Brendan Steinhauser

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED!!

2006-10-30T10:14:00.000-05:00

Please change your bookmark for my blog to http://www.TheConservativeRevolution.com. I will no longer be using Blogger. Thanks!

Upgrading The Conservative Revolution!

2006-10-26T13:52:00.000-04:00

This site may be down at times today because we are updating it.

George Will looks at the Iraq Study Group

2006-10-22T15:36:00.000-04:00

The column is here. Will notes that US forces have been in Iraq longer than the time it took to win World War Two.

Great article on campus conservatives

2006-10-19T10:40:00.000-04:00

This is one of the best articles I've read recently on campus conservatism. It's in The American Conservative.

ISI running an ad on National Review Online

2006-10-17T16:41:00.000-04:00

You can view the ad over at www.nationalreview.com I am the guy with the navy blue shirt in one of the pictures. It was at an ISI camping trip in Virginia.

Campus Magazine publishes my essay on conservative revolutions

2006-10-16T10:25:00.000-04:00

The essay is here. I really like the graphics they chose for the piece.

Amanda Carpenter of Human Events writes new book on Hillary Clinton

2006-10-13T16:47:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine, and a newly published author, Amanda B. Carpenter, will be on Hannity and Colmes tonight at 9:00pm. The book is called The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy's Dossier on Hillary Clinton. You can buy a copy at Amazon here. Read an excerpt from the new book here. Here is the website for the book. Let's move her book to the top of the Amazon charts to #1 !!!

Democrats for the super-rich

2006-10-11T10:11:00.000-04:00

This is the letter I sent my hometown newspaper, The Austin American-Statesman.

How ironic that Democrat gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell will take $5 million dollars from trial lawyer John O'Quinn. The party that always clamors that Republicans are "for the rich" is taking money from a super-wealthy man who owns 600 cars worth $100 million. Why doesn't he practice what Democrats preach and redistribute that wealth to the poor in Texas? George Soros, the Hollywood crowd and John O'Quinn all have one thing in common: They want the taxpayers to be the ones footing the bill for wasteful social welfare programs as long as they get to keep their mansions and porsches. This is the height of hypocrisy inherent in the Democrat party's philosophy.

Watch me on PBS show NOW

2006-10-07T23:51:00.000-04:00

Last week I testified at the FCC hearing on media ownership rules. You can watch the PBS show NOW which featured a segment on the hearing. I appear about 17 minutes and 30 seconds into the clip. The video is here. Just scroll down to the "video" link.

My remarks to The John Adams Society of Georgetown University

2006-09-30T22:08:00.000-04:00

Remarks by Brendan Steinhauser to The John Adams Society at Georgetown University September 29, 2006 You can listen to the audio here. I’d like to first thank you all for being here, and for deciding to become active with ISI. I’d like to talk today about the current climate on college campuses, and what that means for our civilization. I’d also like to discuss the title of your club, The John Adams Society. First, please allow me to read an excerpt from my book The Conservative Revolution: How to Win the Battle for College Campuses. “Leftists have been the loudest and most successful activists on college campuses since the 1960's. Their infamous protests of the Vietnam War were exceptional in their magnitude. The demonstrations were so successful that communist Vietnamese leaders admitted that their efforts to win the war hinged upon the success of the so-called "anti-war protestors." They knew that their only hope was a divided America. Public opinion was vital to the American leadership as well, as indicated by the political decisions that prevented a successful end to the war. The lesson from this sad history is that students do matter, and always have. Students have the time and the means to organize for their causes. More importantly, college campuses are the battlegrounds for the ideas that shape public opinion. While conservatives have introduced ideas onto college campuses for decades, they have traditionally not been as successful at getting exposure for these ideas. But, this has been changing over the course of the last few years. National movements that seek to address the problem of the biased and blatantly Leftist universities are already making progress. "For over a half-century, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) has worked against the collectivist ideas on college campuses and has countered with the mission to further in successive generations of American college youth a better understanding of the economic, political, and spiritual values that sustain a free society." As I wrote on the back of my book, “College campuses today have become bastions of Marxism and political correctness.” The former radicals of the sixties have comfortably moved themselves in to the academy, along with their ideologies. Since academia is a place where ideas are not tested against reality, this seems the perfect place for their failed Marxist economic beliefs and for the deconstruction of postmodernism. When one can insulate oneself against reality, he does not have to face the inconvenience of determining whether is ideas work. Rather, he can lecture and write about the failings of the market economy and the potentialities of socialism. Young students who challenge his views on history, economics and politics are naïve, conditioned by their parents and that oppressive religion, Christianity, to think a certain way. Their minds have not been opened, and they have not thought outsight the dominant paradigm, which is controlled by the dominant (ie: white, male, Christian) culture. All the so-called classics, from Homer, to Aristotle, Aquinas to Shakespeare, can be deconstructed and discarded. And they should be replaced with Foucoult and Derrida, Chomsky and Marx. The West’s culture was superior only because it violently victimized non-Western, third-world peoples of color. It’s imperialism, racism, capitalism and sexism go hand-in-hand and are the driving forces of its dominance. Not its ideas. Well, I say hogwash. In Texas there is another less polite word for it, and it starts with “bull.” The Intercollegiate Studies Institute is a non-profit educational foundation that began in the fifties when a small cadre of students gathered together to counter the collectivism that had entrenched itself in American politics and culture. From the New Deal to communist sympathizers, Frank Chodorov and his friends realized that the academy was the battleground for ideas in America, and they began a mission that continues today: to Educate for Liberty. With the post-war conservative movement beginning to flourish, they tapped into the minds of men like Russell Kirk and William F. Buckley, and began holding small meetings like this one where they simply discussed ideas and great books. Although their small enterprise has grown into a huge institution that has thousands of members, their work is unfinished. The academy is now controlled by those tenured professors like Ward Churchill, Peter Singer, Noam Chomsky and Robert Jensen that seek to destroy the Western tradition steeped in Judeo-Christian values, ordered liberty, the free market, individual responsibility and rights. I do not use this term “destroy” imprecisely. When you read their texts or discuss their ideas with them, such academics are not ashamed to say that the West, and more specifically These United States, are what is wrong with the world. They seek to replace the Western tradition with something else, something ostensibly progressive. If progress is moral relativism, collectivistic economics, abortion, the end of gender, atheism, narcotics and democratic despotism, then I want none of it. The fact that these ideas not only permeate, but dominate, the liberal arts on college campuses, is what is so frightening, and why it is so important that groups like ISI continue their work. As Russell Kirk wrote in The Roots of American Order, “Our time of troubles is like the disorder of the Roman republic in the first century before Christ, and like the catastrophic collapse of Roman civilization in the fifth century after Christ. As individuals and as a civilization we people in the twentieth century grope for order.” I assure you the radical professors in the academy aim at disorder, moral anarchy and throwing the ideas of St. Augustine, of Plato, of the founding fathers, into the dustbin of discredited ideas. Because these ideas are the foundation upon which the West and ultimately the American Republic was founded, they must be destroyed. Ergo, we see curricula filled with the ideas that run counter to the West. Only by replacing Western culture with postmodern culture can the radical innovators bring about the zenith of their counter cultural utopian vision of man’s paradise on Earth. For, if one does not believe in God or his heavenly rewards, nor humanity’s fallen nature, then surely this Earthly existence can and must progress toward perfection. That, my friends, is the difference between us, and them. Hopefully I have clarified the struggle of ideas that we are facing every day in our culture. John Adams and Ordered Liberty Now I want to turn to one of the greatest founding fathers, whom you have chosen to honor by naming your club after him. Kirk has called John Adams “the founder of true conservatism in America.” Kirk writes in The Conservative Mind, “the American Revolution was not an innovative upheaval, but a conservative restoration of colonial prerogatives…Thus, men essentially conservative found themselves triumphant rebels.” It was Kirk’s thought that inspired me to write an essay called “Is there such a thing as a conservative revolution?” In this essay, I wrote, “Who could argue that this was a revolution whereby the colonists rebelled precisely to preserve their rights as British citizens? When listing the grievances in the Declaration of Independence that brought forth the revolution, Thomas Jefferson mentioned policies that the King and Parliament had instituted that had violated the colonists’ rights. Most of these policies were recently enacted, after the French and Indian War. It was the King and the Parliament, and not the colonists, who were changing things. Therefore, the revolution that ensued sought to restore things as they were before the innovations of the British government. This was a conservative revolution.” John Adams was indeed a conservative revolutionary. Adams knew the importance of religion in the polity. He wrote, “Is there a possibility that the government of nations may fall into the hands of men who teach the most disconsolate of all creeds, that men are but fireflies, and that this all is without a father?” “Give us again the gods of the Greeks.” It seems today that the academy is filled with people who would replace belief in a higher power with belief in the supremecy of consumption, self-gratification and secular humanism. Adams’ views of man’s equality might be pertinent for those today who worship at the alter of “equality.” He wrote, “That all men are born to equal rights is clear. Every being has a right to his own, as moral, as sacred, as any other has. But to teach that all men are born with equal powers and faculties, to equal influence in society, to equal property and advantages through life, is as gross a fraud, as glaring an imposition on the credulity of the people as ever was practiced by monks, by Druids, by Brahmins, by priests of the immortal Lama, or by the self-styled philosophers of the French Revolution. For honor’s sake, for truth and virtue’s sake, let American philosophers and politicians despise it.” This indictment of equality should ring true in light of today’s push for social leveling and redistribution of wealth and status. Adams preserved the Western tradition and its search for the truth. He reflected Aristotle’s Ethics when he wrote, “All sober inquirers after truth, ancient and modern, pagan and Christian, have declared that the happiness of man, as well as his dignity, consists in virtue.” What were these virtues that good men should seek to cultivate? Certainly not the virtues espoused by our intellectual elites today. What were his views on power in light of his understanding of human nature? “My opinion” he writes “is, and always has been, that absolute power intoxicates alike despots, monarchs, aristocrats, and democrats, and Jacobins, and sans culottes.” It was the political genius of Adams and other founders that led Kirk to call our Constitution “the most successful conservative device in the history of the world.” Others can and have said much more about John Adams and his contributions to American liberty than I can. I highly recommend The Conservative Mind and The Roots of American Order, both by Russell Kirk, and both which describe the intellectual and moral tradition of what he called “The American Cause.” The point I’d like to leave you with is that you should immerse yourselves in the ideas and stories of the Western tradition stretching from the plains of Homer’s Troy, to Dante’s journey to hell, to Hamlet’s struggle with the grief of his father’s murder. These ideas and stories are worth reading, and re-reading, and telling and preserving. The literature, art, architecture and political philosophy of the West is the story of who we are today. I fear that if we do not defend our culture, both from radicals in the academy and barbarians at our gates, we could lose it. And despite what some intellectuals might have you believe, the world would most certainly not be better off if the West were to fall. You are the remnant that has the ability to preserve the ideas that influenced our founders at the creation of the Republic. Take it as a personal responsibility to speak out in class, to meet and discuss the great books, to introduce other students to these ideas and to continue the mission that ISI has been pursuing for over fifty years. Keep the torch of liberty lit, and carry on the traditions of the West, and of our country, what has been called “the last best hope for mankind.” Thank you for your attention.

