Free Republic

Pro-Lifers Must Change More than the Law Commentary by W. James Antle III Jan 21, 2003 Three decades after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its Roe v. Wade decision, the American people remain as deeply divided over abortion as ever. Rather than being removed from politics, abortion is as firmly entrenched in each year’s political debates as taxes and the federal budget. Instead of waning, this political conflict is spilling over into the debate over such cutting-edge issues as stem-cell research and human cloning. On the one hand, those of us who disagree with Roe should be pleased that...

Abortion and Libertarianism: A Conclusion by W. James Antle III The abortion debate needn't be an endless rehashing of political minutiae when it can serve as an occasion for reexamining libertarian first principles. It touches on humanity as the basis for individual rights and the prohibition against initiatory violence. Libertarians reject aggression against other human beings, including lethal violence against the innocent. But some defend the killing of fetuses on the grounds that the fetus is a potential rather than actual human being, a human going to be rather than a human being as William Westmiller would say. Those making...

W. James Antle III Unintentional Plagiarism Plagiarism has been in the news an awful lot lately. It seems that a lot of well-regarded people have developed a knack for writing things that sound remarkably like things that have already been published. No, we're not talking about Mike Barnicle here. Eminent (or at least popular) historians Stephen Ambrose and Doris Kearns Goodwin have seen phrases in their most recent books compared to previously published works. This is especially interesting given the controversy over Joseph McGinnis' 1993 book The Last Brother involving material borrowed from Goodwin's The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys (1987)....

Dr. King In Perspective by W. James Antle III My respected colleague Chuck Morse has never been afraid to take controversial positions and his column about Martin Luther King, Jr. shortly before the national holiday named for him is no exception. Critics may miss the mark in their reaction to Chuck's piece, "Was Martin Luther King A Communist?" The question of Dr. King's relationship with some of the aides mentioned in the article has vexed conservatives for a long time. Nor should anyone question the motives behind his column. Chuck has been one of the few conservative commentators to outspokenly ...

No Room for "Bah Humbug" On Christmas By W. James Antle III Those with lives outside of ideological politics are content to celebrate their holidays with families and friends and leave those who believe differently alone. Yet each year without fail, hordes of politically correct marauders descend upon town centers and schoolyards in search of crèches and nativity scenes in an attempt to expunge the Judeo-Christian heritage from the public square. Who are these Cossacks of irreligion? Secularists who are offended by any reminder of the continued existence of Bible-believing Christians and feel that even the most innocuous expression of ...

Recounts Ad Nauseum By W. James Antle III You might think that a war is not the time to rehash divisive issues that we uneasily settled and in the process debate the legitimacy of the current president. This most likely means that you are not a member of the media. Helpfully, a media consortium consisting of the Associated Press and seven other news organizations has released the results of its "comprehensive" study of the ballots in Florida, reviving the debate over the closely fought 2000 presidential election. Predictably, this new data did nothing to resolve the debate between diehard supporters ...

FLOOD OF ILLEGAL MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS VICENTE FOX WANTS A "MIGRATION DEAL" By: W. James Antle III The media drumbeat in favor of an amnesty program for illegal immigrants, particularly from Mexico, may soon surpass the one in favor of embryonic stem-cell research. This time President Bush is benefiting from press advocacy. But will America? At least 6 million people live illegally in the United States; the true figure is likely closer to 9 million. Only 46,750 were deported last year. Illegal immigrants are now staying longer than ever and sending increasingly large sums of money back home - Newsweek magazine ...