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What does it mean to be an American?

The chaotic confrontation in Dearborn, Michigan, last Tuesday — when a demonstrator attempted to burn a Qur’an and Muslim counter-protesters surged — was more than a brief flash of drama. Along with other recent controversies in Arab-majority Dearborn, such as when the Muslim mayor told a Christian minister he “was not welcome here” and was an “Islamophobe” for objecting to renaming a local street after a Hezbollah-supporting journalist, this latest cultural skirmish yet again underscores longstanding concerns about America’s immigration regime — and, above all, the ...

Immigration enforcement not equivalent to Holocaust

Whence cometh the conviction, in America and even more in Britain and Europe, that open borders is the only moral immigration policy? Of course, not everyone believes that, and many who do stop short of saying so. But the contrast between the rhetoric and policies of the first two decades of the century and those that have prevailed since President Donald Trump’s election is unmistakable. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, like the George Bushes, professed to want to enforce immigration laws. They decried the flood of illegals that crested in the prosperous decade ...

Move to red state for more ‘affordability’

The buzzword of the month is “affordability,” and based on the election results from New York, New Jersey and Virginia, voters think that’s declining. Democrats think they’ve found a winning issue here to win back the hearts and minds of voters after the Trump sweep last year. It’s true that people are angry about prices. Steaks and hamburgers are more expensive than ever. So are coffee and rents and medical care. Many Americans are about to see a 10%-20% increase in their health care premiums starting in January. But who’s to blame? President Donald Trump said he would ...

Former vice president was great boss

To the rest of the world he was the vice president of the United States, but we all called him “the boss.” He was the ultimate boss. Dick Cheney was tough. That part of him is widely understood. Almost everything else is misunderstood. Working for him for eight years, the man I got to know, admire and respect was nothing like the guy portrayed in public. As a boss, he expected a lot. If you couldn’t deliver, you wouldn’t be around for long. If you could, he was amazing to work for. Think of any quality you want in a boss, and Dick Cheney had it. The White House can be a ...

America is not ready for female president?

Former first lady Michelle Obama says America is not ready for a female president. In a series of recent interviews promoting her new book, Michelle Obama points to the losses of Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton as evidence of what she regards as sexism. Recall that similar things were once said about John F. Kennedy, that America was not ready for a Catholic president. More recently some said America wasn’t ready for a Black president. And yet in 2008, 43 percent of white voters voted for Barack Obama. In 2012, it was 39 percent. Michelle Obama’s comments continue the focus on ...

We must strengthen religion in US

Per new polling reported by Gallup, religion is no longer important to most Americans. In response to the question “Is religion an important part of your daily life,” 49% said yes. Ten years ago, in 2015, 66% responded affirmatively. Gallup notes that this 17-point drop “ranks among the largest Gallup has recorded in any country over any 10-year period since 2007.” This departure from religion has partisan characteristics. In 2001, per Gallup, 11% of Democrats and 7% of Republicans said they have no religion. In 2023, this difference widened to 33% of Democrats and 12% ...