The holidays are traditionally a time where we renew our optimism about the future. Gatherings with friends and family, festive meals and sparkling decorations are all powerful elixirs to the wear-and-tear of daily life. A new ABC/WaPo poll, however, shows
In the Sufjan Stevens song “John Wayne Gacy, Jr,” the singer punctuates a retelling of the infamous killer’s deeds with the line: “On my best behavior, I am really just like him.” As a Christian, Stevens’ lyric is a poignant
(AP) TEHRAN, IranAn Iranian semi-official news agency says there has been another cyberattack by the sophisticated computer worm Stuxnet, this time on the industries in the country’s south. Tuesday’s report by ISNA quotes provincial civil defense chief Ali Akbar Akhavan as
HONOLULU, Dec. 24 (UPI) — President Obama’s Christmas Eve began with a workout at a military base in Hawaii, followed by two rounds of golf and a beach outing with his family. While the president was on the links, first
(AP) NORAD says record number of calls to track SantaBy DAN ELLIOTTAssociated PressPETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo.Most of the thousands of children who call the annual Santa-tracking operation at a Colorado Air Force Base on Christmas Eve ask the usual
Every year, with depressing regularity, Palestinian leaders use Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem as an opportunity to bash Israel–and the international media eagerly plays along. This year, Agence France-Presse touts Christmas as an extra special occasion because “Palestine” has a new
(AP) Army teams going to Africa as terror threat growsBy LOLITA C. BALDORAssociated PressWASHINGTONA U.S. Army brigade will begin sending small teams into as many as 35 African nations early next year, part of an intensifying Pentagon effort to train
After outcry about the possibility of former Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) becoming the new Defense Secretary, the Obama administration has reportedly decided to back off the prospective pick. According to National Journal, a senior Obama administration official said it was
On Thursday, the House passed a $633 billion defense authorization bill that “provides a 1.7-percent pay raise for the military,” funds the war in Afghanistan, “includes fresh sanctions against Iran,” and offers “compromise language on military detention of US citizens.”
Gun control punishes the many for the crime of the few. And in our contemporary situation, following the crime at Sandy Hook Elementary, the gun control Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) plans to propose would literally punish a hundred million people
In the month and a half since the November elections, the conservative movement has taken some not so subtle hits from those in the D.C. establishment. Well, after the show of force by principled conservatives in the U.S. House of
The Senate just passed the National Defense Authorization Act, 81-14. Removed form the act was a ban on indefinite detention of U.S. citizens. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has deep concerns about the lack of protections.
Jack Reacher, the star of Lee Child’s generally excellent series of myster/thriller novels, is six-foot-five, 250 lbs, a hulking bruiser of a man. Tom Cruise, who plays Reacher in the appropriately titled “Jack Reacher,” an adaptation of Child’s novel “One
“Let it happen!” should be the federal approach if states want to arm teachers as a defense against Newtown-type attacks. National teachers’ unions are opposing the idea, but if states want this safety measure, the feds should stay out of
said MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. The Kerry announcement “is not going to be what was originally contemplated–the entire national security team, CIA, Defense. There’s a big controversy now over Chuck Hagel, The president had been strongly considering Chuck Hagel for defense
On Thursday, the House narrowly passed a bill that would “replace the pending defense sequester” with cuts to entitlements and social programs as a “backstop” in case the fiscal cliff is not averted. The bill passed by six votes, 215-209,
The US House passed a $633 billion defense authorization bill Thursday that includes fresh sanctions against Iran and funds the war in Afghanistan, while offering compromise language on military detention of US citizens. In addition to covering standard national security
With the defeat of Plan B and the passage of a sequester replacement bill, as well as a $633 billion defense policy bill, the House has adjourned. Tonight, the House Majority Leader’s office announced that the House concluded legislative business
(AP) – At least 31 people were suspended from two Army day care centers at Fort Myer, Va., last week after officials scrutinized their backgrounds and found criminal convictions including fourth-degree sexual assault and drug use, a defense official said
The Chuck Hagel Defense Team™ is reporting for duty. Now that Hagel is considered the leading candidate to be the new Secretary of Defense, Hagel’s former Senate aides have gone on the attack to protect their former boss from criticism
