| The disaster-per-week president | (03/19/07)
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These are difficult times for Americans who knew from the beginning that George W. Bush was not qualified to be our president. The Bush years have been disastrous for America and for a world that depends on a steady hand of American leadership.
Every week brings one or two more disasters created by the Administration’s incompetence, heavy-handed politics and greed. |
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| The suicide of American conservatism | (03/12/07)
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March 2007 may be the time that historians mark as the end of the American conservative movement. And when its demise is confirmed, the cause of death will be suicide. Just look at the news.
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| George Washington --- The Greatest American | (02/22/07)
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Our nation’s Founders’ real lives are far more interesting than the false sainthood we have bestowed upon many of them. The many fables about George Washington obscure the inspiring truth about our first President.
No one was more important to our Nation’s founding than George Washington. Even Thomas Jefferson was first to admit the decisive role played by Washington. More than anyone else, America exists because of the leadership and sacrifice of George Washington. |
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| Alberto Gonzales and habeas corpus | (02/17/07)
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If you don’t believe that the neo-conservative lawyers in the Bush administration want to limit your Constitutional rights, the following information is guaranteed to upset you.
U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, in an appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 18, 2007, said the following: “There is no expressed grant of habeas(corpus) in the Constitution; there’s a prohibition against taking it away.” |
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| Thoughts about Global Warming | (02/09/07)
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I have never understood the controversy over global warming. To me, the issues is quite simple.
Human beings have been on this planet for a small part of its existence --- perhaps a few thousand, or even a million years. For most of that time they were hunter-gatherers, eating what they could pull off trees or kill with a club or rock. |
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| It is now imperative | (02/04/07)
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It is now imperative that the Congress of the United States remove from office president George W. Bush and vice president Richard Cheney for their failures to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
There are both legal and political means to initiate such action, either by a bi-partisan call upon the two leaders by members of the Senate or the House of Representatives or both, to request their resignations, or by the threat of impeachment. |
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| Candidates for president are the best ever! | (02/01/07)
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| The people who have announced their intention to run for president in the 2008 election are, in my opinion, the best group of candidates in modern American history! |
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| How Bush and Cheney have weakened American democracy | (01/22/07)
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The most difficult thing for me in watching the carnage and tragedy of the George Bush-Dick Cheney war on Iraq was the first exposure of the Abu Ghraib torture and humiliation program.
The worst thing about torture isn’t what it does to a nation, however sterling that nation’s principles, but rather what it does to little people, whether torturer or victim.
What went on at Abu Ghraib was encouraged and sanctioned, from the unit command level up to and including the Secretary of Defense, the president and vice president of the United States. |
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| What is winning? | (01/14/07)
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The next time your uncle --- the one who thought that George W. Bush was a great president --- tells you that we have to win the war in Iraq, ask him this simple question: “What is winning?”
Every time I hear the president say we have to win in Iraq, I ask myself, “What is winning?” |
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| Neo-Conservative Nonsense | (01/06/07)
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In what has to be the dumbest move in a stupidity plagued presidency, George W. Bush has put the neo-conservatives who talked us into the disaster of Iraq in charge of our Iraq policy!
Rather than having any role in salvaging the disaster they helped create, neo-conservatives should be hounded from the public square, their security clearances canceled for life. |
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| Gerald R. Ford --- A fond remembrance | (12/27/06)
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I had the honor of meeting former president Gerald R. Ford on five occasions during my career as a fund raising consultant. Please allow me to share some fond remembrances.
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| Dennis Prager responds --- Sort of | (12/25/06)
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Dennis Prager is issuing the following statement in response to criticism of his comments demanding that a Muslim-American Congressman-elect take his oath of office on a Christian Bible.
"'I completely respect Congressman-Elect Ellison's right to take an oath on the Koran, and regret any language that suggested otherwise,'" Mr. Prager added in a statement, emphasizing that he began reaching out to the Muslims 20 years ago. "'My entire effort in the Keith Ellison matter has been to draw attention to the need to acknowledge the Bible as the basis of America's moral values.
Judeo-Christian values are the greatest single protection against another Holocaust.'" |
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| Dennis Prager's initial response | (12/24/06)
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| Dennis Prager initially responded to the extensive criticism he received with the following newsletter to his readers. For some reason it is not available on his website and is provided here so that our readers might have a better understanding of the mind and personality of Dennis Prager. |
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| Merry Christmas! Really! | (12/19/06)
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It is sad that a season which brings pleasure to so many people should be debased and manipulated by operatives whose primary goals are notoriety and audience rating points.
There is no war on Christmas, except the one fabricated by right-wing radio corporations, their opportunistic on-air hosts, religious zealots and others who profit from public anxiety. |
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| Dennis Prager and the Constitution | (12/08/06)
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| A number of my friends think Dennis Prager is a brilliant, thoughtful commentator. I believe that, as far as the Constitution is concerned, Prager is a first class idiot. You be the judge. |
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| The only solution for Iraq | (12/05/06)
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Every other commentator will give you their reasoning first but I'm going to tell you straight out!
The only workable alternative for pacifying Iraq and trying to rebuild the lives of its long-punished peoples is to divide the country into three semi-autonomous regions. This might give them a chance to develop a national government that would handle their international relations and manage an equitable distribution of income from natural resources. |
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| Will George W. Bush bomb Iran? | (11/30/06)
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The George W. Bush administration is planning to bomb Iran as punishment for its activities in support of the Shiite rebellion and the insurgency in Iraq, according to Seymour M. Hersh, writing in the November 27, 2006 issue of The New Yorker magazine.
Hersh, who has excellent sources within the American military and with many retired generals, diplomats and intelligence officials, is the columnist who exposed the torture and humiliation perpetrated by our military and contractor personnel at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
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| Republicans: They just keep spinning | (11/18/06)
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| You have to hand it to the Republicans. Even in defeat they show amazing discipline. Wednesday morning after the election, I picked up the paper and there it was: The Republicans lost because they abandoned their conservative principles. It wasn't the war run badly in Iraq or Hurricane Katrina, or looming deficits or rampant corruption in a Republican Congress. It was "abandoned conservative principles". |
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| The miracle of 11/07 | (11/08/06)
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| American voters never lost their sense of direction on November 7! They wanted the American ship of state turned onto a different course and they did one heck of a job making their demand known! |
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| One liberal’s wish list | (10/30/06)
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Now that it seems possible that Democrats will control one or both houses of Congress after the 2006 mid-term election, it is time to think about what they might do to return the American government to some semblance of competence and integrity.
Here are a few of my fervent wishes. |
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| Disgusting! | (10/21/06)
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| The sixty-seven worst American political figures. A work in progress. |
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| The George W. Bush foreign "non-policy" | (10/14/06)
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Americans are now seeing the results of a wrong-headed and all but non-existent George W. Bush foreign policy, and it's not a pretty picture.
Since taking office almost seven years ago, George W. Bush has done next to nothing to use American prestige and resources to reduce or eliminate tensions with North Korea or Iran, or between Israel and the Palestinians. |
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| Shredding the Constitution, George W. Bush Style | (09/29/06)
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The joy of watching Bill Clinton destroy Chris Wallace on "All lies--All the time" FOX News, melted away when I learned that Republicans in Congress caved in to the vice president and discarded the Constitution in favor of a fascist law that endangers the rights of every American(and especially people like me who express contrary opinions in public).
While you might believe that senators John Warner, John McCain and Lindsey Graham won a battle to restrict the president's use of torture in the war on terrorism, the exact opposite is true. |
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| Is George W. Bush keeping Daddy out of jail? | (09/25/06)
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| Will George W. Bush have to pardon his father so that George H. W. Bush may never be prosecuted for participating in a criminal conspiracy and violating Federal law in the months before the election of Ronald Wilson Reagan to the presidency and George H. W. Bush to the vice-presidency of the United States? |
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| Take the entire pledge seriously | (09/20/06)
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| Too many Americans take more seriously their obligation of “allegiance to the flag” rather than their commitment to “liberty and justice for all.” |
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| Stop believing Bush’s propaganda parrots | (09/13/06)
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The president’s propaganda parrots have been all agaggle over the news that someone outside the White House was the first government official to spill the beans on Valerie Plame Wilson, disclosing that she was a covert agent of the Central Intelligence Agency.
The Bush administration wants you to think that, because Karl Rove didn’t do it, no harm was done. But don't you believe it! |
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| The truth about Fascism, then and now | (09/06/06)
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If you are old enough to know about Benito Mussolini, you probably think of him as that fat, bumbling Italian dictator played by Jack Oakie in Charlie Chaplin’s movie The Great Dictator.
Most of us remember Mussolini as that obese clownish figure in Chaplin’s movie, when in fact, he was an important political leader in the Europe of the 1920s, 30s and 40s. |
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| Is he really too dumb to be president? | (08/23/06)
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| Joe Scarborough of MSNBC has been conducting a discussion about whether George W. Bush might be too dumb to be president. It is a very important question, one that has been avoided for all too long. Our thanks go to Scarborough for bringing it up. |
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| What Lieberman defeat was all about | (08/14/06)
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| The defeat of three-time elected senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut should be a wake-up call for both Democratic and Republican political leaders. For the times, they are a-changing! |
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| Mel Gibson? So? What's new? | (08/07/06)
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August 7, 2006 - Jerry Bamberger is a high school buddy back in Missouri who writes often to comment on my articles. Jerry has a very successful law practice in St. Charles, now a suburb of St. Louis.
When I was a kid, St. Charles was half-a-day’s ride out of St. Louis on a Sunday with my dad. Now it’s a major suburban city with its own steamboat casino.
Jerry has been bugging me for a response to the Mel Gibson incident but I haven’t been eager to respond, mainly because of a feeling of, “So? What’s new?” But Jerry is a dear friend and a great guy, so here are my thoughts on Mel Gibson. |
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| Kathleen Parker shows unsurprising bias | (07/31/06)
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July 31, 2006 - It is always embarrassing when a reasonably bright person says or writes something stupid. But Kathleen Parker, a columnist with the Washington Post Writers Group, has shown a degree of innocence and bias that makes one wonder.
In a column about John Kerry's recent comments declaring that, "If I was president this (war between Hezbollah and Israel) wouldn't have happened."
Says Parker, "Kerry, who did declare that, apparently has more chutzpah than nuance, as it turns out." |
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| The best solution for the Middle East | (07/19/06)
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July 19, 2006 - The neo-conservative ideologues who gave us the war in Iraq are at it again. They think the United States should declare war simultaneously on everyone in the Muslim world who doesn’t like us.
I am just as mad as anyone at Iran and Syria for underwriting and provoking the attacks on Israel! But the ideological zealots who gave us the Project for the New American Century(PNAC),are the last people anyone in Washington should listen to. They created the strategy for a 21st Century American empire and the war on Iraq that has cost us so dearly. |
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| Let's face it --- Ann Coulter is a bigot | (07/09/06)
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Those of us who care about the nature of public dialogue in the United States have to begin to say the following loud and clear: Ann Counter is a bigot and she must be held accountable for her hate speech.
Replace the word "Liberal" with "Black" or "Jew" or "Mexican" and her bigotry becomes clear. Just because she is sometimes right or funny or voices what a lot of people think, doesn't change a thing. Ann Coulter is a bigot and she must be called out and challenged for the hatred and ridicule she encourages in the people who agree with her vicious tripe. |
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| All it takes is a little common sense | (07/05/06)
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| The industrial world is only about 300 years old. To believe that the earth’s climate and nature haven't been changed by the pollution from industry and transportation over all that time is counter-intuitive. It just defies common sense to think that the huge increase of pollution caused by burning fossil fuels --- primarily coal for electricity and oil for transportation --- haven’t changed the atmosphere, and certainly for the worse. |
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| The “separation of church and state” fraud | (06/28/06)
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| June 28, 2006 - Neo-conservatives who say that because the words “separation of church and state” do not appear in the Constitution, and therefore our laws do not require observance of the concept, are wrong. They do a great disservice to America and its noble history. |
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| Let's defeat hate speech now! | (06/21/06)
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| If you are a woman and you have a teenage son or a husband who listens to talk radio, this article is meant for you. I want to share some information and experiences about them so you may want to read it later when the guys are not around. |
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| It's time to spank Ann Coulter | (06/15/06)
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Ann Coulter proves one thing about American democracy. You don't have to be raised in a poor trailer park to grow up white trash.
Mainstream America has finally awakened to the cancer that is Ann Coulter's voice and that is good news! She has nothing positive to say about America, either through her hate for liberals or in her outrageous and often offensive conservative iews.
