The first newspaper job I ever had was a very brief summer stint as a press inserter. You stand in front of a mammoth piece of machinery along with a dozen or so other workers. Grab a pair of earplugs and haul a 25-pound stack of advertising supplements over to your...
POLITICS
Keep the The Star-Spangled Banner as the National Anthem
Heard the one about the Georgetown lawyer held captive by a British naval commander while his fleet bombarded an American fort? Being an attorney he liked words, and after witnessing a barrage lasting longer than a day, he felt inspired to write a poem on the back of...
Helping Argentina Recover, Without IMF “Help”
Argentine officials visited Washington last month to discuss the country's efforts to address its economic crisis with the International Monetary Fund. They recently received a temporary reprieve when the IMF agreed to speed up a $1.2 billion payment of its existing...
The Battle Over Islam
The Islamic-Christian Summit met, after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, for two days in Rome. They sought to issue a joint statement of condemnation of the terrorist attacks. Nineteen Christian and a dozen Muslim delegates -- members of the clergy, scholars and...
On Sept 11: Open Letter to University Students
The events of September 11 have been the primary subject of discussion on college campuses across America. A patriotic fervor has been revived, with flags popping up in virtually every yard and on every car. However, after reading the editorials that appeared in last...
Loose Lips in American Academia and the Press
Some of the intelligentsia are yelling louder than ever that they are being silenced. Professors, journalists and others who have made grossly offensive remarks in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attack are shocked that other Americans are criticizing them...
Forty Centuries of Wage and Price Controls
Even the Department of Energy's study found that price caps -- which, let's not forget, are what got California into this mess in the first place -- won't improve the energy situation. In fact, they'll likely make it worse. The study concluded that a $150 "hard cap"...
The American Taliban is All Green
On September 11th, the Environmental News Service, {http://enn.com} one of the main sources of every bogus environmental claim, shed big crocodile tears about the attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. The event evoked a sudden realization by Jerry Kay, ENN's...
The Many Faces of Islam
"The terrorists' directive commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to kill all Americans and make no distinctions among military and civilians, including women and children." So said President Bush in his September 20th address to Congress and the nation. "I also...
Bioterrorism: Don’t Worry, Be Happy!
Here is the surest way for government officials to stoke nationwide fear about bioterrorism in this country: Treat the American public like children. Public-health bureaucrats have grown smugly accustomed to telling us what we should think -- instead of what we should...
Should We Go to Mars? Wrong Question: Property Rights Key Issue in Going to Mars
Is it worth going to Mars? Let each individual decide for himself. The government’s only role should be to protect property rights. Recognition of that role is the breakthrough needed by the heroic pioneers who say, “I should go to Mars.”
King of Sluggers: Barry or The Babe?
This season, Barry Bonds has been a Giant in more than name. While baseball fans and the media have been focussed on his record-breaking home-run feats, far less attention has been paid to his other feats that have been even more spectacular -- and, in fact, unique....
Violinist Isaac Stern’s Inspiration
Life goes on in the post-9-11 world. So, alas, does death. [Last month], world-renowned violinist Isaac Stern left us after 81 blessed years. He died of heart failure. What a huge, roaring heart it was. As we continue to mourn and tremble and rage in the aftermath of...
Academic Freedom on Campus: A Contradiction in Terms?
Memo to certain college newspaper editors: David Horowitz soon will give you another chance to prove your devotion to free speech isn't just lip service. Here's hoping you don't blow it the way you did last time. Yes, Horowitz, a former anti-Vietnam War...
A Return to Communism in Berlin?
In June 1948, President Truman initiated the Berlin Airlift, signaling that the free world would not abandon West Berlin to the Soviets, who had imposed a total land and water blockade. In June 1953, East German workers revolted against their communist oppressors,...
Debunking the Cliches of Pacifism
To the pacifist, attacker and victim are moral equals.
Clearing the AirWaves
Somewhere, Lenny Bruce is laughing. The late comedian, arrested several times in the 1950s for saying words in his act government officials deemed "obscene," probably would be delighted at what can be said on radio and television today -- thanks in large measure to...
No Internet Taxes
Q. Says here a lot of governors are upset about Internet scofflaws not paying the taxes they owe. Who are these bums? A. Well, there's Governor Leavitt of Utah, Governor Engler of Mich-- Q. No, not the governors! I meant who are the bums who aren't paying their taxes?...
Some Patriotic Economic Advice: Save
Over the last couple of weeks I've seen financiers and economists give a lot of misguided advice about what people need to do to help the nation and themselves overcome the terrorist attacks on America. I'm a very patriotic person myself, I don't just wave flags on...
Why Not Explore the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska?
In northeast Alaska, above the Arctic Circle, the snow seems to cover far more than the land. It's so thick and deep and cold and hard that you smell next to nothing and you hear even less. Given that part of the state sees no daylight for two months of every year,...
Will the United Nations Become the Next IRS?
A key United Nations panel has proposed a radical plan to give international bureaucrats sweeping powers over U.S. tax policy. This scheme, which will be part of the agenda at the International Conference on Financing for Development next March, would undermine...
U.S. Intelligence is not to Blame
The next time you hear someone blame our intelligence community for the attacks, remember how many attacks they *did* stop. Then think about the fact that even given the best intelligence in the world, if you stop the terrorists time and time and time again and foil...
Social Security and the Budget
No news is good news, the saying goes. But for many politicians in Washington -- especially those who oppose the Bush tax cut and the movement to create personal retirement accounts for Social Security -- bad news is good news. Specifically, bad news about the...
A History Lesson: Leave Us Alone, Or We Will Destroy You
America now joins ancient Greece and Rome as civilized peoples threatened not by competitors over territory or trade, but by barbarians whose only goal is our destruction. But rather than compare our situation to their unfortunate outcomes, I would like to draw a...
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