STUPID PARTY
Re: Greg Gutfeld’s Looking Stupid:

Mr. Gutfeld’s comparison of the Bush lied, Cheney works for Halliburton, they are all war criminals crowd found in the blogosphere to the hooligans that assaulted his friend are spot on. I enjoy reading the comments and reader response sections of various conservative writers. Very view of the respondents attempt to engage in a debate but rather launch into a predictable diatribe often having nothing to do with the writers column. Charles Krauthammer recently wrote a column about returning to the moon. The first three online responses mentioned, Iraq, neocons, and WMD. These cyber hoodies are pathological in their hatred.
— Donald Parnell
London, United Kingdom

Just read Greg Gutfeld’s article and it really hit home. His point about the two voices one encouraging action the other voice reluctant to look a fool. One could almost call it the Tyranny of Cool. Gutfeld’s got it right. There is too much emphasis on looking cool and not nearly enough on taking charge of a situation. His wife chose the take action course and it saved her from harm.

Odd isn’t it? Gutfeld illustrates in his piece two lessons on how to be a man and both of them given by women.
— Charles Mohseni
Seattle, Washington

Good article by Greg Gutfeld. And to expand on his point, realize that the power of political correctness comes from self-censorship, that is, by making make people feel stupid or out of place when they speak up for what is contrary to the accepted script prepared for them by the thought police.

Gutfeld writes that “we need to be willing to face the mobs in the street and the mobs online.” True, and I would like to add some other areas where we need to confront the cultural Marxists that are rotting out society. College students needs to standup to the indoctrinators standing in front of their classes in colleges; we need to speak out against the political correctness that is inhibiting the war against Islamic terrorism; our schools must be freed from the grip of the militant atheists that set their agenda.

I could go on all day, but you get the idea.
— Peter Skurkiss
Stow, Ohio

Nothing I’ve read lately has resonated as strongly with me as your article “Looking Stupid” did. Although I don’t agree with everything you wrote — e.g., I think that liberals tend to take the path of least resistance, not so much as they want to be cool–I do understand the analogy, and your article made me think, so thanks very much. Appreciate all the punches you’re willing to take.
— J.T. Mastroserio

Hurrah for Greg Gutfeld’s article “Looking Stupid.” He shows how the attitudes that start with shrugging off anonymous attacks can turn, all too easily, into being “too cool” to fight back. America and the West needs to stop worrying about being “cool” and more about preparing to fight — and fighting.
— Mark Edward Soper
Evansville, Indiana
P.S. Mrs. Gutfeld is a lucky woman.

I really enjoyed this piece. I have gone both ways, stupid and cool. I prefer stupid. Hmmm, new bumper sticker. Proud To Be Stupid!
— Larry Hicks

GO RUDY OR NO RUDY?
Re: William Tucker’s The Prodigal Son:

I have an idea, let’s rename the TAS site, “Go Rudy Go!’

Allow me, as one of the “yokels” Mr. Tucker refers to, respond. “The rest of the country”, sir is not “falling in love with Rudy Giuliani.” This yokel thinks he did a good job as mayor, and performed beyond reproach after 9/11. Than being said it will take far more than that to make me (and my fellow yokels) forget his pro-abortion and anti-gun stance. We simply cannot support the man who supports those positions. If we did we would vote Democratic.

Taking the lead in a few early polls, and wowing folks in the Northeast like Tucker is a far cry from getting it done out here in fly-over country. So, Mr. Tucker take a step ladder and climb down off your Giuliani high horse, we aren’t buying this hype for Rudy, nor are we likely to in the future.

By the way though, you are going to see some of the best in All American Eight Deuce, give them our love and support in Iraq.
— Jim Karr
Blue Springs, Missouri

BRAVO…for William Tucker’s article on Rudy Giuliani.. I live in New York, specifically Greenwich Village.

Rudy turned this city around, although the limousine liberals who publish the New York Times and New York Daily News won’t admit it. The city is NOT as safe with Mike Bloomberg as Mayor despite statistics saying crime is down.

