The sexual revolution always seems to have another frontier. Indeed, the very idea of a "revolution" would be negated were there no frontiers to conquer. So deeper, ever deeper, we plumb the depths. Look at television. Every new frontier is just another titillating, initially shocking plot for a fictional or "reality" show, until there's a "new normal" and the novelty and naughtiness wears off. Wash, rinse, repeat. The latest example is a brand-new show on the TLC cable network called "Sister Wives," all about a likeable, long-haired Utah man named Kody Brown and his three wives and 13 children. But... continue reading
Jimmy Carter is out with his 26th book, so that means he is on his 26th round of slavish liberal-media interviews hailing him as a genius and a peacemaker. No wonder we're so tired of him. While the Bushes have remained dignified and largely silent as ex-presidents, Carter and Bill Clinton just cannot resist venomously attacking Republican presidents and conservative politicians, perhaps because whenever they do this, TV anchors bow and scrape before them and hail their "achievements" and compassion and generosity of spirit toward mankind. And so we have to put up with this megalomaniacal failure, along with his... continue reading
In today's world, video war games are all the rage. The military knows that video games make young men more interested in military service, and can even make them better soldiers. As is so often the case, some of the producers of these games have taken the simulation too far. For the latest version of its wildly popular shooter game "Medal of Honor," Electronic Arts chose to set the game in post-9/11 Afghanistan. But now it also allows players to fight as the Taliban and kill American troops. This was too much for the military. Army, Air Force, and Navy... continue reading
How long ago it seems now that Barack Obama was inaugurated, and the Great Uniter championed "hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics....[T]he time has come to set aside childish things." It seems the president spoke prematurely. With his approval ratings sinking, and Democratic prospects tanking, Obama began the fall campaign in Milwaukee with a petulant tone about his adversaries: "They talk about me like a dog... continue reading
It was some thirty years ago when I first caught a Charlie Daniels concert. He was the back-up to the Marshall Tucker Band at the old Capital Centre outside Washington DC, and that night, he stole the show. When he finished his blazing set the audience erupted and brought him back for an encore. When the Marshall Tucker Band finished their rather good performance, it made no difference: the capacity crowd roared for yet another performance from Charlie Daniels. It's a metaphor for his life. At a time when he should, deservedly be disappearing into the shadows, he's back -... continue reading
The midterm elections this fall will feature young people born in 1992 - in other words, four years after Ronald Reagan left office. What do they know about this man? It's quite likely that many of them have been told of Reagan's firm resolve to win the Cold War. But it's also likely they haven't learned about the Reagan budget policies that led to a historic economic recovery. Instead, liberal revisionists are working overtime to assign to the Gipper's tax cut policies the blame for deficits on his watch. Given the disastrous performance of Barack Obama, it's time to give... continue reading
Children today are often so voracious and versed in the latest communications technology that they make their parents feel like Miles Standish and Betsy Ross. Three-fourths of young people between 12 and 17 now own cell phones, reports the Pew Internet and American Life Project. And get this: 87 percent of those who send text messages told researchers that they sleep with or next to their phones. Half of teens send 50 or more text messages a day, and one in three send more than 100, or more than 3,000 texts a month. By contrast, only 30 percent of teenagers... continue reading
The fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina recalls a horror show on two levels. There's the actual disaster which killed hundreds of people - and then there's the media smear job on the Bush administration and first responders. No one should forget pompous grandstanders like "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams signing off three months after the floods from the Lower Ninth Ward: "This is a neighborhood that's been left to die." How those network anchors loved hurricane hyperbole! Williams, for one, lectured the nation that the hurricane should "necessitate a national discussion on race, on oil, politics, class, infrastructure, the... continue reading
The pop-music world is turning into a caricature of shamelessness, childishness and even spoiled-brattiness. To get attention quickly, some pop stars will try absolutely anything. The soul singer Cee-Lo Green has a new album coming out. How's this for art: His first desperate single is titled "F-- You." The shock value is already working. A video was posted on August 19, and within four days, it had grabbed 1.4 million views on YouTube - another sign that YouTube is not a safe website for children. On August 23, YouTube began requiring visitors to sign in to view the video, saying... continue reading
Last week, Dr. Laura Schlessinger announced on CNN that she was hanging up her headphones at the end of the year. If she could not exercise her freedom of speech, she said, she was not interested in the job. Watchdogs on the left had pounced on a conversation she had with a black woman in which she proclaimed something that everyone with cable TV knows is true. The N-word is acceptable vernacular for black comedians on HBO, but it's not something you can ever, ever say if you're not black. While making this point, Dr. Laura purposely said the N-word... continue reading