Busy Week

2006-09-25T22:24:00.000-04:00

This week I travelled to Iowa and Massachusetts. I joined FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey in Iowa for an event hosted by Iowans for Discounted Taxes. Armey talked about the need for Presidential candidates to discuss big issues like a flat tax, government spending restraint and personal retirement accounts for young workers. I then flew to Massachusetts to teach a grassroots seminar for The Leadership Institute. We travelled to Smith College in Northampton, MA to teach students from that school and others in the area about how to be effective in youth politics. Next week I head to California to take on the Leftists in LA about FCC media ownership rules. We will be testifying at a hearing and also handing out literature promoting free speech and free enterprise.

Muslims Angry.. Again..

2006-09-16T15:44:00.000-04:00

The Pope's comments about Muhammed have created a stir in the Muslim world. Surprise, surprise. They never need much of a reason to riot. Here is the story. What the Pope quoted is basically true:

"Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."
Proving the Pope's comments correct, Muslims firebombed and shot at Christian churches in Gaza and the West Bank. Where is the worldwide outrage and condemnation of these violent acts? I don't suppose we shall see any.

Teacher Tears Down '911 Never Forget' Flyer at San Francisco Catholic School.. Says it Offends Muslims: Developing...

2006-09-15T14:21:00.000-04:00

I was informed that a high school teacher at St. Ignatius College Prepatory in San Francisco tore down a flyer that students put up that said, "911: Never Forget." The teacher allegedly told the students that the flyer was "offensive to Muslims." This was a Jesuit Catholic school, mind you. I am working to find out the name of the teacher, and to gather more details. I will make this information available as soon as I can. It is unfortunate that these types of things keep happening, but with your help we can make sure these students are allowed to put up the flyers. Developing...

Is there such a thing as a conservative revolution?

2006-09-11T17:41:00.000-04:00

Now that the title of my book has become part of the lexicon when discussing the situation on college campuses, I feel compelled to explain my purpose in using the term “the conservative revolution.” For some, this phrase flies in the face of traditional conservatism like that expressed by Edmund Burke in his Reflections on the Revolution in France. Conservatives, we are told, reject revolutions as radical and bloody innovations. While this may be the case in a political context such as the French Revolution, revolutions are not all the same. In this essay I hope to provide three examples where revolutions were in fact conservative, and one scenario where a future revolution could be conservative. First, let us look at the American Revolution. Who could argue that this was a revolution whereby the colonists rebelled precisely to preserve their rights as British citizens? When listing the grievances in the Declaration of Independence that brought forth the revolution, Thomas Jefferson mentioned policies that the King and Parliament had instituted that had violated the colonists’ rights. Most of these policies were recently enacted, after the French and Indian War. It was the King and the Parliament, and not the colonists, who were changing things. Therefore, the revolution that ensued sought to restore things as they were before the innovations of the British government. This was a conservative revolution. The Texas Revolution that began in 1835 was also a conservative revolution. The Texian rebels led by cult heroes like Davy Crockett, William B. Travis and Sam Houston were fighting to restore their rights that had been trampled by the Mexican dictator Santa Anna. In fact, the flag that flew over the Alamo was the flag of 1824, which represented the Mexican Constitution of 1824 abolished by Santa Anna. It was Santa Anna, and not the Texians, that was the radical innovator. The Texians did seek their independence, but only because the government that they had consented to had become tyrannical. They sought to restore their rights that had existed prior to Santa Anna, but in doing so, launched a new nation, the Republic of Texas. Suppose that years from now our own government grew in power and began to dismantle our Constitution. Many on the left and right believe that this is already happening today, although I think we are far from it. If our government declared martial law, forced a national identification card, instituted a draft, jailed dissidents and launched wars of conquest around the globe, would Americans continue to want to “conserve” that government? Those on the left and the right might actually join forces to overthrow the government through revolution and restore it to its constitutional foundations. Would this revolution be a conservative revolution? It seems to me that if the effect of the revolution was not bloodshed and anarchy, but ordered liberty and a return to constitutionalism, one could call this revolution “conservative.” Let us hope we never come to such a scenario. But I think the example is helpful in understanding the term “conservative revolution.” How does the use of the phrase “conservative revolution” apply to college campuses today? When free speech is violated, conservative newspapers are destroyed and Western Civilization is torn down every day why should conservatives “conserve” the campus culture? Conservative students are facing an intellectual battle daily in lecture halls, dormitories and administration buildings. Conservative students are fighting on campuses to restore the campus to a culture of free inquiry, intellectual pluralism and academic freedom. Since the takeover of the campuses by the sixties radicals, the academy has become a bastion of Marxism, multiculturalism and political correctness. Again, the radical innovators are the professors and administrators, and not the conservative students. When choosing to describe the battle for college campuses a “conservative revolution” I deliberately chose this phrase. Conservative students who revere Edmund Burke and Russell Kirk should be comfortable with this term. And those students who read Locke, Hayek and Rand should be equally comfortable in this description of our goal. When I called for the launching of a “conservative revolution” to take back our campuses from the grip of the far Left, I was not calling for the use of bullets, bombs nor the guillotine. Rather, I was calling for an intellectual battle that holds no punches, that seeks to tear down multiculturalism, political correctness and Marxism. In their place, I urge my fellow conservative “revolutionaries” to promote the ideas of Western Civilization, the great books, Judeo-Christian values, the free market and ordered liberty. Students should be organizing on campuses, starting clubs and newspapers, and hosting debates. The end game is not to destroy the institutions of higher education themselves. Rather, it is to destroy with the power of truth the failed ideologies of Marxism and collectivism, and return the campuses to an environment that upholds the ideas that have preserved Western Civilization. Nothing short of an intellectual and political revolution against entrenched Leftists on campuses will suffice. Therefore, I declare that the conservative revolution should continue to be the battle cry for conservative students everywhere. Brendan Steinhauser is the author of The Conservative Revolution: How to Win the Battle of College Campuses.

