industries can’t take it and warp it to fit a current, partisan political agenda? In yet another example of Hollyweird’s foolishness, we have a new Robert Downey, Jr. vehicle that casts the American Cowboy as an “imperialist”. Of course, they will dress it up and try to hide this absurd message by having an alien invasion occur during a skirmish between Cowboys and Indians in the late 1800′s, forcing the two human enemies to unite to fight the aliens. This is supposed to be an “allegory.” Yes, with this “pulpy mix of the sci-fi and Western genres,” we have “allegory” in the fact that the space aliens are trying to invade and conquer the Earth just like the cowboys were doing to the poor, benighted natives. Just once I’d like to see a movie present Indians as real, three dimensional people instead of infantilized, victims.

After Downey’s great success with “Iron Man,” it is now reported that he is in talks to join “Cowboys and Aliens,” from Imagine Entertainment, a film based on a so-called graphic novel of the same name.

The story centers on an Old West battle between the Apache and Western settlers, including a former Union Army gunslinger named Zeke Jackson (Downey), that is interrupted by a spaceship crashing into the prairie near Silver City, Ariz.

Sounds “B” movie-like, but here is where we get the preachy “allegory.”

The story draws a parallel between the American imperialist drive to conquer the “savage” Indians with its advanced technology and the aliens’ assault on Earthlings, who must join together to survive the invaders’ attack.

Great, another example of a movie trying to be “relevant.”

Hispanosupremacists Infiltrate Evangelical Movement

June 19, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Family, Frederick Meekins, News, Religion, Society/Culture | Comments Off

-By Frederick Meekins

Minority activists and other guiltmongers often whine that 11 am Sunday morning is often the most segregated hour of the week. I wonder what the we-are-all-one-big family agitators have to say about the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, which bills itself as the National Hispanic Association of Evangelicals.

While prominent Christian leaders are correct that all of mankind descends from one set of parents, interesting, isn’t it, how these speakers only expect Whites of a more Northern European extraction to abide by such radical color-blindness. For if a group of Caucasians a little to wrapped up in their pigmentation ratios established the Nordic Christian Association, it would not be tolerated in contemporary Evangelical circles, and rightfully so.

Yet, in browsing the NHCLC’s website, one finds alliances and linkages with a virtual who’s who of American religion today. On their main page at one time or another have been inks to prominent ministries such as Promise Keepers, Christianity Today, Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse, and Rod Parsely’s Center for Moral Clarity. Unless otherwise stated, usually such prominent banner placements denote a high degree of fellowship between the partners.
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Direct Election v. Electoral College

June 19, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Congress, Constitution, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Government, Corruption, Media Bias, Nancy Salvato, News, President, Society/Culture | 1 Comment

-By Nancy Salvato

The constitutional amendment process is a complicated and lengthy affair. This is because we cannot be certain what consequences might arise from a seemingly minor alteration of the Constitution. To be sure, exchanging the electoral-vote system for direct election would adversely impact the entire constitutional and political structure of the United States.

To begin, our Constitution is dedicated to securing everybody’s rights. This requires that we be concerned not only with size, but with the character of the majorities voting our president to office. There are many ways in which our Constitution is configured to prevent simple majorities.

The federal system prevents less populous States from being engulfed by more populous States.
A bicameral legislature divides responsibilities between House and Senate on grounds other than those of population.
Power is invested in a non-elective judiciary.
Each State has a minimum of three electoral votes in the Electoral College.

One way the Electoral College creates moderately characterized numerical majorities includes assuring that each state’s vote actually represents the state’s interests in the selection and election of Presidents. By requiring a majority of electoral votes to win the presidency, a political party must campaign in all or most of the States -expanding its base of support beyond a narrow geographical region.
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Flight 93 Memorial Update…

June 18, 2008 | Filed Under Flight 93, War on Terror | Comments Off

Who broke the circle?

