Conservative Donnybrook

A few weeks ago, House Resolution 5800 was introduced on the House floor by its sole sponsor Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa). The bill would amend the tax code by inserting a tax on windfall profits on oil and natural gas companies. What constitutes windfall profits? Well, that would be decided by the newly formed Reasonable Profits Board - a board of three persons, appointed by the president, whose job it would be to determine when a company has surpassed a reasonable level of profits and has entered windfall territory.

For the legions of Conservative Donnybrook readers in Pennsylvania, we would simply remind you that Paul Kanjorski is up for reelection this year. Don’t send this guy back to Washington.

Share This

The sister of a friend - the sister an editor at National Review and the friend a burgeoning attorney - clued me in to Irving Kristol’s wonderful collection of essays, Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea. 

In a foreboding essay entitled “American Intellectuals and Foreign Policy,” written in 1967, the “godfather of neoconservatism” explains “the extraordinary inconsistencies of intellectuals on matters of foreign policy”:

So it is that many intellectuals are appalled at our military intervention in Southeast Asia, on  the grounds that, no matter what happens there, the national security of the United States will not be threatened.  But these same intellectuals would raise no objection if the United States sent an expeditionary force all the way to South Africa to overthrow apartheid, even though South Africa offers no threat to American security.

Now for the taxidermy: replace “Southeast Asia” with “Iraq,” “South Africa” with “Darfur” and “overthrow apartheid” with “end genocide.”  You get:

So it is that many intellectuals are appalled at our military intervention in Iraq, on the grounds that, no matter what happens there, the national security of the United States will not be threatened.  But these same intellectuals would raise no objection if the United States sent an expeditionary force all the way to Darfur to end genocide, even though Darfur offers no threat to American security.

Samantha Power, Obama’s former leading lady on foreign policy issues, comes to mind.

Share This

The Daily Mail reports that Vladimir Putin is leaving his wife for a 24 year old ex-gymnast and member of Russian Parliament.  Vlad is 56.

Eye candy here.

(HT: The Corner)

Share This

At the beginning of the year I wrote this post about the newly inacted smoking ban in my hometown of Chicago. Here it is three months later and the Chinese have only now decided to ban smoking in Bejing. I realize that by far more Chinese smoke, but does anyone else find it interesting that it has been liberal U.S. cities leading the charge to infringe on the individual right to smoke and not the red Chinese? It seems that our liberal baby-boomer comrades have taken a page out of Chariman Mao’s Little Red Book and beat him to the punch.

Share This

Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has announced that she will be boycotting the 2008 Summer Olympics. As we all know the games are being held in Bejing this year. China has grown into a world superpower, and legitimate threat to the United States, on the blood and torture of her citizens. Between the countless human rights abuses and the persecution of the Catholic Church in China, just to name a few, China should not be given the international stage of the Olympics as if it were any other peace abiding democracy that respects individual human dignity. It may too much to ask for that an entire country boycott the games (although I certainly hope someone has the stones) but I can hope that more world leader choose not to attend the event.

Share This

I know, it is shameful that I have only just now read Witness. Whittaker Chambers’ autobiography is required reading for anyone who would call himself conservative. Thankfully, unlike most required reading, this is interesting, provocative and, considering it was written in 1952 about the Communist threat, timely. Even though it would seem that the threat of Communist expansion, especially in the form of Soviet Communism, seems to have passed, the underlying premise of this book is the question, “God or Man?” It is in answering that question that one is drawn to Communism, its brother Fascism, or any number of totalitarian forms of government hatched from the laboratory of the Enlightenment deification of Man that were spawned out of the French Revolution.

On the opening page of his autobiography he writes:

I wanted my wife to realize clearly one long-term penalty, for herself and for the children, of the step I was taking. I said: “You know, we are leaving the winning world for the losing world.” I meant that, in the revolutionary conflict of the 20th century, I knowingly chose the side of probable defeat. Almost nothing that I have observed, or that has happened to me since, has made me think that I was wrong about that forecast. But nothing has changed my determination to act as if I were wrong - if only because, in the last instance, men must act on what they believe right, not on what they believe probable.

Then in 1938, with the clearest understanding of the consequences, we freely made the choice which history is slowly bringing all men to see is the only possible choice - the decision to die, if necessary, rather than to live under Communism. Continue Reading »

Share This

. . . to many, like Cindy Sheehan, it’s been Five Years:

(from the San Francisco anti-war protest yesterday)

Get it?

Share This

WASHINGTON, DC—As you may have heard, there were protests here today to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. I, your intrepid reporter from the Conservative Donnybrook Washington Bureau, humbly bring the story to you.

My reporting activities began this morning, as I was walking through McPherson Square on the way to work. Some people with oddly-colored hair were milling around. One guy was wearing a polar bear costume. There were no more than a couple dozen protestors around. I continued up Vermont Avenue alongside 20-odd folks who were carrying a large prop that I didn’t bother to look at, and one of them shouted, “Wake up, America!”   Continue Reading »

Share This

Evidence has surfaced that Comrade Hugo Chavez actively supports FARC terrorists in Colombia.  The recent raid on FARC camps in Ecuador produced a laptop containing evidence of communications and a transfer by Chavez of $300 million to FARC terrorists.  As one would expect, the Comrade of Venezuela denies his involvement. 

The people of Venezuela should rise up and throw down this murderous tyrant.  Failure to do so in a timely manner should result in Venezuela being listed near the top of State sponsors of terrorism. 

Share This

Comrade Chavez has threatened war on our allies in South America. Colombia attacked FARC camps in Ecuador over the weekend in response to continued terrorist actions by the communist fringe radicals. In response, Chavez has sent war machines to the Venezuelan border with Colombia and has put his Russian-made aircraft on high alert.

