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Raoul Lowery Contreras
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Is Iraq Lost?
By Raoul Lowery Contreras, CalNews.com
Watching
the American minority of people who want us to lose the "war" in Iraq
saddens me. We hear ad naseum how the American majority wants our
troops home, the polls tell us so. We hear that the majority is against
the war, the polls tell us so. In fact, according to the Pew Hispanic
Center only 25 percent of American Hispanics support the war, a drop of
6 percent since the last survey. What we don’t hear is that this
American minority actually wants to lose the war so they can revel in
what they call "America’s worst blunder in history." |
Other CalNews.com
contributors....
Defenders
of Thompson Just Like Defenders of Bush
By Richard A. Viguerie, CalNews.com
The defenders of Fred Thompson’s troubling record have not attempted
to explain, mitigate, or refute any of the concerns expressed in my
article, “Conservatives, Beware of Fred Thompson.” Rather, they’ve
attacked the messenger.
Real issues in
immigration debate
By Glynn Custred, CalNews.com
As their numbers grow, we hear more and more about the human suffering of
people who have entered and are now living in this country illegally. In the
context of what should be a rational debate on immigration, such appeals
represent what the logic books call a fallacy.
The Virginia Tech
Massacre
By Richard Rider, CalNews.com
True to form, the national TV and radio networks started in on the
“inadequate gun control laws” before the bodies had cooled. By the afternoon, a
spokesperson for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence was pontificating all
over the networks. The gun grabber lobby is geared up for just such events –
indeed, they seem far better prepared than the cops.
Congress hates milk
drinkers
By Richard Rider, CalNews.com
First, consider the supposedly free market GOP's vote: 162 in favor and 57
against, passing the measure with 74.0% of those voting. These meathead
miscreants DESERVED to lose the House! The Democrats actually did a bit better
by milk drinkers, voting 122 to 71 in favor, supporting the bill with "only"
63.2%. Of course, these are the folks who care so much about the poor -- well,
SOME of 'em care some of the time. Probably the only difference between the two
parties is in the percentage of office holders who are getting big bucks from
the milk farmers and dairies.
Garamendi’s Millstone
By Geoff Metcalf, CalNews.com
The horrific Executive Life debacle is a humongous millstone around the neck
of Garamendi and still, to date (with the election just around the corner) he
has failed to adequately address significant questions about what he did and did
not do as Insurance Commissioner.
Second in the series...
Payback Delayed
By Geoff Metcalf, CalNews.com
Some fifteen years ago, as California insurance commissioner, Garamendi
seized the assets of the Executive Life Insurance Company. In doing so, he
allowed a questionable junk-bond player and a French government-owned bank to
realize a humongous windfall despite a bunch of annuities and policyholders
getting the short (and dirty) end of the stick.
Previously...
Perception vs.
Reality
Executive Life: John Garamendi’s Mill Stone
By Geoff Metcalf, CalNews.com
Few people (other than the victims) remember what John Garamendi did and
didn’t do as Insurance Commissioner 15- years ago with Executive Life. Some
300,000-policy holders were ‘hosed’ when Garamendi sold Executive Live to a
French government owned bank and a junk bond player. Elderly and handicapped
policyholders were devastated while the bank and junk bond king made BIG bucks.
Predatory
lenders have had an unimpeded reign over our soldiers
By Martha Montelongo, CalNews.com
The American People are unanimously committed to the fair and mindful
treatment of our U.S. Military men and women so it is unconscionable that
predatory lenders have had an unimpeded reign over our military soldiers and
personnel using deceptive and abusive financial practices.
Inflammatory words
in wartime
By Glynn Custred, CalNews.com
In 1954 the Senate censured Republican Joseph McCarthy for clearly stepping
across the line of propriety expected of a member of that body. McCarthy's wrong
doing lay in the way he demagogued the threat with no evidence even against even
those who were working for the enemy; bullying and harming innocent people in
the process, unsettling institutions, frightening the population and providing
ammunition for those who really did want to hurt the country.