TCR on Front Page Magazine

2006-09-11T11:48:00.000-04:00

You can see Julia Seymour's article on my book over at Front Page Magazine. David Horowitz's group, Students for Academic Freedom, has been having a lot of success the past year. I encourage all new SAF chapters to get a copy of The Conservative Revolution and use it to organize on their campus.

Update: Accusations of bigotry

2006-09-10T20:18:00.000-04:00

"Nevertheless, we have decided to disinvite Dr. Jensen. We do not want to jeopardize this conference which has always been such a wonderful opportunity for people to grow and learn. Have you ever attended one of the 18 conferences we have held? Perhaps we missed a great opportunity to evangelize Dr. Jensen. I hope he doesn’t think that Catholics are closed minded and bigots."
Apparently some in the Diocese office are not too fond of me now.

Update: Dr. Jensen CANCELLED

2006-09-08T14:57:00.000-04:00

I just received word from the Victoria Diocese that Professor Jensen will not be speaking at the conference. They did not seem to pleased about the incident. They received dozens of calls and emails about this, and decided not to let Jensen speak to over 600 Catholics in the Diocese. Thanks to everyone for your support and ideas concerning this matter. Only by standing up to speak truth to power can we win in the battle for our culture. The discussion continues over at Free Republic. --- Some of you have written and asked about Dr. Jensen's specific comments on religion, abortion and homosexuality. Professor Jensen’s article “Why I am a Christian, sort of” begins with the following statements:

“I don't believe in God. I don't believe Jesus Christ was the son of a God that I don't believe in, nor do I believe Jesus rose from the dead to ascend to a heaven that I don't believe exists… My decision to join a church was more a political than a theological act.”

Accuracy in Academia on TCR

2006-09-08T12:42:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Julia Seymour over at AIA who wrote a nice piece about The Conservative Revolution: How to Win the Battle for College Campuses.

Update: Catholic Church will Host Bob Jensen

2006-09-07T11:18:00.000-04:00

Here is the email I received from someone who has invited Professor Jensen to speak: Dear Mr. Steinhauser, Yes, Bishop Fellhauer has been consulted concerning Professor Jensen. We appreciate your concern, and we do not want to make an issue of this. I will attend his presentation and expect him to stick to the topic of media. This is incredible to me. This is an officially sanctioned Church event. Sad, indeed.

Catholic Church invites atheist, pro-abortion professor to speak

2006-09-07T00:14:00.000-04:00

It is sad to report, but a local parish in the Victoria, Tx Diocese invited UT professor Robert Jensen to speak to the faithful at the end of the month. I have contacted the church office and informed them of Jensen's views on abortion and homosexuality, but they have not decided to cancel his appearance. I have initiated an email campaign to urge Catholics to call the parish and the diocese and ask why someone with his views would be invited to speak. I have not determined yet whether he will receive payment, nor whether the Bishop knows about his views. I will post updates as I get them.

Armey going to Iowa

2006-09-05T16:37:00.000-04:00

I already posted the story about Armey's trip to Iowa here. Here is the entry on ABC's The Note. Dick Armey goes to Iowa You may have to get out your 2008 GOP scorecards and add another name to the mix. . . Well, maybe not just yet. But, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) is clearly displeased with the lack of attention being paid but the current crop of '08ers to fiscal issues such as Social Security solvency and a fundamental overhaul of America's tax policy. So, Dick Armey is heading to Iowa to "set the stage for what I think is a much needed, more serious real debate on the issues," said Armey in an exclusive interview with The Note. "I have absolutely no interest in Dick Armey as President, but the ideas are very important. . . And I don't see anybody out there right now who has taken on the big ideas," Armey said. "You never say never in politics," he added. Armey is the chairman of FreedomWorks, a grassroots issue-based organization, and it is in that role he will address "Iowans for Discounted Taxes" on September 19 in Des Moines, IA. Trips to New Hampshire and South Carolina are likely as well. On President Bush's Social Security effort, Armey said "He's so bogged down in the war, he did not give it the leadership attention he should have. I don't think you can mark that as a failure just because it didn't get done. . . It didn't get done because the President was so wrapped up with the war in Iraq that he didn't get the chance to spend the time on it and assert the leadership."

Response to Professor Henson's comments

2006-09-01T16:18:00.000-04:00

First, I appreciate Professor Henson's sense of humour. Here is my original article about the Professor who labeled SMU YCT the "KKK." Here is my response to his article in the SMU student newspaper: Look, we are engaged in a battle on college campuses for the hearts and souls of young people who vote, work for candidates, and eventually will make policy, influence public opinion and raise families. It is imperative that the ideas that made this nation great are defended. College campuses tend to be hotbeds of political discussions and activity, and are where the great books are not read, but should be. I fight hard to introduce students to the works of Ayn Rand, Russell Kirk, Frederic Bastiat and Milton Friedman because their professors refuse to do so. I teach students how to organize an "army" to do intellectual and political battle with Leftists because it's important that our ideas reach both the leaders and the masses. As for terrorist-sympathizing professors, David Horowitz has written extensively about their support for Hezbollah, Hamas and even al Qaeda. Finally, to the question of supporting the war against Islamic fascism and secular terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. Professor Henson should be glad, as a Leftist, that military decision-making and policy debates are not closed to civilians, but open to them. What about being a civilian disqualifies someone from commenting on foreign policy? We have a volunteer army, navy, coast guard and air force that operate with great skill and courage. I applaud them and support them at home precisely because I support their mission and am not overseas fighting alongside them in Iraq or Afghanistan. The war of public opinion at home is just as important as the war of bullets and bombs overseas. I think that most military commanders would agree with me on that point. I hope that my use of martial metaphors and my sense of urgency are now clearer to Professor Henson. I'd be happy to elaborate further on these and other points if he so desires.

SMU Professor Calls me a Parvenu...

2006-09-01T16:05:00.000-04:00

I admit that I learned a new word today. A professor at SMU said that I was perhaps a "parvenu," one who is up-and-coming. It doesn't surprise me that a leftist professor used a word that is French in origin. Just kidding, professor Henson. The piece is here. Of course, having financial and organizational assistance from The Collegiate Network has to make things easier. Not to mention the invaluable input from a conservative warrior like Brendan Steinhauser, who penned the feature article in the debut issue. Conservative phenom (or parvenu), Steinhauser is a graduate of the University of Texas, former executive director of Young Conservatives of Texas and author of “The Conservative Revolution: How to Win the Battle for College Campuses.” Mr. Steinhauser, it seems, has a penchant for using militaristic metaphors, not to mention hyperbole. Everything is a battle or a war. Everything is epic or revolutionary. Everything is a casus belli. To Mr. Steinhauser Democrats are not merely liberals; they are ‘leftists’ waging war on the American way of life, which Mr. Steinhauser and his fellow ‘protest warriors’ are more than happy to let other men and women, mostly college-aged, die in Iraq to protect. Meanwhile, Steinhauser and his band of merry men fight make-believe battles raging on college campuses against would-be terrorist sympathizers disguised as mild-mannered college professors. But enough about Mr. Steinhauser. I’m here to talk about conservatives--true conservatives.

ISI Debate on Immigration

2006-08-29T20:51:00.000-04:00

Victor Davis Hanson laid out a great case for dealing with illegal immigration. The audio is here.

