The American Spectator

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT HILLARY
Re: Aaron Goldstein’s There’s Something About Sarah:

It will not be Palin vs Obama in 2012. It will be Palin vs. Hillary in 2012 unless Obama nominates her for a SCOTUS seat beforehand.

One has to be in outer space somewhere not to have noticed how Hillary has and continues to distance herself from almost all of the Obama Administration negative press. Even as Secretary of State she has managed to stay out of the press regarding all the negative publicity that the Obama Administration is getting.
— Mike Zeldis

This is one of the best articles I have read and I read a lot.  The last paragraph is a keeper.  Please tell Mr. Aaron Goldstein how much his insight is appreciated.
— Barbara Knauff
Leesburg, Florida

Great article, Mr. Goldstein.

Poor Bernard Shaw probably still does not understand how and why his intended “soft ball” to Governor Dukakis was fumbled so badly and almost literally propelled the first Bush into the White House. He seems now to understand something about what he and others missed in covering a great politician and more importantly a great human being. This latter trait apparently was in such short supply in Shaw’s world, it went unrecognized by Shaw and his ilk. How sad.

Such maybe present in Mrs. Palin. Time will tell, but it most certainly is not present in the Obamas,the McCains, the Edwards’s (duh), the Kennedys (all thousand), the Bidens, the Sanfords and on and on. Mitt Romney may also possess some potential in this respect. I hope so.
— Jack Wheatley
Royal Oak, Michigan

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO…?

Residing and hiding in Tennessee,
In a home too palatial for you and me,A man once revered
(Though some of us sneered),
Is counting his carbon fortune lovingly.

He is always alone,
Stares hopefully at the phone,
But the thrill of his vast
Adoration has passed.
His glory was only on loan.

One cannot feel gladness
At the sight of such sadness.The mighty brought low
Is a melancholy blow.
Call the whole silly thing moonbat madness.

I write from an igloo in Washington, D.C.
First Dude Palin bring your sled and rescue me!
— Mimi Evans Winship

MATH QUIZ
Re: RiShawn Biddle’s Out of Chalk:

Your East Cost Teachers retirements are pikers compared to Oregon. Our PERS retirees get up to 110% (yes, you are reading that right) of their highest three years salary and they can retire at 55. Of course when the system collapses, as it inevitably will, 110% of nothing won’t be much, will it?
— Jim Welsh
Nehalem, Oregon

Please tell me that no one is surprised by this response from Barack H. Obama’s and Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Department of State.

Wonder how they’d have responded if the 10 were anything but Christians; say, Muslims?

Whatever, for a representative of the U.S. government to equate the Baptists to drug traffickers is, well, outrageous.

This abhorrent behavior of the Obama administration cannot be allowed to continue.
— C. Kenna Amos Jr.

These missionaries need our prayers. It’s a sure thing that our government is not going to step in and help anyone on a CHRISTIAN Mission.  Just remember those government officials when it’s time for you to cast your vote, and what ever you do, vote!
— Cindy

SAIL ON SAILOR
Re: Larry Thornberry’s The Wrong Gay Line:

I am an old sailor, just turning 65. I was stationed on a Troop Transport out of Norfolk, Virginia, and with hundreds of my peers aboard ship, we were in very tight quarters, considering that we also transported hundreds of Marines to various ports overseas for war games. Your article has sparked old memories. These politicians today, have no clue what it is like. It is sufficient to keep the privacy of the Gays that are serving in our armed forces, because from my old experience I will admit the following that took place many years ago. With us sailors living in rooms with hundreds of guys in Racks, not Bunks, but RACKS, which consisted of canvas bottoms stitched and hung one on top of the other at least 5 or more tall, and each of us having a two inch thick mattress. Living quarters were very close. Sorry for rambling, but I am trying to give you a picture of this compact living arrangement, and also, the fact that on occasion there were certain suspected GAY men aboard and in our same quarters. These guys were quietly given the OLD BLANKET PARTY…I hope I do not have to describe this to you, but briefly, a handful of guys threw a blanket over the person and tied them to their bunks, then proceeded to give them a very severe beating……Now lets stop and think logically and calmly about this being a NO TELL situation. Imagine what would happen if it was blatant outspoken knowledge.

