by Konrad Paul Liessman

The barbarians are among us. They are not lurking on the right or lower edges of society, they are not among the uneducated or the educationally failed, they do not come from under-developed regions. They are sitting at the levers of influence in art and science, they write in quality publications, discuss at universities, manage art galleries, dominate the talk shows. Nonetheless, they are barbarians, for in their innermost being, they despise art. Full Story....Here

By Christopher Natale

In the aftermath of yet another horrific mass murder of innocents, we are, as always, besieged by calls for stricter gun control laws, from the daily media buffet of rallies and protests to politicians spewing what now has become a familiar script.  But is the redundant, knee-jerk reaction calling for gun control a viable solution or just another political football being tossed into our daily cultural scrum? 

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A lot has changed.  From accelerated "progressive" cultural rot to more broken and latchkey homes to incredibly easy access to violence and sex via TV, movies, the internet and social media, and video games, all of these can be listed as possible contributors to the scourge of heinous behavior – much of which is perpetrated by males under the age of 30.  But in almost all cases, the killers are found to be "unstable" or "depressed" and taking some type of psychotropic prescription drugs: mind-altering substances to deal with depression, emotional frailty, or just the dramas of everyday life as a young adult.  Too many doctors and parents are too quick to dispense some pills; toss the kid a smartphone; and say, "Feel better." Full Story....Here

By VICTOR DAVIS HANSON

As President Trump finished his first full year in office, he could look back at an impressive record of achievement of a kind rarely attained by an incoming president — much less by one who arrived in office as a private-sector billionaire without either prior political office or military service. As unintended proof of his accomplishments, Trump’s many liberal opponents have gone from initially declaring him an incompetent to warning that he has become effective — insanely so — in overturning the Obama progressive agenda. Full Story....Here

By Justin Haskins

“It’s all a hoax.” That’s what my 62-year-old father, a Cruz-Rubio supporter, has been telling me since the very first time the media uttered, “Trump may have colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election.” Full Story....Here

By Selwyn Duke

A common theme among progressives is that conservatives aren't just wrong; they're dumb.  Reagan was dumb.  G.W. Bush was dumb.  Trump is dumb.  "Knuckle-dragger," "mouth-breather," "stupid," and "uncultured" are typical pejoratives hurled at conservatives, who apparently tend to live in trailer parks, require dental care, handle snakes, and marry first cousins.  Why, I had a liberal actor (excuse the redundancy) tell me once that I wasn't necessarily bad, just not as "evolved" as he was.  (I had a great retort at the ready, but I decided just to lash him with my tail instead.)

The reason for this arrogance isn't as simple as many may think.  Rather, it relates to a deep psychological phenomenon that makes it difficult for those afflicted to evolve out of the leftist primordial soup. Full Story....Here

By Patricia McCarthy

Somewhere over the last few days a wise person wrote that "if only the rich and powerful could grasp the notion that the rest of the citizenry does not envy them," does not wish to live in their mansions, to drive their cars, or to send their children to the prestigious private schools to which they send their children. If our wealthy elites could get over their superiority complex and accept that most of us do not envy them, they might be better citizens, more respectful of the rest of us, better leaders. Illustrious schools may give those children of the rich and powerful a leg up but they do not guarantee happiness, kindness to others, or generosity of spirit. Their inherited wealth does not guarantee they will be good spouses or parents. It is more likely that the children of the very rich often lack the character of their ancestors who actually worked very hard to make the money on which they live so well today. Full Story....Here

Taxes: A new report says the White House and GOP members of Congress are discussing raising the federal gas tax to help pay for infrastructure rebuilding. It's a very bad idea, one that will erase much of the goodwill that came from cutting Americans' taxes.

It's inevitable that whenever you put a group of politicians in a room, they'll always try to find a way to impose new taxes to "pay for" something they want. Full Story....Here