Fox News Journalists Forced to Convert to Islam (Video)

2006-08-27T12:52:00.000-04:00

Here is the video. Want to know the enemy? Want to know their goals? Watch this propaganda video and you will understand why the terrorists kidnapped Western journalists in Gaza. The Washington Post has a story about the kidnapping here. The journalists were forced to indict the West for its "crimes" against Islam. They say that they were not forced to convert to Islam, but that Islam is the true religion for all times and all people. This is frightening stuff, and Americans should watch this video to understand the enemy we face. The Islamic fascists seek to convert the world to their sick ideology, and re-take their caliphate. Nothing less will satisfy their demented demands.

Institute of World Politics graduate on Iran

2006-08-25T12:29:00.000-04:00

Here is the column by IWP grad Molly McCarroll, who argues that despite our desire to prevent it, Iran could be on it's way to getting the bomb.

Iran going past the point of no return?

2006-08-24T16:47:00.000-04:00

Is Iran going nuclear? Will Israel pre-empt Iran's nuclear program?

In addition, an article Tuesday on the Teheran Times Web site, considered to be affiliated with the Foreign Ministry, implied that Iran's nuclear technology had already reached the point of no return. "If the West is seeking to impede Iran's nuclear industry, it should realize that Iran has passed this stage," the report read.

Pat Buchanan says the West is dying

2006-08-20T21:26:00.000-04:00

Pat Buchanan's new book says the death of the West is imminent. This book is timely in light of the current debate about illegal immigration. Tony Blankley reviews it here.

Georgia Tech Speech Codes Defeated!

2006-08-20T16:19:00.000-04:00

Here is the story. This is a big win for free speech on college campuses. Congrats to Ruth and others who were part of the law suit.

Anti-Business Democrats Attack Wal-Mart

2006-08-17T21:36:00.000-04:00

Here is the story from the New York Times. I'd love to hand deliver copies of Atlas Shrugged to all Democrat Senators. Their attacks on capitalism and the free market are shameful demagoguery. Wal-Mart employs hundreds of thousands of people and provides inexpensive goods to the poor and middle class, the segment of the population that Democrats claim to care about.

Campus Progress vs. Students for Saving Social Security

2006-08-16T23:12:00.000-04:00

Campus Progress, the left-wing student organization under the umbrella of the Center for American Progress, posted this comment on social security and personal retirement accounts. What is editor Dana Goldstein's answer to the imminent SS crash? Raise taxes on the American people, of course! "rescinding Bush’s tax cuts to just the top 1 percent of earners would more than make up for the expected Social Security shortfall over the next 75 years."

Like a good "progressive", Ms. Goldstein has no problem taking money from one person and redistributing it to another person. She apparently feels like this is a fair way to fund the largest government program in the world. (Did I already mention that it is going broke in 2040?)

This is typical of Leftists. They truly believe that money doesn't belong to those who earn it, or invest it, but money belongs to the collective. Instead of offering a real solution, giving younger workers at least a CHOICE to have personal accounts, Ms. Goldstein would rather have the government steal money from some, and give it to others. She is well on her way to becoming a Democrat operative and a socialist in the footsteps of FDR himself.

Hezbollah/ANSWER Counter-Protest a Success!

2006-08-12T18:46:00.000-04:00

It was a beautiful day, and we handed out hundreds of anti-Answer flyers to tourists and even people inside the rally. Here is news coverage of the rally. And here is video from the Age of Hooper. I thought the total number was around 8000-10000, but I am not good at crowd estimates. One reporter asked my opinion, and I declined to guess. Some Maryland TV station began asking me questions about why I came, and as I began talking about ANSWER's commie ties, he stopped the interview. Guess it wasn't the answer he was looking for. Also saw a sad display of hatred. One Jewish kid was wearing the star of david with a peace sign as he was walking in front of the White House. Apparently the Hezbollah supporters didn't see the peace sign. They spit in his direction and called him a bum (in Arabic). He pretty much ignored them, even though one guy acted like he wanted to fight. Lauren and I saw this and walked over to him, just to let those terrorists know that we weren't going to let them commit a hate crime. They ignored us and walked away. I have never really seen the anti-Semitic hatred from Palestinian Arabs so up close and personal. It was frightening. Cal Thomas' piece yesterday is a must-read on this point.

Anti-War and Pro-Troops Rally Showdown in D.C. Aug. 12th

2006-08-05T19:35:00.000-04:00

Protest Warrior Announces Counter-Demonstration against International A.N.S.W.E.R. on August 12th from 12:00pm until 2:00pm in Washington, D.C. www.ProtestWarrior.com (Washington Post reporter Petula Dvorak mentions the rally, but not Protest Warrior) (Washington, D.C.) The grassroots anti-Leftist group Protest Warrior has announced plans to hold a counter-demonstration in Washington, D.C. on August 12th from 11:00am until 2:00pm. Protest Warrior plans to confront the far-left group International A.N.S.W.E.R. and will rally for the right of America and Israel to defend against Islamist terrorism. Protest Warrior will be handing out literature on the origins and true goals of International A.N.S.W.E.R. Brendan Steinhauser, a Washington, D.C. member of Protest Warrior said, “This anti-Israel group pretends to support peace, but in reality it is a totalitarian organization. We will be handing out literature that details their connection to the Workers World Party, a subversive communist organization that supports the terrorist group Hezbollah.” Bob Miller, Protest Warrior D.C. chapter leader added, “The communist front group A.N.S.W.E.R provides aid and comfort to the enemies of America and Israel. Israel was attacked by Hezbollah and has the right to self-defense. A.N.S.W.E.R refuses to recognize this right, and would rather condemn Israel and support her enemies.” A.N.S.W.E.R. is a far-left group whose acronym stands for, “Act Now to Stop War and End Racism.” One of its aims is to “Stop the Threats Against Venezuela, Cuba, Iran & North Korea.” Organizations on its steering committee include groups such as the Muslim Students Association, the Korea Truth Commission and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. The group has the same office as the Workers World Party, and there is overlap in the leadership of both organizations. The WWP has called Hezbollah and Hamas “liberation forces.”

Newt Gingrich Says World War III Has Begun

2006-07-30T12:43:00.000-04:00

Newt Gingrich has been going on television shows this month saying that World War III has begun. He first made the comments to the Seattle Times, and then Tim Russert on NBC's Meet the Press. He correctly identifies that the misnomer "war on terror" doesn't quite explain the nature of the threat the West faces from radical Islam, which is allied with terrorists and tyrants around the world. Are we in WWIII already? I don't know. But it is a better description of the worldwide battle taking place between civilization and barbarism. Read more here, here and here.

Tell Legislators to End the DC Gun Ban!

2006-07-29T11:59:00.000-04:00

The latest NRA update urges members to contact their federal legislators and tell them to co-sponsor and vote for the following bill, that would end the ineffective and unconstitutional D.C. gun ban. In a city with a homicide rate through the roof, it is clear that the gun ban only disarms innocent citizens who are now defenseless against the criminals in the streets of D.C. H.R. 1288/S. 1082-Legislation to repeal the draconian D.C. gun ban and restore the right of lawful District residents to own firearms to defend themselves and their families. There is another good bill pending in Congress. Please tell your legislators to support it as well. H.R. 4547/S. 3275-Legislation that would allow any person with a valid carry permit or license issued by a state to carry a concealed firearm in any other state if he or she meets certain criteria. Importantly, the laws of each state governing where concealed firearms may be carried would still apply within its borders.

International ANSWER = Workers World Party

2006-07-27T23:23:00.000-04:00

Today a press conference was held by International ANSWER. They are planning a massive anti-Israel, anti-US and anti-capitalism rally in DC on Aug. 12th. Ramsey Clark, the former attorney general for LBJ, is the spokesperson for ANSWER. He has defended such tyrants as Slobodan Milosovic and Saddam Hussein in their trials for war crimes. Clark is the founder of the International Action Center, which is an umbrella organization for ANSWER. The IAC urges members to "stand with the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance." If this isn't siding with the enemy, I don't know what is. ANSWER is essentially a front group for the Workers World Party. Brian Becker is the key link in the chain. Becker is a director of ANSWER and often speaks at "anti-war" rallies. He is also a member of the Secretariat of the WWP. LA Weekly published a great expose on the "anti-war" movement in 2002, which details the transparent nexus between Becker, ANSWER and the WWP. The article notes that, "The WWP advocates socialist revolution and abolishing private property... and it hails North Korean dictator Kim Jung Il for preserving his country's socialist system and 'from falling under the sway of the international banks and corporations that dictate to most of the world." Read what the WWP has to say about communist states like Cuba and Venezuela in their latest publication. Not exactly the "anti-war" movement the mainstream media tells us about. So before you show up at the Aug. 12 rally and protest against Israel and the Iraq war, think about who you are standing alongside: communist totalitarians who support some of the worst dictators and human rights abusers in history.