I believe Rudy will be our next president. I also advise him to disown that nitwit son of his.
— Catherine Pape

I am a 45-year-old Born Again Christian living in Burlington, NC. I’ve been involved in Republican politics since before I could vote. I’ve been a county GOP chair and a Board of Elections member.

I just thought I would give you a quick perspective from where I sit in the middle of the Bible Belt.

Christians down here, at least the ones I hang with, don’t know what to do with themselves politically right now. Of course, its early. Too early. And that’s part of the problem. But I promise you we don’t trust John McCain. And Romney’s Mormonism is enough of a problem to make him unelectable because he’ll lose votes in the South. It’s not that Christians will switch to voting for the Democrat. They just might not pull a switch at all.

Among the top tier candidates, that leaves us with Giuliani. He is being very smart in his approach to the Christian block. He’s not pandering. He says, “I’m not one of you but at least I’m honest enough to say so.” Of the three, he’s being the most honest. And after being burned so often by the panderers who never follow through after they are elected, what have we got to lose? If the North Carolina Primary were to include only those three names, this ultra right wing social conservative will vote for Giuliani. I would take my chances that he would not go overboard with a liberal social agenda if he were elected.

That said, I like Mike Huckabee. Hunter and Brownback are OK as well. The problem for Christians politically is that the three of them could split the block and then none of them would challenge the top tier candidates.

But its still early. I am sure some will drop out before the end of the year and I expect Newt to jump in. That will be interesting.
— Richard Miller
Burlington, North Carolina

You know what I love about Rudy running for President? If Barack Obama doesn’t stop Hillary Clinton, Rudy will. He wins when it really counts
— Cynthia Fitzpatrick

William Tucker’s article just gives further confirmation regarding why I advocated to others that Rudy Giuliani run for president, and why I will vote for him in the Texas primary in March and in the general election in November. He is a LEADER. He will LEAD. He will INSPIRE. He will have a VISION of this country and its role in the world. He will be open to intelligent, common sense, conservative ideas. He will act, fiercely if necessary, but cleverly overall, in the national interest.

Some people may think him a bum, or a bit too liberal on some issues. But I think he is OUR bum, and he deserves conservative support.
— Larry Scalf
Arlington, Texas

Why the surprise that the people of NYC are ingrates. That is par for the course. As one deployed for OEF and OIF and wants victory (as do most of our troops) I think it is always beneficial for an armchair commando to get a dose of reality. Hopefully, Tucker will avoid the hotel bars where the usual suspects of the media do the majority of their work.
— Michael Tomlinson
Jacksonville, North Carolina

To paraphrase Rick from the movie Casablanca to the mousey Ugarte character in the bar scene with the stolen letters of transit; “You’re right, Mr. Tucker, I am more impressed with you.” More so by the fact that you will embed with the 82nd Airborne and walk the walk than by your favorable analysis of Rudy, with which I concur. As to the clueless ness of Manhattan liberals, it was the famous movie critic, Pauline Kael, who in 1972, was shocked to discover that Nixon had defeated McGovern in a monumental landslide, simply because all of her “la di da” friends and the editors of the New York Times were voting for McGovern. And so it is with these folks; cloistered and smug, but never in doubt, no matter the issue, Iraq or man made global warming. But next time a loudmouth liberal decides to plant himself at your table uninvited, may I suggest you do a John Wayne rather than a Rick Blaine. God speed and safe journey.
— A. DiPentima

BILINGUAL NATION
Re: Steven M. Warshawsky’s A Peso for Your Thoughts:

Mr. Warshawsky has a point about America becoming a de facto nation, but having our businesses taking foreign currency is not the problem. There are already businesses in this country that accept foreign money and they’re called currency exchanges. Answer this: where do the pesos come from? Not American businesses. Even illegal immigrants are getting paid in American dollars, therefore, these pesos are coming from Mexico and are a surplus for us in the trade balance. In addition, Pizza Patron has to convert those pesos back to American dollars, so in effect, they are acting as a currency exchange, and are probably charging quite a hefty fee for the service, neatly folded into the “peso price.” In other words, you’re a sucker to use pesos at Pizza Patron. A fool and his dinero are soon parted.

