Frankenstein’s Monster

By Stuart J. Moskovitz

Stuart J Moskovitz

The point of Mary Shelley’s novel was that as excited as we may be when we have created a monster, we must recognize that we cannot always control that monster. What we believe is “ours” can easily go another way.

No objective historical scholar can deny that Obama was a media creation. He was an obscure state politician whom the media caused to give a speech at the Democratic convention in 2004. He parlayed that speech, with the media’s help, into the Democratic nomination in 2008. The rest is history. The Democratic party was thrilled at the job the media did, assuring them the election against a far more experienced, far more qualified, far more moderate candidate, a war hero, a committee chairman, a candidate familiar with foreign affairs who had spent his life in Washington, understood federal government finance, military positives and negatives, and had experience with all domestic and foreign matters with which a President needs to deal. Obama, the media creation, served in the Senate for less than one year when he announced he was running for office. As a state senator, he was most known for voting “present.”

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Obama carbon emissions rule halted by Supreme Court

The Supreme Court halted the EPA’s major anti-global warming initiative late Tuesday evening, dealing a major blow to President Obama’s hopes of overseeing a green energy transition in his final year in office. The 5-4 decision by the court puts the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation on hold while a lower appeals court hears states’ challenge to… Read the rest of this entry »

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What Happens When The President Uses The “N” Word?

By Tom DeSeno

 

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” — Juliet of the House of Capulet

I’ve written columns for many outlets over the past 15 years, and one practice I’ve always maintained is to spell out the whole “N” word when it is being used in an historical context, as in, “Slave owners referred to blacks as “N.” I do the same when quoting another person, as in, “He called him a “N.” I’ve also reserved the right to spell it out in condemnation of the word itself, as in, “It’s wrong to call anyone a “N.”

My thinking was that the “N” word is an insult when intended that way. I owe my American brothers and sisters with superior protective pigment the courtesy of not using that word as an insult, because it is worse than other words on the insult scale.

However, I don’t owe anyone a distortion of history. I don’t owe anyone less than exactitude when it comes to a quote, lest I be distorting history myself.

Yet every single editor I’ve had changes the spelled out word to the abbreviated “N word” before my column is published (I’m using the abbreviated “N” word now instead of spelling out the word, in recognition of Ricochet’s past practice).

Don’t get me wrong – I don’t use the word casually. I don’t use it in my own conversations and have not done so in decades. I think the only time I ever really used it was during a fistfight on the playground. There are different rules when throwing down — I would get called a cracker, a honky, etc. and I would yell out as many reciprocal remarks as I could. None of the white or black kids watching considered it racist. Afterwards, even the combatants did not. When you are in a fight, the rules of decorum are suspended. You’retrying to insult the guy you’re punching in the face.

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Now and then, Good does prevail

By Stuart J. Moskovitz

In every election there are winners and losers. This year was no exception. On the national scene, the obvious losers will be written about by most pundits – Obama and the Clintons. Obviously Harry Reid has probably seen his last days of power in any form. But there are other losers. The entire Democratic platform — the so-called war on women, the freebie mentality, the irresponsible blind eye to international distress, the cowardly acquiescence of the Democratic congress to Obama’s war on Israel, are all losers. Republicans elected young people, African-Americans, women, as diverse a group as anyone would want to see. In many cases these were the first of such to be elected in their state — an accomplishment the Democrats never managed and never would manage. These Democratic campaign platforms were as fake as their claim for the last forty years that Republicans would overturn Roe v. Wade. The electorate is simply not as naive as they were in 2008 and 2012. No more. Obama has accomplished at least that.

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Islamic State issues ‘annual report’ detailing atrocities

The glossy cover of the Islamic State’s annual report features an armed fighter jauntily looking over his right shoulder, decked out in clean, green army fatigues while holding an automatic rifle in his right hand. Inside the latest 410-page report, or “al-Naba,” released on March 31, 2014, the Islamic State’s statistics are laid out in black… Read the rest of this entry »

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Cartoon: ‘Down the Drain’

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US and EU impose sanctions as Crimea turns to Moscow

US and EU impose sanctions as Crimea turns to Moscow (via AFP)

The United States and the European Union targeted Vladimir Putin’s inner circle with economic sanctions on Monday as Crimea moved to cement Russia’s takeover of the breakaway Ukrainian region. Moscow and Washington have been on a collision course since…

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Ukraine mobilises army as West warns Russia

Ukraine mobilises army as West warns Russia (via AFP)

Ukraine warned Sunday it was on the brink of disaster and called up military reservists after Russia’s threat to invade its Western-leaning neighbour risked sparking the worst crisis since the Cold War. US President Barack Obama and his Western allies…

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Americans Defying Obama’s Shutdown Of The Lincoln Memorial

Government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the Earth

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US accepts UN will not back force against Syria

US accepts UN will not back force against Syria (via AFP)

The United States concedes that Russia will not allow the UN Security Council to authorize military strikes against the Syrian regime, senior White House officials said Friday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the officials said a UN report due on…

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