Another Anti-War Conservative

James Antle takes a look at John Hostettler, the former Indiana congressman and Iraq War opponent, who hopes to challenge the centrist Democrat Evan Bayh in  this year's Senate race. The race should be interesting, especially since Rep. Mike Pence, a pro-war Republican with national popularity, has declined to run, making Hostettler, at least for now, the apparent front-runner for the Republican nomination. Writes Antle:

There are reasons the National Republican Senatorial Committee preferred Pence to Hostettler. Bayh was re-elected with 62 percent of the vote in 2004; Hostettler lost his House seat, drawing just 39 percent, in 2006. Hostettler's independence from the party line makes him unpredictable -- he was one of just six Republicans in the House to vote against authorizing the war in Iraq -- and his refusal to take political action committee money frequently causes him to fare poorly at fundraising. Bayh is sitting on a $12.7 million war chest.

U.S. to depoly Patriot missiles in Middle East

While at every turn President Obama attempts to distance himself from the policy decisions of the previous administration in Washington, the President sure seems to be following the same playbook in regards to foreign policy.  Several days ago during the State of the Union address, President Obama made a very decisive statement about Iran's 'nuclear capability':  "...Iran's leaders continue to ignore their obligations, there should be no doubt: They, too, will face growing consequences.  That is a promise."

There was certainly no hesitation in this decision, as today, British newspaper the Guardian reports:

The US is dispatching Patriot defensive missiles to four countries – Qatar, United Arab Emirates,  Bahrain  and  Kuwait – and keeping two ships in the Gulf capable of shooting down Iranian missiles. Washington is also helping Saudi Arabia develop a force to protect its oil installations.

It seems quite clear that the Nobel Peace Prize winner intends to remove diplomacy with Iran from the table and scrap any new 'hope' and 'change' in strategy with regards to how Tehran is approached.  It's also interesting to note that while they have operated oil installations for many years, Saudi Arabia appears to have realized a deficiency in its ability to protect their own interests.  You may read the entire article here.  

Everyone Will Be Equal (But Some More than Others)

I'm really looking forward to the film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" that Rachel Kania recently mentioned. Here again is the description of the story:

A short film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron, 2081  depicts a dystopian future in which, thanks to the 212th Amendment to the Constitution and the unceasing vigilance of the United States Handicapper General, everyone is "finally equal...." The strong wear weights, the beautiful wear masks and the intelligent wear earpieces that fire off loud noises to keep them from taking unfair advantage of their brains. It is a poetic tale of triumph and tragedy about a broken family, a brutal government, and an act of defiance that changes everything.

Before we consider the lessons of equality and liberty, we'd do well to first recognize that this society is not actually equal. "Regular" citizens are "equal," but the dictators and government officials that wield power over them are put on a much higher level than the rest of the populace.

The irony is, for government to enforce "equality," it has to create an inequality between government officials and the people.

Though we can't yet defeat the bad guys, it sure is fun to annoy them

I hope you all have your own ways of sticking it to the man, provided they will not harm the cause or aggress against private property.  Gary North's "recommendation" is my personal favorite:

"You can't fight city hall, but you can pee on the steps and run."