No, the bigger problem is still and probably forever will be the language barrier and the inevitable conflicts it fosters. I’m pretty sure there was a story in the Bible about that.
— Andrew J. Macfadyen, M.D.
Omaha, Nebraska
Offering the best exchange rates this side of the Rio Grande!

I spent many years in Miami, Florida and enjoyed the huge Hispanic influence. It was pervasive and effected food, music, politics, health care and style. I count among my friends many Cubans and Central and South Americans. I learned to speak Spanish and speak it to this day.

However when I am asked to “push 1 for English…” I do nothing. I then will either be assisted by a live person (probably form Bangladesh) to whom I say “In America we speak English, so I will not ever push a button to be permitted a conversation in the language of the U.S.”

This takes up my time, but it also adds cost to the company because they don’t get to shuttle you are using automated systems. If nothing happens, I look up the Company on the net and drop a not to their shareholder relations person ( after I’ve purchase some stock.) You know what I tell that person.

Anyway my theses is that if say, a million of us did that daily, we’d soon not have to push any buttons for English.
— Jay W. Molyneaux
Denver, North Carolina

When a Mexican speaks Spanish to me in a setting where I should expect English, I say very sweetly, “Este es Los Estados Unidos. Hablamos Ingles aqui!”* One of two things happens…they go get someone who speaks English, or speak it themselves.

Who do these immigrants think they are? They come to our country and refuse to speak our language. No prior immigrant group has ever done that. I wish they would all either assimilate or go home!

*Translation: This is the United States. We speak English here.
— Judy Beumler
Louisville, Kentucky

It is politically correct to talk about the influx of Hispanics, but the fact is most are Mexicans who do not have to, or care to, integrate into American society. Those of Spanish background have integrated just have the other European nationalities. This includes the Californian and New Mexican Spaniards who have lived here long before the wave of immigration from Mexico and Central America. Unfortunately, “Hispanic” is an artificial designation, created during the Nixon Administration, for a race that does not exist.

Viva La Raza!
— Robert A. Cloutier

NEEDLE AND THE DAMAGE DONE
Re: Reid Collins’s Needlepoint for Little Girls:

Yup. All that foolin’ around gets under your skin. Heaven knows our youngin’s don’t need one less restraint on their way to ruttin’ like bunnies. Freedom is just that and big Gov should keep to its pressing duties — filling potholes and the like. We don’t need our elected stuffed shirts worrying about what will happen to little Susie and Monica thirty years down the road.

As for the papillomavirus vaccine itself, I believe in it just like I believe in getting’ that fancy telescope up the backend when you turn fifth. It is simply a good idea.

Yer daughter can be as pure as the wind driven snow the day she gets hitched; but her groom may have a hidden past and not know himself the menace he hazards to her. In a perfect worl’, we’d stick the needle in his manhood. But it don’t worked that way.
— Mickey Bill Dooley
Indianapolis, Indiana

FREE HUEY
Re: Doug Bandow’s Security Risks on Capitol Hill:

Doug Bandow is a wonderful writer/commentator. That having been said, he must’ve been listening to his collection of 1980s hits when he reported on Hill security risks. He penned:

“Leftist-turned-conservative David Horowitz claims to have met Lee at the Black Panthers headquarters of Huey Lewis years ago.”

Not to wax pedantic, but Hugh Anthony Cregg III (lead singer for ’80s rock group “Huey Lewis and the News”) is sure going to be surprised to hear that he’s a Black Panther! I think that Mr. Bandow meant to refer to the late Huey P. Newton.
— David Gonzalez
Wheeling, Illinois

And I thought that Huey Lewis was a white harmonica player!
— David Gonsior
Miamisburg, Ohio

THE WORST IS YET TO COME
Re: Christopher Orlet’s The Look-at-Me Generation and Reader Mail’s Generation Gaps:

I regret to say that when I first read Christopher Orlet’s screed against the younger generation I refrained from immediately hurling back a flaming missile of my own. I had hoped the next Reader Mail installment I read would contain a few words in defense of my much maligned generation from some of Mr. Orlet’s fellow Gen X/BabyBoom/Whatever label he cares to apply to himself’ers. Sadly the only response received was a chorus amen’s and attaboys. So it falls to me. I would love to appeal to the reasonable people that make up Mr. Orlet’s camp by citing statistics such as the drop in youth crime and the increase in youths volunteering in their communities over the past decade or so, not to mention the fact that the vast majority of the armed forces are made up of the very generation he has nothing but contempt for. Judging from the responses given by the readers, that appeal would be a complete waste of everyone’s time. Having seen nothing but mean-spirited cynicism from Next Greatest Generation, I will respond in kind.

