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Paul Shlichta
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October 5, 2017
Holy Hillary!Hillary Clinton may be the best evangelist of the 21st century so far. She sure did get a whole lot of people to pray.
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April 6, 2017
Gorsuch vs. SotomayorHistory is repeating itself with these confirmation hearings – except that this time, the SCOTUS nominee isn't a raving incompetent leftist.
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November 7, 2016
Tales from the Suicide ClubVoters in Colorado should consider the myriad bad consequences that come from enshrining doctor-assisted suicide into law.
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April 1, 2016
From ‘Madam Secretary’ to 'Madam President’?A subtle strategy needs an appropriate response.
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March 25, 2016
Once again, Hillary doesn't know what she's talking aboutOne must conclude that the former first lady and secretary of state is just not that bright.
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December 21, 2015
Contrasting liberal views of gun control and immigrationA doctrine is valid only if the logical principle behind it is valid.
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February 2, 2015
Politicians as playersThere are many parallels between professional sports and politics.
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January 31, 2015
A sad footnote to Explorer DayIt looks like political stupidity has finally won out over the space program.
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January 6, 2015
The Paradoxes of Capital PunishmentProponents and opponents alike have problems to face.
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December 29, 2014
The Month of 'Remember'"Remember would be the month when you did everything you put off during the first twelve months.”
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November 25, 2014
The Missing Word in the Immigration DebateRepublicans must change their strategy and do what they have so far failed to do: win the war of words and propose alternative programs instead of merely opposing Democratic proposals.
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November 21, 2014
Divorce, German-StyleMaybe it's time to grant the needed divorce between urban population centers and the rest of their respective states.
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October 20, 2014
Renaming the 'Holidays'We have been remiss in reconsidering the names of our special days so as to expunge any trace of bigotry or noninclusiveness.
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June 15, 2014
On Being a ParentIf “love” is interpreted as meaning a delight in the fact that someone exists, then wanting to have children is a natural consequence of falling in love.
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January 6, 2014
Obama's War Against the ElderlyYou and your life insurance company want you to enjoy a long life. But frankly, your government wishes otherwise.
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December 11, 2013
Mandela's Forgotten PartnerWe humans are by nature idolatrous; we crave god-like heroes. In our haste to build a pedestal for a new idol, we often appropriate achievements that were actually the work of others.
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October 16, 2013
The Pacific Northwest's Chameleon CandidateAn exciting (if inscrutable) breed of politician has popped up in Washington State.
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October 15, 2013
Scientists' Eyes on the PrizeSo Peter Higgs finally got the Nobel Prize he so richly deserved. He was lucky. What is so magically mesmerizing about such prizes? And what good are they?
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September 30, 2013
How to Make Obamacare ObsoleteThe fundamental issue is reducing costs by radically changing our antiquated healthcare processes.
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September 12, 2013
Cultured Meat, PETA, and Mandel's CowTechnology has finally made vegetarians an offer they can't refuse -- maybe.
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September 12, 2013
A Comparison of ThreatsI'm a little confused. shouldn't we apply the same tests to WMD holders?
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September 8, 2013
Media Mudded Manning's MetamorphosisJournalists like to think of themselves as bold and fearless. In practice, they are often a timid bunch of rabbits -- as evidenced by their handling of Private Manning gender problem.
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June 25, 2013
What's wrong with Same-Sex Marriage?Too high a price to pay for making homosexuals feel better about themselves.
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May 8, 2013
The Source of Our Moral Decay?"If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he comes next to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination."
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October 29, 2012
Is the Obama Machine Running Out of Steam?The Obama machine resembles a leaky engine that has lost some of its original efficiency but is still functioning.
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October 14, 2012
Button-Pushing for RomneyOnce again, the Democrats are outperforming the Republicans.
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October 2, 2012
A Tale of Two VideosYouTube has replaced the soapbox as a platform for political expression.
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September 25, 2012
Distress signal: A Sign for Our TimeAt a meeting where the opposition continually prevents you from being heard by shouting you down, your best recourse is to wave a highly visible sign, preferably a picture.
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September 23, 2012
A Call for a Pre-Election Day of PrayerIt is likely that the lives of ourselves and our children will be profoundly affected by the outcome of this election. We must implore God to inspire us to choose wisely -- or else prepare to endure the consequences of our folly.