The Memorial Project claims to have an innocent explanation for why the central feature of the Flight 93 memorial is a giant Islamic shaped crescent. As architect Paul Murdoch has been saying since September 2005, the flight path breaks the circle, turning it into what was originally called the Crescent of Embrace.

But this isn’t a memorial to an airliner. It is a memorial to human beings. So just who is it that architect Paul Murdoch is depicting as breaking the circle?

As a secular symbol, the circle signifies peace and harmony. There is no way that the heroic passengers and crew can be charged with breaking the circle. It is the terrorists who broke the peace.

Associated Press-ing Bloggers

June 18, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Media Bias, News, Security/Safety, Warner Todd Huston | 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

I haven’t written anything about this one yet because, frankly, I don’t care what the AP thinks they are going to charge for using snippets of their stories. I will NOT abide by this nonsense of 5 words or $12.50 a word after no matter how many “rules” they claim to have written. I will continue using parts of their stories in my criticism no matter what they say.

Here’s the thing, if we abide by the AP’s desire to severely limit our usage of snippets of their reports they will have effectively eliminated any criticism of them because no one will be able to have enough of their reports reproduced to make sensible criticism.

Of course, I’d say that it is beyond question that a blogger should not reproduce an entire AP report in criticism of that report. (I have to admit that once in a great while I have done that. But rarely do I do so.) But, what ever the case, bloggers usually operate under the “Fair use laws” when using other’s work for criticism.

Our friend Jenn Sierra over at Fort Hard Knox has some really good information on what this “Fir Use” deal is. If you are interested in the legal ins and outs, take a look at the FHK post.

A Lefty That Says ‘Bush never lied to us about Iraq’

June 18, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Foreign Policy, Media Bias, Military, News, President, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

James Kirchick, assistant editor of The New Republic, has come under my scrutiny for his bias before, of course. I see one of my roles as keeping an eye on the bias in the media and to document and analyze that bias. But while I naturally focus on when the media get it wrong, I also like to point out when those who I’ve criticized get it right. Here is a case when a member of the media that I usually criticize did, indeed, get it right and this time it might get him in Dutch with his lefty pals in the nutroots. After all, the surest way to get the nutroots upset at you is to say Bush did not lie about the war. But that is exactly what Kirchick just did and he did an admirable job chronicling it, too.

In an editorial in the L.A. Times on the 16th, Kirchick said that “Bush never lied to us about Iraq” and then went on to substantiate his claim in a style that runs contrary to the Media and nutroots meme that “Bush lied and people died.”

Kirchick started his piece with a recounting of the flip flop that Mitt Romney’s father, George, undertook when he reversed his support of the Vietnam war as he geared up to run for president in 1968. Romney initially supported the Vietnam War but later claimed that the administration and war supporters “brainwashed” him into believing in the war. With his flip flop he claimed that he had seen the light, but critics said that he was merely playing to a perceived anti-war changing tide and trying to capture that vote — in other words, Romney’s flip flop was only calculated to get votes. This, Kirchick says, is the same thing that politicians like John F. Kerry have done with the Iraq war. They voted for it before they voted against it.

Labor’s Voice Louder Than Public Support

June 18, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Education, Elections, Government, Corruption, Media Bias, News, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Steve Peoples of the Providence Journal (Rhode Island) gives us a great reminder that the voice of the labor movement has far more power than it does public support. He details all the politicians, lobbyists and union reps intertwined in government in the State House and how, even if the people of the state aren’t realizing it, those union voices are every day scheming to get the union agenda passed at every level of State government.

While union membership is at its lowest level in 50 years, labor leaders’ daily contact with lawmakers is as strong as ever.

Most days on Smith Hill, union lobbyists far outnumber those from other interest groups.

“In fairness to labor, they’re up here every single day, talking to people,” says Senate Finance Committee Chairman Stephen D. Alves. “You don’t see the Chamber [of Commerce] people here every single day. Do [unions] have more access? I suppose they do — only because they’re here. They catch you in the corridor. If business people were up here and want to talk to us, they’re more than welcome to.”

