You can't help but cringe at the ineptitude of the Obama/Clinton approach to foreign policy.  And then you realize ... Clinton could very well be the next president.  Do the American people "get it"?  Sadly, there's no evidence they do.

Artur, I agree with you. Perhaps this can become one more example Republicans can use to build public understanding of the proper role of the federal government relative to the states. We need a public civics lesson on a grand scale.

I don't think she intends to "use" Easter, but rather to make a point about the state of religious freedom. 

Great post!  So true ...

Film-wise Argo was enjoyable, although I did think the cars chasing the plane down the runway was almost comical. Wouldn't the revolutionary guard just call the control tower and tell them to hold the flight, or if it was airborn while still in Iranian airspace tell it to turn around or fighters would be scrambled?But, trying to make Carter look like a good president was the most comical thing of all. Except ... there's a whole generation of young people who have now seen Argo and think this is true. How unfortunate. The power of Hollywood to twist and distort history, while presenting a "true" story, is indeed frightening.

Related to all of this, a question occurred to me.  Is the potential for propaganda more or less than it was then? Maybe more because there are so many more media tools to use; but maybe less because there are so many media alternatives.

I wonder what to expect from John Kerry. I assume he'll be very similar to Hillary Clinton.

Going back to the original post, I wholeheartedly agree with Anne's premise. The trend toward more activities and more structure for kids is alarming and ridiculous. Childhood is childhood for a reason, not to rush children into adult-like situations as fast as possible. Summer breaks are healthy and necessary. What needs to change is the liberal propaganda that is becoming the foundation of the American educational system.

The Republicans need to be much more disciplined about sticking to a clear and consistent message track (i.e. talking points). The Democrats are masters of this and the Republicans are borderline inept. The Democrats keep repeating the same simple (and wrong) points over and over again, to the point where the message becomes drilled into everyone's head (aided by the media). Given the media bias, it is even more important for the Repubicans to operate with exceptionally strong discipline on their messaging. I don't know why they seem unable to do this.

Well said, Anne.  These are specific, "common sense approaches" (to borrow an oft-used Obama phrase) and yet the Obama/Clinton inaction is appalling.

Wow, a wonderful, incredibly moving video. I hope this gets widely viewed and distributed.

Just saw the Who last weekend in Philadelphia. They were outstanding. It is inspiring to see guys at that age still going strong. The Wells Fargo Center looked sold out and the crowd was going nuts. Everyone should catch this tour while it's still underway!

I'm writing on an iPad and therefore can't lift a quote from your post, but where you comment about Obama stigmatizing "Republicans in congress", and caricaturing Republicans as extremists, I couldn't agree more. This problem is rampant and entrenched. Is it possible that anything we do will not only make a dent in the problem but actually solve it?

Great post, Anne. It is mind boggling to me that people don't see these blatant inconsistencies.

I, too, have been discouraged, but this is encouraging!