December 1, 2023 — John Hinderaker

Government Censorship: A Conspiracy Theory?

Featured image Lately Democrats have fallen into the habit of labeling all facts they would rather not talk about as “conspiracy theories.” They must think it works. Yesterday, Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger testified before Jim Jordan’s Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. Matt recorded the experience, which he describes as “surreal,” at Racket News. Representative Dan Goldman is the Democrats’ attack dog on the subcommittee. Goldman hasn’t given »
December 1, 2023 — Steven Hayward

When & How Did Universities Become So Crazy Left?

Featured imageI was fortunate yesterday to take in part of a two-day conference at AEI in Washington DC in honor of Princeton’s Prof. Robert P. George (Robbie to his friends, but still “Professor George” to me and most other mortals), and in particular a retrospective of his early book published thirty years ago, before he had achieved tenure in Princeton’s political science department, entitled Making Men Moral. It set out a »
December 1, 2023 — Scott Johnson

Annals of strategery

Featured imageThe IDF has announced that Hamas violated the terms of the current ceasefire and that it has resumed combat operations against Hamas in Gaza (below). The Times of Israel has posted a long story on the resumption of combat this morning here. Hamas violated the operational pause, and in addition, fired toward Israeli territory. The IDF has resumed combat against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/gVRpctD79R — Israel Defense »
December 1, 2023 — John Hinderaker

Elon Isn’t Perfect, But He’s Right

Featured imageElon Musk provoked a firestorm by agreeing with a tweet that many construed as anti-Semitic: Musk subsequently described his tweet as “foolish” and “literally the worst and dumbest post that I’ve ever done.” Nevertheless, it, together with a smear by Media Matters that purported to show prominent advisers that their ads were showing up adjacent to neo-Nazi content (they were, but only on Media Matters’ computers, having twisted the X »
December 1, 2023 — Scott Johnson

Thoughts from the ammo line

Featured imageAmmo Grrrll advocates LITMUS TESTS BEST FOR ACIDITY VS. ALKALINITY, not HUMAN BEINGS. She writes: This column will definitely not be in my Top 10 Most Humorous. There is something unfunny that I am compelled to discuss. I’ll be funnier next week. I see a tragic mistake being made over and over again in the commentariat. And it’s one which will ultimately cost us the 2024 election and possibly even »
November 30, 2023 — Steven Hayward

The Daily Chart: Deadbeat Women?

Featured imageYou might think, going by the usual stereotypes, that men would be more delinquent on student loans than women, but lo and behold, it turns out that women appear to be much slower in paying down their student loan balances. This from a report from the Jain Family Institute. The study runs the numbers by race, and the result is depressingly familiar: »
November 30, 2023 — Scott Johnson

Pallywood’s latest blockbuster

Featured imageHistorian Richard Landes gave Pallywood its name. I excerpted his recent essay ”Jihadi journalism” on mainstream media photographers riding along with Hamas on the October 7 massacre. Professor Landes now returns with the Tablet essay “Pallywood’s latest blockbuster” to document the production featuring the Al-Ahli Hospital. A funny thing happened on the way from Pallywood. He concludes with these observations: Had it been merely an Islamic Jihad rocket that fell »
November 30, 2023 — Scott Johnson

Kissinger dies at 100

Featured imageFormer Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has died at 100. The New York Times obituary by David Sanger is posted here. Sanger’s obituary links to the statement announcing Kissinger’s death by his consulting firm. What a monumental American life he led. Ah, yes, the Times. In 2011 the Times Book Review featured Kissinger’s laudatory review of the new biography of Bismarck by Penn’s Jonathan Steinberg on page one. On my »
November 29, 2023 — John Hinderaker

They’re Coming For Your Beef

Featured imageYou’re not paranoid. The global ruling class really does want to stop you from eating beef. And pork. And chicken. From Climate Depot: The world’s most-developed nations will be told to curb their excessive appetite for meat as part of the first comprehensive plan to bring the global agrifood industry into line with the Paris climate agreement. The global food systems’ road map to 1.5C is expected to be published »
November 29, 2023 — Scott Johnson

Trading terrorists for hostages

Featured imageCliff May is founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and a columnist for the Washington Times. He is a veteran reporter, foreign correspondent, and editor for the New York Times and other publications. Cliff’s current column is “Trading terrorists for hostages” (at FDD, where it is posted with links). Cliff has kindly given us his permission to post his column on Power Line. He writes: »
November 28, 2023 — Lloyd Billingsley

The Jihad One-Two

Featured imageThe 10/7 attack, the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, has revived debate on the nature of Islam. Is it true that “Islam is peace,” as President George W. Bush said after 9/11? Or is it basically a jihad against all non-Muslims, starting with the Jews? Fortunately, these questions have been explored in an accessible and entertaining way. I could hear the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer but »
November 30, 2023 — Steven Hayward

Ho, Ho, Ho/Ho Chi Minh/The PLO/Is Sure to Win

Featured imageThis week’s peak demonstration of leftist anti-Semitic madness comes to us courtesy of the Oakland City Council, where a resolution endorsing a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Gaza war was met with this parade of insane people: Last night the Oakland City Council voted on a resolution to call for a ceasefire. A city council member tried to insert language condemning Hamas. This was the reaction… pic.twitter.com/r7aTb2mkrQ — Yashar Ali 🐘 »
November 30, 2023 — John Hinderaker

Ireland Goes Fascist

Featured imageAn Irish author has just won the Booker prize: Irish author Paul Lynch won the Booker Prize on Sunday. His novel, Prophet Song, imagines an Ireland that has fallen under Right-wing totalitarian control, and begins with members of the new secret police rapping on the door of a union leader to interrogate him for “sowing discord and unrest” against the government. The reality, of course, is precisely the opposite: The »
November 29, 2023 — John Hinderaker

Immigration Upends UK Politics

Featured imageIn 2019 Britain’s Conservative Party won in a historic landslide, but since then its fortunes have dimmed to the point where the party is universally expected to be ousted from power in the next election. This is not because Britons have again become fond of socialism. It is because the Tory government has failed to listen to the voters on the issue of immigration. In the Telegraph, Sherelle Jacobs writes: »
November 29, 2023 — Steven Hayward

The Daily Chart: The Dobbs Effect

Featured imageThe aftermath of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade has concentrated chiefly on its political effects, but has it reduced the number of abortions or increased the birth rate? Abortion with few or no limits remains available in most states, and as most abortions occur early in a pregnancy even those states that have adopted a 15-week ban should not be expected to see significant changes. Is anyone trying »
November 29, 2023 — Scott Johnson

Inside the CIA

Featured imageThe media are gingerly reporting the story broken by the Financial Times. As the New York Post puts it: A high-ranking CIA official boldly shared multiple pro-Palestinian images on her Facebook page just two weeks after Hamas launched its bloody surprise attack on Israel — while President Biden was touring the Jewish state to pledge the US’s allegiance to the nation. The CIA’s associate deputy director for analysis changed her »
November 28, 2023 — Steven Hayward

The Daily Chart: Thursday’s Undercard Debate

Featured imageAs everyone knows, this Thursday Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis will square off in a debate on Fox News that is clearly meant to be a proxy for the presidential race a lot of people in both parties wish we would have next year. Think of it as the undercard for the heavyweight bout to follow between the aging champs hanging on past their prime. Don’t underestimate Newsom: he’ll come »