Obama’s Newspeak

The meaning of works, and history itself, are malleable when it comes to our president and his record.

by Victor Davis Hanson // National Review Online 

The nightmare societies portrayed in the George Orwell novels 1984 and Animal Farm gave

AnimalFarm_1stEdus the word “Orwellian.” That adjective reflects a vast government’s efforts not just to deceive and control the people, but also to do so by reinventing the meaning of ordinary words while rewriting the past itself.

America, of all places, is becoming Orwellian. The president repeatedly reminds the American people that under his leadership, the U.S. has produced a record level of new oil and natural gas. But didn’t Obama radically curtail leases for just such new energy production on federal lands? Have the edicts on the barn wall ofAnimal Farm been changed again, with the production of new oil and gas suddenly going from bad to good?

Does anyone remember that the Affordable Care Act was sold on the premise that it would guarantee retention of existing health plans and doctors, create 4 million new jobs, and save families $2,500 a year in premiums, all while extending expanded coverage to more people at a lower cost?

Only in Orwell’s world of doublespeak could raising taxes, while the costs of millions of health plans soars, be called “affordable.” Is losing your existing plan and doctor a way of retaining them?  Continue reading “Obama’s Newspeak”

Obama’s Blame Game

by Victor Davis Hanson

National Review Online

We are told there are lots of reasons why borrowing $5 trillion in less than three years and federalizing healthcare have not yet restored prosperity. Continue reading “Obama’s Blame Game”

Who Really Is “Anti-Science”?

by Bruce S. Thornton

FrontPage Magazine

In any national election we can depend on the usual liberal ad hominemattacks on Republicans and their candidates. Continue reading “Who Really Is “Anti-Science”?”

Defund the UN

by Bruce S. Thornton

Defining Ideas

Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has introduced in the House of Representatives the UN Transparency, Accountability, and Reform Act. Continue reading “Defund the UN”

Illiberal Immigration

by Victor Davis Hanson

Tribune Media Services

Recently, in symbolic fashion, spectators of Mexican ancestry in Pasadena’s Rose Bowl did not merely cheer on the Mexican national soccer team in a game against the US national team — such nostalgia would be natural and understandable for recent immigrants — but went much further and also jeered American players and, indeed, references to the United States. Continue reading “Illiberal Immigration”

The Art of Appreciating America From Abroad

by Victor Davis Hanson

PJ Media

Sense Out of Nonsense — A Ten-step Plan

I’ve been following the news the last two weeks — Weinergate, the dismal “unexpected” economic news, the new wars in Libya and Yemen — from Europe while leading about 60 on a military history tour of Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily. Continue reading “The Art of Appreciating America From Abroad”

The End of an Idea: Why Affirmative Action Should Stop

by Victor Davis Hanson

PJ Media

2011, not 1970?

We have had about a half-century of racial preferences and often unspoken but real quotas for hiring and admission based on racial identity. Continue reading “The End of an Idea: Why Affirmative Action Should Stop”

Imprecise Language Breeds Dangerous Policy

by Bruce S. Thornton

Advancing a Free Society

In his classic essay “Politics and the English Language,” George Orwell identified a “lack of precision” as the besetting sin of politicized writing, either through incompetence or indifference as to whether “words mean anything or not.” Continue reading “Imprecise Language Breeds Dangerous Policy”

California Abandons History for Melodrama

by Bruce S. Thornton

Advancing a Free Society

Just when you think California can’t get any wackier, the state legislature steps up and proves you wrong. Continue reading “California Abandons History for Melodrama”