American History
8/5/2008 | American History
Novak Retires -- Will begin Treatment Soon
Human Events
As reported earlier today by the Chicago Sun-Times, Robert Novak has announced his immediate retirement. Novak was diagnosed with a brain tumor on July 28 after falling ill while he and his wife, Geraldine, were vacationing with their daughter and her family outside Boston. Sources close to the Novak family report that the details of Mr. Novak’s treatment are yet to be finalized, but that the tentative plan is for radiation and chemotherapy to begin soon. Novak returned to Washington, DC over the weekend, and is recuperating at home. Novak’s column was the longest-running political column in history. The Evans-Novak column, which he founded with the late Roland Evans, was distributed by Publishers Newspaper Syndicate on May 15, 1963, with the New York Herald-Tribune its flagship newspaper. When the Herald-Tribune folded three years later, the Chicago Sun-Times became their home paper. Novak recently recalled that William F. Buckley, Jr,’s column was started one month before, and therefore held the longevity record until Buckley’s sad passing earlier this year.
7/31/2008 | American History, Presidential Issues
Political ads hit MTV, Comedy Central
San Francisco Chronicle
A national political ad appeared on Comedy Central TV for the first time Wednesday night. Why hasn't that happened before? Because nobody thought voters were watching. But public perception of the channel, the home of such shows as "South Park," has changed as "The Colbert Report" and "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" have become must-stops for major political players and the places where many younger, well-informed voters get their news. With that in mind, the online hub MoveOn sponsored a 30-second pro-Obama spot on MTV on Tuesday and on Comedy Central Wednesday night. It followed an anti-Obama ad broadcast on MTV last week that was paid for by the conservative group Let Freedom Ring. That political ad was the first ever to appear on MTV. The ads are a sign that the opposing sides are trying to court younger voters in unprecedented ways.
Recommended Guests:
7/31/2008 | American History, China, Foreign Policy
Bush to attend church in China, urge religious freedom
Breitbart.Com
US President George W. Bush plans to attend church while in China for the opening of the Olympic Games next month, and will speak about freedom of religion, a top aide said Wednesday. "When he goes to church on Sunday (August 10) he will make a statement afterwards in which he discusses his view on religious freedom in China," said national security council director of Asian Affairs Dennis Wilder. "You can deliver the message of freedom without politicizing the events of the game," Wilder said. "The president will have diplomatic meetings with the Chinese leadership that are separate from the games. And in those meetings with the Chinese leaders he will of course bring up these issues." Bush, a devout Christian, has walked a diplomatic tightrope over the Olympics, repeatedly insisting the games are not a political venue while recently stepping up his public criticism of Beijing's rights record. Bush will attend the August 8 opening ceremonies of the games, having rejected human rights activists' appeals for him to boycott the gala in protest of China's overall rights record, including a crackdown in Tibet in March.
Recommended Guests:
7/30/2008 | American History, Presidential Issues
New Front Opens In Battle For Young Voters
National Journal Online
Every election cycle raises the same fundamental question about young voters: Will they matter this time around? While turnout among this bloc was up in this year's primaries -- 6.5 million people between the ages of 18 and 30 voted, nearly doubling results from the 2000 election -- experts debate whether this will be the year of the youth vote. Barack Obama's own youth and outsider message seem to resonate with those under 30, and he holds a strong lead there, 61 percent to John McCain's 31 percent, according to Gallup. But partisans from both sides are expanding efforts to reach out to young voters, and the GOP is by no means ceding this group to the Illinois senator. MTV has created a new opening for those trying to reach young people this year by overturning its 27-year ban on political advertising. Jeannie Kedas, executive vice president of communications for MTV, said that, "given that the youth vote has been increasingly engaged in the election this year and has played a growing role," the network decided it was time to take a second look at its advertising policy. The network also thought it would complement their Choose or Lose initiative, a get-out-the-vote effort the network has sponsored every election year since 1992. According to Kedas, the network will accept ads from candidates and party committees and will consider third-party ads on a case-by-case basis. Ads from two outside groups hit the air recently; both took Obama as their subject, although that was about the only thing they