ROOTING FOR RECESSION
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.’s The Reich
Stuff:
I now take it for granted that towards the end of any Republican
president’s term the press will bark and howl about the woes of the
economy in an effort to help elect a Democrat replacement. Whether
such bellyaching has any foundation to reality is purely
incidental.
— Richmond Trotter
The economy always recovers from its setbacks that are usually
caused by government actions. My question is how do you think the
low value of the dollar will resolve itself? Will it rise back up
to at least par with the euro?
— George Topany
GINGRICH FOR PRESIDENT
Re: Peter Ferrara’s Unity and
Change — Or Not?:
Gingrich illustrates the utter failure of liberal-socialist
policies by having us look at the decaying heap that was the once
proud and prosperous Motor City in Detroit which is not unlike
peering across Checkpoint Charlie in West Berlin at the bleakness
that was East Germany prior to the German reunification in 1990.
There can be no clearer examples to show the detriment of intrusive
government and the corruption it spawns.
— John Nelson
Hebron, Connecticut
John McCain has a heart condition right before the convention, and
can’t be the nominee. Newt is asked to run, and he accepts the
nomination. He then beats Obama or Hillary in a 50 state landslide!
He could be the next Reagan and then some.
— John P.
Elmhurst, Illinois
What a fascinating article. Having been struck by Sen Obama’s
speech to the 2004 Dem convention, I have tried to follow his
career closely. Increasingly, however, I’m being drawn to the
conclusion of “smoke and mirrors.”
— Jean Sutherland
Where can I read the full text of Mr. Gingrich’s speech? I would
like to get a printout of it to send to my Daddy, who does not use
the Internet.
Mr. Gingrich is absolutely correct about the Department of
Hatcheries Indoctrination Centers…er, “public schools,” and their
cost-benefit ratio. Basically they exist to keep the relatives of
apparatchiks in work.
As for Hope and Change, those are the two words I hear most
often on the Casino Bus. Hope, on the way to the Casino, and Change
on the way home when the bus driver asks, “How much you win,
bro?”
— Kate Shaw
American in Canada (where the proles have long ago surrendered to
despair)
Toronto, Canada
Peter Ferrara replies:
A video of the speech should be available here.
FIGHT TO THE FINISH
Re: Tom Bethell’s The Dems’
Difficulty: A Contest for the Liberal Vote:
I loved Mr. Bethell’s analysis of the Democrats’ problem, and
agree with it. I think the bickering and squabbling is dangerous
for the Dems not only because it reveals their candidates to be
liberals, but also because everyone at some level realizes that
there is so virtually no difference between them in terms of policy
and experience, which leaves only the personal to fight over. This
is always bad, but particularly so when each candidate, and many of
their supporters, belong to an historically disadvantaged cohort
that thinks its past victimization entitles it to the White House.
Those aren’t the words that are used, of course, and the sentiment
is not mentioned publicly — rather, the fight is couched in terms
of illusory differences over substantive policy issues or
experience — but in my opinion, that is the reality.
— Anne Stinneford
Chicago, Illinois
While I carry no water for Tom Tancredo, I think it unfair for Tom
Bethell to portray Tancredo as anti-immigrant. I have seen no
evidence that would lead me to conclude that Tancredo is anything
but anti-illegal immigration.
— Rick Greer
Mount Juliet,Tennessee
Perhaps, probably, I’ve missed much more than I realize in the past
few months, trying to learn how much of an empty suit Mr. Obama
really is, but I don’t recall anything that could support your
assertion he “would like to move to the center.”
It might be generous to even call him just a liberal. But if
he’s a centrist-in-disguise, pray, tell, who then’s a leftist?
Liberal and/or leftist hardly matters now. Whichever brand he is
— and I suspect it’s truly the latter — I can’t imagine there’s a
vaccine fast-acting enough that he can take now to inoculate him
from that dreaded double-L disease.
Of course, he’ll try any ruse to do so. He’s too arrogant not to
try. And, who knows, with the MSM so fervently supporting him, he
might get away with that hokum for a while. Just look at how he’s
skated thus far.
— C. Kenna Amos
Princeton, West Virginia
NOT SOLD
Re: Quin Hillyer’s From
Tankers to Terrorists:
I usually find it easy to agree with Quin Hillyer, but in his
mini-essay “Boeing Should Cool It,” he forgot to show an even worse
and more inconvenient problem with the corporate body that beat out
Boeing.
I call it “the corporate body” because Northrop Grumman is
nothing but a shill for Airbus which is fronting for its owner, the
European Aerospace Defence group — facts that are conveniently
shunted aside whenever the subject is discussed.
That inconvenient problem is that the French stock market
regulator has found evidence at Airbus of insider trading and
market manipulation, as well as issuing false and misleading
information about their production problems.
Look out, Air Force. Airbus is winging its way to you with worse
ethical problems than Boeing had. Don’t be surprised when
“production problems,” and false and misleading information about
them, make it difficult for you to fulfill your mission.
I wonder whether the Defense Department would have awarded the
contract to Northrop Grumman had they known.
Mon Dieu, quell surprise, the French regulator came out
with the information just a bit too late to disqualify
Northbusead.
Or is it too late?
