Reader Comments
Issue 98 - December 26, 2007

Editor: Your “Religion at Christmas 2007” is right and Michael Gerson is wrong. "Compassionate conservatism" is a socialistic buzzword, with all of the ills that attend socialism.  Gerson mistakenly believes that it is government's obligation to correct the ills in society. Apparently, his ideas parallel those of Karl Marx in his Communist Manifesto.  There is one immutable rule both overlooked: any government with enough power to change society for the good, also has the power to change society for the ill. Human nature dictates that the latter will always occur. Samuel A. Hill

Editor: Great stuff in your “Religion at Christmas 2007,” as always. I’m going to blog your story on religion today, as I think your critique of big government conservatism as the problem is spot-on. S.T Karnick, The American Culture

Editor: Regarding your “A Civil Debate on Torture,” you mention that Bret Stephens, columnist and editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal, maintains that a needle under fingernails is obviously torture but "hours held naked in a frigid [50 degrees Fahrenheit] cell; days and nights without sleep while battered by thunderous rock music; long periods manacled in stress positions; or the ultimate waterboarding" only come "progressively closer to the line." I would like to subject Bret Stephens to the practices which he says "only come progressive closer to the line." What has Stephens ever done in life except sit at a typewriter or keyboard and pound out such dribble as the above lines? I am a conservative, served 22 years in the military and recognize that all the above are torture. If this is what conservatism has come to, I believe it's time for me to drop out. John S. Perilloux

Editor: I read your article “A Civil Debate on Torture” with great amazement. Michael Mulcasey should have to respond to questions of torture? The very people who pursued this issue support the torture of pre-born human beings. The submersion in saline solutions, the crushing of sculls, the ripping and tearing of limbs, of innocent victims they don't have a problem with. There is a name for these people and they will eventually destroy this country if we don't start electing statesman instead of politicians. Stanley Sekunda, Middletown, RI

Editor: Merciful heavens! Spencer Warren hit the nail on the head over and over in his article “Lions For Lambs.”  I don't think that Redford has ever gotten off that motorcycle of his or his property to check out the "real world" around him.  I am disappointed in Meryl for accepting a role such as this and Tom Cruise, well, he just thinks anything he plays in will be a hit.  He acts so full of himself, it has really turned me away from his films.  KUDOS TO YOU.....GREAT WRITING! Roxanna Miller

Editor: Dennis Avery’s “Artic Warming, Antarctic Cooling?” is a very good article, written in a manner most people can readily understand. Too many journalists who attempt to define “global warming” write in a style that is confusing due to their lack of expertise on the subject. As a matter of fact, too many scientists remain silent on the subject. Many thanks for the easily understandable way you have presented this subject. John J. Connors, Jr.

Editor: Dennis Avery needs to tell the public that they need to follow the money. Carbon offsets are a strange concept. Let me show you in layman terms how it works: Al Gore goes to an Italian restaurant and eats a loaf of garlic bread, a plate of lasagna, a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, an extra large pizza with seven toppings, a couple bottles of expensive wine and a large assortment of pastries. As a result, he puts on 10 pounds. But he is deeply concerned that mankind is getting too fat. So he pays 10 peasants in Asia $10 each to eat nothing for a week. Although they are already skinny, by starving themselves for a week, they each lose a pound. As a result, after a week, mankind is weight neutral. Al Gore weighs 10 pounds more, 10 Asians weigh 10 pounds less -- and Al Gore is given another Nobel Propaganda Prize for his leadership in keeping mankind's obesity in check. Of course, this example is not quite fair to Gore because that imagined humanitarianism actually costs him cash money. In the real carbon offset business, he looks forward to being paid for directing other carbon consumers to invest in carbon neutral projects through Generation Investment Management which Gore is the founder and chairman. So Gore will profit from mankind's misery. I'm glad to see he finally has developed the capitalist instinct (like his daddy did with Occidental Petroleum and Armand Hammer). When Gore personally is using carbon, as when he flies in a carbon belching Gulfstream jet, one of his companies would pay some other guy not to fly or plant a tree or do something to offset Gore's carbon belching so that Gore can feel elated about himself and live as he wants. Under the TRILLION DOLLAR Kyoto Protocol's  trading scheme to determine the offset of emissions and the amount of CO 2 that needs to be paid for will be controlled by the same organization that controlled the pittance BILLION DOLLAR Iraqi Food for Oil program with Saddam,  the anti-America corrupt United Nations!!! Socialist French President Jacques Chirac said in 2000 the UN’s Kyoto Protocol represented "the first component of an authentic global governance." Benton Bain, Frederick, SD

Editor: Why is Al Gore getting away with this global warming hoax explained by Lisa Fabrizio in her “Draft Gore Movie”? How can we stop the economic damage? Suzanne Stallings, Charlotte, NC

Editor: All that Alan Caruba says in “Eliminate Gas Tax” is more than likely true.  However what can be done about it? Our elected officials don't listen to the people anymore.  They vote for the most part on behalf of big business, the people who actually put them in office.  Both parties are owned by corporate America.  I wrote to my elected officials several years ago and told them that Big Oil was going to bring this country to its knees.  I have one Republican Senator and the other one is a Democrat.  I didn't hear from either one of them on this issue.  I received a canned message that I am not sure even came close to any issue I had.  There are no middle class any longer--we are the new poor along with the old poor.  Of course there are the rich and they are becoming richer over tax deductions that the poor do not receive.  What type of tax does the distributor pay?  Why is it the final consumer is the one to pay the taxes and everyone in between is let off the hook. Bob Kennard

Editor: Regarding Dennis and Alex Avery’s “Anti-Technology Kills,” how it is that Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund are able to block distribution of these goods? What do they do to get information about such advances as the "Golden Rice" you mentioned and then prevent its distribution? I'm just curious about how the "environmentalist whackos" have become so influential. They seem to do good on some things, but overall appear to do great harm. It seems they are of the opinion that it is OK for children and people in general to die from otherwise preventable situations as long as some kind of sparrow, lizard or toad is saved in the process. Thank you for your insight. Sincerely, Mark Veen

Editor: Regarding Rich Noyes’ “Media Out-biases Blogs,” it did not take a study for me to be absolutely sure the entire media is biased. I thought that the FCC rules for broadcasters required them to service the community. Each year they must ask for license renewal, and are required to report the fact that they are asking for renewal on their stations. How can we find out when each station is due? If we knew, we could setup mass mailings of failure to work in the best interest of the community to the FCC right at the perfect time to cause great grief and possible license revocation of liberal bias stations. Randy Chopp

Editor: On Neil Bradley’s “Big Government Book,” what is being done to reduce the number of Government employees sucking our tax dollars away in senseless jobs in many departments? Greg Vacek

Editor: John Goodman needs to give information for more candidates in his “Candidates on Health.”  I am sure Fred Thompson has something to say......and he is still gaining momentum even though he came into the race later than anyone else! R in Indiana [Editor replies: Sen. Thompson only lists general principles (as opposed to a specific proposal) on health care on his website, where his health views may be found at http://www.fred08.com/Principles/PrinciplesSummary.aspx?View=OnTheIssues ]