Ann Coulter has, for years now, been nothing more than a media vent for the bigotry and hatred that rests quietly in the minds of many conservatives who want to keep American white and pure(by their definition). |
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| What went wrong with a neo-conservative hero? | (05/24/06)
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| Claude Allen was the highest ranking African American in the George W. Bush White House when he was arrested for stealing from a suburban Washington Target store. |
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| I just paid 50 bucks for 15 gallons of regular! | (05/17/06)
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| May 17, 2006 - I just paid 50 bucks for fifteen gallons of regular gasoline and I'm mad as hell about it! And don't tell me that I should be thankful because the Japanese are paying five dollars a gallon! |
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| Wanted: One courageous Senator | (05/10/06)
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| May 10, 2006 - One courageous Republican senator needs to step forward. One senator must bring together two or three colleagues and call on the president. In strict privacy, with only the senators, the president and vice president in the room, the senators should ask the president and vice president to resign. |
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| The Tony Snow-Job | (05/03/06)
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The only difference between White House press secretary Tony Snow and FOX News radio and television mouthpiece Tony Snow will be location.
At the White House, Snow will participate in writing the lies and fabrications that are the foundation of the Bush Administration's propaganda effort. While at FOX News, Tony only read and endorsed them. |
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| Demand Congress pass Excess Profits Tax | (04/26/06)
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I keep receiving that e-mail trying to organize a boycott of one major oil company or another and I just don't get it.
The idea used to be that a rolling boycott would temper the greed of an industry so arrogant that it gives its leading CEO a $150 million retirement package. If you believe that, you have been inhaling the fumes from your SUV for too long. |
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| Immigration - What America should do | (04/12/06)
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April 12, 2006 - Last week I told readers what I thought about immigration. Now I want to share what I believe about immigration.
The United States is unique in world history because, from the second ship to land on our shores, America has always been open --- to various degrees --- to immigrants. No other country has been able to peacefully integrate repeated waves of immigrants. |
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| Readers' comments about Immigration | (04/08/06)
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Our article a few days ago prompted a large and thoughtful response from readers. We thought you would find their comments interesting. They are presented without edit or comment.
Enjoy! And write us anytime! |
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| Immigration - It’s not only about gardeners and nannies | (04/05/06)
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Too many Americans think that today’s illegal immigration is all about gardeners and housekeepers, but it’s a lot more complex than that.
America has always needed low-skilled labor and immigrants have been the preferred source for that. New arrivals have always worked hard, been paid less and been easily discharged when the job was done.
None of that has changed, but the economy and the society certainly have. |
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| Why do right-wing talk show loudmouths trash Senator Kennedy? | (03/24/06)
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March 24, 2006 - Have you ever wondered why talk show hosts trash Democratic Senator Edward "Teddy" Kennedy so viciously?
You cannot listen to a talk show loud mouth for more than half-an-hour without hearing about Chappaquiddick, an island in Massachusetts where the young Ted Kennedy was involved in an automobile accident that killed a young woman. That was in 1969, thirty-seven years ago.
Maybe the pro-Bush radio and television talk show hacks are using Teddy Kennedy because they want to keep their listeners angry and keep them from remembering... |
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| Has Congress finally done the right thing? | (03/20/06)
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March 20, 2006 - Last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $67.6 billion military spending bill that included $1.3 million to fund an "Iraq Study Group" to be housed in the congressionally chartered U.S. Institute for Peace, according to Gail Russell Chaddock, writing in the Christian Science Monitor.
The study group contains a bipartisan collection of well-known figures identified with America's various war and intelligence work and its diplomacy. |
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| U.S. military will remain in Iraq for years | (03/17/06)
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March 17, 2006 - One of the untold stories of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is the role of the U.S. Air Force and its support of coalition forces on the ground.
Each day, U.S. Central Command Air Forces release an accounting of Air Force and Navy air activities for the previous day. On March 9, our Air Force, "flew 36 close-air-support missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities, and operations to deter and disrupt terrorists activities." |
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| It's not about the president, Mr. Buckley | (03/01/06)
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March 1, 2006 - Now that the pseudo-sagacious William F. Buckley has told us that, "One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed," the door is open for all those self-promoting neo-conservative, intellect-limited, rightwing war mongers to deny their culpability for the war on Iraq and the ensuing civil war.
Watch how they heap blame on George W. Bush for it all. (For Buckley's commentary go to nationalreviewonline.com). |
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| Starr's death penalty involvement unwelcome | (02/22/06)
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February 22, 2006 - It was only a matter of time before former Whitewater inquisitor Kenneth Starr would stick his tone-deaf nose into California politics.
Starr has been leading a campaign to get governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to stay the execution of a man convicted for murdering a 17-year old Lodi, California high school senior by choking her from behind with a belt, beating her on the head with a hammer, stabbing her multiple times with a knife and raping her. |
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| Who destroyed the World Trade Center? | (02/15/06)
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| February 15, 2006 - A number of people around the world believe that the atrocities of September 11, 2001 were the product of a domestic conspiracy, that some American group of politicians or the Central Intelligence Agency caused the World Trade Center buildings to fall through the use of timed explosives. |
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| George Bush's plan to start the war | (02/08/06)
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| February 8, 2006 - Recent disclosures indicate that president George W. Bush had doubts about whether Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction when he told Americans that we were in imminent danger and had to go to war against Iraq. |
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| Anyone have Mideast solution? Bush doesn't | (02/01/06)
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Americans are so accustomed to this Administration's failures that they hardly respond when the next one comes along.
The election victory of Hamas, Israel's intractable enemy in Palestine, is just another example. |
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| Unitary Executive an assault on American democracy | (01/18/06)
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January 18, 2006 - If you walked away from your high school American history class remembering just one thing about American history, it was probably Marbury vs. Madison.
That Supreme Court decision, on February 24, 1803 --- just 203 years ago next month --- became perhaps the second most important American document after the Constitution itself.
February 24 ought to be celebrated along with Independence Day on July 4 or Flag Day on June 14 because Marbury vs. Madison established the right of the Supreme Court to review and determine the constitutionality of Federal statutes. |
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| Will America tolerate illegal spying on its own citizens? | (01/11/06)
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January 11, 2006 - IMAGINE for a moment that you are somewhere in rural West Virginia or Pennsylvania. You are in the cab of one of those huge excavating machines that remove the tops of mountains to get to the coal beneath.
You are mining for anthracite, hard "clean" coal, the kind that burns more efficiently. But there is a lot of bituminous coal, the soft "dirty" kind, mixed in with the other stuff in each house-size scoop of your shovel -- soil, rocks, maybe some other valuable minerals. |
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| George Bush diverted from real problems | (01/05/06)
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January 5, 2006 - What was the most important political event of 2005?
Most people would say Hurricane Katrina. But not me. |
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| Sharing joy and tradition the American way | (12/28/05)
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December 28, 2005 - At the age of seven or eight my wife, Carole, discovered Christmas. Eager to receive the presents, she took a dollar from her dresser drawer and went shopping for a Christmas tree. She walked with a girlfriend to a local grocery store and there, for that dollar, she bought a small table-top Christmas tree.
On the way home, tree in hand, Carole met her 11-year-old brother Arnold who, upon seeing the tree said, "What are you doing with that?" |
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| Why do they hate Jimmy Carter? | (12/21/05)
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December 21, 2005 - Why do Republican politicians and right-wing talk show hosts hate Jimmy Carter? I have been trying to answer that question for a long time.
A fine Christian gentleman, Jimmy Carter, with his wife Rosalynn, has devoted his retirement to providing homes for the poor, acting as a peacemaker between warring tribes and nations, and monitoring democratic elections the world over.
Why would a predominately Christian political class hate such a man so much? |
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| Has Condi Rice walked the plank for George Bush? | (12/14/05)
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Has Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice walked the plank for George W. Bush? Has she committed political suicide by her defense of torture as an American option in the war on terrorism?
Can she retain her high regard before the American people despite her justifications and possible untruths about our nation's use of unsavory techniques such as torture, secret prisons in other countries and turning prisoners over to nations which are known to torture? |
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| Why we are the world's police force | (12/07/05)
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| December 7, 2005 - Why must the United States be the world's police force? That's the question people ask whenever they worry about or question American foreign policy. It's a question that goes back almost to our Nation's founding. |
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| Forget about Bush. Impeach Cheney! | (12/01/05)
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| Is there anything more ludicrous than the president of the United States lecturing the Communist Chinese leaders about human rights while his vice president campaigns for the license of American soldiers and intelligence agents to torture prisoners? |
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| It's time for Americans to take back their country | (11/16/05)
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America is in a very dangerous time. Because of the weakness of our president we are more vulnerable --- truly vulnerable --- than we were even in the days after September 11, 2001.
When an American president is seen in the world as weakened, then other countries both friend and foe, naturally react to that weakness. They do so either by moving in their own best interest without regard to our leadership or by increasing their hostile acts towards us and our friends.
George W. Bush is that weakened president and we have only to thank those who bought his election, those who have hijacked America's foreign and domestic policy and those who have lied to us and taken us into this predicament. |
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| Wal-Mart and the problems facing American business | (11/09/05)
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| Is Wal-Mart a problem for America or is the nation's largest non-governmental employer only one symptom of America's problems? |
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| Are we nearing slippery slope to eugenics? | (10/19/05)
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Guadalupe Benitez and Joanne Clark had been together as domestic partners for 15 years. They wanted to have children so Guadalupe went for help to the North Coast Women's Care Medical Group in the San Diego County community of Vista.
According to the Associated Press, when Ms. Benitez first met with Dr. Christine Brody in 1999, she says she was told that the doctor's religious beliefs prevented her from helping a homosexual conceive a child by artificial means, but that other physicians in the practice would help her. |
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| Where's Bush's advice on Miers nomination? | (10/12/05)
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| If you were Harriet Miers and your friend and client of ten years called you into the Oval Office and told you that you were his choice to fill the vacancy on the United States Supreme Court, what would you say? |
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| Let the Red Cross do its job | (10/05/05)
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| When Ben Franklin organized the volunteer fire department in colonial Philadelphia he invented the American non-profit institution. But Franklin could hardly have anticipated an organization like the American Red Cross. Nor could Franklin have imagined the huge and complex challenge of helping millions of people cope with the terrible destruction of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. |
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| Bush assures even disasters benefit wealthy, corporations | (09/28/05)
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George W. Bush has exposed the two greatest flaws in our political system --- the existence of the Electoral College and the non-existence of a parliamentary system.
Without the Electoral College George W. Bush would not be our president, and if we had a parliamentary system, George W. Bush would not long be our president. |
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| Coming to grips with the truth | (09/14/05)
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If you are a Republican who is distraught over the leadership failures of George W. Bush, you are not alone.
Citizens all over the country share your frustration. I see it in my email, half of it coming from conservatives and Republicans. Instead of writing heated attacks on the president's enemies, most Bush supporters are now sending me all the lame excuses why the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Louisiana are to blame for the tragedies of Hurricane Katrina. Talk about the "blame game"! |
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| Why New Orleans Matters | (09/07/05)
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Dr. George Friedman has written in a recent commentary published by Strategic Forecasting, Inc. that, "The American political system was founded in Philadelphia, but the American nation was built on the vast farmlands that stretch from the Alleghenies to the Rockies. That farmland produced the wealth that funded American industrialization: It permitted the formation of a class of small landholders who, amazingly, could produce more than they could consume. They could sell their excess crops in the east and in Europe and save that money, which eventually became the founding capital of American industry."
New Orleans is the most important American port. It is the gateway through which most of America's bulk exports are sent out to the world. |
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| What do Libertarians really believe? | (08/31/05)
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August 31, 2005 - Do Libertarians really believe that people who are discriminated against should just be patient because good folks will come to their senses? Do they really think that the free marketplace will make bigots want to serve people they hate or whose presence offends them?
If you read the Orange County Register, America's leading Libertarian newspaper, you might think so. |
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| Oy vey! The schlemiels are listening to talk radio | (08/10/05)
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My mother of blessed memory would just love some of my readers who write to the newspaper about me. Anyone who used her son's name up to seven times in recent letters to the editor would be alright by my mother.
But if she were still alive and read the letters she would have called to ask, "What is it with these guys? Do they put funny stuff in the water out there in California?" |
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| John Roberts and Bush vs Gore 2000 | (08/03/05)
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If I believed in guilt by association or the inability of human beings to overcome their previous associations, my objection to the appointment of John Roberts to the United States Supreme Court would be easy.
