The New American articles from February 2009

The New American archives from February 2009

Where did you get that information?(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2009... Your recent article on "Intelligent Design and Evolution" (December 8 issue) seems to have overlooked one of the strongest arguments against evolution, presented by the German physicist and information specialist, Dr. Werner Gitt, in his book...

A Christian who doesn't celebrate Christmas.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2009... John Eidsmoe's article "The War on Christmas" (December 22 issue) should have been more focused on "The War on Christ" instead. I have been a Christian for over 30 years. Based on Bible study and my understanding of historical events from other...

New plan needed.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2009... In your magazine of December 8, 2008, the cover story by John E McManus states, "If a mere minority of the American population can be enlisted, educated, and let loose throughout America with honest facts and perspectives, the new world order...

Obama's stimulus plan will cost at least $187,800 per new job.(Inside Track)(Barack Obama)
February 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] According to Barack Obama's presidential transition team, the new stimulus plan being prepared by the upcoming Obama administration can be expected to create between 3.3 million and 4.1 million jobs. This is...

China curbing its appetite for U.S. debt.(Inside Track)(United States government debt)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... China is finally being forced to curb her appetite for U.S. government debt, according to the New York Times. China, which last September overtook Japan as the largest international holder of U.S. Treasuries, now holds more than $1 trillion in...

Bush designates new marine sanctuaries.(Inside Track)(George W. Bush)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... With just two weeks left in office, President Bush designated almost 200,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean as a national monument, using powers granted by the Antiquities Act of 1906. The new marine "monument," an area about the size of...

Why Ron Paul opposed the Gaza resolution.(Inside Track)
February 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When the House passed the resolution "recognizing Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, reaffirming the United States' strong support for Israel, and supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace...

No stake in the heart of the Trans Texas Corridor.(Inside Track)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced on January 6 that the extremely controversial Trans Texas Corridor is "dead." The corridor, which has been promoted as a series of highway expansions and improvements to ease traffic...

More than identity being sacrificed as Slovakia adopts the Euro.(Quick Quote)(Prime Minister Robert Fico)
February 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "We're saying goodbye to the Slovak currency that meant so much to us. Part of us, the Slovak identity, is leaving." As of January 1, the Slovakian koruna is no more. Prime Minister Robert Fieo seemed merely...

Czech President no fan of European Union.(Quick Quote)(President Vaclav Klaus)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... "A well functioning bureaucratic EU is not my goal. [The Czech Republic] is not an EU province." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As the Czech Republic assumes the rotating leadership of the European Union, President Vaelav Klaus repeated his...

Reporters shifting coverage from Iraq to Afghanistan.(Quick Quote)(independent reporter Michael Yon)
February 2, 2009... "Afghanistan was the forgotten war; that's what they were calling it, actually. Now it's swapping places with Iraq." AS U.S. news bureaus shrink their operations in Iraq, some are beefing up their coverage of events in Afghanistan,...

One governor says no to bailouts.(Quick Quote)(South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford)
February 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "While many states and local governments are lining up for a bailout from Congress, I went to Washington recently to oppose such bailouts. I may be the only governor to do so." Opposing bailouts for governments...

Auto companies lose heavily but executives aren't replaced.(Quick Quote)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... "General Motors lost more than $72 billion in the past four years, and yet you can count on one hand the number of executives who have been reassigned or lost their job." One aspect of the implosion of our nation's auto giants drew a sharp...

Toyota will post first loss in 70 years.(Quick Quote)(Toyota Motor Company president Katsuaki Watanabe)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... "The tough times are hitting us far faster, wider and deeper than expected. This is an unprecedented crisis requiring urgent action." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Formed in 1938, the Toyota Motor Company has never suffered a loss. But it...

No global warming in Alaska.(Quick Quote)(Bruce Molina)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... "Never before in the history of a research project dating back to 1946 had the Juneau Ice Field witnessed the kind of snow buildup that came this year. It was similar on a lot of other glaciers too." Glaciologist Bruce Molina reported that...

He dares to label Social Security a Ponzi scheme.(Quick Quote)(Congressman Ron Paul)
February 2, 2009... "The government itself runs a fraud much bigger than Madoff's. Our Social Security system is the very definition of a Ponzi, or pyramid scheme. If the government truly had an interest in protecting people's savings, they would allow people to...

