Friday Quick Hits

If the Hsu fits
More information on the lengthy history of campaign finance scandals by the Clintons. Just piling it on higher and higher...

Rhetoric from Iran
Ahmadinejad is at it again. He said that Iran wants "peace and friendship for all"...except for Israel, which is "an invader" and "cannot continue its life." He also said that if coalition forces leave Iraq, Iran would be happy to secure it. I have no doubt of that - he would secure it with brutality, death, and destruction, probably similar to how Saddam 'secured' Iraq.

California endorsing homosexuality in schools
A pro-family lobbyist says two new bills in the California legislature will turn the state's public schools into "social and sexual indoctrination centers." One will force homosexuality to be endorsed in public schools, the other will 'monitor' any 'alleged' harrassment of homosexuality. To shove these bills through, the Democrats in charge suspended the normal debate rules. 'Monitoring any alleged harrassment'? I've blogged about the thought police before - this is where it begins.

Another problem with education
Many teachers have bought into a bankrupt teaching philosophy. Lucy Calkins, founder of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, has impacted schools all over the country with her program. She insists her method gets kids reading and writing — and, ultimately, doing it well. Her teaching methodology "takes a very loose approach to form and structure. When children write, teachers do not correct errors. Students edit each other’s work. The system abandons firm instruction in grammar, spelling and punctuation." According to Calkins’ reading of the research, "instruction in formal grammar has no effect on the quality of student writing." If teachers correct errors, they’re cautioned to be very sensitive that any red pen at all might crush a child’s love of writing. You might want to find out if your kids' schools use this program...

House tightens Social Security fraud
Rep. Peter King recently got an amendment passed that ensures taxpayer money cannot be used to hire illegal aliens. This was in response to an Office of Inspector General report that the federal government is the leading employer of illegal aliens. Rep. King, fighting for America!

More Good Economic News
The national deficit is running sharply lower than last year, even with an all-time high in spending, the Treasury Department said today. It was down almost 10%, and there is an expectation that it will drop even more as there should be a 'sizable surplus' in the final month. If the current forecast from the Congressional Budget Office proves correct, the deficit will be down 36.2% from last year overall. The reason: "The government's books have been helped this year by record flows of tax receipts, which have continued even though economic growth has been reduced by a serious slump in housing." This is what happens when taxes get cut. Now, which party was it that has already pledged record-breaking new tax increases in 2008? Oh yeah, the Democrat party.

HillaryCare, Part 2: Universal Health Care
Hillary Clinton is trying to walk a fine line on health care in her bid for the presidency. Her first attempt in the early 90s tanked, but the acceptance of government-sponsored health care has increased since then. It's a risk for her, but one she has to take if she wants to win the White House. The short version: skyrocketing taxes, plummeting quality.

Good Military Policy Is Good Politics
Kimberley Strassel writes about how military success translates into political success...for those who supported the military efforts, of course. Her advice to Republicans - you better learn this basic lesson fast! The Democrats are struggling to find a strategy for their constant opposition to American military success, but this is a great opportunity for Republicans to step up and hit hard. Like we've been saying all along...!

How little the Left has changed
Norman Podhoretz opines about how sad it is that the Left has changed so little since the Vietnam war, even after the events on 9/11. He cautions against allowing those same sentiments from winning the day now in the new struggle against Islamofascism.