Recent Viewpoints

Who would have predicted that the question about WMDs in Iraq would surface in both the Republican and Democratic presidential debates? It is worth addressing since it has become an issue and since there are young voters who either were not around then or were not old enough to participate in the discussion and debate that took place. John Hawkins put together a short column on the subject to remind those of us who may have forgotten some of the…

Democrats have been trying to make the case that the Republican leadership in the U.S. Senate should immediately hold hearings so that they can confirm another justice to the Supreme Court. Their arguments would be more convincing if it weren’t for the fact that their previous actions contradict what they are now saying. You can watch the video of Senator Joe Biden arguing in 1992 that the Senate Judiciary Committee should not schedule confirmation hearings on any nomination by President…

At a recent ceremony at United Nations headquarters, six new postage stamps were unveiled. They were created by UN artist Sergio Baradat and are meant to elevate homosexuality, transsexuality and gay parenting. The stamps are very colorful and done in a sort of geometric art deco style. One depicts a male couple embracing and kissing; another a female couple doing the same. One shows a same sex couple carrying a little girl on their shoulders. Another shows a person coming…

More and more states are passing voter ID laws, in part because of undercover videos that show how easy it is to compromise the voting process. That was the case four years ago when James O’Keefe and his Project Veritas team showed how easy it was to commit voter fraud in various state elections. Since then, the New Hampshire legislature passed a bill mandating that voters show some form of identification. Many types of IDs are acceptable. But even if…

The more we are learn about the Zika virus, the greater the concern. There is no cure for the virus, so containment is the best solution. But the Rio Olympics are less than six months away. Nearly a half million people will travel to Brazil to participate in or watch the Olympics. Then they will return to their countries, and some of them will no doubt be infected with the virus. Two years ago we saw how unprepared the world…

Now that the U.S. Senate is back in session we are going to hear even more noise about the urgent need for senators to confirm a nominee to the Supreme Court to replace Justice Antonin Scalia. Senator Chuck Schumer has been on talk shows accusing the Senate leadership of obstructionism. He even predicted that “this kind of obstructionism isn’t going to last.” Some critics have pointed to the hypocrisy of his statements. After all, back in July 2007 Senator Schumer…

What would the crucifixion and resurrection look like through the eyes of an unbeliever? That is the question answered in the new movie, Risen. Last week I was able to interview Rich Peluso, who is the Senior Vice President of AFFIRM Films (a division of Sony Pictures). That night I was able to attend an advance screening of the film. The movie takes a familiar story to all of us who are Christians and helps us see it through the…

I never thought I’d hear conservatives vying to show who is most supportive of registering young women for the draft. But it happened in a recent GOP presidential debate. The question was relevant because, recently, all restrictions against allowing women to be assigned to combat positions were lifted. Certain military leaders are talking about requiring women to sign up for selective service just as men do. It’s the logical next step because a 1981 court decision prohibiting drafting women was…

If you fly with any regularity, you probably have at least one or two “horror” stories about your experience with the TSA. For nearly all of us, it is a minor inconvenience. Sometimes it could be quite a bit more serious. Months ago, the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security wrote that the vetting process used in hiring TSA workers is faulty. The inspector general found that the TSA did not identify 73 individuals with terrorism-related category codes….

When Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary last week, one of the commentators talked about how the senator believes there is a conspiracy afoot. He argues that the reason we have so much income inequality is due to the fact that the billionaire class has “rigged” the economy. He makes it sound like this is a uniquely American problem. It is not. You can find similar gains by the “one percent” in places like Canada, the U.K., and some…

What do we want from a president? Actually voters seem to want everything but will have to settle for something far less. Evangelical Christians would like a president who has faith and is religious in a way they support. Fortunately, Professor Thomas Kidd has put together five qualities of what he calls “the perfect religious president.” First, he says that the perfect religious president should have an active faith that is detached from his or her role as a candidate…