THE FOUNDATION
"It should be the highest ambition of every American...to bear in
mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country,
and his immediate posterity; but that its influence may be
co-extensive with the world, and stamp political happiness or
misery on ages yet unborn." ---George Washington
INSIGHT
"We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress
means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road;
in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most
progressive." ---C. S. Lewis
IChThUS IMPRIMIS
"When our lives are focused on God, awe and wonder lead us to
worship God, filling our inner being with a fullness we would
never have thought possible. Awe prepares the way in us for
the power of God to transform us and this transformation of our
inner attitudes can only take place when awe leads us in turn to
wonder, admiration, reverence, surrender, and obedience toward
God." ---James Houston
FAMILY
"While it's easy to understand a woman's desire to have a child,
it is less easy to understand how it was decided that fathers
are nonessential. I find little comfort in the fact that some
sperm donors agree to meet their 'offspring' when the child
reaches age 18. Ego gratification on one end balanced against
narcissistic self-fulfillment on the other offers little to soothe
the restless soul. Or the child, who might like to have a real
daddy tuck him in at night... [This is] a diseased culture in
which human relationships have no moral content and children
are treated as accessories to adult lives. Yet, these trends
are portrayed as the latest gosh-gee fashions. A society in
which women are alone, men are lonely, and children don't have
fathers is nothing to celebrate. And a future world filled with
fatherless children---bereft of half their identity and robbed
of a father's love, discipline and authority---won't likely be
a pleasant place to live." ---Kathleen Parker
CULTURE
"The war, this clash of civilizations, is a war that will
last for generations. Your grandkids will have to deal with
it. It isn't going to go away. All the solutions to it are
long-term solutions. All the solutions are painful and will
require incredible perseverance... We Christians can understand
that, because we can take a longer view of history. But today's
instant-gratification culture doesn't get it [and] doesn't want
to get it..." ---Chuck Colson
LIBERTY
"Some in Washington want to rein in 527's with greater government
control and regulation, and that is certainly their right and
a path that is consistent with the letter and spirit of the
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. However, I believe instead of
greater government control of political speech, more freedom is
the answer and that is why I could not support this bill. And
while this liberty may be a bit more chaotic and inconvenient
for some in the political class, as Thomas Jefferson said,
'I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too
much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it.' The
answer to problems in politics in a free society is more freedom,
not less." ---Rep. Mike Pence, Chairman of the Republican Study
Committee
THE GIPPER
"We don't have inflation because the people are living too
well. We have inflation because the government is living too
well." ---Ronald Reagan
OPINION IN BRIEF
"Years ago, people who supported racial discrimination and
racial segregation were called racists. Today, people who are
opposed to racial discrimination and racial segregation are called
racists---at least they are on campuses all across America. If the
diversity movement has accomplished anything at my university,
it has been to teach young blacks to model themselves after
members of the Ku Klux Klan... But there is another rather obvious
conclusion that comes from watching the 'progress' made by the
Offices of Campus Diversity in recent years. It is that these
people are so arrogant as to presume that they may redefine
racism whenever they see fit in order to garner support for
whatever initiatives they deem fashionable at any given point in
time. So, perhaps, it is no longer advisable to ask the diversity
nabobs to inform us of their most recent postmodern definition
of racism simply because they are, yet again, making spurious
allegations. Perhaps, instead, it is time for those of us who
are tired of the diversity movement (that includes those tired of
paying for it with hard-earned tax dollars) to come up with our
own definition of racism... Racism---is a pathological tendency
to interject race into situations where it is not relevant,
merely for personal gain." ---Mike Adams
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GOVERNMENT
"[W]hen Joe Klein calls [Massachusetts Governor Mitt] Romney's
health-care plan 'rather remarkable' and Ted Kennedy is asking to
be on hand for the signing ceremony and Hillary Clinton herself
is weighing in favorably (i.e. not sarcastically frowning or
smirking) and The New York Times really, really loves the
idea... Well, fiscal conservatives can perhaps be forgiven
for instinctively reaching for come garlic bulbs and a flask
of holy water. Doubtless, Romney's pursuit of an individual
mandate system compelling those with the means (as determined
by the government, which we all know has always been so in touch
with ordinary peoples' lives) to purchase health insurance while
simultaneously subsidizing the insurance costs of those individuals
or families within a stone's throw of the federal poverty line
is much preferable to a single-payer socialized health-care
system freezing out competition and innovation... Perhaps such
a compromise is the only way to avoid a single-payer system
disaster. It's politically smart, as well. The nagging question
remains, however: Does anyone know what exactly has been invited
in? Considering government programs' tendency to expand, not
contract, it is probably advisable to treat them all as Maxes
until significant proof to the contrary is uncovered. Once the
government is in, it is in for the duration. Next stop, the fall
of Rome." ---Shawn Macomber
RE: THE LEFT
"People who urge us to rely on the United Nations, instead of
acting 'unilaterally,' or who urge us to follow other countries
in creating a government-run medical care system, often show not
the slightest interest in getting facts about the actual track
record of either the UN or government-run medical systems. Those
who believe in affirmative action likewise usually see no
reason to find out what actually happens under such policies, as
distinguished from what they wish, hope, or imagine happens. They
crusade for 'a living wage' that will enable a worker to support
a family proceeds without the slightest interest in finding
out whether most people who are making low wages actually have
any family to support---much less seeking out the facts about
what actually happens after the government sets wages. People
who have made up their minds and don't want to be confused by
the facts are a danger to the whole society. Since the votes of
such people count just as much as the votes of people who know
what they are talking about, politicians have every incentive to
pass laws and create policies that pander to ignorant notions,
if those notions are widespread." ---Thomas Sowell
POLITICAL FUTURES
"For the past four years Republicans have won elections by tagging
Democrats as the 'anti' party---as in antiwar, anti-tax-cuts,
antijudges or just plain anti-Bush. The theme was clear: If
Democrats want to be trusted to govern, they have to be for
something. That's sound advice that Republicans themselves might
want to heed. This year the GOP is becoming the 'anti' party that
is against more ideas than it is for... Ask a Republican official
why the GOP should hold onto control of Congress this year and
the answer will invariably fall to one of two responses---either
the generic (Democrats would spend more money, abandon the
war or otherwise do a worse job running the country) or the
more specific, which one top Republican said to us recently:
'Speaker Nancy Pelosi.' Regardless of what voters think of the
San Francisco Democrat and House minority leader, this isn't a
positive, forward-looking reason to turn out and vote for the
GOP... Republicans need to put a few forward-looking ideas on
the table of what they would like to do for the country. Look
what we're stopping from happening isn't a winning strategy for
a majority party." ---Brendan Miniter
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