Any volunteers for national service? Barack Obama's national-service plan purports to be voluntary, yet nonparticipating schools would lose funding, and uncooperative individuals would be denied tax credits.(NATIONAL SERVICE)(Cover story)
February 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 2007, Richard Stengel, former speechwriter for liberal senator/presidential candidate Bill Bradley and managing editor for Time magazine, wrote an article entitled "A Time to Serve," promoting "Universal National...

At Uncle Sam's service: national service is often associated with patriotism, but the degree to which it becomes compulsory is the same degree to which it becomes involuntary servitude.(NATIONAL SERVICE)(Cover story)
February 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Proponents of universal national service claim that it will bring this nation together and teach younger generations about what it means to be an American. Sadly, many Americans seem to believe those claims. Even...

Obama: the change that's not.(THE RIGHT RESPECTIVE)(Barack Obama)
February 2, 2009... President Bush has left office amid the greatest economic calamity in several generations, perhaps ever. The federal budget deficit is poised to triple last year's record $400 billion, rising to a projected $1.2 trillion. Trillions too have...

An Americanist economic perspective: Art Thompson, the CEO of The John Birch Society, offers a uniquely Americanist perspective on how to resolve our current economic crisis.(Interview)
February 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Art Thompson, CEO of The John Birch Society, parent company to THE NEW AMERICAN, offers his advice on what steps to take to solve the economic crisis. THE NEW AMERICAN: With all the calls for bailouts, first for...

EU Deja Vu in the Caribbean: just as the EU was sold to Europeans as a trade agreement even though it was actually a political union, so it has been sold again, this time to the islands of the Caribbean.(ATLANTIC UNION)(European Union)
February 2, 2009... Many Europeans are now discovering that their nations have been deceitfully lured into membership in a multi-national trade bloc, once known as the Common Market, that is now controlling them politically. Known in its current manifestation as...

The wages of generosity.(THE GOODNESS OF AMERICA)(James Drake)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... What would you do if you got a pay raise? Spend it on necessities, such as groceries, utilities, clothing? What if your after-tax raise came to $74,440? Well, if you were James Drake, you would give it all away. According to a press...

All it's cracked up to be.(THE GOODNESS OF AMERICA)(Debra Rogoff returned her bunny box with money)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... Crackers. Annie's Homegrown Sour Cream & Onion Cheddar Bunnies. Yum yum. What could be better? How about an envelope containing $10,000? That's what Debra Rogoff found when she cracked open her recently bought bunny box, according to a December...

A full quiver.(THE GOODNESS OF AMERICA)(Duggar family's 18 children)
February 2, 2009... "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord.... How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." (Psalm 127:3-5). This biblical quote concluded an article that appeared in our October 29, 2007 issue, which told the story of the Duggar family...

"Three fires, and you are free!" Three shots from his inexperienced militia--followed by their hasty retreat--was exactly what Daniel Morgan needed to win the day at the fateful Battle of Cowpens.(HISTORY--STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM)
February 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It usually pastures cattle on their way to market. But on a frigid January morning in 1781, this "open woods" near the Carolinas' border fields a ragtag band of Patriots. These friends of freedom are about to defy...

Wounded jeweler fights back.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)
February 2, 2009... Nancy Uptain, the wife of the owner of Christopher Jewelry, told reporters two days after armed robbers hit the store: "This is a small family business and we had two men come in here trying to completely destroy this family's lives--they were...

Bystander defends purse-snatch victim.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... After an unidentified woman exited a bus near the Fashion Square Mall and paused at an ATM to check her account balance, she was accosted by would-be purse-snatchers, who likely expected some easy cash from a woman doing some December 23...

Uniform and holstered gun didn't deter criminal.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... Near Nashville, Tennessee, security guard Eric Gordon was buying gasoline at a Murfreesboro Pike service station early on November 30 when he was confronted by a would-be armed robber. The 22-year-old Gordon was wearing his uniform and...

Burglar gets it in the end.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(burglar Kirby Alan Ridley gets shot in the buttocks)(Brief article)
February 2, 2009... Regardless of the fact that Donnie Murphy is listed on an Oconee County sheriff's department incident report as the victim in a recent crime, it appears that the criminal in the case, the suspect arrested for the burglary of Murphy's house,...

Uncle Sam grabs the wheel.(Correction, Please!)(automobile industry bailout by the federal government)
February 2, 2009... ITEM: Reuters reported on December 30: "The Bush administration on Monday expanded its bailout of the U.S. auto industry, saying it was buying $5 billion in equity in auto and mortgage finance company GMAC and increasing a loan to General...

