President Obama has submitted his administration’s legal dispute with Arizona over immigration to the U.N.’s Human Rights Council. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer called that move “downright offensive.” Her characterization is correct, albeit somewhat mild. It is highly offensive that the administration would submit a constitutional argument over federalism and federal preemption to an international body for review – especially when that body includes dictatorial tyrannies such as Cuba and China that violate human rights routinely and with prejudice. It is another sign that President Obama holds our constitutional system of …
On Monday evening, Dutch authorities detained Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al Soofi (of Detroit) and Hezem al Murisi when their United Airlines flight from Chicago landed in Amsterdam. It’s always a big mistake to jump to “instant analysis” based on preliminary press reports. But it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise if these two men turn out to have had bad intent. Al Soofi and al Murisi are suspected of making a dry run for a future terrorist attack. Dry runs are common in the terrorism trade. Terrorists are a …
The front page of The New York Times yesterday featured a very long story on the state displacing the market within the Chinese economy. Hats off to the Times for getting it right, but they’re late. Very late. In fall 2002, a new Chinese government, led by current President Hu Jintao and current Premier Wen Jiabao, came to power. From the beginning, this government was bent on reversing market-oriented economic reform and started immediately by sharply expanding state-orchestrated lending and investment. Indications of the reversal were plain by September 2003—seven …
Last week, we noted that the U.S. State Department had submitted its “Report of the United States of America” to the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights. This report was compiled as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) organized by the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). The U.S. report is revealing of the Obama Administration’s dissatisfaction with parts of America’s record on human rights. Steven Groves and Brett Schaefer have outlined basic flaws in the UPR process including the poor human rights records of the HRC’s members. …
Tonight President Barack Obama will deliver a prime-time Oval Office address on Iraq. Acting as President of the United States, the leader of a country, not a movement, tonight would be a perfect time for Obama to give due credit to those commanders who made the current progress in Iraq possible. He should thank General Ray Odierno, who implemented the counterinsurgency strategy that led to the dramatic decrease in violence in Iraq, General David Petraeus, who oversaw all coalition forces in Iraq during the surge, and President George W. Bush, …
America is having a serious conversation on taxes and their impact on economic growth: The Obama administration is making the case for raising taxes by not extending the Bush tax cuts; Opponents counter that raising taxes in the midst of a weak economy would be disastrous. For the record, we agree with the latter group. But this important discussion should not depend on a willful distortion of the English language. Yet, such an Orwellian perversion takes place every time people repeat that when government does not raise taxes it incurs …
As the summer begins to wind down, many are beginning to take a second look at the grandiose promises made by the Administration about this summer before its start. While this “Recovery Summer” was lauded as the must-see event of the summer, the reality failed to match the rhetoric. But as many Foundry readers understand, the entire proposition was doomed from the start. Plans planted in flawed Keynesian economics will not bear any fruit. Our latest video exposes this failure, highlighting the Administration’s continued attempt to pass off failed economic …
The fact that the Obama Administration mentioned the Arizona law involving illegal immigration and the federal government’s legal challenge in its submission to the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC) for the upcoming review of America’s human rights record under the Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) has been raising eyebrows. The UPR is a relatively new effort created by the HRC (at the instruction of the U.N. General Assembly resolution establishing the council) to review the human rights practices of all countries in the world. The UPR began in 2008 and …
The New START Treaty, a treaty signed between the U.S. and Russia, is promoted by the Obama Administration as a means toward a reduction of nuclear weapons between the nations. Senator Richard Lugar (R–IN), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told C-SPAN (according to The Hill) that “a ‘large majority’ of members in his party will back [the treaty] and that it will be ratified.” Lugar is the only Republican to pledge support to date, and any prediction of this controversial treaty passing in a lame duck session …
It’s rather ironic that the activists who routinely lament government’s failure to protect public health are among the most vociferous proponents of expanding government powers. This month’s massive egg recall, involving more than 500 million eggs from two Iowa farms, is but the latest example. The recall, initiated August 13, was prompted by a dramatic spike in cases of salmonella enteritidis documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From the time the news broke, blame for the salmonella outbreak has been widely attributed to “deregulation,” with a variety …