This is the insidious method. While the people are unawares, the labor movement worms its way into every aspect of our lives. Union member or not, we pay the ultimate price for unionism in higher prices, lost jobs, and high taxes, regulation, etc.

And it’s because unions slither their way into every crack of our governments.

People’s does a great job of detailing the undue influence unions have at least in Rhode Island. But, writ larger, it is the same in every state as well as the Federal government.

Voter beware.
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Change We Can Believe In

June 18, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Constitution, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Government, Corruption, Media Bias, News, President, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, Thomas Brewton | Comments Off

-By Thomas E. Brewton

You’d better believe it. Senator Obama and his supporters dislike traditional Americanism, preferring the Darwinian doctrine of evolutionary change expressed in moral relativism.

Senator Obama’s army of followers are energized by inexperienced and immature students and by Baby Boomer anarchists eager to relive their activist days of the 1960s and 70s. They stand opposed to the historical traditions of the United States. Theirs is a world in which change is equated with sensual self-indulgence.

Underlying this vision of change is Darwin’s evolutionary hypothesis, applied to politics and social interaction by John Dewey in the early 20th century. Dewey taught Columbia University students that Darwin’s idea of evolution applied to morality as well as biology. This meant, said Dewey, that there can be no such thing as timeless principles of morality. Rules of social conduct are continually undergoing evolutionary change. All that matters is action that gets you what you want.
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Gore-ging on Energy, 1 Year Later Gore’s Home Energy Use Climbs 10%

June 17, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Energy, Global Warming, Media Bias, News, Science, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

In February of 2007 a small group named the Tennessee Center for Policy Research published an interesting little story that made Al Gore, the king of global warming alarmism, look a tad foolish. The report that TCPR sent out showed that Al Gore’s own home was an energy hog. The TCPR report revealed that Al Gore’s Tennessee mansion used more energy each month than the average American household uses in an entire year. In a response to this report, Gore claimed that he was diligently working to make his home more green, but now it looks like Gore is being gored again because a year down the line his energy use hasn’t gone down. It hasn’t even stayed level. It actually increased by 10%. How will the media handle this bloated increase despite Gore’s claims of trying to improve?

In 2007, to a sensational reception the TCPR noted that the Gore family burned through energy at an amazing rate saying, “Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh — guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.”

Not long after, Gore answered his critics on the website of Think Progress, an extreme website run by the Center for American Progress and funded by left-winger George Soros.

Vice President Gore’s office told ThinkProgress:

1) Gore’s family has taken numerous steps to reduce the carbon footprint of their private residence, including signing up for 100 percent green power through Green Power Switch, installing solar panels, and using compact fluorescent bulbs and other energy saving technology.

2) Gore has had a consistent position of purchasing carbon offsets to offset the family’s carbon footprint — a concept the right-wing fails to understand. Gore’s office explains:

What Mr. Gore has asked is that every family calculate their carbon footprint and try to reduce it as much as possible. Once they have done so, he then advocates that they purchase offsets, as the Gore’s do, to bring their footprint down to zero.

The most telling aspect of the 2007 report about Gore’s energy use is that he never disputed the facts. He admitted that he used that much energy, but claimed that he was trying to bring that usage down.

Well, we have waited a year to see the evidence of the Gore family’s efforts to bring that carbon footprint down to zero. And, with a follow up report, the TCPR decided to look into Al Gore’s usage of energy to see how well he did in improving his high energy use.

Unfortunately for the king of global warming, he didn’t do so well.

