Category — For The Record

Reader discretion advised, book contains explicit content of a disturbing nature. This little book does not carry a warning label, but it should. It’s diminutive 5” x 7” format and 43 pages of large print belie the universe of disturbing information within. Martin previously reviewed another book in the excellent Encounter series. This one is Broadside 28.   Read the rest of this entry »

On Wednesday Eric Holder testified before Congress about the Justice Department’s wiretapping of Associated Press reporters’ phones. I’m not sure “testify” is the proper term. Holder showed up, didn’t say anything for four hours and called it a day. He has recused himself from any further involvement in the whole wiretapping business. Not that he actually has that whole recusing business in writing or anything, or if he does, the document is in the same place his Fast and Furious records are kept. And those are locked up tighter than the maker of that crummy Islamic video. This from “The Most Transparent Administration in History.” Yes, as transparent as a milkshake.   Read the rest of this entry »

It was bound to happen. Progressives, an appellation the president embraces, believe that the Constitution is an outdated encumbrance to the necessary exercise of power. Officials who do not respect the rule of law are free to do whatever they perceive as necessary in a given situation. This time that involved, in the words of Steven Aftergood, a government secrecy expert at the Federation of American Scientists, “an astonishing assault on the core values of our society.”   Read the rest of this entry »

As adequately demonstrated throughout history, impinging on individual freedoms for the common good eventually requires the use of force. But it’s not necessary to look to history. In Germany homeschooling is verboten and violating that dictat can result in forcible removal of children and jailing of parents.   Read the rest of this entry »

Where, oh where to begin on Benghazi? Let’s start with Jay Carney. During his recent performances at White House press briefings he appears to be doing the political version of Stop, Drop and Roll. I used to think Jay Carney was a reasonably intelligent man. Not that I ever much agreed with him, but I didn’t picture him as a dunce. Now it’s hard to consider him as much else. Why do I say this? Just ask him. Nearly every question posed to him by the White House press corps (alternatively known as the White House “steno pool”) are met with responses like “I dunno”, I have no knowledge”, “We’ll look into that”, and, of course, “Huh?”   Read the rest of this entry »

During President Obama’s recent press conference he stated that Gitmo is used as a recruitment tool for extremists. This is not a new theme for him and it harkens back to repeated claims he made during the 2008 election. But is Gitmo really used as a recruiting tool? It’s not as if al Qaeda had much trouble recruiting jihadists before the Gitmo detention center opened. Blind loyalty to a fascist-religious cause requires no great recruitment effort. The Spanish Inquisition had them lining up at the door.   Read the rest of this entry »

Many folks seem to be searching for any reason other than they were radical Islamic terrorists to explain the latest episode of, well, radical Islamic terrorism. Time magazine wondered if Tamerlan’s boxing career may have caused him to blow up Americans. This explanation would only be plausible if the intended target was Don King.   Read the rest of this entry »

Ex-Clinton counsel Seth Waxman said that the FAA should be able to “pick and choose how to reduce spending within the air traffic organization activity so as to minimize the adverse effects of sequestration on the FAA’s core mission priorities.” Waxman doesn’t get it. The FAA made its choices and they are not intended “to minimize the adverse effects” on travelers.”   Read the rest of this entry »

In 1993, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D., N.Y.) coined the phrase “defining deviancy down."* Moynihan’s thesis was that, as a society, America has been “re-defining deviancy” so as to exempt conduct previously stigmatized, and quietly raising the "normal" level for behavior that was abnormal by earlier standards.   Read the rest of this entry »

It’s obviously time to call on Harry Reid and Diane Feinstein to introduce legislation banning the sale of knives or other sharp instruments. (The weapon in Texas was described as a razor edged weapon that sounds like a box cutter.) At the very least, knife registration should be mandatory and every person who buys one should submit to a background check. Since the Obama administration wants us to follow Great Britain into government run health care, we can now actually be first to outlaw cutlery, especially the scary looking ones with the black handles. But we’ll have to hurry.   Read the rest of this entry »