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THE FOUNDATION

“Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one...” —Thomas Paine

INSIGHT

“Here is the Golden Rule of sound citizenship, the first and greatest lesson in the study of politics: You get the same order of criminality from any State to which you give power to exercise it; and whatever power you give the State to do things FOR you carries with it the equivalent power to do things TO you.” —Albert Jay Nock

ICHTHUS IMPRIMIS

“’Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the Lord God. ‘Therefore, turn and live!”’ —Ezekiel 18:31-32

FAMILY

“Since their political awakening in the mid-1970s, while evangelicals worked to end the scourge of abortion and stay the steady march of social decay (the Sodomizing of American culture), they have simultaneously raised billions to fight famine in Africa, build homes for the poor, rehabilitate addicts and provide aid to the most destitute among us. The religious Right’s crusade to save the family — opposition to abortion and so-called same-sex marriage — might itself be seen as charity. The family is the first and most important social welfare agency. Functional families raise children who won’t end up living on the streets or pregnant and on welfare at age 16. If the Left succeeds at destroying the American family, there will be homeless shelters, soup kitchens and rehab centers as far as they eye can see — assuming there’s anyone left to man them.” —Don Feder

CULTURE

“What are the proximate causes here in America that send liberal criticism over the edge into pathological hysteria? Is it only that George Bush is a singular polarizing figure of Christian and Texan demeanor? Or is the current Left-wing savagery also a legacy of the tribal 1960s, when out-of-power protesters felt that expressions of speaking bluntly, even crudely, were at least preferable to ‘artificial’ cultural restraint? Or does the anger stem from the fact, that until last week, the Democrats had not elected congressional majorities in 12 years, and they’ve occupied the White House in only eight of the last 26 years. The Left’s current unruliness seems a way of scapegoating others for a more elemental frustration — that without scandal or an unpopular war they cannot so easily gain a national majority based on European-based beliefs. More entitlements, higher taxes to pay for them, gay marriage, de facto quotas in affirmative action, open borders, abortion on demand, and radical secularism — these liberal issues, at least for the moment, still don’t tend to resonate with most Americans and so must be masked by opponents’ scandals or overshadowed by a controversial war. Just as the Europeans are stunned that their heaven on earth has left them weak and afraid, so too millions of Americans on the Left are angry that their own promised moral utopia is not so welcomed by the supposedly less educated and bright among them.” —Victor Davis Hanson

LIBERTY

“We know the stinging truth: America’s many problems stem, above all, from 40 years of faithlessness, of failure to live fully, openly, and unashamedly as we are called to do. We are assured in our nation’s very Founding documents, laws, and institutions the God-given right to the free establishment and free exercise of our religious faith and convictions. Yet with what vigor and boldness have we publicly lived out the very blessings of liberty entrusted to us by our great American experiment in responsible self-government under God?” —Alan Keyes

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THE GIPPER

“In the annals of American history, only a few events are so well-known and so deeply rooted in national remembrance that the mere mention of their date suffices to describe them. Of these occurrences, none could have had more significance for our Nation than December 7, 1941. On that Sunday morning... the Imperial Japanese Navy launched an unprovoked, surprise attack upon units of the Armed Forces of the United States stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This attack claimed the lives of 2,403 Americans, wounded 1,178 more, and damaged our naval capabilities in the Pacific. Such destruction seared the memory of a generation and galvanized the will of the American people in a fight to maintain our right to freedom without fear. Every honor is appropriate for the courageous Americans who made the supreme sacrifice for our Nation at Pearl Harbor and in the many battles that followed in World War II. Their sacrifice was for a cause, not for conquest; for a world that would be safe for future generations. Their devotion must never be forgotten.” —Ronald Reagan

OPINION IN BRIEF

“Suppose there was a law that forced you to pay a government agency for apples you were supposed to feed your children. The government didn’t care if you grew your own apples, or if your neighbor grew apples you liked better than the government’s brand, the law compelled you to pay for the state’s product whether you wanted it for your children or not. Now, suppose many people who actually fed their children public apples discovered something wrong with them. Some apples were bitter, others mushy, and others rotten to the core... The public apple in this parable, of course, is public education — which is indeed rotten in many places... From just 1990 to 2003, average per pupil spending increased 25%, from $7,692 (in constant 2003-2004 dollars) to $9,644. This big run-up in spending did not cause a big run-up in student performance... Increasing per pupil spending by another 111% — whether it is done by compassionate conservatives in Washington, D.C., or plain old liberals in your home state — will not fix public schools. It’s time to give all American parents vouchers equal to the per-pupil spending in local government schools. Then parents can decide whether the government schools deserve their children — or whether they will try the apples elsewhere, thank you.” —Terence Jeffrey

GOVERNMENT

“[T]he founders of our nation were suspicious, if not contemptuous, of government... Today’s Americans hold a different vision of government. It’s one that says Congress has the right to do just about anything upon which it can secure a majority vote. Most of what Congress does fits the description of forcing one American to serve the purposes of another American. That description differs only in degree, but not in kind, from slavery. At least two-thirds of the federal budget represents forcing one American to serve the purposes of another. Younger workers are forced to pay for the prescriptions of older Americans; people who are not farmers are forced to serve those who are; non-poor people are forced to serve poor people; and the general public is forced to serve corporations, college students and other special interests who have the ear of Congress... You say, ‘Williams, don’t you believe in helping your fellow man?’ Yes, I do. I believe that reaching into one’s own pockets to help his fellow man is both laudable and praiseworthy. Reaching into another’s pockets to help his fellow man is despicable and worthy of condemnation. The bottom line: We love government because it enables us to accomplish things that if done privately would lead to arrest and imprisonment.” —Walter Williams

