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America is not Iran, thank goodness

National Columnists

Over the past month, two governments faced widespread protests. One responded with mass killings. The other, under popular pressure, appears to be backing down. On Dec. 28, a collapse in the value of Iranian currency sparked demonstrations among shopkeepers in Tehran which then spread across the country. While it began as a protest against economic conditions, the goal soon turned to overthrowing the authoritarian regime that has ruled Iran for almost half a century. The government responded with murderous suppression. Estimates go as high as 36,000 people killed, about equal to the ...

Is Osama Bin Laden getting his wish?

National Columnists

Before our failure to prevent 9/11, which led to wars in Iraq and America’s longest war ever in Afghanistan, America was able to pay its bills. We had a balanced budget, thanks to former President Bill Clinton and a Republican Congress. So, I ask, is Osama bin Laden actually winning today in his quest to bankrupt America? Here is a fact: We have had to borrow money to pay the nation’s bills for the entire 21st century. When we cannot pay our bills, this means we are in a financial crisis, no matter how you sugarcoat it. For 25 years our politicians, both Democrats and ...

Consistency matters: Moral clarity requires it

National Columnists

As I read the commentary surrounding the latest deadly shooting in Minnesota, I see something deeper than disagreement over facts or law. I see a nation struggling to reconcile rights, authority, fear and accountability in moments when events move faster than judgment. Let’s begin with the Constitution and the Second Amendment. The right to bear arms is not granted by government; it is recognized as preexisting. Its historical purpose includes guarding against tyranny. But that truth does not cancel another: Constitutional rights were never meant to suspend moral responsibility or ...

What business are we in with measles?

National Columnists

Measles is a “cost of doing business,” says a highly placed official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I’d like to know what business that is. To be fair, let me finish the CDC principal deputy director’s quote. Ralph Abraham said that measles is a cost of doing business “with our borders being somewhat porous for global and international travel.” Thing is,the U.S. saw over 2,200 measles cases in 2025, the highest number since 1991 — when the border was presumably less porous and after the disease had been virtually eradicated. Its latest surge in ...

Mamdani’s homeless policy not helping anyone

National Columnists

The Big Apple is about to take on a new name — Tent City, or Filth City. Or perhaps Lepto City, after leptospirosis, a bacterial infection increasingly found in homeless encampments. New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is barring the New York Police Department from closing down encampments. Since Mamdani previewed his policy in December, new encampments are emerging in many neighborhoods. The consequences are dire both for vagrants and for the city’s viability. Between Friday, when the city was hit with a bone-chilling winter storm, and Sunday night, eight people were found ...

Mr. President, please free Caleb Bailey

National Columnists

“How can the life of such a man / Be in the palm of some fool’s hand?” — Bob Dylan, “Hurricane” You’ve probably never heard of Caleb Bailey, but he is a political prisoner who has been locked behind bars for nearly eight years; nine more years remain on his sentence. Anyone who has publicly supported Donald Trump should cringe when hearing the facts of his case. In his state of residence, Maryland, violent rapists, armed robbers and kidnappers have received shorter prison sentences. Yet Caleb has never in his life committed a violent act. Not once. So why is he in ...