Did "Peace" Groups Finance Terrorists in Iraq?

2006-07-27T17:06:00.000-04:00

DiscoverTheNetwork.org makes the claim. I am trying to verify the story. Free Republic has been talking about this for some time. [During the last week of December 2004, Benjamin announced in Amman, Jordan that Global Exchange, Code Pink, and Families for Peace would be donating a combined $600,000 in medical supplies and cash to the terrorist insurgents who were fighting American troops in Fallujah, Iraq. Said Benjamin, "I don't know of any other case in history in which the parents of fallen soldiers collected medicine ... for the families of the 'other side.' It is a reflection of a growing movement in the United States ... opposed to the unjust nature of this war."] Code Pink paints a rosy picture of the Jordan trip. [Amongst our new Iraqi friends are four doctors and activists with humanitarian aid organizations. They have been buying and distributing the medicines and basic supplies to the Fallujah refugees over the past few weeks.]

2006-07-23T17:59:00.000-04:00

The Conservative Revolution is Coming to Boston, MA

2006-07-23T17:29:00.000-04:00

This fall, look out for the conservative revolution on college campuses. It will be spreading to the city of Boston, MA as my good friend Ryan Sorba, an expert in campus activism, heads out there for the Leadership Institute. The LI is planning a massive onslaught against the campus Left, and all of their field representatives are now armed with a copy of TCR!!! Utilizing the ideas in the book, along with the combined resources of ISI, Students for Saving Social Security, Accuracy in Academia, Students for Life, Students for Prosperity, FreedomWorks, the Network of enlightened Women, and Students for Academic Freedom, the conservative campus field reps will create a firestorm this fall. The Campus Leadership Program at LI is set to have its best year yet. To quote Anthony Mantova of LI when I asked about the size and scope of the program, "Well, Left-wing scum doesn't smash itself." No, Anthony, it does not. But with this alliance of campus conservative groups ready for the fall, Left-wing scum like "Campus Progress" has a lot to worry about.

Conservatism on Tap

2006-07-23T15:43:00.000-04:00

The next ISI Alumni Network event is August 8. We are doing another "Conservatism on Tap" at the Brickskeller in DC. Here are the details.

Iran struck first

2006-07-18T09:56:00.000-04:00

Opinion Journal has a great piece on Iran and the Middle East today. I agree that Israel cannot cease its actions until Hezbollah is cleared out of Lebanon. Otherwise, they will remain a constant threat to Israeli citizens.

American Students Trapped in Lebanon

2006-07-15T18:16:00.000-04:00

This is quite a scary situation for them. MSNBC reports on their condition. "Joanne Nucho thought she would be spending her summer in a safe Western-style city when she headed off to Beirut, Lebanon, to study Arabic as part of her doctoral program at UCLA. But suddenly she finds herself huddled in a college dormitory with 40 other Americans, trapped in the middle of an undeclared war and fearing for her life."

Coalition for America's Future

2006-07-14T13:40:00.000-04:00

Today I met with a few of the leading conservative groups who are trying to provide resources for college students faced with overwhelmingly leftist universities. It was the inaugural meeting of the Coalition for America's Future, led by Chaz Sirame and Jo Jensen of Students for Saving Social Security. The meeting's purpose was to bring together some of the leaders of organizations that share one common goal: bringing the conservative revolution to college campuses. The coalition included S4, along with the College Republicans, Leadership Insitute, Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Accuracy in Academia, Claire Boothe Luce Institute, FreedomWorks, Independent Women's Forum, Institute for Humane Studies, Students for Life, Students for Prosperity and Young America's Foundation. We also received interest from Students for Academic Freedom, Bureaucrash and Network of Enlightened Women. I am confident that if these unique groups work well together, sharing student contacts, hosting events together, and generally keeping the lines of communication open, the Left will be overpowered by both superior intellectual ideas and better organization. This goal is exactly why I wrote The Conservative Revolution: How to Win the Battle for College Campuses in the first place. I wanted to make students aware of the resources at their disposal, and educate and motivate them to take back their campuses from the grip of the far Left. I think after today's meeting, we are one step closer to seeing this come to fruition. My sincere thanks goes out to the groups that attended the meeting, and also those that will join our cause in the near future.

North American Union -- A Frightening Scenario

2006-07-14T10:08:00.000-04:00

Human Events writer Jerome Corsi published a piece that reveals a frightening plan to reduce U.S. sovereignty by creating a "North American Union." The worst part is that the bill is supported by Texas Senator John Cornyn. Efforts are underway by grassroots activists in Texas to derail this bill. More to come later on how you can get involved.

Job Opportunities in DC

2006-07-12T23:24:00.000-04:00

My friends at Students for Saving Social Security are hiring. They have two positions available: activism deputy director and director of communications. These positions are great opportunities for young students looking to get their feet in the door. Please email me at bsteinhauser @ freedomworks.org if you are interested in the details.

Sen. Durbin a Hypocrite on Guantanamo

2006-07-11T19:52:00.000-04:00

Today on Wolf Blitzer's show, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) painted a rosy picture of detainee treatment at Guantanamo Bay. Contrast his comments on CNN with his comments on the Senate floor last year:

"If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime--Pol Pot or others--that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners."

Iraqi Documents to Shed Light on Saddam's Terror Ties?

2006-07-06T16:12:00.000-04:00

Here is the site put up by the government. I believe that these documents will show that our understanding of Saddam's involvement in anti-American terrorism was much more extensive than most people think.

Independence Day

2006-07-03T17:08:00.000-04:00

I will be on the mall tomorrow night watching the fireworks. I am expecting an awesome show. It's pretty exciting to know that I will be in DC for the Fourth of July. To all my friends and family: I miss you and wish you could be here. Happy Fourth!

New York Times Answers Critics

2006-06-29T17:03:00.000-04:00

The editorial is here. I don't agree with the NYT that the Swift program had anything to do with the expanding power of the executive branch. I don't see how this program affected the civil liberties of Americans, either. They write that they are worried about "an extraordinarily powerful executive branch, exempt from the normal checks and balances of our system of government." Meanwhile, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) has called the NYT traitors. Deroy Murdock over at Natonial Review opines here, saying "the New York Times should adopt a new slogan: “All the treason that’s fit to print.”

Flag Amendment Defeated

2006-06-27T22:55:00.000-04:00

The Senate rightfully rejected a constitutional amendment to ban desecration of the flag. Clearly the first amendment to the constitution protects political speech such as this. The FreedomWorks Day went well in North Carolina. Professor Mike Adams gave a wonderful talk, and our members stormed the state capitol and lobbied on taxes, education, property rights and toll roads. Pictures will be posted on FreedomWorks.org later this week.

I'll be in Raleigh, North Carolina Monday and Tuesday

2006-06-25T12:09:00.000-04:00

This week, FreedomWorks North Carolina is hosting its annual Day at the Capitol. I will be handing out awards to our best activists. North Carolina is one of the strongest chapters of FreedomWorks in the country. Should be a fun time. Mike Adams, TownHall.com columnist and Professor at UNC-Wilmington, is the keynote speaker. Allen Page, our state director, is organizing the event. If you are in the Raleigh area, check out the schedule of events here.

Chemical Weapons Found in Iraq

2006-06-22T08:06:00.000-04:00

The Fox News story is here. The Washington Post reported the story too.

2nd edition of my book

2006-06-20T23:09:00.000-04:00

I have begun to edit my book for a 2nd edition. Hopefully I will complete this task within the next month or so. Ideally, it would be ready for publication this fall as upper classmen return to school, and freshmen enter the labyrinth of Leftist academia.

