Free Republic

Yes, Annika Should Stay Out! By Joseph J. Sabia A number of conservative readers are very unhappy with my position on Annika Sorenstam’s involvement on the PGA Tour. Their argument goes something like this: “You are a conservative. Conservatives are supposed to believe in merit-based policies. Annika played by the same rules as the men, so you should have no problem with her.” My brief response to this argument is threefold: (1) Beware of blind devotion to merit. First, and most importantly, women cannot compete with men athletically. Physical differences cannot be ignored just because some wish they would go...

Do Right-Wingers Ever Defend Their Own? Did I miss the memo again? I am mystified by right-wing pundits’ reactions to the attempted lynching of Bill Bennett. Do these people ever defend their own? Ever? A few months back, right-wing pundits at National Review and The Weekly Standard began to pressure Trent Lott into resigning as Senate Majority Leader because he told an “offensive” joke at Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday party. Almost no conservative journalists—save the excommunicated Pat Buchanan and Bob Novak—defended Lott from unfair, outrageous, and unproven charges of racism. Rather, they piled on and locked arms with Jesse Jackson,...

Democrats’ 2004 Kamikaze Mission The Democrats want to lose the 2004 presidential election. This is the only possible explanation for their political kamikaze mission over the last year. What are these people thinking? Consider some of their more brilliant tactics since 9/11: (1) Accusing President Bush of having prior knowledge of September 11. Remember this insanity? Last May, the Democrats started gleefully frolicking around, declaring that the Bush Administration had knowledge of al Qaeda’s plan to hijack planes and slam them into the Twin Towers. Mrs. Bill Clinton stood up on the Senate floor and waved a copy of the...

The Feminine Mistake Cornell University's Women Studies department has long been a haven for anti-male, fanatical, feminist ideologues. Earlier this year, faculty members in the department demonstrated just how far out of the cultural mainstream they have become. Deciding that "Women's Studies" was not a sufficiently radical department title, the College of Arts and Sciences has formally adopted a new name: Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (FGSS). Break out the whips, chains, and army boot-clad lesbians! The abortion-loving crowd is busting out of the "women's studies" closet and joining the gender-bending world of feminist sex. On the one hand, you...

Even a Hypocrite is Half-Right CHELMSFORD, MA—Hypocrisy is seen as a mortal sin in the public debate of ideas. A debater is constantly looking for a “gotcha” moment in which he can catch his opponent in an apparent contradiction in argumentation. At that point, the debater pounces and proclaims that his opponent is intellectually bankrupt and an embarrassment to society. But is hypocrisy really so bad? The New Testament is filled with references of Jesus chastising the Pharisees and Saducees for being self-righteous hypocrites. Christians are told to look inward before judging others, to love our neighbors as ourselves, and...

NYS Republicans: “Every Word You Say, I’ll Be Watching You!” This past week, I learned from several sources that members of the New York State Republican Committee are monitoring my column. They are reportedly “very concerned” that an “ideological war” is breaking out in Ithaca. In particular, my recent columns criticizing the Ithaca College Republicans and lambasting moderates have caused great consternation for many. But it goes further. One absurd allegation coming out of Albany suggests that four members of the Cornell Republicans—including myself—physically intimidated Ithaca College Republican Chairman Kyle Clark in an attempt to force him to retract his...