Just knowing that he had once worked for Kenneth W. Starr of Whitewater infamy would be cause enough to disqualify him. |
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| American democracy is about more than winner-take-all | (07/27/05)
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American democracy was founded as a system of compromise, not the rule of absolutes and unchallenged power.
Our Constitution was written by men who understood that to survive and prosper, their new country had to be a home for all kinds of people. History has proven how wise and imaginative our founders were. |
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| Should Karl Rove go to jail? You decide. | (07/20/05)
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| Before you decide whether Karl Rove should go to jail, lose his security clearance and be barred from the White House, or be given a medal, you need to understand the damage he may have done to our national security, our fight against terrorism and our intelligence gathering capabilities. |
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| It's time for "we told you so" | (07/13/05)
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It's time for "we told you so", when both sides try to blame the other for a political or diplomatic failure.
Because right-wing pundits are constantly blaming someone else --- from former president Bill Clinton to actor Sean Penn --- for the mess they got us into in Iraq, good citizens who had rational and patriotic reasons for not invading Iraq need to speak up with the truth about our objections. |
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| Here's an issue all Americans can agree upon | (07/07/05)
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Why must every public issue now be framed as a conflict between conservative and liberal values?
Recently the U.S. Supreme Court rendered a decision so contrary to the Constitution's words and its authors' intentions, that it could provide an opportunity for liberals and conservatives to rise up together in protest. Wouldn't that be a pleasant surprise? |
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| Bush speaks on Iraq --- or was it Nixon, or maybe Johnson? | (06/30/05)
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President Bush's speech about Iraq was not surprising. But it was more than a little sad.
Sad because we've heard the same speech so many times before, from Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson during Vietnam, and from this president, his vice president and his top appointed officials since they decided to take us into war against Iraq, and sad because so many have died so needlessly. |
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| Dean speaks out --- Finally! | (06/15/05)
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| It is hard to believe that after 15 years of vicious assault from Republican politicians and their talk-radio toadies, elected Democrats in Washington are upset because their National Chairman is speaking out about the Republican party, its national leaders and its core inconsistencies. |
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| Tax dollars shouldn't promote anyone's religion | (06/08/05)
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Americans expect their military services and academies to be exemplars of good citizenship. That is why so many of us were outraged by disclosures of sexual harassment and student rape at the Air Force Academy in 2003. When the cavalier treatment of complaining female cadets was disclosed, Americans demanded change. And rightly so.
When top academy officers were disciplined and transferred we were assured that competent professionals who understood command responsibility would be put in charge of one of our top tax-supported public educational institutions.
But it would not be long before new additional lapses of leadership, judgment and fairness would again tarnish the Air Force Academy. |
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| Three big lies of American politics | (06/01/05)
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Every season brings its lies --- stories that politicians or interest groups invent to achieve what they want for themselves or their sponsors.
This season is no different, except that politicians have become more sophisticated at lying than ever before. |
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| Toll Road Follies - Here we go again! | (05/18/05)
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| It's time once again for the Toll Road Follies. Whenever rush hours get unbearable, Libertarians and toll road promoters get excited about turning public highways over to private corporations and then charging us for their use. Their pitch always goes like this: "Initial costs will be covered by public financing and a perpetual fee structure will pay off the debt." |
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| Campaign of propaganda, lies, cover-up can't be ignored | (05/11/05)
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What do an Army Pfc., a well-known volunteer Army Ranger and a National Guard Brigadier General have in common?
All three are victims of the Bush administration's campaign of propaganda, lies and cover-up about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and about the mismanagement by generals and civilian Pentagon officials. |
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| The Illegal Immigration Hoax | (05/04/05)
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We may be witnessing the first great political hoax of the 21st century. While average Americans across the political spectrum are concerned about illegal immigration on our Southern border, one suspects that the power brokers are laughing up their sleeves.
The recent Minuteman Project, which was meant to stop illegal immigrants from crossing the border from Mexico into Arizona, lasted a total of 18 days.
The main organizer, an average Orange County guy named Jim Gilchrest, never recruited more than “200 or so” of the 1,600 participants he promised. Gilchrest later admitted it was a “dog and pony show” meant to bring out the media. |
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| Tom DeLay is the issue! | (04/20/05)
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If I were to criticize any Republican politician for chewing gum too much, it's a sure thing that some conservative reader would write to the editor, reminding us that Bill Clinton did much worse in the Oval Office.
Republicans need to get over Bill Clinton's libido. They should focus instead on Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who has done more to harm American democracy that Bill Clinton or any other modern politician. He is also increasingly hurting Republican credibility as a moral force. |
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| I can't forgive Johnnie Cochran | (04/07/05)
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My mother always said that it's not nice to speak ill of the dead. But in the case of Johnnie Cochran I must make an exception.
I once organized a fund raising dinner in honor of Johnnie Cochran to benefit one of America's leading civil rights organizations. I remain pleased that I had the opportunity to assist them. That was years before the O. J. Simpson murder trial. |
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| The Terri Schiavo Story | (03/23/05)
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I have avoided writing about Terri Schiavo because I didn't want to become one of the people who interfere with her husband's responsibility to his wife. As my wife Carole had said, "Isn't that what the marriage vows are really about?"
Now that Republican politicians in Washington have decided they have the right to interfere with a husband's difficult but fully legal decision and maliciously vilify him for political gain, I am compelled to speak out. |
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| Working on civil rights isn’t the same as defending them | (03/17/05)
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When a public official’s resume on his agency’s web site states that in his previous job, “he worked on First Amendment cases” and before that “. . . he practiced in the areas of civil rights law, employment law, and legal ethics”, most Americans would assume that he had worked to defend the First Amendment and protect civil rights.
That may have been the case for the last forty years, but times have changed. |
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| Hey George! Stop shooting yourself in the foot! | (03/04/05)
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| March 4, 2005 - Why can’t George Bush stop shooting himself in the foot? With a vice president like Dick Cheney experienced in all the intricacies of government and a political operative like Karl Rove whom everyone believes is a brilliant if unprincipled campaign manager, why does the president keep blowing it? |
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| Conservatives can't run away from Alan Keyes | (02/28/05)
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February 28, 2005 - Republican media bimbo Ann Coulter has written that liberals can't run away from Ward Churchill, the University of Colorado professor who has written and said some terrible things about the victims of the atrocities of September 11, 2001.
If liberals can't run away from Ward Churchill then conservatives can't run away from Alan Keyes, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Bill Bennett and yes, Ann Coulter. |
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| Vets discover gold in fish bowls | (02/27/05)
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We were driving over Duarte Road, on the way home, listening to All Things Considered on National Public Radio.
The reporter was talking to a professor of veterinary medicine in North Carolina. The doctor was talking about a new important field of veterinary science. |
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| Ever wonder if we really have a Social Security 'crisis'? | (02/10/05)
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| I know little about economics or fiscal policy. But I know a few things about living within your means and I can read. These last few days I have been trying to find out if our children will really face a "crisis" in 2042, and here are some of the things I have learned. |
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| My great-grandma Flora must be spinning in her grave | (02/03/05)
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My dear great-grandma Flora, and hundreds of thousands of Americans like her, must be spinning in their graves! George W. Bush is trying to convince conservative African-American preachers that today's Republican party is the same one that was founded to fight for the freedom of American slaves.
What a joke! |
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| It's time for some honest talk about religion | (01/27/05)
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It's time for some honest talk about the issues of prayer, religious activities and the teaching of the idea of Intelligent Design in public schools.
This isn't only about respect for the First Amendment. There is no doubt that it prohibits government sponsorship of religious activities or displays of any religious nature that use public money or property belonging to all citizens.
The Constitution's authors knew what they were doing when they voted to create the Bill of Rights. They did so to protect us from government use of our resources to advance the interests or primacy of any one religion. |
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| Benevolent imperialism has its merits | (01/13/05)
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| The last few weeks have given us dramatic examples of two kinds of imperialism --- the benevolent and the despotic. |
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| What is so wonderful about conservative political ideals? | (01/06/05)
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What is so wonderful about conservative political ideals? I have spent the last two years, on and off, thinking about that question.
What was so wonderful about the first third of the Twentieth Century that we should revisit the pain of the Great Depression, the racial hatred and discrimination of Jim Crow or the lack of the medical advancements that save lives today? Should we return to the limited opportunities for women or the neglect of the aged, poor or disabled that was so much more prevalent then? |
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| Reasons why Donald Rumsfeld should go -- and now! | (12/30/04)
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| There are two main reasons why Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld should resign or be removed. They are also the same reasons why he will never resign or be removed. |
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| Here's a Merry Christmas to Christians everywhere | (12/23/04)
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With all the talk about whether people should greet one another with either "Merry Christmas" or "Season's Greetings" or some other non-sectarian thought, please know that this American Jew is delighted to wish Christians everywhere a Merry Christmas!
And feel free to wish me a Happy Hanukkah as well(when it comes around again next year). |
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| Rumsfeld's leadership is indefensible | (12/16/04)
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"You go to war with the Army you have,
not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time."
--- Donald Rumsfeld
In an era of arrogance and imperiousness, lies and distortions, this gem from the mouth of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld tops them all. |
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| Roger Ailles calling . . . | (12/09/04)
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On October 13, 2004 Andrea Mackris, associate producer of “The O’Reilly Factor”, filed a lawsuit against FOX News personality Bill O’Reilly, the FOX News Channel, Twentieth Century Fox and Westwood One, Inc., alleging “Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment and a Sexually Hostile Work Environment”.
On December 3, 2004, “The O’Reilly Factor” featured an interview of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld by host O’Reilly. It was the first extensive Rumsfeld interview after the 2004 national election. It was also the first salvo in the effort to rehabilitate Bill O’Reilly.
This is how we think the interview came about. |
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| Could Jeb Bush be the next president? | (12/02/04)
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| With all the babble from conservative columnists about who the Democrats should select as their 2008 presidential candidate, it’s time to discuss a much more important question: Who will be the Republican candidate in 2008? |
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| Greenspan's finally got it: You can't spend what you don't have | (11/25/04)
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Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan finally gets it. He now seems to understand what every person managing a family budget knows instinctively: You can't keep spending more money than you have --- at least not for long.
After four years of vague and sometime approving comments about the massive Bush tax cuts for the super-rich, Greenspan now believes that the huge budget deficits those tax cuts helped cause may create a "diminished appetite for adding to dollar balances (which) must occur at some point." |
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| Did we have to destroy Fallujah to save it? | (11/18/04)
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Once again the war in Iraq has pulled our country into conduct that will stain our reputation and haunt our international relations, especially with the Muslim world, for generations.
Iraqi insurgents have drawn our Marines and soldiers into a bloody battle that has almost destroyed a city, increasing the hatred of America by average Iraqis.
Current events will probably enhance the recruiting power of terrorist groups as well, for such has been the case during our entire time in Iraq. |
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| Where change should begin | (11/06/04)
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Now we can understand what it must have been like for our grandfathers and who fought in World War I and lived to see Armistice Day.
The Germans had their rows of trenches. The American, British and French had theirs. Every few days or weeks, one side or the other would send men over the top to kill or be killed. But the line didn't change much. Like the daily reports of polls over the last few months. |
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| Does George W. Bush deserve another term? | (10/28/04)
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The campaign is almost over. The election is less than a week away. We've had our fill of sound bites, debate points, mud slinging and outright lies.
We have heard from men who are still hurting and angry about how they were treated in a war 35 years ago, and we've heard the response of those who disagree with them.
After all the mud, cynicism, lies and distortions, the only question is, "Does George W. Bush deserve the honor of reelection to the presidency of the United States?" |
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| Ignore diversions --- Voters must focus on real issues | (10/21/04)
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Did you hear president Bush say that John Kerry thinks "terrorism is merely a nuisance", when what senator Kerry said was "he hoped to see the threat of terrorism reduced someday to the level of a minor nuisance"?
Did you hear or read anything from your favorite media which pointed out this distortion of the truth --- a statement that amounts to a lie?
Did you see the pictures of the president's back during the first debate? Did it look to you like there was something under his suit coat. Did it look like a small box? |
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| Dennis Prager's Peanut Envy | (10/14/04)
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In early Fall 2004, the Arroyo Vista Elementary School in South Pasadena banned peanuts and peanut products from its campus. Principal Julie Jennings was concerned for the safety of the 20 children in her school who are allergic to peanuts. They represent four percent of the student body.
This high percentage is unusual and unexplainable, according to Thelma Reyna, Ph.D., retired Director of Personnel of the South Pasadena School District. The other schools in the district have no students with the allergy.