CNN: Obama Poll Advantage Over McCain ‘Enormous’ … in Europe

June 17, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Foreign Policy, Media Bias, News, Patriotism, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

CNN calls this serious news, apparently, but a recent report about a Pew Research poll of “more than 24,000 people in 24 countries” shows that foreigners favor Barack Obama over John McCain for president. Aside from the general “who cares” of it all, why is it news that people who wish the United States ill will would pick the candidate most friendly to their interests to become our president? Shouldn’t it be obvious that foreigners would want someone that would favor their views to become the next president of the U.S.? Who would expect a Frenchman or a Swede to pick someone that would least favor a foreigner’s point of view on international politics? After all, why would a foreigner want an American president that would strongly advocate for the United States when they themselves are not Americans? Naturally, they’d gravitate to the candidate that seems to represent what Europe wants and not the candidate that would strongly advocate for the U.S.A.

And on top of that, why the heck would an American care what a foreigner thinks about U.S. elections? Yet, in theirs headlined “Poll: Image of US will ‘change for the better’ with Obama,” here is CNN acting as if this is important and perhaps shocking news that Obama has an “enormous” polling advantage among foreigners.

(CNN)—Despite increasing economic concerns and an on-going war in Iraq, a new international poll finds a widespread belief in many countries that United States foreign policy “will change for the better” once a new administration is sworn into office, particularly if Sen. Barack Obama is elected president.

The international poll conducted by Pew Research of more than 24,000 people in 24 countries found people who have been following the U.S. elections feel more confident Obama “will do the right thing,” with regards to foreign relations than John McCain.

Golly, gee. And by “do the right thing” here we are talking about doing what is best for Europeans not what is best for Americans. After all, the poll question was not which will make a better U.S. president for the U.S. The question was which do they want as president. Since they weren’t asked to put themselves in the shoes of the US population, they certainly based their answers on their own self interest, not ours.

Right to Work States See Higher Growth Than Forced Unionization States

June 17, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Business, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, News, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

A fellow named Will Franklin over at Willisms.com has done some number crunching and he has discovered that states that support a right to work policy grow at a much higher rate than states that are awash in forced unionization.

From 2004-2007, no Right To Work state grew less than 5.1%, while fifteen Forced Unionization state grew below that level.

Meanwhile, while America’s GDP growth from 2004-2007 by 8.4%, Right To Work states grew by 10% on average, while Forced Unionization states grew by only 6.2% on average. The median Right To Work growth rate was 9.2%, compared to the median Forced Unionization rate of 4.9% (the national median for all states was 7.3%).

As expected, it appears that unionism is an albatross, a mill stone around the necks of the workers limiting the success and growth of a state.

Of course, this will not sit well with the “two Americas” types on the left in this country. As Will points out, the side that they are on is the side of failure and a stifled economy. So, good luck with that concept, there.

Police Threaten to Arrest Pastor for Anti-Islamic Tract!

June 17, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Crime, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Corruption, Islam, Islamofascism, Media Bias, Military, News, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, War on Terror | Comments Off

-By Don Boys, Ph.D.

The police detective who headed the city/county Hate Crimes Division entered the office of a Baptist pastor, sat down and laid a tract (with the church’s imprint) titled “Allah Had No Son” on the pastor’s desk. (Allah may not have a son but he has three pagan daughters– al-’Uzza, al-Lat and Manah!) The detective told the pastor that the content of the tract and the church imprint was enough evidence to charge him right there and then. The pastor and church were guilty of a hate crime: telling the truth about Islam. I have read that tract and it is historical and biblical. Yes, it would offend a Muslim who is not interested in the truth and it might offend a confused, compromising, and craven, Christian. However, for one who believes the Bible (with its command to evangelize the world) and who knows history, the tract would pose no problem.

My wife and I had services in four Canadian independent Baptist churches, one of them the above church. The pastor told the detective that the particular tract was not part of his convictions and he would use another tract with the same message but without the “offensive” drawings. As far as we know, the detective was satisfied. The pastor told him that if he were told not to preach or distribute the Scriptures, he would refuse and go to jail. Furthermore, the pastor told him he would continue to evangelize the 40,000 Muslims in London Ontario.

