This review is written under the assumption you’re already familiar with the basic outline of the true story of former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell and the events surrounding 2005’s Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan. If you don’t know the story,
Every day, hundreds of millions of children in more than 120 countries settle in to watch their local versions of “Sesame Street” or similar shows inspired by the Muppet model. They learn to read, to write, to count. They learn about things
When the patent absurdity of using selfies and Twitter messages to convince Islamist savages in Nigeria to return their slaves is pointed out, it is sometimes argued that Boko Haram isn’t the true target of Hashtag Diplomacy. Instead, it’s supposed
Sometimes big geopolitical news gets tucked away in a mere clause. We can see this phenomenon in, for example, a recent AFP story on the Nigerian terror-kidnaping: “World powers, including the United States and China, have joined in the search
On Sunday’s “This Week” on ABC, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) explained why the Obama administration’s handling of the Sept. 11, 2012 Benghazi attack is such a serious matter and warrants this level of scrutiny from lawmakers. Kinzinger argued the military
Peter Parker didn’t choose to get bitten by a radioactive spider. It just happened in true Marvel Comics fashion, and a friendly neighborhood web slinger was born. The new superhero sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2, in theaters this weekend, embraces
Memphis imam Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi, Dean of Academic Affairs at the Al-Maghrib Institute, is back in the news this week for a controversial video that he has made saying that Jews and Christians are filthy and that their lives
Americans no longer trust President Obama’s “lackadaisical” approach to foreign policy and would rather the United States diminish its presence in global affairs, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. Forty-seven percent of Americans responded to the poll
The American Enterprise Institute sponsored an expert panel Thursday titled “Getting it right: a better strategy to defeat Al Qaeda.” Al Qaeda is a radical Islamist terrorist group founded by the late Osama Bin Laden. AQ was responsible for the
Things are looking up for Syrian President Bashar Assad. He claims, with some truth, that the tide of civil war has finally turned in his favour and that his forces will soon “win” Syria’s three-year-old fratricidal slaughter. Speaking to students
The Pew Research Center recently conducted a “future shock” poll to learn how Americans feel about various impending technological developments. The generally serious nature of the poll questions is somewhat undercut by one finding that the technology people most look
Ayn Rand’s 1938 novella Anthem is coming to the stage complete with song and dance numbers. What better way to get the message of conservative-leaning individualism to a leftist arts culture who dreams of utopia only to wake to the creation of
Fundraiser: “I hope you will consider giving money to the Republican Party.” Mogul: “No, I don’t think so.” Fundraiser: “Why not?” Mogul: “Frankly, I don’t think the Republicans are relevant to my priorities.” Fundraiser: “Well, maybe the Party could be
“It is not hard to understand why Muslims would want to go to Syria to help,” wrote former Guantánamo detainee Moazzam Begg shortly before his arrest Tuesday on charges that he attended an Al-Qaeda training camp in Syria. Begg is a prolific
According to Reporters Without Borders, America dropped 13 spots on the World Press Freedom Index 2014, designed to rank 180 countries in terms of the freedoms journalists enjoy and the regulations placed on them by government authorities. The Index, published
In 2008, President Obama promised that on the first day of his presidency, he would close down the prison at Guantánamo Bay and free the War on Terror captives there. Guantánamo is still open today, but the U.S. is now
I loved “Lone Survivor,” and judging by the box office receipts, so did a whole lot of other people. But film critics are not under any imperative to give it good reviews, no matter what they really think. Even if
The highly-acclaimed and hugely popular FOX series 24 is returning to television with a 12-part series called 24: Live Another Day starting May 5. Kiefer Sutherland returns as Jack Bauer, the role he played from 2001 to 2010, accompanied by
President Barack Obama’s war in Afghanistan has been a failure, according to the Afghanistan Times. In an editorial article, the Afghan news outlet stated, “If we dig deep into [Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert] Gates’ scathing critique, it can be
UPDATE: By “war movie” I of course mean a movie about the battles in the War on Terror. I thought that was obvious in the piece, some comments show that wasn’t clear enough. Between documentaries and narrative feature films, Hollywood
While I am not a particularly religious person, I do know that Christmas is first and foremost a religious holiday. Next to Easter, it is the most important holiday on the Christian calendar – marking, as it does, the birth
Just six months after first leaking National Security Agency secrets in a move that triggered a revaluation of US surveillance policies, Edward Snowden is declaring “mission’s already accomplished.” Snowden told The Washington Post in his first in-person interview since his
President Obama’s advisory panel on how to improve the National Security Agency in light of surveillance programs revealed by Edward Snowden revealed their recommendations this week. The President’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies, a group of close White
Prominent American painter and philanthropist George W. Bush–the post-aughts iteration of the former United States President–has managed a resurgence as a beloved personality and even online “hipster icon.” So warns Vanity Fair, asking with dread how a man so “uncool”
The Lord of the Rings trilogy set the bar impossibly high for fantasy filmmaking, but its depiction of an epic, unabashed battle between good and evil heartened conservative movie goers. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first film in a
