Frank Chodorov, William F. Buckley’s mentor, writes in The Rise and Fall of Society that what marks the difference between conservatism in the twentieth century and that which engaged the best minds of the eighteenth and nineteenth is, “…there is no faultfinding with the institution itself. The State is alright, by common agreement, and it would work perfectly if the …
Natural Law and the Global War on Terrorism: A Response to Jason Jackson
Thank you Jason for such a well thought out response and enjoyable read. I have nothing but respect for you. Not only for your Annapolis academic background but your hours spent reading classical sources. You’re not only one of the most well-read persons I know, but a gentleman. I will attempt to interact with you using the same format you …
Fusion without Compromise
Observations on the opposing political views of Frank Dowse and Hypocrisy. Buckley attempted to fuse different groups within conservatism (Christians, paleos, libertarians etc…) but ended up sacrificing limited government for big as a necessary evil to thwart communism. His intentions were noble but now the greatest threat to our dreams is an internal one, the area he compromised, big government, the means …
Foreign Policy: Christian Conservative or Progressive Humanist?
A response to Mr. Frank Dowse. In a previous post Frank Dowse took me to task for challenging Congressional candidate Jacquie Atkinson’s foreign policy views. My thoughts below summarize what I see as the distinctives that separate a Christian and a principled policy view from a humanist and progressive one. Who is Frank Douse who goes by the pen name …
Understanding Martin Luther King, Jr.
There are only a handful of men in the realm of law and politics that inspire me. Besides Christ … Gandhi, Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King Jr. come to mind. These individuals not only demonstrate a greater understanding of the ethics of civil government but peacefully challenged the status quo at the cost of their own lives. That type of …
Christ and the Second Amendment
I’m surprised to see widely respected theologian/pastor John Piper challenge Christians not only on the natural right of self-defense but to go so far as question one’s intent when calling the police. “I realize that even to call the police when threatened — which, in general, it seems right to do in view of Romans 13:1–4 — may come from …
Let There Be Peace On Earth
Well here it goes. This is where I prove to a number of San Diego conservatives what some have questioned but lacked proof to substantiate – Eric Andersen is neither conservative nor Christian … or is he? At the San Diego County Republican Christmas event we heard invocations from two members of our community. A Rabbi and Skyline Pastor Jim Garlow. Two individuals …
Income Inequality: Part Five – Where Do We Go From Here?
In the Parable of the Talents we learn that diversity is woven into the fabric of creation. We see that Jesus does not distribute or reward talent equally. His concern is with how we use our talents. His greatest reward goes to those who invest their talents shrewdly. This reward structure appeals to our basic nature. If you will excuse me, …
Income Inequality – Part Four: Just Remove the Rocks
In Part One I agreed with Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VA) that income inequality was a problem but disagreed with him for not differentiating the moral from the immoral causes. In Part Two I shared how free moral consumer choices made Taylor Swift wealthy and how each transaction left her customers better off than they were before the exchange making each …
Income Inequality – Part Three: Individual Choice
In Part One I agreed with Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VA) that income inequality was a problem but disagreed with him for not differentiating its moral from its immoral causes. In Part Two I shared how consumer choice made Taylor Swift wealthy and how each transaction left individuals better off than they were before. Each transaction was a “win-win”. In this post I address the …
Income Inequality – Part Two: Consumer Demand
In Part One I agreed with Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VA). We have an income inequality problem. Where we disagree is I differentiate inequality created by consumer demand and individual decision (moral) from inequality created by government regulation in violation of rule of law (immoral). Sen. Sanders and Keeley Mullen, National Director of the Million Student March don’t believe that recording …
Income Inequality – Part One: Rule of Law
From Cicero to Augustine, from Adams to Martin Luther King, one of the principles of a just and prosperous society, is rule of law. Rule of law posits that all men are equal under the law. Rule of law holds that if an action is immoral for an individual it is also immoral for an individual in government. No man is …
As an Assemblyman, would Harrison differ with Hunter on Export-Import Bank?
I honestly like Mike Harrison and enjoy each opportunity we have to talk, but I need to know if his values are any different than those of his boss, Congressman Duncan Hunter. Mike has been a loyal staffer and in each of our discussions has always been faithful and supportive of him. On Monday the Congressman voted “Yea” on H. Res …
Republicans for Bernie Sanders?
As I write, a few friends are posting pictures with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) (Heritage Action Scorecard 65% and below the Republican average of 68%). I’m not sure that’s a good idea. In academia when we only understand the subject matter 65 percent of the time, we get a “D”. If Congress chooses Rep. McCarthy as the next Speaker I think we’re …
On Vetting and Endorsing
I’m going to meet two candidates for Congress this week. Neither has a voting record. In light of our nation’s multi-generational slide from freedom and prosperity, I will ask questions in an attempt to understand their philosophy of government. I want to determine to my personal satisfaction if they have the requisite knowledge to initiate and lead necessary government reform. As one elected …
Don’t Be Fooled
Chocolate and vanilla ice cream are not opposites. Both are made of milk and cream. I don’t think Obama and Trump are opposites. As far as I can see their supporters are nearly the same. Both have surpassed Jefferson and Madison. Both are too wise for constitutionally limited government and individual freedom. Both believe the problem facing America is who is running …
Lorena – Just say ‘No’ to Corporate America and Big Pharma
One of the greatest threats to our pursuit of happiness are the irrational doses of fear du jour being served in our media diets. I can’t think of a more effective tool for destroying the American ideal of limited government than “fear”. Whether it’s an irrational fear of ISIS or an irrational fear of Ebola or an irrational fear of ISIS members …
Congressman Hunter Associates Sen. Rand Paul with Nancy Pelosi
For those who missed last night’s meeting of the San Diego County Republican Party at the Town & Country: A foolish comment from Congressman Duncan Hunter as he used the podium of our party to publicly denigrate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) by associating him with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). For those inspired by the ideals of constitutionally limited government, free …
Our Sheriff, Cafeteria Plans and Unintended Consequences
The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that our Sheriff has settled out of court with a local gun store owner. The article states that Dimitri Karras, owner of Ares Armor in Oceanside, sued San Diego County after sheriff officials deleted his combative comments from the Sheriff’s Department’s Facebook page and then banned him from posting further. Karras claimed it was …
Sheriff, I Think It’s Time
If I could have one wish it would be that our lives were more peaceful and less politicized. In order for peace to become a reality we must have a law system that allows persons with different beliefs about government and religion to live side by side. I am not aware of a better blueprint for this than the ideas codified in …
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