The United States should stand ready to assist Colombia in the defense of her sovereignty. The increasingly aggressive stance of Chavez must be countered. While Colombia should take the lead, the U.S. should offer any available resources to her and vow to crush the threat emerging from Venezuela’s brutish dictator.

Conservative Donnybrook has a few articles addressing the threat from South American communists. America’s the Beautiful, Enough is Enough is another or maybe Karl has it right…just grease the bastard!

At any rate, the call rings loud and clear: To arms!

Share This

Politicians in Washington are constantly hollering about the need to secure freedom for Iraqis, Kosovars, Afghanis, the people of Myanmar, etc… But it seems they forgot about the Americans held hostage in Columbia.

These men served their country only to be abandoned by it. Increased effort must be spent to free our fellow countrymen from the clutches of their communist terror. FARC is a dangerous organization many believe to be operating with the blessing, if not more, of Comrade Chavez in Venezuela. Freeing these men (by any means necessary) should coincide with an American economic and military return to the Western hemisphere. In addition to securing the blessings of freedom to our citizens held in captivity, an operation would demonstrate American resolve to the Tyrant of Venezuela and the members of FARC.

Share This

Here is a classic debate from Firing Line history where Buckley demolishes Noam Chomsky and makes him look stupid. Charmingly.

Buckley’s line toward the beginning of this exchange where Buckley offers to take up Chomsky’s digression and then peeks over at him with a bit of a wink and sparkle in his eye is priceless.

Chomsky debate: Part I and Part II

And, as it turns out, this seems to be fairly topical.

Share This

At 10:29 pm last night, the United States declared its unrivaled supremacy over every other nation on earth when it successfully destroyed a defunct satellite in a decaying orbit. Navy personnel took aim on the satellite’s fuel tank (and as any young boy would know, that would be the most fun place to shoot anything), fired and scored a direct hit. One thousand pounds of toxic hydrazine fuel went - well, it would have been sky-high if the satellite had been in the atmosphere. I’m not really sure what you call it in space.

At the moment of impact the satellite was traveling at more than 17,000 mph. Which is probably about the speed that Putin’s stomach slammed into his Adam’s apple. Ronald Reagan’s dream of protecting the West from the menace of nuclear annihilation is within grasp. The project that Ted Kennedy ridiculed as “Star Wars” and a waste of taxpayer money justified itself over the Pacific Ocean yesterday evening. The American people are safer tonight than they were at 10:28 pm last night.

What’s even more remarkable is that the shot almost was called off because conditions were not “ideal.” Even better, it appears that some of the debris may rain down on Chinese heads for the next day or so. Hopefully, this system can be deployed to protect our allies in Europe and the Middle East soon.

The United States Navy should be proud of their work last night.

Share This

Fidel Castro hangs ups his spurs!  The exiled Cubans in south Florida and all over the world have been waiting for this day since January 1st, 1959 and now it appears….nothing will change.  They (and we) have nothing to look forward to but continued socialism and tyranny on the island of Cuba. 

 Some day it has to crack under its own weight…right?

Share This

Over the weekend two Russian air force bombers invaded the sovereign airspace of Japan and antagonized the United States aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Nimitz and the guided missile ship, Princeton.  The Nimitz responded by launching several F/A-18 fighters to intercept the Russian aggressors.

Not since 2004 has the Russian air force interacted with a U.S. carrier.  Such activity was common during the cold war and it seems as if the Russians are in a hurry to revive past tendencies.  For a couple of years now the Russians have objected to the proposed missile shield in eastern Europe.  The question, of course, is why?  Missile shields are deterrents and a defensive measures (hince the “shield” instead of “sword” title).  The Russians have nothing to fear form a purely defensive posture by the United States and her European allies.  That is, of course, unless the Russians have plans to attack Europe.  

Such provocative acts by the Russians do little to demonstrate why the United States and her European allies should feel at ease with a Russian military build-up.  How could any nation feel comfortable when there are constant threats emanating from Asia.    

Share This

The British government has forbid any and all athletes representing England in the upcoming Beijing Olympics from voicing criticism of the communist human rights abusing government of the People’s Republic of China.

As this article points out, the British have a history of sucking up to dictators.  I encourage all athletes from England to either refuse to sign the government required contract or to break the rules anyway.  This has just as much to do with free-speech as it does for calling attention to the intolerable communist forces at work in occupied China.

Share This

With a budget deficit expected to reach $14 billion, the Governator and comrade Nunez have decided its a good time to make health insurance mandatory!  That’s right, universal health-care for all Californians…and illegal immigrants!  Interestingly enough, the cost of the program is also estimated to cost California $14 billion!

The health insurance program as proposed would require insurance companies to cover everyone, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions.  Why, then, would anyone bother to pay for insurance coverage until they are actually in need of it, they would just be wasting money!  Brilliant, comrades, brilliant!

Share This

I ran across this article in the New York Times this morning. According to this report, China is yanking the export licenses of 750 toy manufacturers in response to a growing problem with safety issues. In the past few weeks, it seems that there is a new toy recall due to health hazards stemming from lax regulation of the Chinese manufacturing industry.

This comes in the wake of a number of toy recalls in recent months. According to this report in the New York Times, in the past year Chinese products have been recalled 467 times, accounting for 6o percent of all product recalls in the United States. Examples include Thomas & Friends railroad toys coated in lead paint, a fake eyeball toy filled with kerosene, toy drums and a toy bear that were coated in lead paint, and an infant wrist rattle which presented a choking hazard. Chinese imports account for 70-80 percent of all toy sales in the United States. Continue Reading »

Share This