I never personally participated but very early experiences in my youth gave me a totally angry and negative view of gay men and so I did not at that time report the incidents. The issue that men tightly confined together will do things in a group personality that is totally different from the individual personality goes without saying. I cannot begin to describe the many stories that were spread regarding Junior Officers that did not know what they were doing and how enlisted men treated them, considering that in the Navy, they somehow got lost at sea. There is truly little tolerance for stupidity, because our lives are on the line, whether in Iraq, Vietnam, etc. Service men must BELIEVE that the men and women they serve with can be TRUSTED. Our politicians are real morons and it just supports the belief I have that we should never have stopped the draft. Every male in America should have done some service in a branch of the Armed Forces in some branch. Maybe then they would have some knowledge and understanding of our CONSTITUION and PATRIOTISM and what it means to be an AMERICAN…. Thank you for reading this, I just wish the other 300 million Americans understood this.
— Alan P. Jonas

POWER STEERING
Re: Eric Peters’s How Smart Is Today’s Toyota Driver?:

The problem with killing the engine in a modern vehicle is that, when the engine goes, so do the brakes and steering. There is a reason they call it “power” steering and “power” brakes. General Motors vehicles have had this problem for years, try pushing a dead one sometime, Fords have had “power-assisted” brakes and steering — it is difficult but not impossible to maneuver them without the engine running. Why a small car with rack-and-pinion steering would even need power steering is beyond me, but they all seem to have it.
— J. B. Layne

NO WARP DRIVE
Re: Paul Johnson’s The Real Way to Save the Planet:

The nearest star, unfortunately not possessed of any habitable planets, is 30 light years away. Has anyone a grip on how long a bunch of humans would have to survive on a spaceship just to make that trip. Let’s not even mention that all the systems on that spaceship would have to remain functional for all that time. When was the last time your car ran for just 5 years without needing repairs? The trip will take thousands of years with any propulsion technology. And getting anywhere even close to the speed of light will take converting more than the whole mass of your ship to energy. Then at the halfway point you need as much again to slow down before you get there.

And then you get there and, oops, it’s inhabited! Oh my, what to do then?

This is reality, not Star Trek! There ain’t no Warp Drive!

This little bit of analysis is why we can’t get off this planet and I might add that it demonstrates why we cannot possibly have been visited by aliens from another star, much less another galaxy either.
— Roy W. Hogue
Newbury Park, California

GETTING IT WRONG
Re: Ben Stein’s Free James O’Keefe:

Why are the liberal media not speaking up about these obvious abuses?  Do they not understand that all though they may have an edge now on certain things that this will eventually come back to bite them?

Also, why do certain media groups think they have the only right way?

I have watched for years as the media world (newspapers, radio, and TV) tell a story that is half-truths if not blatant lies.

At the same time they cannot write a story without a lot of grammatical errors.

I do feel sorry for Mr. O’Keefe but America has let the Justice System & ones like Mr. Hoover take away American Rights for years. As a result you have a Mr. O’Keefe problem.

Is this the end? Not by a long shot. America will wake up one day and find its citizens have no rights (period) and it is not too far away unfortunately.

Mr. Obama is not totally to blame — American voters have spoken.

It’s not the first time they have been wrong and it won’t be last.
— W.Myers

It is certainly a travesty of the United States justice system that these young men were arrested in the first place, but it would seem that all liberals have been placed on “alert” for the man who exposed the ACORN non-profit that got Obama elected.

It is unfortunate that the innocent ones who try to do the right thing are the ones to be punished, but we as innocent Americans, and moreover as conservatives and followers of Christ, have much about which we should be concerned — but we know Who holds the future, and that is the most calming promise I have.
All of the Obamas, Reids, Pelosis, Holders, Emanuels, etc. in the world will not stop the hand of God.
— Sharon I. Rideout

BOONDOGLE
Re: Robert M. Goldberg’s Woe Is AHRQ:

It’s about time someone pointed this out. First of all, Sean Tunis was fired from Medicare for committing fraud…now he has weaseled his way back into decision making positions in government…nobody points out that he is sponsored by private payers.