U.S. pastors had better get ready because the same thing will happen here. When it does, how will pastors react? Of course, no one knows for sure how he would respond until he is faced with the threat. While a particular tract would not be part of my “convictions,” I don’t have plans to do any negotiating. I would tell the police to remove themselves from my office since they were out of line.
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Ohio Judge With Posters of Che and Obama in His Office?

June 16, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Judges, Media Bias, News, Patriotism, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

The AP had a short newsbreak story on Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge who ruled that the state must stop the method of executions in the state, saying that the “lethal injection procedure doesn’t provide the quick and painless death required by Ohio law.” Accompanying the short story is the picture we post here showing the judge in his office where he proudly displays two posters, one with murderer, insurrectionist and communist Che Guevara upon it and the other is the famous “Hope” poster put out by the Barack Obama campaign.

This makes one wonder about the lack of reaction to this photo seen today from the media. Let us imagine if this judge happened to be considered a conservative. Supposing this judge had a poster of a right-wing dictator — maybe even Hitler — displayed side-by-side with a John McCain for president poster or a George W. Bush poster. So, what would the media be doing today should such a picture coupling McCain with a murderous, oppressor on the right be making the rounds? Who can doubt that the media would be completely out of it’s mind (and rightfully so, by the way) about a judge that would seem to be celebrating a right-wing dictator?

Yet, here we have a judge, a public official, proudly showing fealty to a monster of the left, Che Guevara, a man that despised the U.S. and everything it stands for, without the media raising even a whimper! In fact, they publish it as if this judge deserved to be given respect.

My comparison between Che and Hitler is exact, too, even as Che wasn’t quite up to the criminal totality of Adolf Hitler, it wasn’t because he didn’t want to be, it was just because he didn’t have the power to be a Hitler redux.

If you need any other proof that the media is blind to the anti-Americanism that is leftism, this is it.

**Update**

I want to clarify a point here. I have had someone question what I mean about Hitler being a “right-wing dictator.” My use of Hitler was in response to how the media would see an opposite of a Che Guevara type. I am not implying that Hitler was a conservative, or right-wing. Hitler’s ideology is clearly the perfect example of the ultimate destination of leftist thought. He was a socialist, and the quintessential left-winger, not a conservative.

College Gives Credit for Obama Campaign Volunteers, None for McCain

June 16, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Education, Elections, Government, Corruption, Media Bias, News, President, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Is our children learning? It seems they are learning at least one thing; their college supports Barack Obama. Students at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, are being presented with a new opportunity to indulge in what is being called a “gap year.” An idea popular in Europe, the “gap year” is a year taken off from studies between high school and the first year of college. That year is supposedly spent traveling or doing volunteer work. To regulate this, the college gives credit to the students for approved “gap year” activities, one of which is volunteering for the Barack Obama presidential campaign. No mention of allowing the same benefit for a volunteer to John McCain’s campaign is made, naturally.

Projects of the past year and the coming fall include study in Florence, Italy, and London, volunteer work on Barack Obama’s campaign, travel to Israel, and a mountaineering course. The school stays in contact with the students during the fall, helping them maintain ties to the college, register for classes, and hosts a special orientation for them before the spring semester begins.

To explain what this time wasting “gap year” is, an article from the Patriot-News reports that Europeans love this concept. The paper says that, “…slowly but surely, an old standard in European education is starting to catch on across the United States, giving some college-bound students an opportunity to catch their breath.”

Popular throughout Europe, gap years allow students the chance to defer their admission to university, and take a semester or a year off in between high school and college. With the time off, students travel, undertake volunteer projects abroad, or embark on working holidays. In 2007, 7 percent of university-bound U.K. students opted to take a gap year, according to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services.

Why American’s would want to emulate any such practice as appears in Europe is beyond me, but it appears that some students would rather sit around and do nothing, wasting valuable time, instead of starting the next leg of their education as soon as possible.

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