Free Republic

Galloway vs. Hitchens: Western Civilization Wins Written by Cinnamon Stillwell Saturday, September 24, 2005 When British Respect Party MP George Galloway spoke before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee regarding allegations that he’d personally profited from the U.N. oil-for-food scandal, he was hailed as a hero to the American anti-war movement. Galloway’s defiance in the face of the U.S. government thrilled his fans on the left, who probably didn’t much care whether or not he’d been cited six times as an oil contract beneficiary by the former Iraqi Minister of Oil. Of course, Galloway denied it all, but he certainly gave a...

Mexico's President Vicente Fox is having a tough year.During the much-publicized Minuteman Project in Arizona last March, Fox's arrogant comments and dismissive attitude didn't win him too many fans north of the border. Then in May, while making yet another speech about how America couldn't function without illegal immigrants from Mexico, Fox managed to insult African Americans in the process. He claimed that illegals do the work that "not even black people want to do," implying that African Americans make up the lowest rungs of society. About a month later came the unveiling of Mexico's latest series of postage stamps,...

Every generation reaches a point where it starts grousing about "these kids today" and how much better things were in the good old days. Having reached my ripe old 30s, I guess it's my turn. Although I hardly grew up in an age of innocence, the world I left behind strikes me as relatively genteel in comparison. But it isn't just the kids today that disturb me; it's also their parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. The general coarsening of society seems to be creeping upon us, and it often feels as if there is little one can do to stop...

OPINION: Supporting The Troops? Not On Campus - Cinnamon Stillwell Wednesday, May 4, 2005 It's been a tough couple years for America's antiwar movement. Unable to effect change at the ballot box and frustrated by the lack of popular support for its agenda, the antiwar crowd has turned its sights on the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and other military recruitment on college campuses across the country. It's becoming increasingly common for antiwar activists to stage protests and disruptions at college job fairs involving military recruiters. The greater Bay Area, in particular, has become a locus for such activity, with...

To the extent that one hears the term neocon in the Bay Area, the connotation is usually sinister. But few critics actually know of whom they speak. Beyond the stereotypes, neoconservatism is simply another strain in American political history. The original neocons were liberal intellectuals who gravitated toward the Republican Party in the late 1960s and early '70s out of frustration with the Democrats' approach to defense. Distinguishing themselves from traditional conservative isolationists, they later formed the core of the Reagan Republicans. They supported the Reagan administration's strategies toward the Soviet Union, which are now credited in large part with...

Listen While You Freep! All programs are replayed for 23 hours and again on weekends so tune in when it's convenient for YOU! Call In Number - 866-884-TALK (8255) Heating the EDGE of a New Media! 1pm EST - THE GREAT ONE, Mark Levin will join us to talk about his new book, "Men In Black" -- a must read for anyone who cares about the future of the federal judiciary. 2pm EST - "THE MAKING OF A 9/11 REPUBLICAN" chronicles the transformation of my guest, writer Cinnamon Stillwell, who came from liberal Marin County and had her world changed...

THE MAKING OF A 9/11 REPUBLICAN Many of you were impressed with THE MAKING OF A 9/11 REPUBLICAN. It chronicled the transformation of writer Cinnamon Stillwell, who came from liberal Marin County and had her world changed forever on 9-11. Cinnamon will be my guest tomorrow on Rightalk Radio at 2pm Eastern. It will be a compelling hour of radio. The left is intolerant, not our side. RIGHTALK RADIO

As one of a handful of Bay Area conservative columnists, I'm no stranger to pushing buttons. Indeed, I welcome feedback from readers, whether positive or negative. I find the interplay stimulating, but I am often bemused by the stereotypical assumptions made by my critics on the left. It's not enough to simply disagree with my views; I have to be twisted into a conservative caricature that apparently makes opponents feel superior. They seem not to have considered that it's possible to put forward different approaches to various societal problems and not be the devil incarnate.

But more than anything, it was the left's hypocrisy when it came to the war on terrorism that made me turn rightward after 9/11. I remember, back in my liberal days, being fiercely opposed to the Taliban and its brutal treatment of women. Even then, I felt that Afghanistan should immediately be liberated, as Malcolm X once said in another context, by any means necessary. But when it came time, it turned out that the left was mostly opposed to such liberation, whether of the Afghan people or of the Iraqis (especially if America and a Republican president were at...

As one of a handful of Bay Area conservative columnists, I'm no stranger to pushing buttons. Indeed, I welcome feedback from readers, whether positive or negative. I find the interplay stimulating, but I am often bemused by the stereotypical assumptions made by my critics on the left. It's not enough to simply disagree with my views; I have to be twisted into a conservative caricature that apparently makes opponents feel superior. They seem not to have considered that it's possible to put forward different approaches to various societal problems and not be the devil incarnate. But in some ways I...

Hey folks, Earlier this week, I sent out the link to my SFGate column on the San Francisco handgun ban proposal. Well, it's doing quite well so far and has generated a lot of feedback. In fact, I've added several new people to this list--welcome! The article has been linked at the NRA site and some other pro-gun and conservative radio (KSFO) sites and blogs. And on Tuesday, I did an interview with Spencer Hughes of the Sonoma station KSRO, which went really well. Unfortunately, that station doesn't have online streaming audio, so I didn't send out the link. But...