had in common politically. Let Freedom Ring, a conservative advocacy nonprofit, became the first group to take advantage of MTV's opening, launching an attack against Obama late last week. In "Both Ways Barack," (subscription), an announcer says that Obama's not a flip-flopper -- "flip-floppers only hold one position at a time." The ad goes on to cite handgun policy, campaign financing and Iraq as areas where the Democratic candidate has made contradictory statements. The spot debuted on VH1, MSNBC, CNN and Fox News on Tuesday and was then released on MTV Wednesday. Let Freedom Ring President Colin Hanna told MTV News that the group did not make a concerted effort to run the first political ad on the network, but that he was pleased to be "breaking the mold." He also acknowledged that targeting MTV was an effort to reach out to a different audience and said that if he had the ad buy to do over again, he might have opted to spend more resources there than on Fox News. "We want to go after people who are in the political middle and are not fully committed on this race," he said. MoveOn.org, which has endorsed Obama, responded Monday by releasing a pro-Obama ad on MTV and Comedy Central, both owned by Viacom. "It Could Happen To You," (subscription) spoofs public service announcements to "warn" young people that supporting Obama could lead them to regain a sense of hope. "I never thought it could happen to me," a young man says. "I have hope," another reveals. The ad features actors Rider Strong of "Boy Meets World" and Amber Benson of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and was voted the funniest video in MoveOn's "Obama In 30 Seconds" ad contest. MoveOn is spending $150,000 to run the spot for one week. "It Could Happen To You" is reported to be the first political ad to run on Comedy Central, home to faux-news shows, "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report," where a sizable number of young people turn to get their political information. "I think that the campaigns are smart to pay special attention to reaching out to young people," Kedas said. Neither the McCain or Obama campaign has yet announced plans to purchase time on MTV. By Mary Gilbert
Recommended Guests:
7/29/2008 | American History, Character and Ethics, Presidential Issues
Obama Struggles To Gain Evangelicals' Vote
The Bulletin
A new survey released this month is beginning to cast doubt over Barack Obama's ability to woo white moderate Evangelicals and Mainline Protestants from the Republican Party - a political maneuver that would make it increasingly difficult for John McCain to build a winning coalition this November. There is no doubt Mr. Obama has long had his eye on the religious vote this election season. Starting as early as the South Carolina primary, the Obama campaign orchestrated gospel music tour throughout the Palmetto State to help bolster his Christian credentials in a traditionally red state. "One thing that it clearly is indicative of this poll is that this nation cares about the Christian values and ethics of a candidate for national office. And it makes enough difference that the news media reports on it," explained Ralf Augstroze, executive director of The Providence Forum. "People of faith have always been involved in the political process. They have a patriotic and scriptural obligation to do so. It is to be ignored at the candidate's peril."
Recommended Guests:
7/18/2008 | American History, Character and Ethics
Proposed George W. Bush Sewage Plant makes ballot
My Way News
SAN FRANCISCO - A measure seeking to commemorate President Bush's years in office by slapping his name on a San Francisco sewage plant has qualified for the November ballot. The measure certified Thursday would rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the George W. Bush Sewage Plant. Supporters say the idea is to commemorate the mess they claim Bush has left behind by actions such as the war in Iraq. Local Republicans say the plan stinks and they will oppose it.
Recommended Guests:
7/14/2008 | American History, Character and Ethics, Presidential Issues
President Clinton warns of growing polarization
Breitbart.Com
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Former President Bill Clinton warned Saturday that the country is becoming increasingly polarized despite the historic nature of the Democratic primary. Speaking at the National Governors Association's semiannual meeting, Clinton noted that on the one hand, following the early stages of the Democratic primary, "the surviving candidates were an African-American man and a woman." Clinton's wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, battled for the Democratic nomination into June with fellow Democrat Barack Obama, son of a white mother and black father. But this achievement was overshadowed by a growing distance between Americans, said Clinton. "Underneath this apparent accommodation to our diversity, we are in fact hunkering down in communities of like-mindedness, and it affects our ability to manage difference," Clinton said.