Protest Warrior Videos Finally Online!

2006-06-14T23:16:00.000-04:00

I am going to be posting new videos over the next week. Check out the first one. (Sep. 24, 2005 in Washington, D.C.) The second one is from San Diego (March, 24 2005). The third is from Washington, D.C. in early 2006. This is from my debate at Cal-State San Bernardino.

Iraq War Debate in Congress

2006-06-14T19:50:00.000-04:00

Same old song from the idea-less Democrats in Congress. Tune in to C-Span to hear the D's cry, "Bush lied, people died." Maybe they will trot out fat blowhard Michael Moore to provide "expert evidence." Imagine if the D's were this wimpy during WW2. Where has the patriotic party of Truman, FDR and Scoop Jackson gone?

Watch the video from my debate on Iran!

2006-06-12T01:20:00.000-04:00

Here is a link to the video clips. Start with "Iran debate clip one." I will be adding some video from Ryan Sorba's discussion of homosexuality later this week.

Stop Hillary from Neutering the Internet!

2006-06-07T09:35:00.000-04:00

Here is our new website, where we parody "net neutrality" as "net neutering." It features Hillary Clinton neutering a pet, just as she is trying to neuter the internet.

This Week's Happenings...

2006-06-04T23:07:00.000-04:00

The Senate is voting on the Marriage Amendment. Hopefully they will repeal the death tax this week. I will be in California later in the week. On Thursday I am debating American foreign policy toward Iran at California State University in San Bernardino. On Friday I am headed to L.A. to meet with FreedomWorks activists and have dinner with my sister and Mom. On Saturday I will head to San Diego and attend ISI's symposium on "The Classical Spirit." Saturday night I will be meeting with FreedomWorks activists and our California field coordinator, Matt Schumsky.

Freepers take on Phelps Baptist Church on Memorial Day

2006-06-02T18:21:00.000-04:00

My friends over at Free Republic did one heck of a job counter-protesting the Topeka-based Phelps Scum at Arlington National Cemetary on Memorial Day. These sickos claim to be Christians, but hold up signs that say that "God hates fa_s" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers." Do any of these lunatics read the Bible?

Senate Passes Immigration BIll

2006-05-26T13:44:00.000-04:00

The story is here. National Review comments. VOTING FOR THE BILL Akaka (D); Baucus (D); Bayh (D); Bennett (R); Biden (D); Bingaman (D); Boxer (D); Brownback (R); Cantwell (D); Carper (D); Chafee (R); Clinton (D); Coleman (R); Collins (R); Conrad (D); Craig (R); Dayton (D); DeWine (R); Dodd (D); Domenici (R); Durbin (D); Feingold (D); Feinstein (D); Frist (R); Graham (R); Gregg (R); Hagel (R); Harkin (D); Inouye (D); Jeffords (I); Johnson (D); Kennedy (D); Kerry (D); Kohl (D); Landrieu (D); Lautenberg (D); Leahy (D); Levin (D); Lieberman (D); Lincoln (D); Lugar (R); Martinez (R); McCain (R); McConnell (R); Menendez (D); Mikulski (D); Murkowski (R); Murray (D); Nelson (D, Fla.); Obama (D); Pryor (D); Reed (D); Reid (D); Sarbanes (D); Schumer (D); Smith (R); Snowe (R); Specter (R); Stevens (R); Voinovich (R); Warner (R); Wyden (D) VOTING AGAINST THE BILL Alexander (R); Allard (R); Allen (R); Bond (R); Bunning (R); Burns (R); Burr (R); Byrd (D); Chambliss (R); Coburn (R); Cochran (R); Cornyn (R); Crapo (R); DeMint (R); Dole (R); Dorgan (D); Ensign (R); Enzi (R); Grassley (R); Hatch (R); Hutchison (R); Inhofe (R); Isakson (R); Kyl (R); Lott (R); Nelson (D, Neb.); Roberts (R); Santorum (R); Sessions (R); Shelby (R); Stabenow (D); Sununu (R); Talent (R); Thomas (R); Thune (R); Vitter (R)

Hillary Shows her Communist Colors

2006-05-24T07:02:00.000-04:00

The Washington Times reports that Hillary Clinton is calling for oil companies to be taxed in order to create an "energy research fund." Apparently Mrs. Clinton believes that politicians in Washington have the right to the profits of businesses, to redistribute as they see fit. Surely we can do better than utilizing the communist ethos of "from each according to his ability, to each, according to his needs." When the government makes a claim to the income of persons or corporations, and there is no public outcry, our capitalist system is indeed in trouble.

Iran Tests a Long-Range Missile

2006-05-23T23:02:00.000-04:00

I fear the situation is escalating as the days go by.. Here is the story from the Jerusalem Post.

Assaulted by MoveOn.org on Capitol Hill

2006-05-18T18:48:00.000-04:00

The story from FreedomWorks is here. CNSNews.com has a good write-up on "net neutrality" here. Democratic Congressman Ed Markey joined forces with MoveOn.org and musician Moby to urge the federal government to take control of the internet through net neutrality. FreedomWorks and a fellow Protest Warrior crashed their little party on capitol hill today. The pictures are hillarious, and caused one MoveOn activist to hit me in the face with his sign. This effectively stopped the press conference as the MoveOn people swiftly pulled him away from the press conference. There are lots of pics on our website! And Human Events Online, Free Republic and Protest Warriors are talking about it! One nice gentlemen even suggested I should get a raise for my antics! Internet News reported on our efforts here. Here is CNET's erroneous report, where they said WE were blocking their signs. As you can see, I called them out on their lies. The best account of the incident is here in Beta News.

Lowest Common Denominator on Illegal Immigration

2006-05-15T20:27:00.000-04:00

I think Bush appealed to all the factions in his speech. Politically, it might have been a double, but not a home run. Most conservatives will want more, but the border security policy at least sounds better.

SMU Business School Official Labels Young Conservatives of Texas the “Junior League of the KKK”

2006-05-03T22:15:00.000-04:00

[Human Events has printed the story.] Steve Denson, the Director of Diversity at Southern Methodist University’s Cox Business School, has called The Young Conservatives of Texas “the Junior League of the KKK” in an article in SMU’s The Daily Campus. When asked to comment on this accusation, Mr. Denson replied, “My comments are based on the history of the KKK, per their opposition to immigration after the Russian Revolution and WWI, when immigration to the US both radically changed the ethnic mix of the population and subsequently led to a boom in conservative backlash and the largest membership population that the KKK has ever held. You can read about this in the Encyclopedia Brittanica.” Perhaps to Mr. Denson’s chagrin, I refuse to dust off the Encyclopedia Britannica [the correct spelling] and would rather consult a book on this subject published by his colleagues, the intellectual elite. But based on the diction and tone of Denson’s ramblings, maybe I should not consult his academic peers. Denson continued, “However, my comments were more metaphoric in the sense of “Junior League,” which connotes a genteel, socially acceptable (maybe even socially worthwhile), presentable form of a more controversial elitist social institution. I was essentially asserting that bigotry in a very virulent, socially reprehensible form gets instantiated in an organization like the KKK.” In his article, Mr. Denson was ostensibly referring to YCT’s stance on illegal immigration and its opposition to race-based seats in the student senate. YCT-SMU member Reed Hanson responded to my inquiry thus, “Our recent disdain for Mr. Denson stems not from the fact that he is an avowed Leftist. Our argument against him is that he unfairly attacked us with a label that did not reflect the ideals of our organization. We think that he is especially culpable because he holds a significant position in the University and is expected to be one of the more open-minded people since he was given the title, Director of Diversity.” According to the student body constitution, the SMU senate “shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, veteran status, religion, age, disability, or sexual orientation." The YCT claimed that the senate was violating this constitution when it reserved race-based senate seats. YCT’s Hanson wrote in The Daily Campus, “I am pretty sure the University would never publicly or privately claim that it supports discrimination. Yet this policy continues to exist, and no one does anything about it.” As reasonable as this opposition to race-based preferences seems, Mr. Denson apparently disagrees: “Our [diversity] programs are needed, as was stated in the Michigan decision that was handed down by a conservative court. Diversity programs may help get students from a variety of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds in the door, but you all have to make the same grades and have the same standards to pass, stay off of academic probation, etc. So our programs simply help current generations of formerly neglected and/or underrepresented groups gain access to an education that is fourth or fifth generation as far as opportunity for non-minority students.” Mr. Denson says he supports affirmative action to admit minority students into the University, but insists they will be held to the same standards as non-minority students. I guess the student senate is the exception to Denson’s rule. In that body, seats are reserved for members of certain minority groups, and when members of YCT who were not members of these protected groups tried to run for these seats, the administration refused to allow them to do so. Their reason was that the students did not meet the racial qualifications for the seats. In fact, the YCT appealed this decision, but were told that the senate seats process was not discriminatory toward them! Unfortunately, this double standard is nothing new among college administrators and professors, especially at SMU. A couple of years ago, I reported on an incident where the campus administrators shut down an “affirmative action bake sale” that parodied race-based admissions policies. The officials claimed that the bake sale was offensive and created a “hostile learning environment” for students. But the administration seems to believe that giving race-based senate seats away is not offensive. Such hypocrisy truly is comical. Perhaps Mr. Denson and his fellow travelers in the far-left academic establishment need to re-think whom the KKK label should be applied to. Should it be applied to those who seek race-neutral policies, or those who favor using race-preferences in admissions and the student government?