We can argue about the decision to ban peanuts but it is hard to dispute the right of a school community to do what they think is best for their children. We might think it's none of our business but radio personality Dennis Prager doesn't think so. |
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| Dear Jayson — A letter to an American Serviceman | (10/12/04)
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| I recently received an e-mail from Jayson, a 13-year member of our Air Force. This is my response to his letter. |
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| How long will our troops stay in Iraq? | (09/30/04)
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September 30, 2004 - News reporting about possible changes in government policies take a predictable path. The story usually begins with an article or television interview introducing the idea.
Keeping tabs on such issues and trying to predict outcomes is what I call Connecting the Dots. The following is a first effort to do that and the issue is "How long will the United States keep large numbers of troops in Iraq?"
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| The Seal and the Cross Fiasco | (09/25/04)
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September 25, 2004 - Muslim terrorists murder hundreds of children, their parents and teachers in Russia.
Israelis and Palestinians are still killing each other in the Holy Land.
American soldiers who are seen as Christian invaders by many Iraqis, are still shooting at and being shot by Muslims. More than 1,000 have died in Iraq.
American soldiers and military contractors(i.e. mercenaries) and their officers and civilian leaders have made Americans look like sexual perverts before the entire world, while here in Los Angeles, some Christians are upset by the removal of a cross from the county seal.
Give us a break! |
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| Should we love president Bush for the enemies he's made? | (09/09/04)
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September 9, 2004 - Nick Romero was an alternate delegate from California to the Republican National Convention. On National Public Radio's coverage of the convention, Romero commented from time to time about his impressions of the convention.
At midpoint during the event, a moderator asked him why he thought George W. Bush should be reelected. A young man, Romero's answer was firm and enthusiastic, "I love him for the enemies he's made." |
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| Why don't Republicans love me? | (09/02/04)
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Nancy Reagan supports stem cell research.
Arnold Schwarzenegger supports stem cell research.
Rudy Giuliani supports stem cell research.
I support stem cell research.
Why don't Republicans love me? |
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| Veterans' mud-slinging brings shame on all who have served | (08/26/04)
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August 26, 2004 - On February 28, 1969, Lt.(jg) John F. Kerry led three Swift boats loaded with Vietnamese Regional and Popular Force soldiers up the Dong Cung, a tributary of the Bay Hap River in South Vietnam.
In March 1969, Capt. Roy F. Hoffmann, task force commander of the Swift boats, wrote of that operation:
"The extremely successful raid and land sweep conducted along the Rach Dong Cung which demonstrated superb coordination and aggressive tactics stands as a shining example of completely overwhelming the enemy. |
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| Hey John Kerry, Listen up! | (08/19/04)
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| August 19, 2004 - It's time for my bi-annual advice-to-the-candidates article. This week, I'll give my advice to Senator John Kerry and get all the Republicans mad. Then in a week or two, probably after their convention, I will share my thoughts with President Bush and get all the Republicans mad . . . again. |
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| FOX News or Fascist News? | (08/05/04)
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I try never to use the word "fascist" to describe someone. The word represents all the horrors of Nazi Germany. It is so loaded with hateful meanings that it is almost impossible to find someone who lives up to its horror.
But I am inclined to use fascist to describe FOX Network owner Rupert Murdoch, his main mouthpiece Bill O'Reilly and Roger Ailes, who runs FOX News. Murdoch's and Ailes' goals and O'Reilly's conduct share so much with the actions and words of the Third Reich it is frightening. A new movie proves this in very stark terms. |
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| FOX News or Fascist News? We report, you decide. | (08/05/04)
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I try never to use the word "fascist" to describe someone. The word represents all the horrors of Nazi Germany. It is so loaded with hateful meanings that it is almost impossible to find someone who lives up to its horror.
But I am inclined to use fascist to describe FOX Network owner Rupert Murdoch, his main mouthpiece Bill O'Reilly and Roger Ailes, who runs FOX News. Murdoch's and Ailes' goals and O'Reilly's conduct share so much with the actions and words of the Third Reich it is frightening. A new movie proves this in very stark terms. |
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| Army whitewashes Abu Ghraib scandal | (07/29/04)
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July 29, 2004 - It was just about the most pathetic thing I have seen on television. On Thursday morning, July 22, I was going into our dining room to have lunch when I turned on C-SPAN, the superb television channel that lets us look at our government unvarnished.
There at the witness table in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee was a three-star Army general. I watched him for a minute and it dawned on me that the people behind him were all Army generals. Their shoulders held a sea of stars! I knew something big was going on. |
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| What ever happened to conservative Republicans? | (07/22/04)
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| July 22, 2004 - American political debate needs a new word to describe right-wing political thought. “Conservative” no longer accurately describes the philosophy and objectives of the American political right. |
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| Tenet not the only guilty one | (07/16/04)
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| July 16, 2004 - Don't for a minute think that the resignation of Central Intelligence Agency director George Tenet will solve anything. More important, don't believe the idea that the only problem with our pre-war intelligence on Iraq was the failure of the CIA. |
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| This time we have a real choice | (07/08/04)
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| July 8, 2004 - John Kerry's choice of John Edwards for his vice presidential ticket-mate was really the non-surprise of the campaign. But it is a good choice for the Democrats. Edwards was favored by grass-roots Democrats and he was a very effective campaigner for the big job as well. |
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| Republicans are feeling heat from 'Fahrenheit 9/11' | (07/01/04)
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| July 1, 2004 - I saw Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 last Sunday with a big, but not sold-out crowd at the local multiplex. I can understand why Republicans are scared out of their wits about it. |
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| Many ways Seniors can save on prescriptions | (06/17/04)
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| June 17, 2004 - Last week I told you about the new drug discount cards from Medicare. Now let me share some other ideas that will help you save money on your prescriptions. ( If you are too young for Medicare, why not share this with an elder relative or friend?) |
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| Medicare Drug Discount Cards | (06/10/04)
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| June 10, 2004 - Are you curious about the Medicare Drug Discount Card program? Do you wonder if it will save you money? Do you really understand the Medicare Drug Discount Card program? We didn't. But then we researched the program and we were surprised by what we learned. |
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| Bush administration continues to implode | (06/03/04)
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June 3, 2004 - Sometimes you just never know what might happen.
A few weeks ago I wrote an article titled, "Dear Fellow Republicans". It was an attempt to copy the style of Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, who has written open letters to all sorts of world leaders. Friedman has enough Pulitzer prize plaques to bullet-proof an SUV so I thought it was a hot idea. I could use a Pulitzer. |
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| About end-of-life decisions — readers speak out | (05/26/04)
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| May 26, 2004 - On April 29 I wrote about end-of-life decisions for non-cognitive and comatose patients, the anguish of their families and the costs of maintaining lives with no chance of regaining consciousness. My request for readers to share their thoughts about these issues prompted responses that were touching, pragmatic and varied. Here are some of those responses. My thanks to everyone for their interest, their letters and comments. |
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| Is it time to consider the draft? | (05/20/04)
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Every time I see a moral failure in a group of young people, I am drawn to the wonderful example of the Mormons. Their missionary programs, in which young men and women serve at home and around the world, is an example of what America should do to promote universal values and character in all our young people.
Of course I am not suggesting that we compel young people to pursue religious vocation, even for a few years. But it is time to consider a required period of service to nation, community and the world, as a way of instilling the values and sense of purpose that too many of our young Americans lack. |
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| Fellow Republicans, we need a Bush alternative in November | (05/06/04)
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Dear fellow Republicans,
I have wanted to write this letter for weeks but I kept putting it off. I knew some readers would be upset by the idea that I am a registered Republican, and a fourth generation one at that!
But I just can’t wait any longer because our country is on the verge of a political upheaval about which we must act right away. |
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| Of course liberals are smarter | (05/03/04)
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May 3, 2004 - David Horowitz is America's leading political turncoat. Having lost his credibility and money-making ability with the radical left-wing causes he grew up with, Horowitz went over to the conservative side.
He is now a regular promoter of causes that his wholly-owned tax exempt organization can yell about while bilking unquestioning conservatives, who increasingly seem to want to be told what to think. |
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| Will we ever make the difficult decisions? | (04/29/04)
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Amid all the debate about how to reduce public spending, we never face the difficult realities of individual lives. Politicians talk in generalities like, "We can cut millions out of this program. California's Medi-Cal?" "Let's just cut the waste."
But what specifically should we cut? What group should get less while others might get more? How do we deal with groups that advocate on behalf of people with certain illnesses or special needs? |
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| Why didn't president Bush know about this? | (04/22/04)
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Rob Maine is a regular reader who sends me e-mails with comments and observations about all sorts of things.
For the last month Rob has been bugging me about a story that needed to be told. Rob learned that NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, a joint United States-Canadian organization, had been conducting counter-terrorism air defense drills between February 2000 and June 2001. |
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| Condoleezza in Wonderland | (04/15/04)
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| April 15, 2004 - It was 'Condoleezza in Wonderland' for America and the world last week. National security advisor Rice spent most of one day on television(eight channels in my house) telling us how her boss and his administration did as much as they could to thwart terrorist attacks on the United States in the days before 9/11. |
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| So what'sthe big surprise about Richard clarke and Condoleezza Rice? | (04/01/04)
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April 1, 2004 - So what's the big surprise?
Richard Clarke, former counter-terrorism chief in the Bush White House says in a new book that the incoming Bush administration ignored his pleas to make terrorism an immediate and high priority well before September 11, 2001. |
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| For Israel's sake, Sharon should leave | (03/25/04)
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March 25, 2004 - When a son or daughter, brother or sister, uncle or aunt engages in self-destructive behavior, the family must come together to save their loved one from harm or tragedy.
Such is the dilemma that confronts American Jews and other Americans as they watch the government of Ariel Sharon dig itself more deeply into a daily confrontation --- a war --- with Palestinian militants. Will Americans speak up or will they remain silent? |
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| Lily Smart is 100 years old! | (03/24/04)
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March 24, 2004 - Lily Smart is a friend of ours who comes to our bingo game every Wednesday evening. She is an amazing woman whose vitality and quick wit surprise even those who know her well. I think you will enjoy knowing about her.
Lily Smart came to the United States in 1921 to perform on the New York musical stage. She was 17 years old. As a young woman she appeared on Broadway in musical reviews and light comedies. This month Lily celebrates her 100th birthday and she is just as smart, spry and involved in life as the day she got off that steamship in New York City. She remains a vibrant and enthusiastic woman, endowed with a bright smile and a very quick wit. |
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| Drugs from Canada and outsourcing --- Connect the dots | (03/18/04)
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| There is something very wrong with a government that protects major corporations from competition in the world marketplace while it does nothing to protect ordinary citizens from the same influence. |
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| A more perfect Union | (03/08/04)
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| The United States has begun the first divisive public debate of the twenty-first century. Religious leaders, conservative politicians and their families are gathering to push for a constitutional amendment that will define marriage as being between one man and one woman. President Bush, eager to get to the head of the parade before it passes him by, has endorsed the proposed amendment. |
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| The three “I”s --- integrity, intentions and intelligence | (02/16/04)
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| One of the funniest parts of this primary election season has been the amazement of Republican pundits about the dislike of so many voters, Democrats and otherwise, for George W. Bush. I almost fell off my couch when Republican leak-artist Robert Novak said he just didn’t understand all this hatred of the president. |
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| How immigration has defined America | (01/29/04)
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Each nation has one or two issues which define its character. When a nation has only one rallying point --- such as the English monarchy or Japan's homogeneousness due to its refusal to permit immigration --- national unity comes easier.
Other countries have a state religion, unique geography, or the hatred of a neighbor to create patriotic fervor.
Because the United States is so large and its population so diverse, we have a number of patriotic issues, some of which draw both positive and negative responses. Hence, our feelings about immigration cause so much debate. |
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| What did he know and when did he know it? | (01/22/04)
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| What did he know and when did he know it? That question entered the American lexicon when a president encouraged others to break the law and was caught breaking the law himself. But like most such phrases, it became a cliche, and has disappeared from everyday conversation. And it is a pity. |
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| Can the Bush immigration policy work? | (01/15/04)
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"Why should the Palatine Boors [German farmers] be suffered to swarm into our Settlements, and by herding together establish their Language and Manners to the Exclusion of ours? Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a Colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of our Anglifying them, and will never adopt our Language or Customs, any more than they can acquire our Complexion."