Recommended Guests:
7/2/2008 | American History, Character and Ethics, Freedom of Speech, Race in America, Racial Intolerance
'Black national anthem' stirs controversy for city
NBC Channel 9 News in Denver
DENVER - Mayor John Hickenlooper's annual State of the City address may get more attention for what wasn't included than what was. At the start of the event Tuesday morning, City Council President Michael Hancock introduced singer Rene Marie to perform the national anthem. Instead, she performed the song "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," which is also known as the "black national anthem." When she finished, the audience responded with mild applause. The national anthem was never performed. Marie told 9NEWS she kept her plans to switch songs quiet until the very last moment. She says only she, her husband and a friend knew she was going to sing something other than the "Star-Spangled Banner."
Recommended Guests:
6/23/2008 | American History, Character and Ethics
Everything seemingly is spinning out of control
Yahoo News
WASHINGTON - Is everything spinning out of control? Midwestern levees are bursting. Polar bears are adrift. Gas prices are skyrocketing. Home values are abysmal. Air fares, college tuition and health care border on unaffordable. Wars without end rage in Iraq, Afghanistan and against terrorism. Horatio Alger, twist in your grave. The can-do, bootstrap approach embedded in the American psyche is under assault. Eroding it is a dour powerlessness that is chipping away at the country's sturdy conviction that destiny can be commanded with sheer courage and perseverance.
Recommended Guests:
5/22/2008 | American History, Freedom of Religion, U.S. Military
The National Memorial Day Parade
American Veterans Center
On May 26, 2008 at 2:00pm the American Veterans Center will once again bring Washington, DC, the largest Memorial Day celebration in America. The National Memorial Day Parade is the only place to be for Memorial Day and a great way to honor and celebrate our veterans and servicemen and women from all generations, and to remember those who have died in the service of our country. Featured guests will include Gary Sinise, Joe Mantegna, Miss America, Kirsten Haglund and Mickey Rooney.
Recommended Guests:
5/22/2008 | U.S. Military, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, American History
Life-Size Liberty Bell to be Rung at National Memorial Day Parade
Hamilton Strategies
The Spirit of the Liberty Bell is one of the only traveling full-scale replicas of the original Liberty Bell, from the Whitechapel Foundry in London, maker of the original Liberty Bell. The Spirit of the Liberty Bell stands 6 feet tall, weighs 3,200 pounds, and peals in E-flat exactly as the original. The yoke of the bell incorporates wood from the last of the 13 original Liberty Trees. The Spirit of the Liberty Bell has crisscrossed our Nation taking center stage at this year's National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., where it will be used in the Moment of Remembrance ceremony.
Recommended Guests:
5/7/2008 | American History, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, Religion
Manifesto aims to make 'evangelical' a less-political term
USA Today
An "evangelical manifesto" being released today by a group of Christian scholars and theologians is expected to try to take back the term "evangelical" from politics and return it to its theological roots. "Evangelical" has been widely used to refer to Christians who have conservative political views, but the Evangelical Theological Society requires members to agree on just two points: inerrancy of Scripture, and belief in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as "separate but equal in attributes and glory" and essential for salvation.
Recommended Guests:
4/24/2008 | American History, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech
Florida lawmakers debate offering a Christian license plate
Breitbart.Com
MIAMI (AP) - Florida drivers can order more than 100 specialty license plates celebrating everything from manatees to the Miami Heat, but one now under consideration would be the first in the nation to explicitly promote a specific religion. The Florida Legislature is considering a specialty plate with a design that includes a Christian cross, a stained-glass window and the words "I Believe."