Ending California’s
School Spending Standoff
By Chuck Warren and Jonathan Wilcox, CalNews.com
In one of the enduring ironies most acutely found in California, no public
policy is more mired in doublespeak and half-truths than the state’s system of
funding schools, ostensibly places of fact and learning.
Minuteman Project
and Gov. Schwarzenegger
By Glynn Custred, CalNews.com
Last Thursday Governor Schwarzenegger praised the action of the Minutemen in
Arizona, a volunteer citizen's group modeled on the neighborhood watch program
and designed to focus public attention on the problem of illegal immigration.
During the last week of the Minuteman Project I traveled along some 250 miles of
the US-Mexico border in Eastern and Central Arizona, talking to Minuteman
leaders and volunteers as well as to Border Patrol agents all along the
international line. After having actually been there, and having reviewed data
from elsewhere, I am convinced that Governor Schwarzenegger has indeed done the
right thing by recognizing the value of the Minuteman Project for what it is; a
plea for the country to face a major policy issue.
No
more begging for oil
By Jon E. Dougherty, CalNews.com
On Monday, President Bush played host to Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdullah
at his Crawford, Texas ranch. Among the issues on the his agenda: Oil and,
specifically, how to get the kingdom to produce more of it for the United States
at cheaper rates. That the world's most powerful leader has been reduced to
begging for our energy requirements is demonstrative of the sad state of
American energy dependence.
Minority students are not coming up to the standards set by one of the nation’s
most competitive institutions
Glynn Custred, CalNews.com
What does this tell us? It tells us that there is a very serious problem in
California’s education system. Not only have the victims of this kind of
discrimination suffered, but also in many cases those who are supposed to be the
beneficiaries of racial and ethnic preferences.
Giving Real
Meaning to Veterans Day
Honoring our past soldiers requires
that we ask our future ones not to sacrifice their values, but to uphold
them
By Edwin A. Locke, CalNews.com
Veterans Day arouses three emotions in most Americans: solemnity, because
it celebrates the veterans who have defended our great country; sadness,
because so many have lost their lives in the process; and pride, because
they have fought so well.
The Tax Ratchet Effect
Jon Coupal
Those who are handy with tools will know that a ratchet is a notched,
mechanical device that allows motion in one direction only. The phenomenon
that taxes only move in one direction -- up -- is amply demonstrated throughout
California on a continual basis. CalNews.com
Columbus Day: The Cure for 9/11
Thomas A. Bowden
Columbus Day’s celebration of Western Civilization reminds Americans
why they deserve to win the war against Islamic totalitarianism. CalNews.com
Outside View: Shadows and dark alleys
Pat Nolan
This year, more than 600,000 inmates will be released from the United
States' prisons. These prisoners aren't being released early; they have
completed their sentences, and will be returning to neighborhoods across
the country. These men and women are coming out, like it or not. CalNews.com
Multiculturalism's war on education
Elan Journo
Back to school nowadays means back to classrooms, lessons and textbooks
permeated by multiculturalism and its championing of "diversity." Many
parents and teachers regard multiculturalism as an indispensable educational
supplement, a salutary influence that "enriches" the curriculum. But is
it? CalNews.com
It's Time for Arnold to Get Bold
Jon Coupal and Shawn Steel
Two new polls show two-thirds of Californians approve of Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger's job performance. That's more political capital than any
governor in memory has possessed. This extraordinary popularity is based
in the public's perception of Schwarzenegger as an agent of change -- as
someone who is steering California away from insolvency and back to its
glory days. The trick is using his political capital to make reality match
this perception. CalNews.com
Some of the best things about this country have been our enemies
Melanie Morgan
Strange as it may seem, some of the best things about this country
have been our enemies. Consider them: the fascist hoodlums, the Communist
crushers, the make-believe mullahs who immolate their own children in the
name of the Koran. Through the years these have been the adversaries
to have. CalNews.com
Vichy, California: Feeding the nation that bites you
William E. Saracino
I find it most strange that the state of California, through its lottery,
is subsidizing a French corporation. The multinational corporation in question,
Oberthur Gaming Technologies, a subsidiary of Groupe Francois-Charles Oberthur,
prints the tens of millions of “scratcher” game tickets for the California
lottery. The lottery will tell you that the tickets are printed
in Texas, but not that the plant’s pedigree is French, not Texan. CalNews.com
School officials show themselves to be ingrates
Jon Coupal
On March 2 of this year taxpayers in the Moraga School District in
Contra Costa County did a generous thing. They agreed to dig more deeply
into their pockets to fund a $325-per-houshold school parcel tax. CalNews.com