Benjamin Franklin, 1751
Think that anti-immigrant feelings are a new idea? Think again. Even Benjamin Franklin, the Founder who was first among equals, felt that people who looked different and talked a different language were a threat to his America. But Franklin lived to regret his statement. The Germans learned English, became citizens and gained the right to vote, and they remembered what Franklin had written. Franklin's political enemies used his words against him. |
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| Advice to ensure good health and a longer life | (01/08/04)
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January 8, 2004 - The year 2003 was the year the warranty on my body expired. I had just about everything from an angiogram to a root canal last year, and my wife, Carole, added to her medical history as well.
We have learned many lessons from all this experience but there are four important strategies we have adopted that might help you and a friend. |
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| Thurmond's mixed-race daughter revives memoriesof Jim Crow | (01/05/04)
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January 5, 2004 - When a young Strom Thurmond raped a 15-year old maid in 1924, it was less than sixty years since the end of American slavery. Thurmond would have never been prosecuted for rape because most white Southerners still considered African Americans inferior and subject to their whims and control.
Neither rape nor responsibility for the child of such an incident entered any white person's mind. |
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| Policy in Iraq isn't about freedom; it's just business | (12/24/03)
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December 24, 2003 - Exactly two years ago, in December 2001, I wrote a cute article about The Plessner Plan for World Peace. In it I spelled out a strategy of attacking Iraq and rebuilding it along Western democratic ideals.
By controlling the oil supplies from Iraq and the former Soviet republics with large oil reserves, we could neutralize and get even with the Saudis who had been taking advantage of our friendship for much too long, and whose citizens had attacked us on September 11, 2001.
Boy, was I naive! I fell for the idea that the whole world was eager to be like America a full year before George W. Bush and his administration's imperialist ideologues dragged us into a war with just the same arrogant thinking. |
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| Was Saddam already a prisoner when U.S. caught him? | (12/18/03)
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| December 17, 2003 - A well-respected international website has raised the possibility that Saddam Hussein was actually being held by some of his former henchmen in an attempt to win the $25 million bounty on his head. |
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| A dime's worth of honor | (12/11/03)
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December 11, 2003 -- All nations name buildings and highways after national leaders and heroes. Most countries reserve such honors for deceased leaders and fallen heroes. In recent years dictators have shown a penchant for having things named for themselves. Saddam Hussein, almost every tyrant in Africa and a few of the strongmen in former Soviet republics come freshly to mind.
All that makes it puzzling to understand why Republican politicians are so eager to name buildings --- and now authorize a dime coin --- in honor of Ronald Reagan. Assuming the best of intentions, don't they understand that jumping so quickly to honor a man in the deep stages of Alzheimer's Disease tends to diminish his achievements? He obviously will never know of their efforts, so why are they in such a hurry?
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| Ever heard of Neil Bush? | (12/04/03)
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| Ever heard of Neil Bush? No? Well, that's not surprising. Know anything about the 1988 Silverado Savings and Loan failure in Colorado that cost taxpayers at least $1.3 billion? Never heard of it? Maybe you are too young to remember, or as a fan of the Bush family, you would rather forget. |
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| The disgrace of neglect | (11/20/03)
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It is in the nature of an imperial power to act with arrogance in its relations with other countries. Imperialism is, after all, an expression of nationalism founded upon the idea that might dictates right, and that one nation knows what is best for another. The imperialist believes that the vanquished should be grateful for being defeated, occupied and in every case in history, exploited.
But imperialism is a heady brew for national leaders. All too often in their pursuit of national goals, they forget about those who serve and die to satisfy their objectives and ego. |
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| Fair and balanced? What a laugh! | (11/06/03)
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Two of the fundamentals of political propaganda are the big lie and repetition. If the source is credible to the listener and repeats the lie often enough, many listeners will absorb that lie as truth. If it touches a personal nerve or reinforces a prejudice, all the better.
Add a little smirk to the lie --- not obvious at first but an inside joke that the listener can catch on to and consider himself on the inside --- and you have the perfect propaganda tool. |
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| The most dangerous man in America | (10/30/03)
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| He is the most dangerous man in America, a greater threat to the American way of life and more subversive than anyone produced by American Communism. His opinions are sought after and respected by George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove. |
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| Where were the people who cared about Rush Limbaugh? | (10/23/03)
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A number of readers have written to correct a statement in my recent commentary on Rush Limbaugh and his addiction to OxyContin, the powerful painkiller. OxyContin and its sister drugs Vicodin and hydrocodone are known to cause hearing loss when taken in large amounts. I incorrectly attributed Limbaugh's need for the drug to his hearing loss and any resulting surgery.
That is incorrect. The pain killer was probably prescribed for his back pain and surgery related to that problem. I apologize for this error.
I was going to put my apology at the end of this commentary but thinking about it raised more questions than it answered, not only about Limbaugh's conduct or intentions, or about how he was treated by physicians or counselors in the two detoxification efforts he has told us about. |
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| Conservative Denial Syndrome | (10/16/03)
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| California voters have now elected Arnold Schwarzenegger their next governor, a man with a well documented and admitted history of humiliating women by fondling, spanking or touching them against their wishes. Some of those women he worked with and others he had just met. |
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| When in doubt, pundit | (10/05/03)
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HONEY!
"What is it, Gerald?"
I don't know how to vote on the recall!
"You're a pundit. You're supposed to know these things!" |
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| Imperialism an American tradition | (09/25/03)
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We were at a wedding reception at the San Dimas Country Club, sharing a table with the best friend of the mother of the bride and her husband, a retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant.
“Sarge”, I said, “I have been studying imperialism lately and it dawned on me that the Marine’s Hymn is a tribute to imperialism. You know, ‘From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli.’” |
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| California universal health insurance law is just nuts | (09/18/03)
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| My wife Carole and I own a small retail business here in California. Our retail sales employees are classified by Workers’ Compensation as furniture store employees. Our insurance rate for those employees is $17.25 per hundred dollars of salary. That amounts to a 17.25% tax on our salary costs for those employees. The rate for my clerical employees in only $1.96 per hundred dollars of salary. |
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| The folly of ideology | (09/04/03)
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| America is now witnessing the folly of ideology. The people now in charge of our foreign affairs have waited years to implement their radical views and as their bungling of the pacification of post-war Iraq seems to be proving, no amount of failure will convince them of the fallacy of their world view. |
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| Just one big extension cord | (08/21/03)
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| Confused about why the lights went out all over the East last week? So was I. So I asked Ron Nunnally, a manager of transmission and distribution of power for Southern California Edison how you and I get our electricity. It is a complex and amazing engineering feat, but I want to try to explain it in simple terms. |
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| I'm gonna run for gov'ner! | (08/13/03)
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| I've decided to run for governor! I've looked at the field and I think I can do a better job. |
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| Some dare call it treason | (08/07/03)
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Some people use words like "treason" and "traitor" to describe people who disagree with their world view. Many Americans now seem to believe that to disagree with them is simply to be un-American. Nothing could be more un-American than that. I, for one, do not use words like "treason" or "traitor" lightly.
Frankly I detest the idea of name-calling in political debate. But what if the unthinkable is possible? What if high officials in our government are going easy on old friends in the government of one of our allies, people who are proven to have given support to the murderers of September 11, 2001? |
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| To recall or not to recall --- that's the question | (07/31/03)
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A number of readers have asked what I think about the movement to recall California governor Gray Davis. I usually leave commentary on state affairs to people like Tom Elias, who does an excellent job, but I do have some opinions on the recall.
Should Gray Davis be held accountable for the state's financial disaster? Of course! It happened on his watch and he made some terrible decisions. Should he be recalled? I'm not so sure. |
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| Rice should go --- Cheney should worry | (07/24/03)
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As we come to grips with the scandal of our president and key members of his administration having used lies and half-truths to justify our war on Iraq, a number of issues must become clear.
The most important issue is responsibility. The president is responsible for his own words and actions but of almost equal importance is who is responsible to the president for honest opinions and accurate information. |
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| Is there one definition of marriage? | (07/16/03)
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| It is amazing how some words we use every day are still subject to wide interpretation and debate. One such word is "marriage", which is on everyone's mind nowadays because of the debate over same-sex unions and our concern over the fragility of the modern marriage. |
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| The defense of marriage charade | (07/10/03)
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| Why do people believe that the stable long-term relationship between two people of the same sex is a threat to the marriage of their own children? The truth is that most people don't believe that. |
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| Scalia and Thomas pose real threat to the Constitution | (07/03/03)
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It is not surprising that in this world of the Internet, readers might browse the same sites, latching on to a well-turned word or phrase, then using it in their next email or letter to the editor.
The latest popular phrase coming from my critics is "living Constitution" which describes the view held by some that our constitution may be interpreted to meet changing times rather than in the exact words written and nothing else.
Those who have contempt for a living Constitution are usually conservatives who believe the courts have gone too far in expanding concepts like the right to privacy, which is not specifically enumerated in the Constitution. They are vigorously opposed to the Court's tolerance of affirmative action, which they believe goes against the idea of equality before the law. |
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| If lies, deception fueled Iraq war, look higher than CIA analysts | (06/19/03)
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| Circle this day on your calendar --- June 13, 2003. That is when we saw the first casualties of the Bush administration's campaign to avoid blame for its lies and deceptions about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. |
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| Michael Powell must go! | (06/12/03)
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| Americans should be grateful to Michael Powell for showing us the moral bankruptcy of Libertarianism. By taking its economic atheism to the extreme, Powell has demonstrated how its adherents believe that this radical philosophy is more important than the U.S. Constitution. We should reward Powell with demands for his resignation. |
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| Miranda Law Eroded in California Case | (06/05/03)
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| If you want a reason to be thankful for the filibuster, you need only read the U.S. Supreme Court's tortured decision in Chavez v. Miranda handed down last week. In that case the Court changed what most Americans believe is at the core of the 5th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, that "No person...shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself". |
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| Ventura Freeway Solution | (05/29/03)
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Now that the idea of solving Ventura Freeway congestion by doubling the number of lanes has been dismissed out of hand, Southern California must face up to the only viable solution, one that actually has a chance of solving the problem.
Southern California must build a mostly elevated rail mass transit system down the middle of the Ventura Freeway all the way from Pasadena to Thousand Oaks. The project will take a generation and cost billions, but so would every possible alternative. The difference is that mass transit is the only idea that makes sense in spite of our love of the automobile. |
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| How Ben Franklin created our American society | (05/22/03)
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Ask most Americans to identify Benjamin Franklin and they will tell you about his experiment with a kite, a key and a rainstorm.
Benjamin Franklin was the first truly international celebrity for his work on electricity but his invention of our civil society is more important to Americans. |
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| Bill Bennett lost $8 million dollars on slot machines? | (05/15/03)
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| It is difficult to be kind to William Bennett over the disclosure of his gambling addiction. And make no mistake about it, anyone who loses $8 million dollars --- or even one-tenth of that --- is a gambling addict. And a phony besides. |
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| Why Newt Gingrich attacked Colin Powell | (05/08/03)
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| It should surprise no one that neo-conservative Republicans are out to get Colin Powell. A distinguished American military hero, Powell has, until now, remained above the political fray. Unlike former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who a few days ago attacked the State Department, and by implication Colin Powell, the secretary of state lacks a political base ready to support him. |
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| Faith-based Initiative an assault on Constitution | (04/27/03)
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| Nothing could be more offensive to our nation's founders, were they alive today, than the idea that government funds could end up going to religious institutions for the construction of religious buildings or the advancement of religious programs, no matter how worthy their purpose. |
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| Bush's place in history hinges on what happens next | (04/17/03)
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In his essay, "The Emerging American Imperium" (August, 1997), Irving Kristol, a founding father of America's neoconservative movement, stated that Europe's only ambition beyond its welfare states was to get along as a United States protectorate. The European nations had lost their spirit of patriotism and had abdicated their autonomy on foreign policy.
In the Kristol doctrine, America should act in its own best interest, and with only patronizing respect for the other formerly great nations, both those we had dealt with as partners and those we defeated in the Cold War. |
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| Four lies of American politics | (04/10/03)
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| There are four lies in American politics. If left unchallenged they will result in the greater loss of our liberties and choices. The central lie of Libertarianism, the economic philosophy of the Republican party, is that the elimination of regulation will increase marketplace competition and choice. In almost every case the opposite has been the result. |
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| Richard Perle and integrity | (04/03/03)
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| For all his promises about bringing integrity back to the Oval Office and the federal Government, President Bush sure has problems with Richard N. Perle. |
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| TV coverage gives viewers sense of size of Iraqi undertaking | (03/27/03)
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| This past week has been a roller coaster ride of war --- very disorienting. One minute our troops were moving at full speed up the road to Baghdad, and the next minute British and U.S. Marines were dying in helicopter crashes and fire fights. Then members of an engineering unit were ambushed, some killed and others taken prisoners, while shortly thereafter, our troops came across a highly camouflaged factory that might be a chemical or biological plant. Or maybe it wasn't. |
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| Where your child goes to college does matter | (03/12/03)
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Prager and his fellow right-wing radio rabble rousers are really out to get those noisy leftists who don’t share their world views and who, most certainly, don’t listen to their programs. “People alienated from America and God,” he calls them.
