Human Events, a so-called bastion of modern American conservatism, is pushing a book by Gregory M. Davis titled Religion of Peace? Islam’s War Against the World. This book (and the H.E. promotional effort behind it) might help explain the shorts-in-a-bunch syndrome that has recently infected Congressman Goode and Pundit Prager, as dissected multiple times at TMV and elsewhere, including David Schraub’s post yesterday. But my intent here is not to re-visit Goodepragerland. Instead, it’s...

Snicker, chortle, snort …

Sometimes you read something that says so completely and effectively what you’re thinking, that you can’t improve on it. Such was the case this morning when I read Captain Ed’s take on the WaPo story re: Obama’s “youthful indiscretions.”

For far more years than I want to admit, I naively scoffed at the term “mental illness,” writing it off to what I considered a largely fictional category of ailments claimed by the weak and self-obsessed, people who needed to just shape up, grow up, get their acts together, and quit their whining. It was the worst kind of bigotry, based on zero knowledge of a subject I all-too-easily dismissed. Thankfully, age and a handful of encounters with the painfully real causes and consequences...

Rep. Virgil Goode is back at it in USA Today. His staff would do well to advise him to leave well enough alone, recognizing that clarifications rarely mollify; instead, they tend to make matters worse, especially when the words “end diversity” are included in one’s attempt to set the record straight. Ok, I know I’m taking those two words out of context, but honestly, does Rep. Goode really think that if we promote diversity we’ll be overtaken by just the opposite? That’s...

Andrew Sullivan notes this analysis of the Catholic case for Saddam’s execution by Professor Bainbridge, who in turn cites Captain Ed, who in turn references TMV’s own Michael Stickings. I’ll hold my opinions from the mix, and rightly so. These several takes on the matter are thoughtful and thorough enough for anyone seeking rational analysis and discussion, whether or not you agree with the writers.

I realize the title of this post, alone, will anger a lot of readers and, as a result, some of them will take time to leave comments here, pointing out that the bad in this Administration far outweighs the good. And that’s probably true. But it doesn’t change the fact that on this subject, the Administration got it right. Cheers to Captain Ed for this reminder.

For every moderate voice who has ever struggled with questions about the utility of moderation, I offer these thoughts on the doorstep of the new year. (Warning: The linked post is a rather lengthy read. For those who attempt it, I only hope it proves worthy of the time you invested.)

Those who enjoy slice-of-life stories about “democracy at work at its most local, intimate, and passionate level� might enjoy this particular entry in that category. I only wish the Feds would listen as intently and respond as truly to the will of the crowd as the quasi-governmental entity in this story did.

As excerpted by The Brussels Journal, Tony Blair labels the Koran “progressive,” “inclusive,” “practical and far ahead of its time.” Take that, Dennis Prager. As and if you have time, the full text of Blair’s article in Foreign Affairs is a worthwhile, fascinating read. Cross-posted at Central Sanity.

Recognizing both the lack of substance and assault on the U.S. Constitution that are embedded in Dennis Prager’s evolving argument about holy books and swearing-in ceremonies, I once promised to let the subject go. Unfortunately, Mr. Prager declines to reciprocate, compelling me to bring the subject out of retirement. He’s at it again today, claiming that the “culture war� in this country boils down to a fight between those who accept the authority of the first five books...

Universal health care became a bad joke during Clinton’s first term. It’s now back on the radar screen, the joke forgotten, the deadly seriousness of this issue locked at the top of many minds, and new support arriving from unexpected places. According to an opinion piece by Ezra Klein in today’s LA Times: In California, the heads of Kaiser Permanente — a historical “good cop” insurer amid the almost cartoonish villainy of the industry — have proposed...

This holiday season, I hope every TMV reader will kindly take a moment to pay your respects to Ed. Among other things, he was a walking definition of realism, of moderation, of decency. He will be missed and remembered.

TO: Columnist Dennis Prager, Representative Virgil H. Goode Jr., and Everyone Else who has made prejudicial statements about Keith Ellison and other Muslims among us … If you’re out there and you’re paying attention, I hope you’ll take a breath from your hateful words and read this story from the WaPo. And after you do, I hope you’ll issue public apologies — because America and its law-abiding citizens, from every race, religion, and creed, deserve better than...

I suspect we’re all hypocrites to one degree or another. God knows, as does my wife, that I am. Regardless, this post from Prof. Bainbridge is a good reminder to keep our contradicting values in check.

This type of thing doesn’t happen enough. If only it were the rule, rather than the exception.

via memeorandum Here’s a nice attack on what we do – both those of us who write for this space and those who read it. Granted, it’s not an attack on us specifically, but on this grand revolution of which we are a part. I’m not entirely sure why the Web logs attack the MSM and vice versa. They each have their place and function, and some at least, have learned to appreciate and capitalize on our symbiosis. For the rest, including the WSJ’s Mr. Rago, they would be well...

I was a toddler the last time protesting college students in this country actually feared for their lives. Today, stories like this one make non-experts like me wonder if the ISG report went far enough in its recommendations. Sure, go ahead, negotiate with Syria and Iran. And while you’re at it, support the voices of dissent within those countries. Stir up the pot there with the same passion you tried to settle it with force here, some forty years ago. John Lennon might have given more...

This column by Amanda Carpenter is five days old now, an eternity in blog time. So if the rest of you have already reviewed, sliced, and diced it, I apologize for re-visiting old ground. If not: Does anyone else think Human Events is trying just a smidge too hard to find contradictory statements where there are none? Or is it just me?

I was raised in a home where, no matter what, you showed respect to the person who holds the title “President of the United States.” You might not like that person, or agree with him, but you showed respect to him and to the office. Period. I have not always followed that rule with the current President, but I do think he deserves credit for what he said to People magazine about Mary Cheney. Responding to a question about his 2005 comment that “a child is raised in a married family...

I doubt you’ll find anyone who’s more passionate about the separation of Church and State than I am. But even I think the secular world can learn something, every now and then, from the debates inside organized religion, and vice versa. If you’re wondering what I mean, try this quiz. The answer might surprise (or even delight) you.

The Angry Independent has been blogging for almost a year now at Mirror on America. If you haven’t yet had a chance to check out his posts, you should. His extended treatise on where he stands on various issues is refreshing to read, whether or not you agree with him, because he hold trues to his intro … “On some issues I tend to be a little more Conservative, while on others I am a little more Progressive. Sometimes it all depends on the circumstances of a particular situation....

I tend to agree with Nancy Hanks’ analysis: “fussin and fightin” is not the problem with politics today. Disagreement should always precede policy; it is in debate that we identify the poles, without which we could never find our way to the center. The problem is not with argument, but with the refusal of the arguing parties to eventually stop, breathe, and start collaborating. So I hope you come to this space and other spaces — virtual and physical — with all the passion...

If one of my co-bloggers at TMV already saw and posted this round-up of the Top Ten Funniest Political Quotes Of 2006, I apologize for the duplication, but this is just too good and too sad to miss. (Speaking of sad, did you read the one about the hot new gift for this holiday season of love, peace, and joy?)

I’m several years late, but I’m finally reading John Avlon’s Independent Nation. I skipped to the last chapter and read it first, and was terribly confused in the process, as Mr. Avlon paints a picture of a consensus-seeking, cross-aisle-working, bridge-building George W., when he was Governor of Texas. Subsequently, I had a chance to chat in person with another TMV contributor, a Texas resident, who remembers GW as Governor, and offered the following take, apparently shared...