Conservatives deal with facts and reach conclusions; liberals have conclusions and sell them as facts.
My own empirical observations have led me to conclude that, in America, those who are most PC are also those who are most likely to be Europhiles. That is, the political left loves Europe. (John Kerry would be Exhibit A in this category.) That’s why I was surprised to see
Continue readingI’ve known about it all day, and almost didn’t blog about it, since news gets stale so quickly. Nevertheless, it seemed almost morally wrong not to applaud the Dutch for their recent moment of spine: they’ve banned the burqa. The Dutch government agreed on Friday a total ban on the
Continue readingAt the Augean Stables, Richard Landes has posted a brilliant essay about the role the fake Mohammad Al-Durah video played as a catalyst for unleashing the worst modern anti-Semitism around the world, and about the fact that both the video’s creation and its effect are microcosms of the poisonous alchemy
Continue readingI want to address a couple of false beliefs that seem to have driven a lot of the electorate. One is the belief that the Founding Fathers, to ensure the balance of power, intended to create a system that would never see the same party dominate all three branches of
Continue readingBrad Pitt, who hangs with the usual Hollywood crowd, and shares his life with anti-War expert Jolie, expressed surprise at the fruits of his peers’ efforts: BRAD PITT discovered how unpopular America is across the globe when a group of drunk Dutchmen threatened to kill him because of his nationality.
Continue readingAs you know, there is a big debate going on in England right now about the veil. Those who support the veil are framing this support in terms of religious freedom. However, veils are not an integral part of the Muslim religion. Instead, they are a product of Arab culture.
Continue readingI found intriguing a Reuters story entitled “Imams in Denmark seek to cool cartoon row.” Based on that headline, I thought it would be a story in which thoughtful Imams, looking at the anarchy abyss their followers created during the cartoon riots, stepped back from the precipice, and urged their
Continue readingThe Germans have some interesting words that encompass deep philosopical ideas. The ones that spring easily to my mind are Weltanschauung (“a comprehensive conception or image of the universe and of humanity’s relation to it“); and Weltschmertz (“Sorrow or sadness over the present or future evils or woes of the
Continue readingOn its face, it looks like an article in the New York Times that points out something we have figured out already; namely, that the Europeans have been nursing a viper to their bosom: Europe appears to be crossing an invisible line regarding its Muslim minorities: more people in the
Continue readingI only just got around to reading Marc Sheppard’s superb article about Shari’a, its rise in the West among Muslim communities, and these communities’ demands that Shari’a law be generally introduced to the West. The article is, as I indicated, fantastic, but I almost wish I hadn’t read it. It’s
Continue readingSo far, Europe has had three major phases of anti-Semitism: The first was the long-standing anti-Jewish sentiment that characterized the early Christian church. The second was socialist-based anti-Semitism. This reach its ugly apogee in Germany, when it got blended with ideas about racial purity that led to the gas chambers.
Continue readingI can’t decide if this is the beginning of the end for any hope of normal society in Holland, or if it is an appropriate event in a free society, which allows issues to be aired and decided upon by the voters: A Dutch court refused Monday to ban a
Continue readingMy theory about wars is that one fights them to win. The EU’s theory, apparently, is that they should be fought for Israel to lose. How otherwise to explain its most recent criticism: The European Union accused Israel on Friday of a disproportionate use of force against Palestinians in Gaza
Continue readingAre you tired of America bashing? If you are, refresh yourself by reading Edward Bernard Glick’s article explaining why you probably shouldn’t take it all that seriously: When European intellectuals and their U.S. counterparts proclaim that the peoples of the world hate the U.S., they have it backwards. Americans are
Continue readingNidra Poller writes about an aggressive anti-Semitic group on the rise in France. The whole article is depressing, but I'd like to take special note of the article's conclusion: Outside the ORT school, where the minister met with residents, a dapper gray-haired shop owner said, with dignified regret, “It’s over
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