Prager’s condemnation of universities has nothing to do with their value to students and everything to do with his political agenda. His disdain for the concept of the liberal arts education is most saddening. |
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| McDonald’s should get back into the restaurant business | (02/27/03)
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| Our youngest grandchildren spent the weekend with us recently and we took them out to dinner for the only cuisine we have in common. We went to McDonald’s. |
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| Deficit: Disconnect between Bush’s speech, reality | (02/13/03)
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| It is one thing to give a speech filled with the artistry of words and quite another to demonstrate the integrity of intentions. Regrettably, there is a great disconnect between that memorable phrase and the realities of the $2.3 trillion budget the president sent to Congress. It projects a deficit of $307 billion, a debt that will certainly be passed along to future generations. |
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| George W. Bush and the American Imperium | (02/08/03)
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Dear friend:
As concerned Americans, we need to know as much as possible about how our government works and what those in positions of power think. I wrote the following article 18 months ago. I believe it will give you a better understanding of the motivations of our national leaders and those who advise them.
I personally believe that the removal of Saddam Hussein is an imperative for world peace and security but I am concerned about the long range impact of how the present administration manages international affairs.
It is with this in mind, that I share the following information.
Gerald Plessner |
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| State of the Union Speech 2003 | (01/30/03)
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| President George W. Bush gave one heck of a speech this week. Those of us who love words have to admire the skill displayed both in the writing and the delivery of that speech. It is loaded with dramatic phrases, repetition and pacing. |
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| Does Bush ideology allow for common sense? | (01/23/03)
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| When ideology trumps reality, common sense and human life are the likely losers every time. President Bush's foreign policy, rooted so deeply in ideology, has the makings of an international disaster of one kind or another. In the short term, it has created more problems than it has solved, especially on the Korean Peninsula, in Iraq and in the Holy Land. |
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| The truth about American Imperialism | (01/09/03)
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On December 6, 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt delivered his annual message to Congress stating this nation’s foreign policy regarding countries in the Western Hemisphere.
Ninety-eight years later, on September 20, 2002, President George W. Bush announced his National Security Strategy, which stated our nation’s policy on relations with countries around the world and with the threat of non-governmental terrorist groups. Both messages changed America’s role in the world. |
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| Where's integrity when convicted liars get important jobs? | (01/02/03)
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| Why would a president who ran on a pledge to bring integrity back to the Oval Office bring into his administration two men who were convicted of making false statements to Congress? |
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| Dr. Laura should resign | (12/26/02)
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I once believed that bad news came in threes, that when two celebrities died one after another, the death of another celebrity could be expected the next day or two. Hopefully that will happen soon with resignations.
"Dr. Laura" Schlessinger should do the honorable thing and join Cardinal Bernard Law and Senator Trent Lott in withdrawing from her role as the hard-talking mother to the weak and indecisive. |
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| Can California balance growth and agriculture? | (12/19/02)
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| When I leave my store in El Centro, California to return home, I usually drive North on Forrester Road. Last Spring on the way home, I came to a field that was being prepared for the harvest of carrots. It was a large field, perhaps 120 acres, and more than 24 double-trailer trucks were waiting to haul the carrots to packing sheds. One field would produce 48 trailer loads of carrots! |
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| Advice to the losers in 2002 | (12/12/02)
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| Here is this year's advice to the losers. If the Democrats hope to play any role in America's near future, they have to stop crying and start fighting. Here are some things they can do. |
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| Does the 5th Amendment really protect you from self-incrimination? | (12/04/02)
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| Like most American's you probably believe that the 5th Amendment grants you the right to remain silent if interrogated by police. You have seen television detectives recite the Miranda statement so many times you almost know it by heart and you probably thought it was wrong for police to coerce you into talking after you tell them you want a lawyer and do not want to talk. |
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| On this one day a year, we're family | (11/28/02)
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| Nothing unites Americans more than turkey dinner on Thanksgiving. Whether rich or poor, surrounded by family at momma's house or alone in a crowd at a free meal for the homeless, everyone is part of the American family on this, our one national religious holiday. Though we have no national religion, Thanksgiving is the holiday when we observe the goodness of life and the blessings of liberty, and that comes very close to a universal religious moment. |
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| Answers to some letters about guns | (11/21/02)
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A survey of recent letters to the editors indicates that some readers believe that: I am "Coming from some distant planet" about Israel; That this author "demonstrated his propensity for not allowing fact and reason to interfere with promotion of his preconceived ideas" about imperialism and guns and; That it is "hard to understand how Gerald Plessner. . has the credentials and notoriety to be published so often on the op-ed page of the Tribune" about going to war with Iraq.
As that great American Pat Paulsen said in response to critics during his campaign for the presidency, "Picky, picky, picky." |
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| What is going on in North Korea? | (11/14/02)
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What is going on in North Korea? Does the Bush administration have any idea how the government in Pyongyang really works? Are we ready to respond to the idea that North Korea, in its argumentative and
mysterious ways, is trying to tell us something positive? |
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| Why the Europeans don't love us anymore | (11/07/02)
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| It was one of those few revealing moments in the world of television talking heads. A member of the Wall Street Journal's editorial staff was interviewing former secretary of state Henry Kissinger. (The right-wing editorialists for the Journal now have their own talk show on CNN. So much for the liberal control of the media.) |
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| Guns don’t kill people, gun nuts do! | (10/17/02)
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It is time for America's gun lovers to tell us what they are going to do to protect us from their weapons of mass destruction.
In Maryland, a gun nut is meticulously shooting innocent Americans and not a word from the National Rifle Association. Even little more from their chief federal sponsor, Attorney General John Ashcroft. |
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| Do you want your child to grow up to be an imperialist? | (10/10/02)
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I have been trying to figure out president Bush's real long-term foreign policy objectives. I suspect that there is more to it than the goals of his recently published National Security Strategy.
Does the president really want America to be the world's imperial ruler and, by extension, its policeman? Do the hawks who advise him understand that an invasion and occupation of Iraq might have unintended consequences disastrous to us and our friends? Do they believe that our technology will protect us and guarantee our success time after time --- that we can never fail or be seriously injured? |
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| Bush National Security Strategy | (10/03/02)
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| President George W. Bush has developed a comprehensive and creative National Security Strategy that will guide our Nation's role in the world. The strategy is developed annually for presentation to Congress. It serves as a declaration of the Administration's national security and foreign policy intentions. |
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| Wealth and Democracy is a great book! | (09/29/02)
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All the good things you have heard about Kevin Phillips' new book, Wealth and Democracy are true. It is a sure Pulitzer Prize winner that explains the history of money in America in fascinating detail.
If you want to understand what really happened to the American economy over the last ten years, all you have to do is go to your local book store and take down Phillips' book. Read the introduction. It explains what has happened to the wealth of ordinary Americans over the last few months and how those same ordinary Americans have been taken to the cleaners by big money, big politics and big lies. |
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| What have we learned from 9/11? | (09/10/02)
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| What have we learned from the atrocities of September 11, 2001? As we honor those who died on that terrible day, the best tribute to their memory would be to achieve an understanding of what happened, what caused it, and how to make the world a better place where all their descendants might live in peace. |
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| America must face the reality of slavery | (08/29/02)
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| The debate about reparations to the descendants of American slaves is here once again. The reparations movement has filed lawsuits against corporations that made money from slavery and is now demanding payment from our government for the labor of millions of African slaves. |
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| Some thoughts for August | (08/15/02)
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| News is reported so rapidly today that important stories disappear before we have a chance to process the information. Television's endless demand for new angles, vivid pictures and quick answers gives us little time to think. Important issues are all too soon swept from public awareness. There are many that need answers. Consider these examples: |
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| Welcome back, Libertarians! | (08/08/02)
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It looks like the Libertarians are back! In a recent commentary, Veronique de Rugy (what a fantastic name), of the Cato Institute took apart president Bush's record on fiscal policy and the role of government. I must admit that I agree with almost everything she said.
The protectionist actions by the president were crass political moves at the expense of all American consumers. By placing tariffs on imported steel and lumber, the president raised the price of all these items. President Bush, whom many of my readers consider a "very moral man", bought the votes of steelworkers in Ohio and Pennsylvania and lumber workers in the Northwest so that you could spend more money of everything from garden rakes to automobiles, from lumber for a new home to a broom handle. |
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| Where have all the Libertarians gone? | (07/25/02)
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| Where have all the Libertarians gone? Remember them? They are the people who believe that all government is an infringement on liberty, that we should be free to do absolutely anything we want, presumably except inflict violence or death upon one another. |
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| Enron Harkens back to Bush trouble | (07/20/02)
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| The important lesson from George W. Bush's involvement with Harken Energy Corp. isn't that he sold two-thirds of his stock eleven days before the company posted a $23.2-million loss. |
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| Our Founding Fathers | (07/04/02)
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| I have always been in awe of the Founding Fathers. It is amazing that so many bright minds came together in Philadelphia during that hot summer of 1776. I have always thought of it almost as a divine coincidence but now I know that there was a lot more than chance at work there. |
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| Pedophilia, homosexuality or denial? You judge | (06/27/02)
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| "Is the Catholic Church's current crisis of sexual assaults against minors an epidemic of 'pedophilia' or is it a problem of homosexuals in various states of arrested emotional development hitting on teen-age boys as the evidence increasingly seems to suggest?" That question was posed recently by Kathleen Parker of the Orlando Sentinel. |
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| The conspiracy to destroy America's public schools | (06/20/02)
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| James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, wants all parents to take their children out of public schools. What a surprise. Dobson, whose many non-profit publishing and advocacy ventures have made him a very wealthy man, says, "In the state of California... I wouldn't put (a) youngster in a public school." |
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| It's a Grand Old Flag | (06/13/02)
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| On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act: "Resolved, that the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation." |
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| Hold responsible parties accountable | (06/06/02)
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| In March 2001 we called for the resignation of Federal Bureau of Investigation director Louis J. Freeh. We were among the first to suggest his early retirement. Freeh's leadership of the bureau was uninspired and as we now know, tragic. His problems were hidden by his cozy relationship with Congressional Republicans and his conflicts with his Democratic attorney general. His poor leadership and the failure of Congressional oversight have cost us dearly. |
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| Second guessing is the essence of democracy | (05/23/02)
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| The president had it right when he said that in Washington, "Second guessing has become second nature." But the right to second guess is the essence of democracy. Iraqis don't get to second guess Saddam Hussein. Cubans don't get to second guess Fidel Castro. We learn best when opposition politicians second guess elected leaders and those leaders learn valuable lessons too. |
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| Farm subsidy bill a slap to free market | (05/09/02)
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| The next time the president or some Congressional leader talks about shrinking the role of government by reducing spending, check out what they said or how they voted on the farm subsidy bill passed by the House of Representatives last week. |
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| Robert Hanssen and justice | (04/25/02)
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| If ever a criminal deserved execution, Robert Hanssen is the one. Hanssen is a traitor who spied voluntarily for the Soviet Union for 25 years. He is responsible for the execution of three men who helped the United States and for giving the Russians information that endangered every American. |
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| E-Mail can't assure anybody's privacy | (04/14/02)
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| If you have ever written an email containing anything you wanted only the other person to know, be thankful you are not Cardinal Roger Mahony. The recent theft of the Cardinal's communications with his attorney and other staff members is a cautionary tale for us all. |
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| Catholic church --- It's About Sex, Not Sin | (04/04/02)
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Thomas Cahill is a devout Catholic and a biblical scholar who has written three wonderful books about history-changing events. His most recent work, "Joy of the Everlasting Hills", tells the story of Jesus, the Disciples and the Jesus Movement which became Christianity. Cahill writes about human beings whose achievements changed history and his insights make those achievements all the more wonderful.