There they go again…
Martha Montelongo
There they go again… In ’92, Senator Barbara Boxer swept into office
leading the chorus with the war cry “the personal is political…and men
don’t get it.” This was before Bill Clinton made all these same women
into his enablers when they had to wink at jokes about kneepads being fashionable
attire for sycophant women journalists. CalNews.com
Abolish the FCC
Robert Garmong
In the rush to grant the FCC greater control
over broadcasters, no one has noticed that the FCC's very existence is
a violation of free speech. CalNews.com
The injustice of insider trading laws
The laws that prompted the investigation
of Martha Stewart should be repealed because they violate individual rights
Andrew Bernstein
Martha Stewart was investigated for the "crime" of insider trading
and later convicted of obstructing justice for lying to authorities during
the investigation. But the questions no one is asking are: Should Martha
even have been the subject of a criminal investigation in the first place?
Should anyone be investigated for insider trading? Is insider trading objectively
a crime? CalNews.com
Trial Lawyer Tentacles
Bill Saracino
While U.S. Attorney for New York, Rudy Guiliani devised an exceptionally
effective way to cripple organized crime – cut off their funding.
Instead of “show arrests” of dons and capo regimes, Guiliani went after
their “fronts” – businesses which supplied their operating capital.
Guiliani was devastatingly effective in reducing the scope and influence
of New York’s Tony Soprano wanna-be’s. CalNews.com
The “No More Reagans” Initiative
Bill Saracino
A small cabal of millionaire Republicans, tired of losing GOP primaries
because they are out of step with GOP voters, has decided to change the
rules. They are bankrolling a proposition on the November ballot
that would force California to adopt the election system used by that paragon
of civic virtue – Louisiana. CalNews.com
Kerry, Soros, and the 'Lefty Loonies'
Jack Rains
This is more than an election; it is a fight for the soul of America.
We must not allow the leadership of America and the free world to fall
into the hands of the most radical member of the U.S. Senate, his cabal,
and their retinue of ‘Lefty Loonies’. The once proud Democrat Party that
lead the country in WW II, Korea, Viet Nam, Bosnia, Haiti and Somalia,
has been hijacked. The apologist forces of the United Nations, Blame
America first crowd are running the Democrat show. It is a sad time for
moderate and conservative Democrats and for all Americans. CalNews.com
Righteous Voices Raised; Collective Heads In The Sand
Gary Mendoza
As Al Gore, Ted Kennedy and other loud voices of the liberal elite
heap contempt on President Bush and provide aid and comfort to America’s
enemies, their willingness to ignore fundamental facts reaches new heights.
CalNews.com
Assisted Suicide: A Moral Right
Federal court's decision sidesteps
fundamental moral issue
Thomas A. Bowden
In upholding Oregon's assisted-suicide law, the federal appeals court
in California has reached the right result for the wrong reasons. The court
sidestepped the real issue--whether an individual has a right to commit
suicide--and decided the case on a technicality. CalNews.com
Well Done, Tom
Bill Saracino
Republican county chairmen in California run the gamut of effectiveness
and dedication. This year marks my 40th in politics, and during that
time I’ve known county chairmen (yes, yes, and chairwomen) who were good,
bad, and a few who were indeed quite ugly. Tom Fuentes, recently
retired as Chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, is a stellar
example of what a county chairman should be. The GOP, both in California
and nationally, as well as the conservative movement, are diminished by
his retirement. CalNews.com
Garry South: Still Walking Tall And Talking Trash
Jonathan Wilcox
You’d think the architect of Gray Davis’ strategic approach to government
and politics would be somewhat reluctant these days to offer his advice
on campaigns and elections. But if you thought that, you don’t know Garry
South. CalNews.com
John Kerry -- the Myth
Gary Mendoza
John Kerry’s months of honorable service in Vietnam and his deliberative,
ponderous speaking style have helped create an image of a principled, steady
leader. While this image has played a central role in his successful
pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination, it’s not supported by
Kerry’s record, and it won’t withstand the type of scrutiny he’s avoided
so far but will soon receive. CalNews.com
This is no time for the conservative
movement’s retreads
Forget the Retreads - Send in the Marines
Bill Saracino
The attempts by Bob Dornan and Dan Lungren to return to Congress are
easily written off as “silly season” being visited upon California
GOP politics. CalNews.com
B-1 Bob Dornan—The Liberal’s Candidate for Congress
Gary Mendoza
To the surprise of many, as the filing window was going down, Bob Dornan
filed his papers to challenge Cong. Dana Rohrabacher in California’s 46th
congressional district. While Dornan has a national profile as a
blunt and outspoken conservative, conservatives have the most to lose and
liberals have the most to gain if, against all odds, Dornan’s most recent
adventure is successful. CalNews.com
Anti-war Activists Ask--Why Let Facts Get in the Way of an Opinion?
