National Politics

Karl Rove Offers Hope…or not?

By Marc Comtois | July 31, 2006 |

At first, being of a cynical mind this morning, I wondered if Karl Rove (via Dale Light) had ever been to Rhode Island when I read his recent statements at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. But upon further consideration, I think he truly hit on one truism, which I’ve highlighted: “There…

Robert Novak on Valerie Plame, Joe Wilson and Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald

By | July 11, 2006 | Comments Off on Robert Novak on Valerie Plame, Joe Wilson and Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald

Robert Novak writes: Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has informed my attorneys that, after two and one-half years, his investigation of the CIA leak case concerning matters directly relating to me has been concluded. That frees me to reveal my role in the federal inquiry that, at the request of Fitzgerald, I have kept secret. I…

Happy Birthday, America!

By Donald B. Hawthorne | July 4, 2006 |

In celebration of America’s birthday, here are excerpted gems from previous postings about our beloved country – brought together in one posting: President Calvin Coolidge gave a powerful speech in 1926 on the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. If you want to rediscover some of the majesty of the principles underlying our Founding,…

Rhode Island Senators Vote Against Flag Burning Ban

By Marc Comtois | June 28, 2006 |

Both Senator Reed and Senator Chafee voted against the Flag Burning Amendment (story), which failed by one vote. Senator Chafee, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Robert Bennett of Utah were the only Republicans who voted against the Amendment. UPDATE: Andrew emailed me to say it was worth noting that Langevin voted for the House…

Rediscovering Civil Society, Part I: Mediating Structures and the Dilemmas of the Welfare State

By | June 17, 2006 | Comments Off on Rediscovering Civil Society, Part I: Mediating Structures and the Dilemmas of the Welfare State

To Empower People: From State to Civil Society was a book published in 1996 and edited by Michael Novak. It is a group of essays which take a retrospective look at the policy recommendations contained in a 1977 book by Peter Berger and Richard John Neuhaus entitled To Empower People: The Role of Mediating Structures…

Previewing a Democratic House Majority: Hold on to your Wallet

By Carroll Andrew Morse | June 12, 2006 |

The very first thing Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy talks about in the biographical section of his official Congressional website is his work on the House Appropriations Committee…Patrick J. Kennedy is serving his sixth term in Congress as the representative from the First District of Rhode Island. Kennedy was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee…

Remembering President Reagan

By | June 5, 2006 | Comments Off on Remembering President Reagan

President Ronald Reagan died two years ago today. As a reminder of his leadership, here is an excerpt from his January 1989 Farewell Address as he left the Presidency: …And in all of that time I won a nickname, “The Great Communicator.” But I never thought it was my style or the words I used…

Economic Thoughts, Part VII: The Role of Government in a Free Society

By | May 25, 2006 |

This posting is Part VII in a series of postings about economic thoughts. This posting contains excerpts from Chapter 2 of Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman’s 1962 classic book, Capitalism & Freedom in which he discusses the role of government in a free society: …To the [nineteenth-century] liberal, the appropriate means are free discussion and voluntary…

Barney Frank: Defender of Free Markets

By Marc Comtois | May 24, 2006 |

On the heels of George McGovern’s defense of big business, we have Barney Frank extolling the virtues of a free market in the face of GOP reluctance to cut agricultural subsidies. (Via Instapundit -> Club for Growth). Mr. Chairman, I am here to confess my reading incomprehension. I have listened to many of my conservative…

Thomas Sowell on Useful Idiots

By | May 15, 2006 | Comments Off on Thomas Sowell on Useful Idiots

Back in 2000, Thomas Sowell wrote an editorial, Useful Idiots (H/T Power Line), in which he stated: Lenin is supposed to have referred to blind defenders and apologists for the Soviet Union in the Western democracies as “useful idiots.” Yet even Lenin might have been surprised at how far these useful idiots would carry their…