Secondly, should the research money being spent at AHRQ really being covered by the private health insurance plans?

Finally, with heart disease and cancer killing more Americans under the age of 65 than any other cause of death, why are we looking at eliminating tests and treatments (except to save private payers money!).

It’s a boondogle!
— Dan Gebow

SUBSIDIZING WELFARE STATES
Re: Doug Bandow’s The Cold War Is History:

While it would be imprudent to totally abandon NATO it is time we begin looking for ways to cut back on U.S. defense expenditures in Europe. When President Bush wisely proposed scaling back on overseas bases, there was catcall from faux war hero John Kerry. Meanwhile, European politicians were worried about the loss of revenue, Democrats and conservatives — they were all wrong.  Europe must be forced to defend itself, because thanks to Barack Obama and Democrats the U.S. cannot continue funding foreign “military welfare programs” in Europe. With their reckless spending and bankrupt domestic agenda, Democrats are imperiling the U.S. military at a time when it must be focused on eliminating the threat of Islamic imperialism (a force Europe would rather coddle than fight).

While I’m not advocating closing all bases in Europe it would be wise to consider strategic downsizing and the first place to cut is the U.S. Army’s presence in Germany. British Tory Liam Fox is right, “For NATO to work properly as a security alliance in the post Cold War world, NATO members must have the willingness to take equal risks with regards to supplying troops and equipment.” He is also correct when he opines it is time for Britain to end its military presence in Germany.  The Soviet Union no longer exists, its massive horde of tanks rolling across Central Europe is no longer a threat, so there is no need for the U.S. to maintain expensive Army bases in Germany. The billions spent there on the Army would be better spent on the F-22 Raptor and increasing the size of the Navy. Both weapons systems are more essential to the defense of the U.S. and its power projection than “resorts” in lovely Bavaria. 

France and Germany want  to be players on the world stage and plan to dominate the E.U. — let them by shouldering the defense of their continent. There is also the issue that some of the host nations are hostile to the U.S., because of its dominance in the world.   To make them happy we should get the hell out of their countries as fast as possible. The socialists of Spain are far more interested in currying the favor of Islamic extremists than the U.S. military so maybe we should consider closing the Navy base at Rota. The U.S. military does not exist as a source of revenue for bankrupt leftist governments in Europe. Its purpose is to defend America and make life hell for this country’s enemies.

The time has come for the U.S. to end it financial subsidies to Europe’s military forces and their welfare states.
— Michael Tomlinson
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

SUFFERING
Re: Jay D. Homnick’s A Thousand Points of Lightness:

With all due respect to Mr. Homnick, always very amusing to read, President Obama cannot “defeat the law of gravity” (not to mention gravity itself), and this will be his undoing. In the end, reality is what it is, and all the progressive nostrums in the world won’t change that. The only question is how much the rest of us will have to suffer, and for how long, until sanity returns. Happily, Americans don’t suffer suffering as some other peoples do, and it already appears that they have had enough. The next many months, and beyond that, two years or so, should be fun to watch; something about “reaping the whirlwind” comes to mind.
— D. Reich
Auburn New York

THE MANDATE FROM HEAVEN
Re: Jeffrey Lord’s The Running of the Bulls: Is Harry Reid the Next Scott Lucas?:

I once ran across the theory that with those elected politicians who serve for long periods of time, after awhile the old generation that elected them dies out and a new generation comes in. These new voters “know of” the politician, but they don’t “know” him — he doesn’t campaign that much, they don’t hear him on radio (or, later, see him on TV), and they don’t get to know him in a way that will make them vote for him. Especially if someone they do know, and do want to vote for, comes along.   In any government, one’s Mandate from Heaven can run out abruptly, and any leader who loses sight of that might lose sight of other things.
— Robert Nowall
Cape Coral, Florida