When President Obama, the Democrats and only three Republicans succeeded in passing a $787 billion dollar stimulus package last week, Arizona Senator John McCain said “This measure is not bipartisan, it contains much that is not stimulative and is nothing short of generational theft.” McCain is not wrong. But it’s the first time - in a very long time - that … [Read More]

On January 25, 2009, the Schiff hit the fan when a popular and highly respected blogger, Mike Shedlock, took aim at rock-star financial guru Peter Schiff and his salient Peter Schiff fan club. According to “Mish,” as Shedlock is known, “most of the praise heaped on Schiff is simply unwarranted, and I can prove it.” Much of Schiff’s fame derives from … [Read More]

On 3rd February, it was announced that Margaret Thatcher’s daughter Carol would no longer be used to present reports on BBC television’s weekday magazine programme, “The One Show.” The decision was made because of a remark she made off-air, when she referred to Franco-Congolese tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as a “golliwog frog.” Her remark was made in a BBC hospitality suite … [Read More]

At Easter 1215, a young Tuscan married woman innocently flirted in public with a man not her husband. He flirted back just as innocently, and then things got out of hand. A vendetta was declared between Guelf and Gibel, two rival brothers of Pistoia, that resulted in extreme violence, the splitting of Guelf factions into Whites and Blacks with ensuing massacres, … [Read More]

“We’re adding a little something to this month’s sales contest. As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac Eldorado. . . . Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you’re fired.” —Blake (Alec Baldwin) in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) Washington, it has been said, is Hollywood for the ugly, and, indeed, great beauties are a rarity … [Read More]

There is nearly universal agreement that the opening salvo of the Obama Administration’s campaign to restore health to the financial system, delivered this week by new Treasury Secretary Geithner, fell with a loud and ugly thud. The most common criticism is that the announcement was short on detail. What is abundantly clear, however, is that the new Administration intends to push … [Read More]

With the recent observation of Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday, it might be worth looking at what the last two centuries have wrought. George Washington’s vision of a humble constitutional republic, decentralized and debt free, has been replaced by an imperial superpower, where U.S. influence not only spans the globe, but the globe foots the bill, as presidents and Congress hastily pass … [Read More]

The day before Richard Holbrooke arrived in Kabul, eight suicide bombers and gunmen attacked the Justice and Education ministries, killing 26 and wounding 57. Kabul was paralyzed, as the Taliban displayed an ability to wreak havoc within a hundred yards of the presidential palace. The assault came as President Obama is both conducting a strategic review and deciding how many additional … [Read More]

Despite sharing much in the way of popular culture and language, Canadians like to establish their identity as explicitly distinct from their powerful neighbor to the south. And they often do so according to a collection of “Us > Them” stereotypes, all which contain small kernels of truth: Americans invade, Canadians keep peace; Americans are obnoxious, Canadians exude proper etiquette; Americans … [Read More]

The central insight of conservatism—that everything is always getting worse—is dramatically illustrated by the little hamlet I recently moved to. Rio Nido, California, is located in the wine country of Sonoma county, about five miles north of the infamous Bohemian Grove facility where the elites meet annually to plot the fate of the world and enjoy the scenic Russian River as … [Read More]