RE: THE LEFT

“Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran. He should not be allowed to do so — not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization. First, it is an act of hubris that perfectly exemplifies multiculturalist activism — my culture trumps America’s culture. What Ellison and his Muslim and leftist supporters are saying is that it is of no consequence what America holds as its holiest book; all that matters is what any individual holds to be his holiest book. Forgive me, but America should not give a hoot what Keith Ellison’s favorite book is. Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible. If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don’t serve in Congress. In your personal life, we will fight for your right to prefer any other book. We will even fight for your right to publish cartoons mocking our Bible. But, Mr. Ellison, America, not you, decides on what book its public servants take their oath.” —Dennis Prager

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POLITICAL FUTURES

“This country needs to be able to draw on its best people from every walk of life and from every part of the political spectrum. But the nation is not going to get them if going to Washington means seeing the honorable reputation of a lifetime dragged through the mud just because someone disagrees with you on a political issue. Our confirmation hearings for federal judges have become a circus and a disgrace. Nominees who have fought for civil rights, even in the days when that was a risky thing to do in the South, have been pictured as ‘racists’ just as a political ploy to keep them from being confirmed. Washington has become a political meat grinder where character assassination is standard procedure. Clever and glib people say ‘If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.’ But the far larger question is whether the country can afford to repel people who are desperately needed but who may have too much self-respect to let political pygmies smear their character.” —Cal Thomas

FOR THE RECORD

“[T]he [Iraq Study Group] calls itself ‘a bipartisan group of senior individuals who have had distinguished careers in public service.’ To go by the hype, you would think that this august body will come up with a daring roadmap for U.S. policy in Iraq. Yet experience suggests that the study group, which consists of the same swells who always fill bipartisan panels, will present a set of mealy-mouthed recommendations, more weighty in the authors’ minds than in reality. Consider the bipartisan 9-11 commission... While the panel did a fine job of investigating institutional flaws that hindered intelligence before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, one certainly could argue that the bipartisan makeup encouraged the group to paper over what now can be seen as mistakes made by both the Clinton and Bush administrations. Worse, because the 9-11 commission chose to pass its 41 recommendations unanimously — a goal shared by the ISG — the recommendations were bureaucratic, somewhat impractical and often gratuitous. For example, the panel refused to take a stand on the Patriot Act, but instead suggested that the White House make a case for retaining surveillance powers, followed by a ‘full and informed debate.’ File that one under: Meaningless. And in sub-category: Easy to ignore.” —Debra Saunders

SELECT READER COMMENTS

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“Compliments to The Patriot for correct analysis of the Republican debacle in the essay ’Leaders or clerks’ (http://PatriotPost.US/alexander/edition.asp?id=508). While on down hills, all political formations betray this ostrich-like attitude of ‘finding’ plausible causes for their reversals. You lose if you deviate from your core values. Political (and electoral) support is derived through these core values. Republicans deviated from their core values of least governance, least taxes, transparency.” —Springfield, Missouri

“Leaders or clerks? Whatever they are, I am left with taxation without representation. The Democrats are socialists whose machinations frequently remind me of Stalinism. The Republicans are fake conservatives and fake capitalists who have tried so hard to please the left that they have lost the right. Look at the Social Security system, Medicare and Medicaid. All three are socialist programs that threaten to destroy capitalism, and all are endorsed by both major parties.” —Bozeman, Montana

“After reading your essay, ‘Leaders and Clerks,’ I am reminded of sentiments from 1994 and 2000 in which many conservatives were hoping for the next generation of Reaganites. The recent election was a result of the frustrations of many of my conservative friends who now feel most of the current Republicans are not conservatives at all. A Conservative Party anyone?—Norman, Oklahoma

”After reading so much garbage about George Bush, or corruption, or the Iraq war causing the Republican election meltdown, I am comforted to read your ‘Leaders or Clerks’ article. I was beginning to believe that I was the only one to realize that Republicans behaving like Democrats was the real problem. I was excited about our nation’s future when Republicans won the majority based on the Contract With America. I have been disappointed as item after item in the Contract was breached. It’s time for Republican leadership to wake up and understand two major events: the winning the majority and the losing of the majority.“—Portland, Maine

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THE LAST WORD

”It is something one half of the population has long suspected — and the other half always vocally denied. Women really do talk more than men. In fact, women talk almost three times as much as men, with the average woman chalking up 20,000 words in a day — 13,000 more than the average man. Women also speak more quickly, devote more brainpower to chit-chat — and actually get a buzz out of hearing their own voices, a new book suggests. The book — written by a female psychiatrist — says that inherent differences between the male and female brain explain why women are naturally more talkative than men. In The Female Mind, Dr Luan Brizendine says women devote more brain cells to talking than men. And, if that wasn’t enough, the simple act of talking triggers a flood of brain chemicals which give women a rush similar to that felt by heroin addicts when they get a high.“—Fiona Macrae

Veritas vos Liberabit—Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher, for The Patriot’s editors and staff. (Please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm’s way around the world, and for their families — especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who have died in defense of American liberty, while prosecuting the war with Jihadistan.)