When asked recently to comment on the sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, Cahill said the problem was that Catholic seminaries are producing sexually infantile priests. This means that by inducting young men into celibacy before they are sexually mature, the Church is filling its priesthood with many men who are either sexually immature or conflicted by their sexual feelings. |
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| Whitewater independent counsel final report | (03/28/02)
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| About twenty years ago, I was asked to help raise money for the primary campaign of Mike Curb for governor. I had worked with Mike in a number of charity fund raising programs and I knew him as a self-made man, a decent guy and a good candidate. The businessman who retained me wanted to help Mike by raising money from a broader cross-section of business people. |
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| Some values are fundamentally dangerous | (03/21/02)
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| Like everyone else who cares about such things, I have been trying to make sense out of the murder of five innocent children by a Texas mother. The facts of the case were never in dispute and Texas justice was speedy enough, finding the mother guilty but flinching at the idea that she deserved execution. |
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| Bush's Middle East failure | (03/14/02)
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| How many lives might have been saved had president Bush not waited sixteen months to intervene in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Could there have been some progress towards peace if his administration had not avoided serious involvement from the beginning? |
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| Porn Is big business in America and the world | (03/07/02)
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| Pornography is really about much more than dirty pictures because it is not just about sex. Pornography is about money and politics AND sex! That's why it is really interesting! |
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| Ariel Sharon and the failure of brute force | (02/28/02)
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| After 17 months of ever-worsening violence and retribution, both the right and the left in Israeli politics are challenging the leadership of Ariel Sharon. |
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| Buchanan may have the right facts but the wrong reasons | (02/21/02)
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| Patrick J. Buchanan has written another book decrying the decline of his kind of America --- a state of the Union not much mourned by most Americans. |
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| Money fuels arrogance and scandal | (02/10/02)
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| There are two great lies now abroad in the land. The first is that political contributions don't buy favors, only access. And the second is that the ENRON scandal is not a political scandal. |
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| Did George W. Bush do business with the Taliban? | (01/24/02)
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| In the months before the 9/11 atrocities, did the Bush administration see the Taliban as a stable government with which it could do business? Did it block Federal Bureau of Investigation efforts to find and prosecute terrorism so its oil industry friends could negotiate construction of a pipeline across Afghanistan, opening up oil fields in the former Soviet Union to American exploitation? |
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| Uncle Sam merits some pats on the back | (01/03/02)
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| American political debate continues over the role of government in our society. Conservatives and Libertarians have attacked almost every government activity except the military, as a failure. The belief in the superiority of the private, free-enterprise sector --- that it can do everything better and cheaper than government --- is recited almost as religious mantra. |
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| Enron for Dummies | (12/27/01)
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| Are you as confused as I was about the Enron fiasco? It made me feel like a real dummy. Our Washington representatives seem confused too. The Republicans who jumped at every chance to investigate "You-Know-Who", have sure been quiet. Most Washington Democrats are afraid to say anything against the president, who basks in poll ratings above 80%. But there is a lot about Enron that can be told, so here is my version of Enron for Dummies. |
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| The Plessner plan for world peace | (12/20/01)
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| Now that the war in Afghanistan is at a point where we can consider the next phase of the battle against terrorism, just what should that next phase be? Perhaps it should be the Plessner Plan. |
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| Raise Your Children Well | (12/13/01)
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Everyone has their own ideas about how to raise children.
As parents of three wonderful adults, Carole and I have a few ideas that worked for us. Here are our rules for raising children. |
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| The new trickle-down economics | (11/23/01)
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Remember trickle-down economics? An invention of Reagan-era Republican politicians and economists, trickle down economics justified massive tax cuts for the wealthy so that untold benefits would "trickle down" to the less-wealthy and the poor. When running against Ronald Reagan in the Republican primary, the elder George Bush called it "voodoo economics". He lost the primary and had to wait
another eight years to become president. |
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| What's next is that nothing is next | (11/15/01)
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| The effort to rid the world of Osama bin Laden has achieved its first success, the rout of the Taliban from Kabul and much of southern Afghanistan. And already people are asking, "What's next?" The answer is simple. What's next is that nothing is next. And the reason for that is that nothing has changed. |
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| Republican politics trumps air safety | (11/08/01)
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| It took only a few days to prove the tragic possibilities of the president's air travel safety plan. When a Nepalese national in the U. S. on an expired student visa was allowed to board a plane in Chicago while carrying nine knives and a stun gun, it might seem that the present system involving private security firms is fatally flawed. But such logic will probably escape the Bush administration. |
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| The new geo-politics | (11/03/01)
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| The world has entered a geo-political era when international relationships are likely to change radically and on very short notice. The threat of terrorism is as dangerous to our friends and adversaries as it is to America. The new geo-politics puts every international relationship up for change and that means each relationship can change for better or worse. |
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| Cellular ---Good or bad? | (10/18/01)
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Imagine that you are a battered wife. Your attorney has secured a restraining order to keep your husband away from you. You have also moved into a shelter for victims and children because he has threatened to kill you.
Your husband files for divorce and accuses you of adultery. His attorney gets a subpoena for your cellular phone company records. Through a Global Positioning Satellite or GPS chip built into every cellular phone, their equipment can record your every move when you carry the phone. Your husband finds exactly where you now live and he almost kills you. |
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| Ashcroft, Powell and Rumsfeld reassure Americans | (10/04/01)
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| Last week my comments on tolerance made the conservatives mad. This week it is the liberals' turn. Attorney General John Ashcroft is doing an excellent job in managing the domestic response to the atrocities of September 11 and in keeping us informed. Through his reassuring demeanor, and by answering questions as frankly as possible, he is reassuring Americans that our government is doing all it can to protect us. Although I am still concerned about some of his philosophies, I was wrong if I cast any aspersions on his ability to be an effective Attorney General. |
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| Tolerance --- The great American virtue | (09/27/01)
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| The American miracle is founded upon the ideals of freedom justice, independence, equality and opportunity. But the mortar that holds America together is tolerance. From its colonial days, ours was a place where persecuted minorities found sanctuary and the right to be left alone. |
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| The new reality we must face | (09/20/01)
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| America will be facing a new world reality In the days ahead. Let's look at some of the facts we may confront as we begin our war on terrorism. |
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| It's time to strike back, not compare | (09/13/01)
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When something like the terrorist horror we have just been through happens, the first impulse is to compare it to previous experience, as though familiarizing it can bring some sense out of chaos.
I was away on a business trip Tuesday morning when my wife called to tell me to turn on the television. The immediate impact of those images of the burning World Trade Center were numbing and sickening. How do you grasp the probability that thousands of people have been murdered by religious hatred and political insanity? |
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| Slavery --- The skeleton in our national closet | (09/06/01)
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| The current debate about reparations to the descendants of slaves will be of little value if it fails to help us understand slavery and its central role in American history. |
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| Politics wins out in stem cell decision | (08/23/01)
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| The real losers in the stem cell debate now seem to be the millions of Americans who believe that life does begin at conception. They are now all but deserted by their most powerful leaders who have "gone along to get along" in Republican national politics. |
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| Underlying truths of illegal immigration | (08/09/01)
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| There are so many myths about illegal immigration. Perhaps the most popular one is the idea that illegal immigrants cost a disproportionate amount of public money because they use a higher portion of our social services while contributing little in return. |
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| Post office is the target of cheap shots | (07/26/01)
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| In politics and punditry, there are certain subjects that are cheap shots. The most popular cheap shot is to slam the post office. A recent commentary by Thomas Sowell, senior fellow at the HooverInstitution at Stanford University, is a classic example of the cheap shot. |
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| Military an imperfect guard | (07/19/01)
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| I wish I had the moral certainty of those who condemn the Vietnam War as an unredeemable atrocity. My beliefs would be so much easier to live with and my conscience would rest so easy. |
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| Hope in limbo | (07/12/01)
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| The news that president George W. Bush is negotiating with conservative Catholic intellectuals over federal support for research using human embryo stem cells raises a number of important political, scientific and ethical questions. |
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| Jack Lemmon illuminated the human condition | (07/03/01)
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| Jack Lemmon was a nice guy. As he now rests peacefully, I think that he would be content if that were all that people said of him. |
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| God's creation is greater than collective myths | (06/28/01)
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I was waiting at a traffic light last week when a beautiful new automobile pulled up alongside my car and got me to thinking about evolution. It struck me how wonderful it is that human beings can design such complex and beautiful machines to overcome the limitations of speed and agility imposed by nature itself.
I have always believed that human capabilities and accomplishments, even at their most primitive, proved the existence of God, and I have never doubted that God or a supreme intelligence created the system that evolved humans to where they could do such amazing things. But I don't believe that I ever understood the story of Adam and Eve as a literal telling of actual events. I have always understood the stories of the Bible as tales of morality, human failure and redemption. |
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| George W. Bush and the American imperium | (06/21/01)
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| Since the 2000 election, I have been trying to figure out what the George W. Bush presidency is really about. Like most of his critics, I have believed that Bush's selection by Republican king makers, and the financing of his campaign by big business, were about money and nothing else. |
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| Pearl Harbor was more than a juicy movie plot | (06/14/01)
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One of the highlights of my professional fund raising career was a luncheon I helped organize in honor of General Jimmy Doolittle. It was held near Los Angeles International Airport and benefitted the Westchester YMCA.
After the room was filled, largely with aerospace executives come to honor their hero, the band struck up "Ruffles and Flourishes" and Doolittle entered, walking down the center aisle. Everyone jumped to their feet, as is the honor accorded to Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, and everyone began applauding. |
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| Will Bush profit from Jeffords defection? | (05/31/01)
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| The withdrawal of Vermont Senator James M. Jeffords from the Republican party could assure the reelection of President George W. Bush in 2004. The big question is, "Will the Republicans let it?" |
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| Gas prices and presidential power | (05/17/01)
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Democracy is the theory that the common man knows what he wants and deserves to get it, damned good and hard. - H. L. Mencken
As I pay $1.99 for a gallon of gasoline, I don't know who to be madder at, the Democrats in Florida who voted for Ralph Nader or George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. |
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| Who should be the next FBI director? | (05/10/01)
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| Earlier this year, at the time of the arrest of a mole within the counter-intelligence operations of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, we called for the resignation of FBI Director Louis J. Freeh. While we take no joy at the sad ending of an otherwise outstanding career, we do hope that the departure of Freeh will enable President Bush to take that important position out of politics. |
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| Is the Supreme Court hostile to individual rights? | (05/03/01)
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Is the U. S. Supreme Court hostile to individual rights? You be the judge.
"We hold that no such right of action exists," said the U. S. Supreme Court in a majority opinion released on April 24 declaring invalid 35 years of precedent which allowed minorities to sue federal and state agencies on the grounds that their actions discriminate against them. |
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| Exodus ---- Did it happen and does that matter? | (04/26/01)
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| Recent stories about what archeologists now understand about the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt, about their years in the desert, and their arrival in the Holy Land, have prompted many Jews to wonder about the nature of their religion's most important story. |
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| Republicans understand: One vote does win a mandate | (04/14/01)
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| The most striking thing about election night 2000 was that map on all the networks. The states in the Midwest and the South were one color, red or blue, indicating that they went for George W. Bush. The states on the two coasts, New England and the upper Midwest, were the other color, indicating they went for Al Gore. |
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| McCain-Feingold won't change things | (04/05/01)
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| The Senate debate over the obscene role of money in American politics will change very little. That is because Senators and members of Congress are really interested in only one thing . . . getting reelected. |
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| Questions about the tax cut | (03/29/01)
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| There are so many questions still unanswered about President Bush's tax cut proposal! It is almost impossible to understand what the impact of such massive tax reductions will be both in the short and long term. I don't have any answers but I sure have a lot of questions. Maybe you do too. |
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| Look hard at irrational punishment of children | (03/22/01)
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| Nothing better symbolizes the absurdity of how our justice system now treats children than the sentencing to life in prison of a 14-year-old Florida boy for killing another child when he was only 12 years old. |
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| Louis J. Freeh should resign | (03/07/01)
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It is time for FBI Director Louis J. Freeh to take his pension and write a book.