More fright-peddling, more bailouts.(THE LAST WORD)(president Barack Obama's bailout plans)
February 2, 2009... Round two of the economic crime of the century has begun. On January 12, Lawrence Summers, President-elect Obama's designee to become director of his National Economic Council, sent a letter to congressional majority and minority leaders...

Implication or inference.(Letter to the editor)
February 16, 2009... Alex Newman, one of your NEW AMERICAN writers, is blowing smoke about autoworkers' wages without knowing the facts ("Auto Bailout: Lemon or Lemonade?" January 5 issue). I used to expect better from NEW AMERICAN writers. He perpetuates the meme...

Micro versus macro.(Letter to the editor)
February 16, 2009... The article in the December 8 issue, "Intelligent Design and Evolution," was interesting and certainly timely, but it really didn't shed any light on the controversy. Intelligent Design is a side issue used by some scientists, wise enough to...

Obama reverses abortion policy.(Inside Track)(Barack Obama)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... Federal money--taxpayers' money--will now be available for international family-planning groups that promote or provide abortions. President Barack Obama quietly signed the executive order on January 23 that lifted the ban--the Mexico City...

Obama's orders to close Gitmo, ban torture, review detention.(Inside Track)(president Barack Obama to close Guantanamo Bay Naval Base prison)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... President Barack Obama signed three executive orders on the first full day of his presidency, January 21, to (1) ban the use of torture, (2) close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a year, and (3) review the detention policies for...

NSA analyst: all Americans were spied on.(Inside Track)(National Security Agency former analyst Russell Tice)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... According to former National Security Agency (NSA) analyst Russell Tice, millions of Americans are being spied on. After President Bush's term of office expired, Tice, who worked for the NSA as an analyst for nearly 20 years, said in a two-part...

"Stimulus" spending will harm recovery.(Inside Track)(American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... The House on January 28 passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the latest barrel of pork to be tossed into the recessionary pit. This time around, the misnamed stimulus would, in the language of a House press release issued...

Timothy Geithner and the Group of Thirty.(Inside Track)(Consultive Group on International Economic and Monetary Affairs, Inc.)
February 16, 2009... Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's biography as it appeared on the website of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (his former employer) mentions a curious affiliation of Geithner. No, not his admitted membership in the...

Former Border Patrol agents to be released.(Inside Track)(Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... During his last full day in office, President George W. Bush commuted the sentences of former Border Patrol agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos. The president had been under pressure from grassroots organizations (including the John Birch...

Obama flexes his "green" muscles.(Inside Track)(president Barack Obama)
February 16, 2009... When George W. Bush was president, the administration prevented California and 12 other states from issuing stricter fuel-emission standards for automobiles than the national level. On January 26, President Barack Obama reversed that policy by...

Defense of sovereignty from surprising source.(QuickQuotes)(John R. Bolton and John Yoo)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "America needs to maintain its sovereignty and autonomy, not to subordinate its policies, foreign or domestic, to international control." In a New York Times op-ed column, former Ambassador to the UN John R....

Playboy founder claims credit for changing sexual mores.(QuickQuotes)(Hugh Hefner)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... "I think sex in America has changed dramatically.... Playboy played a major part in changing all that." Now 82 years' old, Hugh Hefner expressed no regret as he registered his views in a Time magazine interview.

Germany's chancellor wants the United States to compromise sovereignty.(QuickQuotes)(Angela Merkel)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... "That means the United States of America ceding part of its own sovereignty to international organizations when it comes to international treaties. That means agreeing to international rules for the financial markets." [ILLUSTRATION...

Candidate decries GOP dominance over pastors.(QuickQuotes)(Grand Old Party's Chuck Baldwin)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... "For all intents and purposes, the Religious Right has become nothing more than a gaggle of glorified hacks for the Republican Party. They have sacrificed virtually every principle worth defending." During his candidacy for president as the...

With sales historically low, automakers shouldn't expect quick turnaround.(QuickQuotes)(John A. Casesa)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... "Trading in a car every three years is a luxury that the average American can no longer afford." The current 35-percent decline in auto sales prompted auto industry consultant John A. Casesa to offer his dour but realistic assessment.

New budget director not worried about financing for U.S. debt.(QuickQuotes)(Peter R. Orszag)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Our debt is viewed as the safest investment in the world." Testifying before the Senate Budget Committee as the nominee for the post of White House Office of Management and Budget Director, Peter R. Orszag...

