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Full header: What politicians can learn from Tolkien, Bill Federer recounts famous author's understanding of evils of human nature The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien describes man's insatiable lust for "the Ring of Power," as Gandalf exclaimed: "Always remember Frodo, the Ring is trying to get back to its master. It wants to be found." When Frodo offered the Ring to Gandalf, Gandalf rebuked him, saying: "Don't tempt me Frodo! I dare not take it. Not even to keep it safe. Understand, Frodo. I would use this ring from a desire to do good. ... But through me,...

Embattled Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump hit back hard on Sunday at critics who say he went too far with caustic comments about a U.S. television news anchor, insisting no apology was necessary and defending his relations with women. "I've had such an amazing relationship with women in business. They are amazing executives. They are killers. They are phenomenal," Trump said on ABC's "This Week." The billionaire and television personality, who leads the polls in the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, appeared on Sunday news shows to rebut the latest wave of outrage triggered by his off-the-cuff talk....

The female co-chair of Donald Trump's Iowa campaign is firing back against criticism that the real estate tycoon's comments about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly were sexist and inappropriate. -snip- Tana Goertz, Trump's Iowa co-chair, said she did not interpret the comment in the same way critics have, and was not offended. "I've always been treated with dignity and respect," she said. "I am a woman. I experience that every month. And it never crossed my mind. So I think people are just looking at pinpointing him as sexist and all these other things," Goertz said. I mean, we fought...

Presidential candidate Donald Trump sought to redirect incoming fire at rival Republican Jeb Bush, saying that Bush has a "huge" problem with women and he is by far the better candidate with that demographic. Trump excoriated Bush for saying "I'm not sure we need half a billion dollars for women's health issues" at a speech in Tennessee last week. Bush later said he misspoke, and he was only questioning the federal funding that goes to Planned Parenthood. "This is worse than what Romney did when he blew 47 percent of the vote with his ridiculous statements," Trump said, referencing a...

To understand the rise of Donald Trump, you’d do well not to fixate on the fact that he’s running under the Republican banner. During Thursday night’s Fox News debate, Trump made it clear that failing to secure the GOP nomination wouldn’t stop him from exploring an independent candidacy. And honestly, he’d be crazy not to. Trump is very far from a Republican regular. He represents an entirely different phenomenon, one that bears little resemblance to garden-variety American conservatism. That’s why Republicans shouldn’t fool themselves into believing that one lackluster debate performance will send him packing. Go to almost any European...

It could be said that Newt Gingrich's campaign "problems" of late have put the White House beyond the former speaker of the House's reach. The most recent issue was the defection of Newt's campaign staffers, who believed there was a strategy difference between themselves and Gingrich on how to move forward. But not so fast. The departure of Gingrich's staffers is nothing more or less than a breath of fresh air -- after all, it is Newt himself, and not his campaign advisers, who is running for president. The fact is that Newt Gingrich has a vision on how to...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – In an open letter to his young daughters, US president-elect Barack Obama said Thursday that he entered the race for the White House "because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation." "When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me -- about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world," Obama said in the letter published in Parade magazine, a weekend newspaper color supplement. "I realized that my own...

Hatin’ on Hillary: N.H. Dems lambaste Clinton By Brett Arends Boston Herald Business Columnist Monday, August 7, 2006 - Updated: 02:56 AM EST MANCHESTER, N.H. - Dick Bennett has been polling New Hampshire voters for 30 years. And he’s never seen anything like it. “Lying b**** . . . shrew . . . Machiavellian . . . evil, power-mad witch . . . the ultimate self-serving politician.” No prizes for guessing which presidential front-runner drew these remarks in focus groups. But these weren’t Republicans talking about Hillary Clinton. They weren’t even independents. These were ordinary, grass-roots Democrats. People who identified...

Religuous people are good people that are being led astray. They are systematically being manipulated to remove the power that they have to use their potent brains. It is easy to believe someone who says he has an alluring answer, an answer that cannot be logically disputed. The fundamental mechanics of religion are the same as a virus. It attacks those that are mentally weakened, and when they are young and suscepable to the concept of magic. Understanding of the beautiful complexity of the world is opening up to individuals that grasp the complex concepts. The universe seems to be...

No Name Calling Week?     1/12/2005By Warren Throckmorton, Ph.D.Yes, name-calling is wrong. But this event’s sponsors reveal the agenda behind banning it. “There is a special place in hell for people like you!” These words were directed at me by a teacher during this past summer’s National Education Association (NEA) convention in Washington, D.C. This delegate to the NEA convention made his prediction in response to my presence at the NEA’s Ex-Gay Educators’ Caucus booth in the convention exhibit hall. His cheery salutation caught me off-guard given the message of tolerance and acceptance I had been hearing around the exhibit hall....