Protest at the Washington Hilton

2006-04-30T13:05:00.000-04:00

Yes, this is yours truly. I was with a group of Protest Warriors and Freepers, protesting the White House Press Corps at their White House Correspondants Dinner. More pics here. The Chicago Tribune gave us props here.

Texas House begins debate on property tax reform

2006-04-24T17:42:00.000-04:00

From the Austin American Statesman: The Texas House of Representatives this morning began debate on a proposed tax overhaul similar to one being pitched by Gov. Rick Perry. The House was expected to take a series of votes. They decided to postpone debate until this afternoon on House Bill 3, which would replace the corporate franchise tax with a new "margins" tax. Then they passed House Bill 2, which would lower property taxes by using money from a new business tax, a higher cigarette tax and a change in sales-tax reporting on used cars. After that, they took up House Bill 1, which would dip into the state surplus to cut property taxes. Critics are calling it the "get outta Dodge plan." The tax overhaul is contained in five separate bills that the House is debating today. Lawmakers are under a June 1 deadline from the Texas Supreme Court to change the way Texas pays for schools.

School Choice in Texas

2006-04-21T13:28:00.000-04:00

Here is a great piece on school choice in Texas.

My political contributions are an open record, as they should be. But opponents of school choice hide from public view both taxpayer-financed lobby efforts and substantial unreported political spending. These critics should stop hiding. And the media should scrutinize their efforts as they have mine. My resolve is firm and my political activities unambiguous: those who support helping the neediest children escape failing schools will receive my support, and I will vigorously oppose those who don't.

Missouri

2006-04-18T14:30:00.000-04:00

I am sitting outside the state capitol in Jefferson City, overlooking the river. It is a beautiful day here. I am meeting FreedomWorks members in Columbia, Jefferson City and St. Louis this week. Columbia seems like a fun college town and St. Louis truly is the gateway to the west.

Iowa

2006-04-16T03:34:00.000-04:00

Iowa has been fun. I just hope I can get out of here without getting caught in a tornado or coming down with the mumps!!

US to Strike Iran?

2006-04-09T11:03:00.000-04:00

Read an account of U.S. plans for nuclear attack against Iran's weapons development sites here. Congressman Ron Paul and others urge restraint on the Iran question. I must say that I support striking the Islamist regime of Iran, but I do not want to see us deploy troops there. In fact, I don't think we can even consider that possibility in light of our current commitments. There is also real concern for retaliatory terrorist attacks by Iran against our interests and population centres. As in Iraq, there are no easy answers. Here are some excerpts from Rep. Paul:

"Already the coordinating propaganda has galvanized the American people against Iran for the supposed threat it poses to us with weapons of mass destruction that are no more present than those Saddam Hussein was alleged to have had."
"What will it take for us to learn from our failures?"
"Common sense tells us the war in Iraq soon will spread to Iran. Fear of imaginary nuclear weapons or an incident involving Iran – whether planned or accidental – will rally the support needed for us to move on Muslim country #3. All the past failures and unintended consequences will be forgotten."

Indianapolis is Rainy

2006-04-06T14:42:00.000-04:00

I am here in Indianapolis today meeting with Republican Party officials, state senate staff, non-profits and the Governor's office. It has been quite dreary, but the people, at least, are friendly. Tonite, FreedomWorks is celebrating it's big Telecom Reform win in the state. Looking forward to seeing our friends and colleagues, like the Discovery Institute, who helped make this possible. Tomorrow night I'll be in Pittsburgh, infiltrating a Leftist training school. I probably blew my cover, but oh well. It will be fun to get kicked out!

Flashback: "Denver Post piece on Gov. Owens and Dick Armey"

2006-04-03T00:04:00.000-04:00

The story is here. Brendan Steinhauser, of FreedomWorks, said Owens asked to participate. Steinhauser quoted an “Armey Axiom” - one that when used by Armey sounds like he’s talking in the third person - that “the idea is bigger than the man.” “It was never personal,” Steinhauser said. “It was a very big disagreement on Referendum C, but I think now if they have something that they agree on, they’ll sit on a panel and talk about it.”

Flashback: "Conservatives Gaining Ground at UT"

2006-04-02T23:46:00.000-04:00

This story appeared in my campus newspaper, The Daily Texan, in March of 2004 when I was a senior at UT-Austin. Here are some excerpts:

Nationwide, conservative students' tactics over the last year have garnered much attention. Two weeks ago, YCT's Austin chapter held a "straight-pride" rally. Last November, the organization's watch list - for professors they deemed biased - landed Kinghorn and UT journalism professor Bob Jensen on "The O'Reilly Factor." Conservative groups across the country have also been criticized and praised for their "affirmative action bake sales," where a cookie costs $1 for a white male, 45 cents for a black male and 35 cents for a Latino. It was his "three-and-a-half years of indoctrination at UT," that pushed Brendan Steinhauser, a government senior, to start a chapter of Students For Academic Freedom on campus over the Christmas break.The nationwide organization argues that campuses are overwhelmingly liberal and demands that administrations seek a more balanced point of view among faculty. Liberal-turned-conservative activist David Horowitz founded the organization last September, and already 123 campuses have started their own chapters.