(Gerald Plessner was the first commentator to call for the resignation of Louis J. Freeh.) |
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| George Washington --- the greatest American | (02/22/01)
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| Our nation's Founders' real lives are far more interesting than the false sainthood we have bestowed upon many of them. The many fables about George Washington obscure the inspiring truth about our first President. No one was more important to our Nation's founding than George Washington. Even Thomas Jefferson was first to admit the decisive role played by Washington. More than anyone else, America exists because of the leadership and sacrifice of George Washington. |
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| Charities, churches should beware government funding | (02/10/01)
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| One of the marvelous features of American democracy is its guarantee of freedom of religion and the press, freedom of expression and the encouragement to do good things. The Constitution and Bill of Rights give us the widest latitude to create new laws and protect rights as times change. |
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| Ashcroft gives us pause to consider national shame | (02/01/01)
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| Americans can thank Senator and U. S. Attorney General candidate John Ashcroft for an opportunity to consider the terrible institution of American slavery. Quoted in Southern Patriot magazine, Ashcroft glorified Confederate leaders for their defense of states rights, saying "We've got to stand up and speak in this respect, or else we'll be taught that these people were giving their lives, subscribing their sacred fortunes and their honor to some perverted agenda." |
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| Congress must address presidential election process | (01/25/01)
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| You have to admit that there is something marvelous about the process of presidential succession. Combining reasonably good will with power politics, magnificent pageantry and a frozen version of the Rose Parade(minus the flowers), the presidential transfer of power demonstrates everything good about the mystery and the majesty of American democracy. |
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| Linda Chavez and the politics of personal destruction | (01/19/01)
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| There is something very wrong about the destruction of Linda Chavez. While there is much in her career for her friends and detractors to argue over, she is entitled to a fair discussion of her ualifications to serve as Secretary of Labor and to be judged on her public record. |
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| Rogan will become just a footnote in history | (01/04/01)
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| James Rogan and his right-wing friends spent $100 million dollars of our money hunting down and prosecuting Bill Clinton, and all we got was his lousy photograph. |
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| Black middle class thumb collective noses at Bush | (12/26/00)
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| Why should Jesse Jackson's people believe they have any future in Jesse Helm's party? That is the question that Republicans like William Safire should be asking. Almost everything Republicans do . . . rather than what they might say . . . is either offensive or threatening to most African Americans. The presence of high visibility blacks and Latinos not withstanding, the idea that African Americans will be drawn to the party of Jesse Helms is an insult to their sensibilities and their heritage. |
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| The Electoral College and unintended consequences | (12/18/00)
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| As we reflect on the results of Election 2000 and look forward to the final acts prescribed by our Constitution, it is more evident that the Electoral College, a creation of our eighteenth century founders, is the source of many unintended consequences. |
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| Electoral College Primer | (12/17/00)
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| Article II, Section 1 and Amendment XII of the Constitution of the United States establishs the Electoral College. Article II contain a number of important provisions. |
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| How history will view election 2000 | (12/14/00)
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You can say what you want about the "Election That Would Not Die". But you have to be dead not to have an opinion. Election 2000 is the stuff of legends.
Forget about impeachment as the defining issue of our times. Bill Clinton couldn't be happier now that his finger-waging legacy can be overshadowed by the most complex political story in our Nation's history. |
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| Election produced a series of dismantled conspiracies | (11/08/00)
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| Hillary Clinton had it all wrong. There wasn't just one "vast conspiracy" abroad in the land. There were three --- or at least there were three until the 2000 presidential election. Each of those conspiracies have been dealt a severe blow by this election and each for a different reason. |
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| Vouchers proponents should address fundamental Issues | (10/15/00)
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| California's initiative process is again being assaulted by a millionaire who will do just about anything to trick voters into supporting a flawed ballot initiative. |
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| President Harry Truman - Could he get elected today? | (09/07/00)
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| Pasadena reader Warren M. Haussler, in a flattering letter about our recent column on Abraham Lincoln, asked if I might write something about presidents Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter. As a Missouri native, I can tell you something about Harry Truman. |
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| Lieberman selection isn't so simple | (08/12/00)
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| If you are interested in the clash between politics and culture in America, the selection of Joseph Lieberman to be Al Gore's running mate should have your brain on overload. Politics and culture --- that's what it's all about. |
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| Country club Republicans back in control of GOP | (08/04/00)
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| On his record as a public servant and businessman, Dick Cheney is an excellent candidate for vice president, although his Congressional voting record raises questions for many. As Secretary of Defense, Cheney showed great ability in managing big egos and huge projects. |
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| In Florida, Texas, common sense has prevailed | (07/30/00)
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| Perhaps Friday, July 14, 2000 will be remembered as the beginning of the season of common sense. The decisions of two juries, one in Florida and the other in Texas, bode well for that possibility. |
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| Superman and Star Wars | (07/09/00)
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If you want to understand Star Wars, think about Superman. Remember how Superman could stop a speeding bullet by catching it in his teeth?
That was when he was standing still and could see the person who fired the shot. Now picture Superman flying towards a bullet traveling from the other side of the earth, launched only minutes before from a secret site that even Superman doesn't know about. |
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| Judging Abe Lincoln | (07/06/00)
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| Why are we so distraught when we find that our heroes were only human? Why are we so eager to judge the icons of our Revolution and our Civil War by the so-called enlightened standards of today? |
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| Boys and girls are different! | (06/10/00)
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Please pay attention to what you are about to read because it is very important. Girls are different than boys!
There! I've said it. Am I brilliant, or what? Do I know something that professors of gender studies do not? Could every parent of children of both sexes know something, instinctively, that modern civil libertarians and feminists do not? You would think so if you read the current debate on whether modern feminism has hurt boys, or girls, or both. |
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| FCC and the consolidation of media power | (06/02/00)
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| This one really gets my goat! Did you read the good news from the Federal Communications Commission? They are going to relax the rules on broadcasting mega-corporations so that a company can own both a television station and a newspaper in the same city. |
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| Pundits suffer from legacy envy | (05/04/00)
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| Every conservative commentary about President Clinton's legacy ridicules his "failed foreign policy." Some recent commentaries have discussed the President's so-called search for a legacy, focusing on foreign policy as an area he might be looking at for resume items. You have to wonder which foreign policy they are talking about. Maybe it is the conservatives who suffer from Legacy Envy. |
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| What is the traditional family? | (04/01/00)
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| No subject brings out the demagogues more than the "traditional family". And no topic produces more misinformation and uninformed folklore. What is the traditional family and just how traditional is it? |
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| Rampart police scandal | (03/23/00)
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| A city has a major problem when its most powerful political force is its police department. The daily ritual of politicians evading responsibility, double-talking and remaining silent on the Rampart scandal has been as embarrassing as the scandal itself. |
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| McCain seems GOP's guardian of fragile freedom | (03/03/00)
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| Will the Republicans lose big in November? It's been an interesting political year so far but the big question remains. Why are Republican leaders so astonished by the McCain phenomena? And, because of this, how might they lose big in November? |
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| California's new voice | (02/10/00)
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| California voters actually have a voice in the 2000 presidential primary. With the election moved up to March 7, for the first time we get to vote before media pundits tell us who the winners are. As always, the real question will be how many people come out to vote. Other interesting things to watch will be the impact of the open ballot and the role of independent voters. |
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| The Dynamic Duo and the Six Pack | (01/13/00)
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| After listening to the Democratic and Republican debates last week, we came away wondering if the two parties weren't campaigning on different planets. |
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| Y2K success | (01/05/00)
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| Now that the year 2000 is here and the world didn't come to an end, and all the computers didn't die, and nothing in the Book of Revelation came to pass, there is only one thing to say to all those prophets of despair and destruction . . . GET A LIFE! |
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| Toll Road follies | (01/01/00)
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| Can the State of California forfeit its right to act in the public safety? That may be the most important question raised by contracts between Caltrans and the developers of the 91 Express Lanes, and more recently, by Caltrans negotiations with two other would-be developers of such roads in Orange and San Diego Counties. |
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| Don't make child pay for Castro's sins | (12/16/99)
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| Is this what America's foreign policy has come to? A little boy who saw his mother die at sea, who spent grueling hours adrift in a cold ocean, is made the pawn of political opportunism and anti-Castro zealotry. And America's foreign policy is held hostage in the process. |
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| An insurance company does the right thing | (12/02/99)
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| The recent decision by United Healthcare to eliminate prior authorization of physicians' treatment decisions is the first rational action by an insurer or government agency since the stampede to managed health care began. |
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| Who is Ronald Reagan? | (10/07/99)
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| If you are confused about the recent so-called biography of Ronald Reagan, don't feel alone. There are a lot of people just like you. I'll save you the price of the book. |
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| Pat Buchanan is a blast of hateful hot air | (10/01/99)
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| At the time of the horrors of Kosovo, I was outraged by comments from Pat Buchanan. I condemned Buchanan's moral relativism in defending Catholic missionaries under attack by China while dismissing the murder and rape of Muslim Albanian women and their children. I was also outraged by the failure of Buchanan's fellow Republicans to express outrage at his demagoguery. Finally there is Republican outrage about Buchanan. Tragically, it is about the wrong thing. |
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| Insurance firms standing between doctor and patient | (09/26/99)
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| The last few weeks have seen a stream of reports about the impending bankruptcy of doctor's groups, about the need for an HMO Patient's Bill of Rights and the difficulties Americans are having receiving the health care they deserve. |
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| I miss Richard M. Nixon | (08/09/99)
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| If you have ever read anything I have written, you won't believe this: I miss Richard M. Nixon! |
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| Sovereign immunity and the rule of law | (08/08/99)
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| On June 15, 1215, King John of England was forced to sign the Magna Carta, which restricted the actions of monarchy and brought it under the rule of law. The Magna Carta defined liberties which could not be violated by the king. It created the first limitations on sovereign immunity and it remains today a major symbol of the rule of law. |
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| A win for progressive ideals | (07/20/99)
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| It is always sad to see great minds falter on bad ideas. So many of our conservative pundits have once again shown us that melancholy example. |
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| Founder of the Century | (07/11/99)
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| Whom would you select as your Person of the Century? To me there is only one person who qualifies. Every other possible nominee owes his or her achievements to the individual who has been called the Founder of the Twentieth Century. |
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| Why we don't feel safe | (06/23/99)
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| Now that violent crime rates are falling, why don't we feel safe? |
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| Simple truths about guns | (05/27/99)
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| Now that America's attention is focused on gun violence, it is important to remember some simple truths about the issues of gun control and freedom of speech. |
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| Where's the outrage? | (04/29/99)
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| Does America really want a President who believes that the rape and murder of innocent civilians is the birthright of emerging nations? A recent speech by perennial presidential candidate Patrick Buchanan before the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, shown on C-SPAN, seems to give America that choice. |
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| Prosecutorial Excess | (04/08/99)
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| No one thought, when the independent counsel law was enacted, that it would come to this. What we wanted was an independent office to investigate possible wrongdoing by a small number of elected and appointed officials for whom we believed non-partisan investigation was impossible. |
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| Don't demonize Slobodan Milosevic | (04/04/99)
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| Maybe it isn't such a good idea to demonize Slobodan Milosevic. If we learned something from the Second World War and the Holocaust it is that the citizens of a country bent on genocide share responsibility for the acts of their leaders, no matter how brutal those leaders may be to their own people. |
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| What I don't understand about money | (03/07/99)
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| Here is what I don't understand about money. |
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| GOP needs to refocus | (02/19/99)
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| Now that the Senate has rebuffed the ideology-driven pursuit of President Clinton, isn't it time for a little Republican rational thought about what their six-year crusade has earned them? |
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| The Great Divider | (01/09/99)
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| Watching Pete Wilson try to run for president will be like watching a child trying to find his way out of a carnival house of mirrors. At every turn he bumps into his own image. |
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| Founders' wisdom demonstrated by structure of Congress | (01/08/99)
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| Thank God for the Founders' insights! In crafting our Constitution, those brilliant but fallible men created a document that is stunning in its principles yet marvelous in its adaptability. The impeachment process, though alternately tawdry and tedious, confirms their wisdom. |
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| Tough questions? Ask the Starr | (04/18/98)
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| Now that Republican Congressional leaders are preparing for possible impeachment proceedings against President Clinton, Democratic members of the House must begin thinking about what they will ask during any hearings. Everyone will be interested in Prosecutor Kenneth Starr's answers to important questions. |
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| Conspiracy to destroy Clinton does exist | (03/01/98)
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| There is only one thing more amazing to me than the fact that the American people don't consider President Clinton's alleged sex life important to his job rating. It is that Washington reporters and pundits don't understand why. |
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| Maybe I am a right-wing kook, but... | (10/22/85)
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Most of the opinion pieces written after the TWA hijacking seemed to have two thought in common --- a sense of futility and the belief that the United States is, because of its commitments to human life and higher standards of conduct, impotent to deal with terrorism.
Almost everything written in the aftermath of the Achille Lauro highjacking and murder places the blame for the rioting, the Egyptian anguish and the fall of the Italian government --- and a derailment of Arafat's peace efforts --- at the fault of the American government rather than the perpetrators and those governments which sympathize with or accommodate terrorists. Soon they will blame Leon Klinghofer for having the audacity to go on a cruise so soon after having a stroke! |
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