While the media seizes on the tragedy in Connecticut to tell us that Americans have now largely turned a corner and thrown away their love for 2nd Amendment freedoms, reality tells us something completely different. The reality is that “8,000
Los Angeles County Assessor John Noguez has been in jail since mid-October because a campaign fundraiser allegedly bribed him to lower property taxes for his individual clients, but the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday decided they will
A gun shop near San Antonio, Texas is offering free concealed handgun license courses to all teachers after the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. Josh Felker, who owns LoneStar Handgun in Schertz, Texas, told the ABC affiliate there that he is offering
On Tuesday, in a baseless and reprehensible accusation, Iran’s Press-TV claimed that the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut was the work of “Israeli death squads.” Part of the report consisted of an interview with conspiracy theorist and former Arizona
The special State Department report on Benghazi (known as the Accountability Review Board) released on Tuesday offered a blistering critique of mid-level State Department officials but left Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama relatively unscathed. The report contains no
Q Jay, can you comment at all on the Pentagon? Investigators have concluded that a senior defense official has leaked restricted information to the makers of the bin Laden film. Peter King’s office is out and says they’re quite troubled
When former Gov. and current Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) changed positions on the assault weapons ban post-Connecticut school shooting, he justified the change by saying, “I don’t know anyone that needs 30 rounds in a clip to go hunting.” He
Most mainstream media journalists are ignoring possible intelligence leaks to the creative team behind “Zero Dark Thirty,” the film which recreates the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Government watchdog group Judicial Watch is doing the work the media should have
The Obama administration official who leaked sensitive information to the filmmakers behind “Zero Dark Thirty” has been identified as Michael Vickers, senior Defense Department official who was being considered as a candidate to fill the role of CIA Director for
As those who carry water for the gun-control crowd do so feverishly in the aftermath of the Connecticut shooting, the New York Times (NYT) is leading the pack by trying to convince students of American jurisprudence that the Supreme Court created a
In 2006, when Israel was targeting Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon and trying to push them back from the Israeli/Lebanese border, then-Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) begged President George W. Bush to seek a ceasefire. When Hagel did this, the Council on
Even as Django Unchained producer Harvey Weinstein cancels the Los Angeles premiere of the film, and star Jamie Foxx admits that film violence can inspire real life violence, director Quentin Tarantino is unbowed in his defense of ultra-violent depictions of
Under-Secretary of Defense Michael Vickers, considered to be one of the Obama White House’s top choices for the CIA Director’s position, leaked restricted information to the makers of the Osama bin Laden feature “Zero Dark Thirty.” The news, revealed by
On CBS News’ “Face The Nation” anchor Bob Schieffer injected his opinion, and racial politics into the discussion about the Connecticut school massacre. “After 9/11 we turned this culture upside-down, we doubled our defense budget. If this person had had,
As I wrote in an earlier post, former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) has a long history of opposing Israel at every turn in the road. But if that weren’t bad enough, his past also demonstrates a soft spot for Iran
In the wake of the Conn. shooting, the 2nd Amendment has become a focal point for anti-gun proponents once more. Their message is that it’s time to re-evaluate the right to keep and bear arms, but the mistaken assumption is
If former Sen. Chuck Hagel is truly to be Obama’s nominee for Sec. of Defense, we do ourselves a favor by vetting him well and vetting him now. In so doing, one of the first things that stands out are
On December 11th, as North Korea was launching a rocket, the Obama administration’s top officials who deal with Asia were reportedly at various Washington, D.C. soirees, caught completely flat-footed by the rocket launch. According to Foreign Policy magazine, “the Obama administration’s Asia team
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) – A suicide bomber killed one American service member and wounded three other U.S. troops outside a base in southern Afghanistan on Thursday shortly after a visit there by U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, officials said. Panetta
The media, pundits, and leaders from both political parties continue to warn of the impending fiscal cliff. Amidst all this chatter, four myths are being promoted as established fact. All are incorrect. Public policy based on such mythology threatens this