Reagan's Children -- A Piece by Hans Zeiger

2006-03-30T07:33:00.000-05:00

Hans Zeiger has a new column on WorldNetDaily here. While riding to the airport with the venerable William F. Buckley last year, I had occasion to ask him a question on my mind: "What one thing do you think the rising generation of conservatives must accomplish in the 21st century?" He replied, "Why that's a rather broad question." Then he sat, silent, for several moments, pondering the matter. When he stepped out to board his plane, he told me: "I hope you find the answer to that question." That's when I realized that we must answer our own questions – that our generation is part of an old story, and that our acceptance of a role in the story is ours to determine. As part of an old inheritance, young conservatives face an old task anew. We must rally to the foundations of our free society. And to do that, young conservatives must wage a conversation about the future. The modern conservative conversation is only a few generations old. Buckley's generation took a major role by launching the intellectual ascendancy of conservatism in the middle of the 20th century. Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan were members of that generation. It was at Buckley's Sharon Estate in Connecticut that Young Americans for Freedom was founded in 1960. The young people involved in that movement became the second generation of modern conservatives. In 1984, a group of young conservatives gathered every Wednesday evening at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., to discuss the future of conservatism. They called themselves the Third Generation Project. "The greatest achievements of the First and Second Generations seem to have been to discredit liberalism intellectually and to contain its political advance," Benjamin Hart wrote in a summary of the Third Generation Project. "The task of the Third Generation is to begin to 'roll back' on all fronts the liberal conquests of the last half century." Many of the young people who went to those Heritage meetings 22 years ago are today prominent leaders in politics and culture. And a fourth generation is waiting in the wings. The fourth generation is special because it is the vanguard of the larger generation. There is a generational shift now taking place – toward truth, toward moral and economic conservatism, toward civility, toward purpose. President Bush called it in his State of the Union Address a "quiet transformation" and a "revolution of conscience." I like to call the young Americans – now in high school and college, and emerging into the workforce and manning the frontlines in Iraq – Reagan's Children. Born during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, Reagan's Children are increasingly determined to restore the nation to foundational principles. So it is time for a conversation about the rising generation. A significant part of that conversation will take place on the blogosphere. Last month, Reagan's Children Blog was launched to engage young conservatives in the critical dialogue. Ben Shapiro, Brendan Steinhauser, Francisco Gonzalez, Christopher Flickinger, Charles Ganske, Patrick Bell, Ryan Walsh, Christian Hartsock and I have joined to blog about where our generation is headed. What battles confront us today, and what lie ahead? Where must we look to find hope, and how can we best spend our young days in service of the highest ideals? What does it mean to be a conservative in the 21st century? Where stand the aging hippies? How will our generation confront the Social Security crisis? What will become of abortion and immigration in our time? These are among the questions before us. Blogging is a chief feature of the Internet revolution. It may serve as a tool for good or for evil. It may cheapen ideas or it may reintroduce the best ideas in fresh and wonderful ways. It may help to topple graying establishments or make new ones. Reagan's Children Blog will aim to partake of a revolution for good, to hash about the stronger proofs that America will survive intact. And Reagan's Children Blog will aim to broaden the conversation beyond itself. Already this has been happening, but it must roll to a boil. Our generation needs writers in every medium, speakers, teachers, youth leaders, mentors, parents – all who care to perpetuate the dream of America must join in the dialogue about Reagan's Children. For there is, I am convinced, a generational shift unfolding unlike anything since the late 1960s. Only this time, the shift is largely a reaction to that previous revolution. It is a conservative revolution. Hans Zeiger is an Eagle Scout, president and founder of the Scout Honor Coalition and a student at Hillsdale College in Michigan. His new book, "Get Off My Honor: The Assault on the Boy Scouts of America," can be purchased from ShopNetDaily.

National Journal Covering the McKinney Assault Story

2006-03-29T16:53:00.000-05:00

Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) punched a U.S. Capitol Police officer today after he mistakenly pursued her for failing to pass through a metal detector. Members are not required to pass through metal detectors and the officer, manning a position at Longworth House Office Building, apparently did not recognize McKinney and didn't see her Member pin. The officer called out "Ma'am, Ma'am," in an attempt to stop her. When the officer caught up to McKinney, he grabbed her by the arm. McKinney pulled her arm away, swung around, cell phone in hand, and punched the officer square in the chest, according to the witness. McKinney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Did Cynthia McKinney Assault a Police Officer?

2006-03-29T16:31:00.000-05:00

One of my sources on the Hill has told me that Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) might have assaulted a police office as the Democrats unveiled their new national security strategy document. Developing.. You heard it here first.

Sold Out by the Republican Establishment on Immigration

2006-03-28T19:14:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post story is here. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill that would create a guest worker program. Excerpts from the article: A key Senate panel broke with the House's get-tough approach to illegal immigration yesterday and sent to the floor a broad revision of the nation's immigration laws that would provide lawful employment to millions of undocumented workers while offering work visas to hundreds of thousands of new immigrants every year. "Polls indicate about 60 percent of Americans oppose guest-worker programs..." --rightfully so "A confrontation between the Senate and House Republicans now appears inevitable." --GO HOUSE! "It has to be a comprehensive approach. As we all know, just building walls and hiring more border patrols are not the answers to our immigration problem." --John McCain Neither is granting amnesty to lawbreakers, Sen. McCain. "The panel voted to accept a bill largely patterned on the measure sponsored by Kennedy and McCain. Specter and Republican Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.), Sam Brownback (Kan.) and Mike DeWine (Ohio) joined the committee's Democrats to win passage." --Now we know who to blame "The panel's bill would allow the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in this country to apply for a work visa after paying back taxes and a penalty." --GOOD "Senators also accepted a proposal by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that would offer 1.5 million illegal farmworkers a "blue card" visa that would legalize their status." --BAD

Time for Telecommunications Reform

2006-03-26T12:44:00.000-05:00

Read Dick Armey's piece in the Washington Times about Telecommunications Reform.

Illegal Immigrants Protesting and Lobbying for Citizens' Rights

2006-03-26T12:30:00.000-05:00

Just when you thought the illegal immigration problem couldn't get any worse. Now illegal aliens are lobbying Congress for amnesty and citizenship rights. The apathy of Americans doesn't help things. Call your Senators this week and tell them to take a stand against illegal immigration. Support Rep. Sensenbrenner's House bill to protect our borders from the invasion.

Flashback: Protesting Michael Moore in Crawford, Tx

2006-03-26T00:46:00.000-05:00

Found this old Waco Tribune article that mentions my challenge to Michael Moore. It made me crack a smile. :)

Abdul Rahman Rally

2006-03-25T13:39:00.000-05:00

Here are some great links to pics and write-ups from the rally for Abdul Rahman. This is my video. Also check out the pics from these bloggers: Michelle Malkin Cam Edwards Age of Hooper The Shape of Days Video from the protest. More video here.

Free Abdul Rahman!

2006-03-23T19:18:00.000-05:00

Here is the story from the Washington Times. What good was our "liberation" of Afghanistan if we allow this execution of a Christian convert to occur? The Times editorial has it right, "What have American soldiers achieved if they have not eliminated this barbaric medieval legacy?" "American soldiers and their families, not to mention taxpayers, have sacrificed much to free Afghanistan. The execution of Christians simply because they are Christians is not what they had in mind." Do something this weekend to encourage our government and that of our Afghan brethren to FREE ABDUL RAHMAN. I will be at the Afghan Embassy in Washington tomorrow to petition the Afghan and U.S. governments for his life. 12:00pm-1:00pm Afghanistan Embassy 2341 Wyoming Ave NW. Washington, D.C.

Saddam and Osama were buddies after all

2006-03-23T15:49:00.000-05:00

What do you know... Saddam and Osama WERE buddies.

Jihad at UNC

2006-03-22T20:24:00.000-05:00

Interestingly, the media has said little about the crazed Iranian student who tried to run over 9 students in Chapel Hill, NC. Today's Washington Times reports that he sent a letter to a local media outlet justifying his attack in the name of Allah. Can't say I am surprised by his mini-jihad nor the media's lack of coverage on this issue.Does anyone remember the Muslim suicide bomber at the University of Oklahoma? Of course not. To remember these incidents is to be anti-Muslim. Jihad is being waged against us in our own country, albeit by a few nuts. But, with the ACLU as their defense team and the ability to raise funds for Islamist causes, we should expect much more from the enemy within.

Bush Forgot to Get His Absentee Ballot

2006-03-13T15:44:00.000-05:00

National Journal reports that President Bush forgot to obtain his absentee ballot so he had to fly down to Texas to vote in the Republican primary. I don't feel so bad. I nearly did the same thing. And I don't have 1000 minions to remind me!

FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe on the Daily Show

2006-03-10T00:18:00.000-05:00

This episode aired in 2004. Citizens for a Sound Economy is now FreedomWorks.

Check out the Pictures from the Protest Warrior Event in DC!

2006-03-08T23:06:00.000-05:00

2006-03-08T23:05:00.000-05:00

The left is NOT anti-American...

2006-03-08T23:04:00.000-05:00

Anti-Christian, eh? Well, guess what.... Jesus loves YOU.

2006-03-08T23:03:00.001-05:00

That is true...

2006-03-08T23:03:00.000-05:00

See how happy conservatives are?

2006-03-08T23:01:00.001-05:00

The PW were there to crash the party!

2006-03-08T23:01:00.000-05:00

Angry leftist needs to sneeze...

2006-03-08T23:00:00.002-05:00

Lauren kickin' it PW style in front of the White House.

2006-03-08T23:00:00.001-05:00

Yes, fascism is divine.

2006-03-08T23:00:00.000-05:00

Friendly anti-amerikkans

2006-03-08T22:59:00.000-05:00

That is disturbing...

2006-03-08T22:58:00.001-05:00

This psycho lady lives in front of the White House