(’76 Contributor) June 15 commemorates the affirmation, 798 years ago, of our fundamental rights. Magna Carta, the Great Charter, confirmed “for us and our heirs in perpetuity” that the government, even the king himself, must honor citizens’ rights and operate within law and custom.
Despite the fashion to demean Magna Carta, the Great Charter clearly acknowledges the rights of “all free men.” Here are a few of the 63 clauses. Continue reading
The outrage is palpable and the sudden realization by the average American that they really, truly are now living in an Orwellian surveillance state has been an eye-opening experience for many across the fruited plain. The once mocked conspiracy theory of the all-knowing Big Brother state has shown itself to be far more of an ugly reality than a silly fantasy. He who has called the War on Terror basically over has now been forced to admit that his administration has vastly expanded the concept of the security state in the name of ‘public safety.’ Continue reading
John Hickenlooper had a chance to bring a breath of fresh air to the governor’s office.
Imminently likable and with a charmed political career, he could have been the rare maverick moderate Democrat – strong enough and bold enough to be a governor for all Colorado. He could have been the adult in the room when liberal legislators ran amok on the lunatic fringe. Continue reading
In his 1980s comedy routine, Yakov Smirnoff celebrated America’s free society and equality before the law, joking, “In America, you can always find a party. In Russia, party always finds you! In America, you break law. In Soviet Russia, law breaks you!”
In the wake of scandals involving the abuse of governmental power, Americans must Think Again about Smirnoff’s ironic wordplays. As we’re learning, the ruling party can find and break you — despite constitutional protections. Continue reading
(’76 Contributor) President Obama made a revealing statement in a June 7 press conference regarding the National Security Agency’s surveillance of cell phone and Internet records.
“That’s not to suggest that you just say, ‘Trust me, we’re doing the right thing, Continue reading
(Denver Post, June 2) “Colorado can do better.” Four words, scarcely a sound bite. But if you start hearing them in reference to Gov. John Hickenlooper as 2014 approaches, you’ll know the election is not a walkover for him after all. Because when it comes to policy results from the state’s chief executive, those words are true. Continue reading
A leftist agenda playing loose with the law has cost Obama his messianic aura, says John Andrews in the May round of Head On TV debates. Susan Barnes-Gelt disagrees, blaming the welter of scandals on arrogance at the top and incompetence of underlings. John on the right, Susan on the left, also go at it this month over immigration, school taxes, recall of legislators, and Hickenlooper’s record. Head On has been a daily feature on Colorado Public Television since 1997 and a presentation of Centennial Institute since 2009. Here are all five scripts for May: Continue reading
Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life,” counseled Faber College’s Dean Wormer in “Animal House.” For the collegiate class of 2013 — until next year the most indebted ever — add “in hock” to that immortal list.
Compared with their parents, current graduates are paying four times more in inflation-adjusted terms for their diplomas while suffering substantially inferior job and income prospects. Like “Animal House’s” witless frat brothers, those who believe college is a last hurrah before plunging into adult reality must Think Again. Continue reading
(Centennial Fellow) Roger Kimball’s exceptional new book, The Fortunes of Permanence, touches on many important topics concerning culture, education, society, and our intellectual inheritance, centering heavily on the concept of cultural relativism. It includes a chapter entitled: “Institutionalizing Our Demise: America vs. Multiculturalism,” and I thought while reading of how well that applied to many of our current immigration contentions.
Immigration reform is, once again, front and center on the nation’s public consciousness. And, once again, the debate seems to skirt the most important questions posed by immigration. For years, American immigration policy has been more about more emotional, tertiary concerns, than the pressing ones; namely how much immigration does the society need, how much can the existing culture handle, and what are the security implications for the nation? Continue reading
(Eagle Bay, N.Y.) “See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet …America’s the Greatest Land of All!” Thus did Dinah Shore- an appealing songstress of the 40’s and 50’s- close her immensely popular weekly television show. In doing so she evoked one of our nation’s most powerful images: The Lure of the Open Road. Much like Jack Kerouac’s manic novel On The Road or Willie Nelson’s mournful classic “On the Road, Again” this simple lyric conveyed compelling notions of Freedom and Limitless American Horizons. Continue reading