Recent Viewpoints

Penna Dexter On his inauguration day, President Biden issued an executive order that could spell the end of women’s athletics. The order directs federal agencies to interpret existing anti-discrimination law in a manner that removes the protection Title IX of the U.S. Education Code affords to women participating in competitive sports. This issue is festering in certain states, notably Connecticut, where four accomplished female athletes have repeatedly been losing track meets to biological males who identify as females. They have filed…

Kerby Anderson Why is there so much panic and tension in our world today? There are probably lots of explanations, but Michael Brendan Dougherty puts his finger on our smartphones. He acknowledges that the pandemic and the lockdowns have contributed to the unease we feel. He also concedes that the polarization of our politics is also having a significant impact. But he goes on to explain that the smartphone is a “novel substance in our environment.” He believes it is…

Kerby Anderson I had Professor Robert George (Princeton) on my radio program recently to talk about the dialogue he has had for a number of years with Professor Cornel West. They certainly qualify as “the odd couple” given their differences in political perspectives and their different racial backgrounds. But they have forged a partnership based on mutual respect and a desire for civil dialogue. Months ago, they published an op-ed that was a summary of their common commitments. They reminded…

Kerby Anderson The political divisions in America are evident to just about anyone. Which leads to a sincere question: Are there any issues with significant bipartisan support? Actually, there are quite a number as George Barna discovered in a post-election survey. As he surveyed Republicans and Democrats, he found a half dozen issues that are supported by a supermajority of voters in both parties. Americans may be divided, but you can still find issues which voters support in overwhelming numbers….

Kerby Anderson We certainly need government regulations, but sometimes those regulations can be burdensome and therefore unnecessary. Former President Trump understood this because he came from the business world. One of his first actions was to require that two regulations be removed for every new regulation. One of the first acts by President Biden was to reverse Trump deregulation. But Biden’s latest executive order goes much further. Don’t take my word for it. Listen to what progressives and conservatives say…

Kerby Anderson Recent surveys show that millions of Americans doubt that the 2020 elections were run fairly. That is why a number of state legislators are filing bills and considering what changes need to be made before the next election cycle. In fact, Senator Rand Paul announced on one TV program what he will be “spending the next two years going around from state to state and fixing these problems.” He and other members of Congress might also spend a…

Penna Dexter During the early shutdowns back in April, author J.K. Rowling released a children’s novel in three installments for families stuck at home. She actually wrote The Ickabog during the years when she was writing the Harry Potter series. The full novel was published in  November. The story begins when King Fred of Cornucopia allows two manipulative and power-hungry advisors to convince him to embark on a quest to kill the Ickabog, a creature most of his subjects consider…

Kerby Anderson Representative Dan Crenshaw started his commentary about lockdowns but quickly focused on how our brains process risk. He wanted to help us understand why Americans see the pandemic and the lockdowns very differently. He cites research that discovered that “Democrats and Republicans differ in the neural mechanism activated during risk-taking exercises, specifically in the amygdala region. This demonstrates measurable physiological differences when confronted with risk.” For example, “conservatives overwhelmingly fill the ranks of physically riskier jobs such as…

Kerby Anderson A corrupt government policy that was stopped by the Trump administration looks like it may return under the Biden administration. The Justice Department during the Obama administration allowed prosecutors to make settlement agreements that directed payments to left-wing groups rather than to the government or victims. The Trump administration stopped such payments when it came into office. Attorney General Jeff Sessions argued in 2017 that “when the federal government settles a case” those funds “should go first to…

Kerby Anderson The 1776 Commission issued a report that summarizes “the principles of the American founding and how those principles have shaped our country.” Unfortunately, that will be its only report. In his first few hours in office, President Joe Biden disbanded the commission with an executive order. Compared to his other executive orders that killed the Keystone Pipeline, stopped construction of the wall, and promoted transgenderism, this action might not seem that significant. But it shows how radical he…

Kerby Anderson Yesterday I talked about a commentary by Glen Greenwald criticizing the call for a domestic war on terror. One of his concerns is the attempt to justify new domestic police powers because speech can “incite violence.” Not only is that used to justify going after our fellow Americans, it also was the basis for the impeachment article against Trump. Citing Rudy Giuliani in what constitutes incitement wouldn’t be helpful since he has been the former president’s lawyer. It…