One of the most refreshing “exotic” drinks I’ve come across is sake—the Japanese rice wine which most of us have drunk steaming hot with a plate of sushi. Of course, that’s usually the cheap stuff; there are dozens of different varieties of sake, some of them finely crafted and quite expensive. The best brands are complex and flavorful, and properly served … [Read More]

Following the surprising announcement that Ron Paul is third in terms of fundraising this quarter, comes the news that the Cobb country GOP, the biggest Republican organization in Georgia, held a straw poll in which Ron came in second. Here’s how the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported it: “Year after year, the Fourth of July gathering by the Cobb County GOP is one … [Read More]

In the comments on “Control the Borders, Not the Citizens,” Michael Morris suggests that I’m engaging in “fear-mongering” when I mention the possibility that Islamic immigration to the United States has reached critical mass.  I think Mr. Morris misread me, so let me elaborate on the point. The problem isn’t that, say, there are so many Muslims in the United States … [Read More]

ABC News reports Ron Paul is third in the fundraising race, with “an impressive $2.4 million in cash on hand after raising an equal amount during the second quarter, putting him ahead of one-time Republican frontrunner John McCain, who reported this week he has only $2 million in the bank.” This is significant in that McCain represents the War Party in … [Read More]

The American public sent a strong message last week to President Bush and the U.S. Congress. The defeat of Senate Bill 1639, the so-called Comprehensive Immigration Bill, was spelled out in bold letters across a virtual wall for the entire nation to read. The “wall” is the barrier the public is demanding be placed across the entire U.S.-Mexican border. Only a … [Read More]

Does the “Scooter” Libby commutation story have legs? Will it make any real difference in terms of bringing back a modicum of integrity and honesty to the capital of the world’s last standing “Superpower”? Or is it just another bump in the road for an Administration which is now routinely being blasted as the worst Presidency in America’s history? True, Democrats … [Read More]

I see that Manuel Noriega is due for release soon, at least that’s what the Federal Bureau of Prisons web site says. It’s always so hard for prisoners to make the transition from prison life to “real” life, especially when we consider the employment prospects of ex-cons, which are not good. Perhaps the Bush administration can use Senor Noriega’s “talents”—crushing opposition, … [Read More]

On July 6, 1943, a Wehrmacht court martial sentenced war resister Franz Jägerstätter to death by guillotine.  The sentence would be carried out on August 9. The prisoner was given less than twelve hours’ notice: “This morning, at about 5:30 am we were told to get dressed immediately and informed that the car was already waiting for us. Then I, along … [Read More]

Southerners, like the European Celts who are their primary cultural progenitors, tell stories. Of course, all peoples tell stories, but Southerners tell stories not merely to entertain, certainly not to flatter their vanities and trick the gullible into adoring or fearing them, but to provide lessons or warnings, to make points, to dig at the hard, necessary truths, to jolt people … [Read More]

To the Carlton Club for an oversubscribed dinner moderated by Michael Binyon with Liam Fox and yours truly speaking about the Middle East. When my turn came I shyly pointed out that I was honoured to be invited because the usual subject I’m asked to discuss is Paris Hilton or jail. “Why don’t you do just that?” yelled someone from the … [Read More]