Recommended Guests:
4/9/2008 | American History, Character and Ethics, U.S. Military
Bush gives Medal of Honor to Navy SEAL
Yahoo News
WASHINGTON - Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor had fast thinking to do when a live grenade came out of nowhere to bounce off his chest: Take the clear path to safety that he had but his comrades didn't, try to toss it safely away, or throw himself on top of it. With barely an instant's hesitation on that Iraqi rooftop, Monsoor took the last course, sacrificing his life to save the men around him. For that, President Bush on Tuesday awarded him the Medal of Honor. In an East Room ceremony, Bush presented the nation's highest military honor to Monsoor's still-grieving parents, Sally and George Monsoor. About 250 guests, including his sister and two brothers, fellow SEALS, other Medal winners, many friends and GOP Sen. John McCain and other members of Congress, looked on quietly. "The Medal of Honor is awarded for an act of such courage that no one could rightly be expected to undertake it," Bush said. "Yet those who knew Michael Monsoor were not surprised when he did."
Recommended Guests:
4/1/2008 | American History, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, God and Government, Governmental Control
High court considers religous display rules
USA Today
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to look at when cities can keep certain religious displays off public grounds, revisiting an enduring free speech issue in a case brought by the unconventional Summum faith. The Summum church wants to erect a monument of its "seven aphorisms" near a Ten Commandments monument in a Utah park. Government regulation of expressive displays on public grounds has become one of the most controversial areas of the law. The questions test the constitutional guarantee of free speech and, often, the separation of church and state.
Recommended Guests:
3/25/2008 | American History, Presidential Issues
Obama’s Test: Can a Liberal Be a Unifier?
The New York Times
WASHINGTON — At the core of Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign is a promise that he can transcend the starkly red-and-blue politics of the last 15 years, end the partisan and ideological wars and build a new governing majority. To achieve the change the country wants, he says, “we need a leader who can finally move beyond the divisive politics of Washington and bring Democrats, independents and Republicans together to get things done.” But this promise leads, inevitably, to a question: Can such a majority be built and led by Mr. Obama, whose voting record was, by one ranking, the most liberal in the Senate last year? Also, and more immediately, if Mr. Obama wins the Democratic nomination, how will his promise of a new and less polarized type of politics fare against the Republican attacks that since the 1980s have portrayed Democrats as far out of step with the country’s values? To many political strategists, the furor over the racial views of Mr. Obama’s former pastor is only the first of many such tests the senator will face if he is the nominee. Mr. Obama, in an interview that was conducted on March 15, in the midst of that controversy, said he was confident that Americans were eager for a new kind of politics and were convinced that “a lot of these old labels don’t apply anymore.”
Recommended Guests:
2/26/2008 | American History
Teens losing touch with common cultural and historical references
USA Today
Big Brother. McCarthyism. The patience of Job. Don't count on your typical teenager to nod knowingly the next time you drop a reference to any of these. A study out today finds that about half of 17-year-olds can't identify the books or historical events associated with them. Twenty-five years after the federal report A Nation at Risk challenged U.S. public schools to raise the quality of education, the study finds high schoolers still lack important historical and cultural underpinnings of "a complete education." And, its authors fear, the nation's current focus on improving basic reading and math skills in elementary school might only make matters worse, giving short shrift to the humanities � even if children can read and do math. "If you think it matters whether or not kids have common historical touchstones and whether, at some level, we feel like members of a common culture, then familiarity with this knowledge matters a lot," says American Enterprise Institute researcher Rick Hess, who wrote the study.
2/19/2008 | American History
Heritage Foundation: It's 'Washington's Birthday'
Fox News
Can you name the holiday that falls on the third Monday in February? Like most Americans, you probably think it’s "Presidents' Day." Every desk calendar and car sale ad seems to confirm it. So it may surprise you to learn that its legal name still is "Washington’s Birthday." The law establishing the holiday never has been changed. For all practical purposes, of course, his day has been forfeited to convenience. We celebrate it on the third Monday in February, rather than on the actual day, Feb. 22, and we call it "Presidents' Day" so we can lump it in with Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, Feb. 12, and pay tribute to all presidents — good, bad and mediocre. That’s why every year legislation is introduced in Congress that would direct all federal agencies to refer to the holiday as "George Washington's Birthday" and return Washington to his rightful place above all other presidents. That’s a step in the right direction. A better step would be for President Bush to issue an executive order that not only would enforce current law but remind Americans that Washington still deserves to be "first in the hearts of his countrymen."