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April 9, 2012
Hillary's Plan BIn the middle of the battle for this year's Republican nomination, a curiously irrelevant diversion has appeared. Suddenly, we're told, a "Hillary 2016" bandwagon has sprung up out of nowhere.
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January 8, 2012
A Provisional Anatomy of TruthWe frequently criticize MSM journalists for distorting the truth. But what is "truth"?
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December 26, 2011
The Roots of Liberalism and ConservatismConservatism is based on the concept that "all men are equal but not necessarily good," while liberalism is derived from the idea that "all men are good but not necessarily equal."
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March 25, 2011
And Where it Stops, Nobody KnowsExcuse me for not joining in the cheering for the recent uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, and other Islamic countries . I'm very nervous about revolutions, especially those that take place in February.
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February 27, 2011
William F. Buckley, Jr. Left Us Three Years Ago TodayGod rest ye, merry gentleman. We miss you
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December 21, 2010
A Desperate Plan to Save Our DollarInspirations often arise from the accidental juxtaposition of two concepts that have not been combined before. My plan for saving the U.S. dollar was inspired by a Christmas gift.
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December 11, 2010
Welcome to AT&T!I'm pleased to inform you that Consumer Reports has rated AT&T as the worst of all major cell phone carriers. I can assure you that they deserve the honor.
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October 20, 2010
This Year's October SurpriseIt now seems that there will be no spectacular national event, but rather, in numerous local contests, a series of "tomato surprises."
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October 7, 2010
My Nomination for the Nobel Peace PrizeThere is always the possibility that the Norwegian quintet that decides these matters might be seized by a spasm of common sense and award the prize to someone who has really contributed to world peace
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October 1, 2010
Facebook's Phony FriendshipsIn the last few months, I have received half a dozen e-mails, inviting me to become a "friend" on Facebook. In every case, I have politely declined.
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September 28, 2010
The Beatification of HillaryThere are no coincidences in politics. This article was published only because the high priests of Hillarity wanted it published
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September 27, 2010
How to Lose an ElectionI always admired Thomas E. Dewey for publicly admitting that he had managed to "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" in the 1948 election. Let us hope that we don't have to make the same confession this November.
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June 20, 2010
The Madness of Mothers and the Folly of FathersIf the truth be told (as it probably shouldn't), fathers often think mothers are insane while mothers think fathers are cold and unfeeling.
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April 11, 2010
Salvaging the Wreckage of the Catholic Church?From its beginning, the Catholic Church has been plagued with would-be gravediggers and salvagers.
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March 7, 2010
The Felix Awards: The Best Movies You Never SawThe stories that should have been made.
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February 22, 2010
Taking Rosen's Joke Too SeriouslyWhen involved in a desperate struggle, as conservatives now are, it is important to keep one's sense of humor.
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February 14, 2010
A Cautionary Valentine for LoversAnyone who attempts to define love or advise lovers is a fool. Since I have never claimed to be anything else, I shall try to do both.
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February 6, 2010
What's Wrong with 'Retarded'?I admit that it's fun watching an adroit manipulator of political correctness get hoisted with his own petard and be forced to meekly eat his words.
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December 31, 2009
Looking back and looking forwardLooking back on 2009 is not pleasant; it has not been a very good year.
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December 1, 2009
Why Scientists Lie -- and What to Do about ItThe motives and methods of science deceivers.
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November 18, 2009
Cosby and ObamaObama does have considerable potential as a comedian. He just needs better writers and a slightly more exaggerated delivery.
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October 24, 2009
The Apotheosis of OperaOpera waited four hundred years for its apotheosis. Despite its marvelous ability to intensify the emotions of a drama, it has largely remained an esoteric pleasure. Technology has made the difference.
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October 12, 2009
Damien, Stevenson, and UsAt long last, Damien the leper has been canonized as a saint of the Catholic Church.
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September 13, 2009
'Google News' or 'Obama News'? (updated)I hope this was an accident, a fluke that can be rationally explained. If not, then our news is being censored beyond the wildest excesses of the Soviet Union.
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August 20, 2009
We Need a Republican Response to ObamaCareRepublicans can exploit the rift among the Democerats.