Gary Mendoza
Ignoring that threat or wishing it away won’t make our freedoms any
more secure. President Clinton tried that route many times--after
the first attack on the World Trade Center, after the attacks on our embassies
in Africa and, again, after the attack on the USS Cole. Our willingness
to turn a blind eye towards this growing threat only emboldened our enemies.
CalNews.com
Political Statesmanship, Political Gamesmanship On Both Sides of
the California/Mexico Border
Gary Mendoza
Angelides is lucky about one thing. The voters of California
are likely suffering from recall fatigue. If they weren’t, he might
very well be the next so-called political leader to be shown the door.
CalNews.com
A make or break week for the Schwarzenegger administration?
Gary Mendoza
Looking back several years from now, political observers may see this
week as the defining moment for the Schwarzenegger Administration and among
the most important weeks in recent State history. The outcome of
this week’s political wrangling may determine the ultimate success of the
new Administration and whether last month’s recall was a true pivot point
in California politics. CalNews.com
Economy and Democratic Desperation Continue to Grow
Gary Mendoza
Last week, the sound of teeth gnashing within the Democratic establishment
was deafening. First came the report that the U.S. economy grew at
an annual rate of 7.2% during September 30 quarter, the highest growth
rate in 19 years. A few days later, the Labor Department reported
that more than 125,000 new jobs were added in October and the jobs growth
numbers for both August and September were increased significantly.
Even worse, most commentators cited President Bush’s tax cuts as a significant
factor in the economy’s rebounding strength.
CalNews.com
Sacramento’s Summer Soldiers and Sunshine Patriots
Jonathan Wilcox
Everyone knows success has a thousand fathers, while failure is an
orphan. But this doesn’t fully explain the paternity and popularity
of California’s most recent political happenings – the recall of Gray Davis
and, to a lesser extent, the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger. A more
apt analogy is the biting description of the French resistance during World
War II – everyone was a member, but didn’t want to admit it until the Allies
liberated the country and marched triumphantly down the Champs Elysees.
CalNews.com
California’s Health Care System; Time for Fundamental Change?
Gary Mendoza
It’s clear that California’s health care delivery system is under significant
stress. Unless new models for delivering health care are developed,
health care costs and the number of uninsured Californians will continue
to spiral up. CalNews.com
A McClintock-ite for Schwarzenegger
William E. Saracino
Tom McClintock would make a great Governor, one with whom I would agree
99% of the time. But in spite of an intelligent and gutsy campaign
run with a fraction of the dollars of others, the effort is going to fall
short. CalNews.com
The Nutty Ninth Strikes Again
Bill Saracino
One way presciently observed at this weekend’s GOP convention that
the 9th Circuit has become “the enforcement arm of the ACLU”. So it has,
which is the reason it is held in such widespread contempt by our citizens,
and is the reason this latest spasm of leftist excess will be promptly
overturned. CalNews.com
The Lying Liars of the Left
Melanie Morgan
As I toil daily over a hot microphone—waiting anxiously for California
to fall into the ocean---I wonder how nearly every political pundit in
America got our recall effort wrong. CalNews.com
Diversity Hypocrisy
Martha Montelongo Myers
The Democrats claim to be the party that protects and defends minorities.