Dear Old Farts Who Won’t Retire Because You Have No Lives To Speak Of,

Let’s stop beating about the bush. Face it, your old, getting older and less relevant by the minute. The controls of society are steadily slipping through your grasp with each breath you take from your rapidly failing lungs. Time to stop deluding yourselves, you don’t have a whole lot of time left.

You tried to make a difference when you still had youth, courage, brilliance and passion, but you failed. No need to beat yourself up about it, you weren’t the first after all. The time for blaming the young is past, if it ever was that time at all, now you need to start worrying about your own survival. You see, the truth about the young is that we are good. So good in fact, that we have ample time to contribute to society in way you never could and still do all those shenanigans that make you cluck-cluck your tongues against your dentures.

Patience is another of our many virtues, we endure your condescension while you self-satisfied fools speed towards the fall you’ve been set up to take. Did I mention your sainted generation has fewer savings and is deeper in debt then any in American history?

The people you so confidently spew bile at are the same ones that protect your lives, finance your out of control deficit spending, pay the price for your irresponsible drug entitlements, work harder than ever to pay your bloated pensions, and soon, sooner than you think, making the decisions about your quality of life. I guess what I’m trying to say is check yourself before you wreck yourself.
— Aaron Juntunen
Proud Member Of The Worst Generation Ever!
Bozeman, Montana

BIG GOVERNMENT, LITTLE SPACE
Re: W. James Antle III’s March of the Pygmies:

Go figure, the only CONSERVATIVE and Constitutionalist mentioned in your article is Dr. Ron Paul. The “Government Expanders” and “Neocons” managed to acquire the greater press of your article.

I remember Reagan and Goldwater , however I do not recall them asking for expansion of the government or abridgment of our liberties!
— Greg Gregory
Deep within the 14th Congressional District of Texas

Brownback went from an evangelical to a Catholic. Tancredo went from a Catholic to an evangelical.

Go figure.
— Roan Garcia-Quintana

VOTING FOR VICTORY
Re: Phil Klein’s The State of the Race

Conservatives may like or dislike this candidate or that candidate, over this or that issue. Obviously they do. But it all boils down in the end to picking someone who can win the election in ’08.
— Robert Nowall
Cape Coral, Florida

Well, I have now digested your complete offering of articles regarding the just completed CPAC get together. I have also read a plethora of other articles, both factual and opinion pieces, on the event. They all, taken together, seem to have settled one thing, that nothing is settled.

Now I am just a common, every day voter of a conservative bent. I used to be a GOP activist, but that was considerable time ago. My main qualification to opine is that I have been voting since the 1960 election, and closely watching politics since before that. Recent history suggests to me that no Republican has much success when his starting point is in the United States Congress – either house. One would have to reach back to Nixon/Ford, and that was a different time in America.

We have been successful in running Governors, and we have three of them running. Romney is undoubtedly the front runner at this time, and he has a certain appeal, along with money and organization. But to me, there is something unsettling about Mitt. He leaves me saying that I could vote for him, but I sure wish there was a better option. Huckabee is the longest of shots. His fame seems to have come from raising taxes in Arkansas, and he lost a whole bunch of weight. Now the weight loss is a true achievement, if he can keep it off. I really think that American has had enough of Arkansas governors for a while.

That leaves me with Gilmore. He did a good and reliably conservative job as governor of Virginia. He did a very creditable job as head of the RNC. He really does seem to be a true blue conservative at his core. His problem is that he is not a rock star and is considerably behind in the dash for cash and campaign staff. I am not convinced that his deficiencies can not be overcome and/or that he can not beat the Dem candidate, even if that is Hillary Rodham.
I simply cannot vote for Rudy because of the triumvirate of issues of gun control, unlimited abortion, and complete equality between homosexual and straight unions. He also has an unattractive New York City arrogance about him that is not endearing to someone that is not a city denizen.