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June 19, 2009
'Goode' is ExcellentConsidering the filthy state of current TV, I am delightedly astonished to be able to wholeheartedly recommend a new show
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June 14, 2009
Inside Letterman's HeadHis inane and nasty canards against the Palins must be partly forgiven because it's the only thing he knows how to do.
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June 4, 2009
The Strange Beliefs of Leonard PittsSyndicated columnist Leonard Pitts has an irritating habit of adding two and two and getting seven.
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May 23, 2009
Obama and Henry ClayIn his eloquent plea for finding common ground on a deep moral issue, our president is following the lead of Henry Clay.
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May 17, 2009
How Notre Dame Drifted Away from the Catholic ChurchThe old Latin proverb nemo repente turpissimus can be translated as "nobody becomes very evil overnight."
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May 17, 2009
Sister Pelosi meets a Water BoardA beloved American folk tale, updated for the Speaker.
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May 14, 2009
Obama as Marc AntonySome of Barack Obama's education at expensive elite schools seems to have paid off.
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March 24, 2009
Is Obama Creating a BC Bubble?Overextending government in two ways could lead to horrendous consequnces.
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March 11, 2009
Rush Limbaugh and the Two Minute HateFor the past eight years, the Democrats have made intense and persistent use of the Two Minute Hate technique that George Orwell described in Nineteen Eighty-Four
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February 26, 2009
How He Did It: A Diagrammatic Analysis of the Obama CampaignLike the spear-carrying soldiers of Ethiopia, overwhelmed by Mussolini's tanks and poison gas in 1936, the Republicans simply don't know what hit them in last year's election.
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February 16, 2009
The Stimulus Bill Smells of TurpentineI suspect that Obama has in mind a definite ulterior plan, for the sake of which he wants the current stimulus bill to fail to revive the economy.
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February 15, 2009
Can Governments have 'Bubbles'?Can governments, like commodities or companies, be victims of "bubble" collapses.
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October 24, 2008
In Defense of Negative CampaigningObama and his supporters have decried McCain's "negativity" and "hateful rhetoric". We are told that we should stick to the issues and not attack a candidate's personality or competence. These complaints are wrong
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October 19, 2008
The Mendacity of HopeI am deeply indebted to Barack Obama for reminding me that hope is often used as bait in scams.
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October 12, 2008
The Lords of Life and The Lords of DeathPhysician-assisted suicide, which is now legal in Oregon and may soon become so in the state of Washington, is putting an intolerable strain on the medical profession.
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October 8, 2008
Dirty tricks for a higher cause?The Democrats, having in true Yahoo fashion thrown every manner of filth at McCain and Palin, are now shocked to see some mud coming in their direction.
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October 3, 2008
The Enigma of ObamaA school of thought is emerging that Barack Obama has an advanced form of narcissistic personality disorder.
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September 12, 2008
Will Chotiner's Law Work in 2008?Murray Chotiner was the Ty Cobb of political campaigning, a ruthless and brilliant exponent of the philosophy that "politics is war." What would he think about this year' election?
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August 19, 2008
An Anatomy of Flip-FloppingWith accusations of flip-flopping coming from all sides this summer, we should make sure that we are using the word correctly.
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August 4, 2008
The Olympics and the Presidential GamesIs it a coincidence, I wonder, that our presidential elections are held the same years as the summer Olympics? Or is it the natural affinity of one sporting event for another?
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July 2, 2008
The Lighter Side of ObamaThere is something intrinsically ridiculous about Obama's retinue of starstruck devotees. History has seen this sort of thing before, and a couple of famous satirists have made merry at exactly the same phenomenon.
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June 20, 2008
How Big Money is Hijacking a Small Business Technology ProgramCongress has inflicted a death blow to one of the great incubators of technological small businesses.
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May 19, 2008
Some Logical Corollaries of California's Gay Marriage DecisionIn order to appease an intransigent minority group, the California Supreme Court has resorted to inventing a new legal principle to justify their predetermined goal. It could lead in unexpected directions.
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May 18, 2008
Let's Give Obama the Benefit of the DoubtWe know all too well what makes Hillary tick and McCain seems to be an open book. But Obama is a man of mystery; I propose we give him the benefit of the doubt, though he may not apprecaite the gesture.
