“Thomas Jefferson” on The Daily Caller

Most Americans know that Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, but few know that the foundational concepts of freedom from which Jefferson drew came from the pulpit and pen of a pastor who served decades before the War of Independence: the Rev. John Wise. (more)

As the press follows its president to Ireland to trumpet his “Irish” roots, O’bama will speak about the value to the U.S.A. of immigration. I suspect Maria Shriver should give the rebuttal. (more)

One of the more interesting and quite objectionable efforts in this nascent 2012 election season is the attempt by some prominent conservative political pundits, of a secular and libertarian bent, to silence and delegitimize social and cultural conservatives. (more)

It is the greatest good to the greatest number of people which is the measure of right and wrong.
– Jeremy Bentham (more)

Irony is defined as “the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.” The term doublespeak means “evasive, ambiguous language that is intended to deceive or confuse.” (more)

We’re about to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth. As much as I would like to praise that great and good man, I have to wonder what he would do about Egypt. (more)

In the aftermath of Tucson, my congressional colleagues and I have been reflecting on the potential dangers of public life and the importance of accessibility to a functioning democracy. The fact is, persons with mental disabilities are occasionally motivated by their illness to contact and even confront members of Congress. From time to time, my own offices have dealt with such individuals. (more)

“There’s nothing new under the sun,” said President Harry Truman, “there’s only history we haven’t learned yet.” The history we haven’t learned yet was on display on page one of the Washington Post last week. Post writers Philip Rucker and David Farenthold reported on the reading of the Constitution by newly sworn-in members of the 112th Congress. (more)

As I write (early this evening), Arizona Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is fighting for her life after being shot in the head during a constituency event outside a grocery store in Tucson. (more)

For various reasons the Mormon Church has become established in some people’s thinking as the knee-jerk monster mind-melder whenever Mormons run for office. (more)

At the close of the 111th Congress, America is deeply in the bog of Thomas Jefferson’s prophetic warning: “The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first.” Unfortunately, the broken chains of the Constitution have failed to contain the federal government. (more)

It’s Christmastime, so the ACLU is doing what it does best — hounding public officials to turn observance of this Christian (and federal) holiday into a winter solstice thingy — or else. (more)

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10: Kicking off a spectacular week of sensitivity toward women’s issues, tonight Olbermann giddily crowed over the fact that two BBC reporters mispronounced “Secretary of Culture Hunt.” Then he told a story about the time that he himself made a pronunciation error in reporting on air about a “quail hunt.” GET IT? He repeated it several times in case you didn’t, almost bouncing out of his chair with excitement over the cleverness and hilarity of it all. (more)

Humanity: an imperfect creation searching for salvation, seeking atonement, or simply the result of biology. Whatever we are also defines who we are today and the next stop on our common journey. Throughout history, the struggle for equality and human rights has been plagued by malice and corruption. Occasional examples of character emerge to inspire us all. Homer’s Hector was moral and good. He was a warrior. Unlike most characters in ancient Greek tales, he was a devoted husband and father. Hector honored his father, King Priam of Troy, simply by demonstrating restraint and profound loyalty. The courage and triumph of Moses, Cinque — the slave who led a mutiny aboard the Amistad — Nelson Mandela, Stephen Biko, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the uncommon valor of our Armed Forces, especially those who earned the Congressional Medal of Honor, figure prominently into the American identity and our concept of human rights. (more)

’Tis the season to celebrate the annual festive tradition of refusing to call Christmas “Christmas.” (more)

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Last week the American people sent a clear message to Washington — business as usual must end. For years politicians and bureaucrats have spent the taxpayers’ monies as if they had a blank check, going on spending sprees while Main Street suffered. Whether it was the government bailing out Wall Street or big businesses, somehow small businesses and hard-working, middle-class families were always left behind. Distrust in the federal government is at a record high because of the disconnect between Washington and the rest of the country. (more)

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry is frustrated. He recently spoke to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and complained that we are in “a period of know-nothingism in the country, where truth and science and facts don’t weigh in. It’s all short-order, lowest-common-denominator, cheap-seat politics.” He’d really like to elect a new people. (more)

Since retiring from the Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has been on a mission to overcome the ignorance of far too many students in our schools of the roots of their liberties in American history. (more)

Thomas Jefferson once said that a judge should be “a mere machine.” (more)