So why are the Democrats obsessed with blocking highly qualified minorities
to positions of political importance? I suggest that the Democrats in the
US Senate are suffering from Diversity Hypocrisy. CalNews.com
The Racial Privacy Initiative: Motherhood and Apple Pie
Stuart H. Hurlbert
As a classically liberal, politically independent, lock-and-load centrist,
the welfare of the California Republican Party is not one of my prime concerns.
But I and every citizen of California have a debt of gratitude to the California
Republican Party for the unanimous decision of its convention delegates
last weekend to support the RPI. CalNews.com
Why Supporters of Prop. 209 Must Oppose the Racial Privacy Initiative
Thomas E. Wood
I write as the co-author and official proponent, with Glynn Custred,
of the California Civil Rights Initiative (Prop. 209), the successful 1996
ballot measure that prohibits discrimination and preferential treatment
on the basis of race, sex, and ethnicity by state and local governments
in California. CalNews.com
Schwarzenegger’s Flabby Right Flank and Pumped Up Left Wing
Jonathan Wilcox
Arnold Schwarzenegger recently scheduled his first fund-raiser and
joint appearance on behalf of Bill Simon’s campaign for governor of California.
While this is certainly welcome for Simon, it is also a necessary move
for the actor’s advancing foray into big-time politics. CalNews.com
Who profits the most from cigarettes? Government
Tommy J. Payne
California's smokers, who comprise only 17.2 percent of the state's
population, paid more than $2.2 billion in cigarette-related revenue to
the state in 2001. That's more than $6 million a day, or nearly $4,200
per minute. CalNews.com
Prison rape — it's no joke
Pat Nolan
"The opposite of compassion is not hatred, it's indifference." These
words were written by a prisoner who was severely beaten after refusing
demands for sex from another inmate. Washington
Times
An Open Letter From David Horowitz
David Horowitz
I am utterly opposed to the campaign launched against the judicial
commission and Gerry Parsky. It is a divisive and counter-productive campaign,
and if continued may jeopardize the prospect of a Bill Simon victory in
the fall. CalNews.com
Bush’s Preferences
Glynn Custred & James Stockdale
Slavery was wrong. Segregation was wrong. It is also wrong for the
government to prefer one individual over another solely on the basis of
that individual's skin color or ethnic affiliation.
National
Review
Ronald Reagan Helped Us Remember – And Never Forget – The Soldiers
of D-Day
Mark Burson
Today is one of those rare occasions when the number on the calendar
jumps off the page. That is because June 6th is one of the few dates
instantaneously known to the American People.
CalNews.com
Where's the Outrage? (...no, not Chandra)
Melanie Morgan
If anybody else in fly-over country woke up tomorrow morning to read
that their Governor had squandered 60 billion dollars in 9 months,
what do you suppose the reaction might be? Mild disinterest wouldn't be
my first guess. But that is exactly what has happened in California. CalNews.com
The Folly of Gray Davis and the Foolishness of Price Caps
Jonathan Wilcox
An old adage offers sound advice whenever you find yourself in a hole:
stop digging. Knowing this, it's puzzling that Gov. Gray Davis, sinking
in the estimation of the public, just keeps shoveling aside more dirt and
plunging California deeper into the energy mire. CalNews.com
Why Moderate Angelinos and L.A. Republicans Made Hahn Mayor
Jonathan Wilcox
Winston Churchill once said, “There is nothing more exhilarating than
to be shot at without result.” Given the results of last week’s Mayoral
election, Los Angeles Republicans and moderate Angelinos know exactly what
Sir Winston meant. CalNews.com
If this were a boxing match,
they’d stop it
Governor Gray, In Living Color
Jonathan Wilcox
One look at the uneasy man on television demonstrates that the state’s
energy struggle has gotten the best of Gray Davis. He may have spent
the past 26 years in and around state government, but we can safely conclude
that this challenge is beyond him. CalNews.com
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