McCain, forget it. I cannot vote for this arrogant, vile tempered, TV hound, that wears his lack of team player spirit as a badge of honor. His teaming AGAIN with Ted Kennedy to ram an unconscionable immigration amnesty bill down our throats is enough in and of itself for me to wish to see him come in last. Maybe we could trade him to the Dems for Joe Lieberman. We could also give the Dems their choice of Lindsey Graham, Chuck Hagel, Olympia Snowe, or Arlen Specter for Sen. Nelson of Nebraska.

I, increasingly, and coming to believe that a winner for the GOP is not now among the announced wannabes, unless Gilmore can catch fire. Newt’s negatives are probably too high and too set in stone to allow him a winning hand. I do believe that Fred Thompson would be an excellent choice, perhaps with J. C. Watts as a Veep candidate, but I just simply do not think that Mr. Thompson will take on the challenge. Forget Jeb Bush. We do not take well to ruling families in America, and the White House is already overrun with Bushes that are in desperate need of pruning.

Oh well, it isn’t even Easter yet, and miracles have been known to happen around that blessed event.
— Ken Shreve
Still looking in New Hampshire

FOR THE RECORD
Re: April Cain’s and WV Conservative’s letters (under “Hat Food”) in Reader Mail’s Generation Gaps

Your Letters section contains two wonderful examples of modern America’s inattention, lack of reading comprehension, lack of knowledge of the operation of government, or something.

First was the April Cain letter, in which she wonders aloud if Fred Thompson did, in fact, eat his hat over there NOT being WMD in Iraq. Apparently April has missed or didn’t believe the few documented stories of the small amounts of WMD that has been found there, the discovery of the facilities for reconstituting the war stock of these items, and the increasingly detailed and iron clad proof of the transportation out of the country in the immediate run up to war of the stocks of WMD, such as they were. There have been a few small articles regarding the state of our documented proof, among the millions of government documents captured in Iraq, of the attempt to cache the materiel out of harms way in a certain other neighboring country. For some reason, our own government seems uninterested in showing the world that our intel was right in the first place.

The second curious item was the letter by WV Conservative. He writes, “Explain to me one thing that the impeachment/conviction of Clinton accomplished.” Sir, I would note that, while Clinton WAS impeached, he WAS NOT convicted. The trial in the U.S. Senate resulted in an acquittal. I know that the big media treats the impeachment as the whole story, but that is because a) it fits their agenda, and b) they are too lazy themselves to understand how the federal government actually works. To WV Conservative, please don’t be as ignorant or as lazy as our vaunted media.

I would also submit that the impeachment process was not the true beginning of the deep divide between the two parties. I would suggest that the Clinton War Room operation begun in late 91/early 92 with its emphasis on personal destruction of opponents, and its later acquisition of 900 FBI files was much closer to the true initiation of the deep divide. But that is a whole other subject of which The American Spectator has written extensively.
— Ken Shreve
New Hampshire

TRY A LITTLE DISCIPLINE
Re: Ken Shreve’s letter (under “Know Nothings”) in Reader Mail’s Generation Gaps:

RIGHT ON, this was perfect and hit the nail on the head.

My sons were born late ’50s early ’60s and were also told get in trouble in school or on the bus and you get it again at home.
— Elaine Kyle

VIA SLOW BOAT
Re: Ben Stein’s The Lynching of the President:

Great commentary about our president. I too think he has made some pretty big errors, but in general I like and trust him a lot more then anyone else on the horizon in the political arena. Keep up the good work Ben, from an American working in China.
— Joseph Barbarise

READER MAIL
Where is it today [Tuesday]? You’ve effectively disrupted my entire morning! {:-)~
— C.D. Lueders
Melbourne, Florida

The Editor replies: We sure learned one thing from our saturation coverage Monday of the CPAC conference: Attending is more exciting than reading about what actually transpired. This clearly was one political campaign that our faithful corresponders decided to sit out. Maybe next year Governor Romney will bus readers in and have them replenish our Reader Mail coffers.