Townhall Review | Conservative Commentary On Today's News

Stephen Reinhardt, who was called the “liberal lion” of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, passed away on March 29th in Los Angeles. During his almost 40 years on the appeals court bench, Reinhardt wrote opinions that struck down the constitutionality of the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and overturned Proposition 8, California’s initiative defining marriage as a male-female union.

Reinhardt’s death means that there are now seven vacancies on the notoriously liberal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. President Trump has an historic opportunity to remake the Ninth Circuit—and the entire federal judiciary. The vast majority of his judicial nominees thus far have been stellar. They will adhere to the rule of law and interpret the Constitution based on the words in it, not the ideas they want to be in it. 

The President should continue his good work in this arena.  Doing so will remake federal jurisprudence for decades to come.

While CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s confirmation as the next secretary of state looks to be a done deal, whether his deputy, Gina Haspel, will be confirmed as the first female director of “the Agency” is less certain.

Haspel has dedicated her adult life to protecting the country, often in far-off, dangerous places, with great distinction. Nevertheless, it seems some on the left want to re-litigate the early years of the post-9/11 world. They want to debate “enhanced interrogation techniques” again, like waterboarding.

Serious people understand that all young intelligence operators will be watching this proceeding, deciding whether the hard choices they are being asked to make right now are going to be subject to show trials years or even decades down the road.

Gina Haspel ought to be confirmed.

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While CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s confirmation as the next secretary of state looks to be a done deal, whether his deputy, Gina Haspel, will be confirmed as the first female director of “the Agency” is less certain.

Haspel has dedicated her adult life to protecting the country, often in far-off, dangerous places, with great distinction. Nevertheless, it seems some on the left want to re-litigate the early years of the post-9/11 world. They want to debate “enhanced interrogation techniques” again, like waterboarding.

Serious people understand that all young intelligence operators will be watching this proceeding, deciding whether the hard choices they are being asked to make right now are going to be subject to show trials years or even decades down the road.

Gina Haspel ought to be confirmed.

As if President Trump did not face enough legal challenges, there are now two threatened prosecutions of Americans at the International Criminal Court.

First, the Palestinian territories have filed a complaint against both President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu over relocating Israel’s capital to Jerusalem. While an important matter for Middle Eastern politics, it’s difficult to see how this could be a criminal matter for the court.

Second, the prosecutor is seeking authority to investigate whether the U.S. military is guilty of torture and other war crimes in Afghanistan. Although the U.S. is not a member of the court, Afghanistan, on whose territory the alleged crimes occurred, is. 

If either of these moves ahead, it would be the first time the ICC has sought to prosecute Americans and would set up a major confrontation between the U.S. and the court.

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As if President Trump did not face enough legal challenges, there are now two threatened prosecutions of Americans at the International Criminal Court.

First, the Palestinian territories have filed a complaint against both President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu over relocating Israel’s capital to Jerusalem. While an important matter for Middle Eastern politics, it’s difficult to see how this could be a criminal matter for the court.

Second, the prosecutor is seeking authority to investigate whether the U.S. military is guilty of torture and other war crimes in Afghanistan. Although the U.S. is not a member of the court, Afghanistan, on whose territory the alleged crimes occurred, is. 

If either of these moves ahead, it would be the first time the ICC has sought to prosecute Americans and would set up a major confrontation between the U.S. and the court.

If pro-life conservatives ever claimed that supporters of Planned Parenthood had “blood on their hands”, the mainstream media would howl in protest.

Why, then, do anti-gun activists who make precisely such claims about supporters of the NRA draw widespread acclaim for their courage and idealism?

The connection between abortion and killing is obvious—even if you deny that the procedure is equivalent to murder. But there’s no connection between backing gun-rights and endorsing killing. Disagreement over specific policy proposals doesn’t mean that those on the other side want to consign our children to early death or to obliterate our Constitutional rights.

Republican leaders in Washington have already moved ahead with common sense enhancements in our gun regulations but hysterical, polarizing rhetoric only makes constructive reform less likely.

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If pro-life conservatives ever claimed that supporters of Planned Parenthood had “blood on their hands”, the mainstream media would howl in protest.

Why, then, do anti-gun activists who make precisely such claims about supporters of the NRA draw widespread acclaim for their courage and idealism?

The connection between abortion and killing is obvious—even if you deny that the procedure is equivalent to murder. But there’s no connection between backing gun-rights and endorsing killing. Disagreement over specific policy proposals doesn’t mean that those on the other side want to consign our children to early death or to obliterate our Constitutional rights.

Republican leaders in Washington have already moved ahead with common sense enhancements in our gun regulations but hysterical, polarizing rhetoric only makes constructive reform less likely.

Townhall Review – March 31, 2018

Hugh Hewitt talks with Lanhee Chen, policy expert and Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, about President Donald Trump naming former United Nations ambassador John Bolton as his next National Security Advisor, which has been criticized by some left-wing pundits. Michael Medved takes on the media’s coverage of The March for Our Lives that took place in Washington D.C. last week. The movie “Paul, Apostle of Christ” opened in theaters last weekend and the movie’s star, Jim Caviezel, discusses his passion for his faith with Salem host Mike Gallagher. Charlotte Pence, daughter of Vice President Mike Pence, has a newly-released children’s book, “Marlon Bundo: A Day in the Life of the Vice President.” Karen Pence, the Second Lady, wife to Mike Pence, and the illustrator for the book, joins her daughter in a conversation with Larry Elder. Michael Medved takes on former Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens’ call to eliminate the Second Amendment. Dennis Prager takes one more look at the March for Our Lives.

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Townhall Review – March 31, 2018

Hugh Hewitt talks with Lanhee Chen, policy expert and Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, about President Donald Trump naming former United Nations ambassador John Bolton as his next National Security Advisor, which has been criticized by some left-wing pundits. Michael Medved takes on the media’s coverage of The March for Our Lives that took place in Washington D.C. last week. The movie “Paul, Apostle of Christ” opened in theaters last weekend and the movie’s star, Jim Caviezel, discusses his passion for his faith with Salem host Mike Gallagher. Charlotte Pence, daughter of Vice President Mike Pence, has a newly-released children’s book, “Marlon Bundo: A Day in the Life of the Vice President.” Karen Pence, the Second Lady, wife to Mike Pence, and the illustrator for the book, joins her daughter in a conversation with Larry Elder. Michael Medved takes on former Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens’ call to eliminate the Second Amendment. Dennis Prager takes one more look at the March for Our Lives.

Larry Kudlow has been subject to unending attacks from the mainstream media since being announced as Trump’s chief economic advisor.

Kudlow is a devout Catholic who credits God for getting him through his years of substance abuse. On CNBC, Kudlow said that, whatever might happen during his tenure as Trump’s advisor, it would be the will of God. This sentiment isn’t actually controversial, but on their MSNBC show, Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle found it worthy of incredulous laughter and snide sarcasm.

Velshi used to work for Al Jazeera—if someone there had said inshallah (God’s will) no one at MSNBC would have dreamed of treating them with such contempt!

Kudlow is a fine conservative economist and will serve the president well.

And his faith should be off limits.

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