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April 19, 2008
Why Worry about Deaf Babies?England is currently deciding whether or not to legalize the use of embryo selection to produce deaf babies to accommodate deaf couples. This, and much worse, is the logical consequence of our legalization of abortion.
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December 21, 2007
Fighting against a Christless ChristmasWishing to keep Christians from participating in the infamous orgies of the year-end pagan festival of Saturnalia, in the fourth centery the Church established December 25 as the feast of the birth of Christ. Ever since, Christmas has seldom been entirely free of Saturnalian contamination.
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October 21, 2007
Honk if You Want to Stamp out Cell Phone DrivingI hope that you're as irritated as I have been about people driving through the streets with one hand on the wheel and the other clutching a cell phone.
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August 11, 2007
Politicians and Their Self-DelusionsPoliticians assume that everyone who votes for them is enthusiastically endorsing their policies
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August 2, 2007
Just say "No!" to YouTube DebatesI breathed a sigh of relief when most of the Republican presidential hopefuls declined to participate in the next YouTube debate.
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July 10, 2007
Who is Losing What War in Iraq?President Bush's apt comparison of the present situation to the Revolutionary War evokes a vivid image of Nancy Pelosi and Harold Reid, as members of the Continental Congress, screaming that the war is lost and demanding that we surrender to the British immediately.
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June 20, 2007
Thrift, Thrift, HoratioThe clamor for harvesting stem cells from embryos, as in the current bill passed by Congress, seems at first glance puzzling.
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April 1, 2007
Seating ArrangementsIn a recent analysis of current gender disparities in communication, Selwin Duke wisely refrained from tackling the toilet-seat-position (TSP) issue.
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February 4, 2007
Obscenity in Los Angeles in 1966Once long ago took it upon myself to formulate a universal definition of obscenity-thanks to some help from playwright Bertolt Brecht, artist Ed Kienholz, and fabulist Hans Christian Andersen. Since my collaborators are all dead, I feel obliged to report our collective findings.
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January 13, 2007
What are these "Laws of Nature"?The term 'laws of nature' can be interpreted in at least two conflicting ways.
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January 4, 2007
The Congressional Oath of Office: A QuandaryKeith Ellison's plan to take the Congressional oath of office with his hand on the Quran has triggered one of those disputes that seem to generate more heat than light. In such cases, it is usually best to defer discussion until one has first defined the problem
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December 25, 2006
"The Wise" - a Christmas Poem by William EversonFor many of us, this is a rather bleak Christmas. It seems as if our enemies are getting steadily stronger while our society is beginning to come apart at the seams. I remember another bleak Christmas, in 1941, when it also appeared that the whole world was against us and that the powers of evil might at last prevail.
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November 25, 2006
My Love-Hate Affair with Classical MusicI first encountered classical music in summer camp when I was ten. The cabin next to ours had the only record player in camp, and the only record was "Voices of Spring" by Strauss, which they played over and over and over again. That fall, in a New York City public school, I had to attend a twice weekly class called Music Appreciation.
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October 14, 2006
White Noise and the National Political Conversation -
September 11, 2006
Heroes -
September 4, 2006
United 93: Plutarch Would Have Loved It -
August 12, 2006
A Lesson on Terrorism from Harold the Saxon -
April 1, 2006
NASA and Nostradamus: A Spin Puzzle -
March 22, 2006
The Strange Beliefs of Richard Cohen -
March 19, 2006
Sudoku and Other Diversions -
March 2, 2006
Diehards -
January 16, 2006
Happy Equality Day! -
January 1, 2006
A Backward Glance at the Twentieth Century -
December 23, 2005
The strange beliefs of Nicholas Kristof -
October 14, 2005
Portrait of an old man ringing a bell -
October 1, 2005
Alvinism: a social disease -
September 16, 2005
Admiral Byng and President Bush -
September 7, 2005
An Open Letter to Bush Haters -
August 26, 2005
Intelligent design redux -
August 25, 2005
Intelligent design vs. the black slab -
August 21, 2005
Closing ranks -
August 9, 2005
Space exploration begins at home -
July 14, 2005
The magic of Harry Potter