Charles Krauthammer thinks Iraq is in a civil war and that it has been a civil war for a long time. By definition that is civil war, and there’s nothing new about it. As I noted here in November 2004: “People keep warning about the danger of civil war. This is absurd. There already is [...]

I REALLY like Austin and have thought about setting up shop down there, but nonsense like this makes me think twice. It’s not about the drinking. It’s about the whole “rights” thing. I guess Texas really is like a whole other country… Texas has begun sending undercover agents into bars to arrest drinkers for being [...]

I think Rhode Island has made the right move on a faith-based abstinence program. More from The Westerly Sun: PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island education officials have banned from public schools a federally funded abstinence program that civil rights advocates said embraced sexist stereotypes and included a voluntary student health survey that violated privacy laws. Lawyers [...]

RedState characterizes “them” as such: Those blogs attacking the Washington Post and Ben are so hate filled and envious, they refuse to accept Froomkin as one of their own. Hmmm….do any of you think Donklephant is hate filled and envious? Okay, I admit, I am filled with hate and envy. Damn, they got me.

When we liberated Afghanistan, the hope was the new leadership would create a democracy where personal freedoms were respected. And true, their Constitution guarantees religious freedoms, but their judical system doesn’t seem to be respecting that. And in the case of Abdul Rahman, the Muslim who coverted to Christianity and now faces the death penalty, [...]

From the man on the ground… Throughout 2005, I said in writing, on the radio and television that Iraq is in a state of Civil War. It had been in that state for decades. I’d point to all the kindling heaped around the country and point to the smoke on the horizon, but most people [...]

Haha, now this is funny. Rock musicians have these things called “riders.” They’re basically lists of thing that the performer wants in their dressing rooms, be it food, liquor, certain types of furniture, etc. Well, Cheney has a “rider” and one of the demands is that any television in his room(s) should already be tuned [...]

Things like this have to hurt: An article in The Metro Section [of the New York Times] on March 8 profiled Donna Fenton, identifying her as a 37-year-old victim of Hurricane Katrina who had fled Biloxi, Miss., and who was frustrated in efforts to get federal aid as she and her children remained as emergency [...]

I would never pollute the pages of Donklephant with a post that was little more than a toldja so.” But I have no problem doing it at home.”

Will Slaten breaks down the issue in a great article on polygamy, its pitfalls and why it isn’t like gay marriage…. Uh oh. Conservatives are starting to hyperventilate again. You know the symptoms: In a haystack of right-wing dominance, they find a needle of radicalism, declare it a mortal danger to civilization, and use it [...]

Vietnam Syndrome is the name of the mental disorder we’re seeing at work here. Just as the Left drew absurd pacifist, hair-shirt, anti-American conclusions from that war, so the Right drew its own wacky conclusions. Chief among these is that the media lost Vietnam.

You have to think the fix is in for Bush when he makes a major speech on the crucial issue in world affairs and the news media not only notes, but hangs its entire story on one word he didn’t use. The headline is “Bush Marks Anniversary, Never Says ‘War.’ ” And of course the [...]

The Basque separatist group ETA has declared a permanent cease fire. Although it’s always hard to trust a terrorist group, ETA is apparently serious about giving up terrorism as a tactic. Along with the IRA’s recent decision to surrender all their weapons, it appears the war on terror is going splendidly�at least with regard to [...]

The earliest known example of media balancing bad news stories with more upbeat perspectives came early on:

Speak your mind.

Americans For Freedom breaks down the points. First pros: 1. Has always been fiscally responsible, voting against pork, excessive spending, etc. He is currently working with Sen. Coburn to highlight each individual earmark. 2. Has consistently favored higher defense spending, favors a forward-leaning defense posture, and is one of the strongest defenders and communicators of [...]

This is a bit of tech wonkery, but I thought I’d share it anyway. When you type Mohammad Cartoons into Google, Donklephant is the 11th result. And it’s Alan Stewart Carl’s post about NOT printing the Mohammad cartoons that gets the ranking. In any event, it’s an interesting tech sidenote.

That isn’t my proclamation. That’s what an English Archbishop is saying. From the Guardian: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has stepped into the controversy between religious fundamentalists and scientists by saying that he does not believe that creationism – the Bible-based account of the origins of the world – should be taught in schools. [...]

A 10 year old read the book Freakonomics and emailed author Steven Levitt with a correction. Needless to say, Levitt posted it on his blog, and since they get far more traffic than we do, I’m reprinting the email in full. From the Freakonomics blog: Hello. I am Rohan Patel, I am 10 years old. [...]

So why didn’t we PAY attention to what Naji Sabri told us about Iraq weapons programs? In September 2002, Iraq’s top diplomat Naji Sabri traded information on Saddam’s alleged weapons programme for cash in a French-sponsored New York City hotel room meeting, NBC reported, citing intelligence sources. [...] During the cloak-and-dagger meeting, Sabri told the [...]