Don't expect China to continue financing U.S. indebtedness.(QuickQuotes)
February 16, 2009... "All the key drivers of China's Treasury purchases are disappearing--there's a waning appetite for dollars and a waning appetite for Treasuries." An economist in the Hong Kong office of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Ben Simpfendorfer paints...

Former Fed chairman says trillions needed to deal with deep recession.(QuickQuotes)(Paul Voleker)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... "To put it starkly, we are in a serious recession with no end clearly in sight. Over time, the hard fact is several trillion dollars will be necessary to be committed in a combination of budgetary expenditures, and various guarantee and...

Whatever happened to global warming? Now that record-cold temperatures across the globe are making a mockery of human-caused global warming, we look to see if this is merely a "weather hiccup.".(GLOBAL WARMING)(Cover story)
February 16, 2009... Judge: Counselor, do you have anything to say before I pronounce sentence on the accused? Attorney: Yes, your honor. Might I remind you that the victim my client was accused of murdering showed up earlier and is very much alive, sitting...

Militant Muslim connections: in selecting Dr. Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America, for several high-profile events, President Obama has disregarded her organization's terrorist ties.(TERRORISM)(president Barack Obama)
February 16, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] President Barack Obama's inaugural committee billed his January 20 National Prayer Service at the National Cathedral as a celebration of America's "diversity of faith." Among the official participants offering...

Parallels with the Great Depression: the parallels between the run-up to the Great Depression and today's economic havoc are stunning.(ECONOMY)
February 16, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What began early last year as a "credit crunch" and an "economic downturn" is now being characterized as a "long, severe recession." Once upon a time, such a crisis was known as a "depression" before Americans became...

Assignment: make the constitution "live".(HUMOR)
February 16, 2009... "Mister Welter! Mister Welter!" Brooke Forrest yelled down the hallway of Oprah's School for Relativistic Females and All Males Who Dress or Feel Womanly, formerly known as Ms. Prim's Academy for Genteel Young Ladies. "Please wait!" she called....

Heroics behind the Miracle on the Hudson.(THE GOODNESS OF AMERICA)(US Airways Flight 1549 that landed in the Hudson River)
February 16, 2009... Once again, Americans have proven their mettle in the face of disaster--or in this case used it to prevent disaster--in what New York Governor David A. Paterson has described as the "Miracle on the Hudson." When US Airways Flight 1549 was...

Holodomor: the secret holocaust: when Ukraine resisted Soviet attempts at collectivization in the 1920s and '30s, the Soviets used labor camps, executions, and starvations, and starvation to kill millions of Ukrainians.(HISTORY--STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM)
February 16, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 1933, the recently elected administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt granted official U.S. recognition to the Soviet Union for the first time. Especially repugnant was that this recognition was granted even though...

Dispute over jewelry ends with gunplay.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)
February 16, 2009... Andre McKesson runs Midwest Grillz and Jewelry. A shooting happened in his store on January 13, in which Willie Wakefield, 29, and Marcel Davis, 16, were killed and 22-year-old Brandon Boyce was wounded. Boyce held a news conference at the...

Seventy not too old.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(elederly woman who prevented a robber using a gun)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... A South Bend, Indiana, woman named Sandra was about to prepare dinner on December 30 when she heard the sound of someone moving outside. "All of a sudden, I'm hearing fast footsteps around my yard, around my deck," she told WNDU Newscenter...

Intruder learns fatal lesson.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... A tussle with an armed homeowner ended badly for a burglar in Fayetteville, North Carolina. On the evening of January 17, according to the Fayetteville Observer, the burglar was engaging in his craft in his hometown when the homeowner returned...

Sick woman defends her home, self.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(Brief article)
February 16, 2009... An unidentified woman who stayed home from work in Dumphries, Virginia, on January 14 heard an alarm go off at about 10:20 a.m. and discovered three men in her backyard attempting to break in to her basement. At that point, according to local...

A bad deal revisited.(Correction, Please!)(Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan and Franklin Roosevelt's 'New Deal' )
February 16, 2009... ITEM: Writing for Newsweek's online edition on January 13, Daniel Gross complains: "Even before President-elect Obama takes office, critics are circling his yet-to-be-released stimulus plan." The most "emphatic objections come from...

Economics and common sense.(THE LAST WORD)(bailouts and stimulus program)(Column)
February 16, 2009... Common sense tells us that government cannot resuscitate the American economy and restore it to good health by spending more money and going further into debt. The government cannot spend money for its "bailout" and "stimulus" programs, after...