— A. C. Santore
I have to agree with Mr. Hillyer’s unrelated thoughts pertaining to
John McCain. I have been watching Mr. McCain lately and from my
observations I don’t think he feels the need for help from
Conservatives. Every time he opens his mouth it’s to soothe
moderates — making another attempt to assure them he is NOT a
conservative. I fully expect him to ask Joe Lieberman to join him
at the top of the ticket — courting the moderate-liberal vote.
John McCain believes he will get himself elected without
Conservatives.
I also agree that Mr. Hillyer is correct about Conservatives. I,
for one, will not sit home in November; but I have no intention of
working this summer. Nor will I contribute to the RNC or the
presidential campaign. Let the moderates take my place stuffing
envelopes and making calls.
— Judy Beumler
Louisville, Kentucky
PLYMOUTH CROCK LANDED ON US
Re: Hal G.P. Colebatch’s Plymouth
Crock:
I am afraid Hal G.P. Colebatch ‘s fevered imagination has led
him astray. His article “Plymouth Crock” (4/3/2008) is totally
wrong in attributing this University’s change of name from King
Alfred’s College to political correctness and the role of King
Alfred in history. We became the University of Winchester because
it describes what we are and where we are. The previous name did
neither. To keep the valued link with King Alfred, we re-named our
main campus after him.
— Tommy Geddes
Pro Vice Chancellor
The University of Winchester, King Alfred Campus
Winchester, United Kingdom
My father is English, he was a schoolboy in London during the blitz
and he had two older brothers in the British Army — one was a
paratrooper, the other served in the desert war in North Africa. I
was bought up on stories about Spitfires, Churchill, stiff upper
lips and devilish Huns and I like to keep in touch with my father’s
homeland. It’s pretty obvious that things aren’t the same and most
of the changes are for the worst — the British lost an empire and
now they have lost much of their own heritage as well. Now I think
the nerds will have their revenge. The outlook for the British
economy is far from good, they have an economy that is
unsustainable and many of the taxation, regulation and debt
chickens that were hatched in the last decade are coming home to
roost with a vengeance. Those who were busy smashing Britain’s
heritage and history were also wrecking the wealth and prospects of
ordinary British people — they have been screwed and they appear
to be seeing the bill they have to pay. It is not going to be
pretty once the British electorate realizes what a hopeless mess
the Labour government has landed them in — all the hard work done
in the Thatcher years has been completely wasted, they are worse
off than they were when Margaret Thatcher was in office.
Conservatives should keep a close eye on Britain, I think a lot
of painful lessons are going to be learned all over again and
liberals are going to find that their ideas aren’t nearly as
welcome as they were in the 90s. The costs of liberalism are
becoming all to apparent and the time when people were happy to pay
is just about over. Britain played a major role in promoting
conservative ideas in the 1970s and '80s and they might well do so
again. Conservatives all around the world, especially in Britain
and America have been in retreat recently but that might be about
to change. It probably won’t happen in a rush, but hang on to that
Ronald Reagan memorabilia, it could be quite hip in the not too
distant future.
— Christopher Holland
Canberra, Australia
Of whom can England be proud?
Shakespeare, Newton, Conan Doyle, Darwin, Cook, Drake, Carrol,
Kipling, Spenser, Boswell, Johnson, Shelley, Chaucer, Wordsworth,
Dickens, Wedgwood, Sterne, Raleigh, Hobbes, Mill, Babbage,
Churchill, Tennyson, Milton, Orwell, Wodehouse, Austen, Faraday,
Hawking, Turing, Hooke, Rutherford, Turner, Gibbon, Smith, Chaplin,
Best, Holst, Beecham, Delius, Vaughn Williams — to name but a
few.
Who gave the world such genius? Who gave the world freedom of
speech, freedom from slavery? Who has no jolly cause for
self-contempt?
The English. The English. Ever the English.
— David Govett
Davis, California
ENOUGH ALREADY
Re: Jeffrey Lord’s Doubting
Thomas:
This was a great perspective. I have been a UCC member at
Wilbraham United Church in Massachusetts for about 15 years. I have
seen quite a bit of both the bad and the good, in both my local
community, and within the Leadership ranks of the Church. The
Reverend Wright situation is the last straw for me. I cannot
understand how this situation was allowed to go on for so long (37
years) or why this man is not being repudiated by the Church
Leadership. Reverend Thomas’s public comments might lead one to
believe he just stepped into the job yesterday, and hasn’t had a
chance to examine the facts. Jeff Lord’s article has put it all in
perspective for me. I am at peace with my decision to move away
from the UCC. I will fulfill my final Stewardship pledge this
year.
— Kevin Kary
Wilbraham, Massachusetts
SLOW AMMO
Re: Brian Doherty’s Give ‘Em
Heller:
Thank you for this article, and other coverage of this case.
Today, the answer to the question of the efficacy of gun control is
as easy as A, B, C. Australia, Britain and Canada have taken their
citizens firearms to protect them from themselves. The results are
just as predicted by conservatives here resisting the same laws. No
decrease in gun violence and a massive increase in violent crime.
Let us hope that SCOTUS brings back an acceptable answer to
Heller.
— H. William Good
