Conservative Conversation + Podcasts

…or how does this work? The “rules” are so confusing. What if there’s no such thing as Race(tm)? What if we’ve mistakenly and, as disgraceful as this admission should be about America’s sordid past, KNOWINGLY conflated skin pigment with something akin to Species? Preview Open

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

Back to “Normal” in Baltimore

By Jack Dunphy

Jack Dunphy

"Jack Dunphy" is the nom de cyber of a police officer in Southern California. Twitter: @OfficerDunphy.

| May 8, 2015

I have a new column up today over at PJ Media in which I maintain that the “return to normal” in Baltimore is not necessarily a thing to be celebrated. As is often the case, no sooner had I sent the piece off to my editor than I thought of something I should have added. In the column, I make the prediction that when the case has run its course none of the six officers accused in the death of Freddie Gray will stand convicted of even a single charge, and that they will prevail in a civil lawsuit against Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.

Her case against the officers is feeble at best, but this does not mean the officers will have any easy time of things when they have their day in court. I have no doubt that in Baltimore there can be found any number of judges who, like Ms. Mosby, are more committed to the cause of “social justice” than to the impartial application of actual justice. Should the case come before one of these judges – and is there any doubt that Mosby will attempt to steer it that way? – the officers may find themselves in for a rough go. But, at some point along the way, the case will come before appellate judges at the state or federal level, men and women who, one must hope, will not abide Mosby’s campaign to use the courts as a vehicle for mob revenge.

As I say in the column, the riots in Baltimore haven’t ended, they’ve only been postponed.

The Libertarian Podcast: Baltimore, Law Enforcement, and Race

By Troy Senik

Troy Senik

Troy Senik was a White House speechwriter for George W. Bush. He is the host of the Hoover Institution podcasts Law Talk with Epstein & Yoo; The Classicist, with Victor Davis Hanson; and The Libertarian, with Richard Epstein. Senik is the author of the forthcoming book A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland.

| May 6, 2015

3 COMMENTS

You won’t want to miss this installment of The Libertarian podcast. Professor Epstein is on his A-game as we review the recent riots in Baltimore, discuss whether criminal charges were brought too hastily against the police involved in Freddie Gray’s death, work through Hillary Clinton’s critique of “the age of mass incarceration,” and ponder what both law enforcement and African-American political leaders can do to ratchet down the tensions. Listen in below or subscribe to The Libertarian through iTunes or your favorite podcasting app.

The Poverty Trifecta: Despair, Dependency, Drugs

By Doug Kimball

Thatcher

Doug Kimball

First posted in August 2011 and I've been subjecting the Ricochetti to my conservative opinions for a long time. I also contribute as my alter ego, El Colonel, with offerings of poetry, stories and even serialized novels. Peter Robinson and I attended Dartmouth together, but I'm two years his senior, not nearly so genteel, and did not know him at the time. I abandonned my BA in English, got an MBA and pursued commerce with modest success. Ricochet has provided a kind and like minded audience and… [more]

| April 9, 2015

31 COMMENTS

I’ll admit that our justice system is discriminatory: it favors those who can afford a viable defense and it disfavors the defiant. I’m no sociologist, but I guarantee that defendants represented by private counsel are more apt to receive leniency than those represented by public defenders. Defendants invested in private counsel are more likely to take the advice of counsel seriously and conduct themselves with humility and contrition throughout the judicial process. This garners leniency. These observations are intuitive and cannot likely be proven or reasonably measured; nonetheless, I’m confident they are true and profound.

Consider the state of the poor communities in urban America. Crime rates in these urban areas are legion, but this is not just an African-American problem. The problems of gangs and drugs go hand-in-hand with welfare dependency and persistent single parenthood, and it’s not hard to find pockets of white or Hispanic citizens where these problems persist. In fact, this is not even an urban problem. These problems are epidemic in many small rural towns (especially in California), on the reservation, and in rural Appalachia. That they are most acute in urban black communities does not mean the issue is fundamentally about race.

Please Stop the Pandering, Senator Paul

By Jack Dunphy

Jack Dunphy

"Jack Dunphy" is the nom de cyber of a police officer in Southern California. Twitter: @OfficerDunphy.

| April 8, 2015

43 COMMENTS

You may count me among those unenthused by the prospect of a Rand Paul presidency. To understand why, look at the speech he gave in announcing his candidacy on Tuesday. Using an old and stale a rhetorical device, Senator Paul proclaimed his visions of an America he assures us would exist under his stewardship. Among these visions was this: “I see an America where criminal justice is applied equally and any law that disproportionately incarcerates people of color is repealed.”

Senator Paul cannot possibly be so uninformed as to think that crime is committed in equal proportions across all ethnic lines. The only explanation for including that little nugget in the speech is that he is pandering to those who cling to the discredited belief that the criminal justice system is rigged against racial minorities.

The myth of the racially biased criminal justice system has been thoroughly debunked, in my opinion most effectively by my friend Heather Mac Donald (see here, for example). But, like “Hands up, Don’t Shoot,” it is a myth that refuses to die. And though this myth persists, it is nonetheless disappointing to see politicians propagating it, most especially a Republican aspiring to be president.

Victim Shock Troops

By Mona Charen

Mona Charen

Mona Charen is a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Her new book, Sex Matters: How Modern Feminism Lost Touch with Science, Love, and Common Sense, is available now.

| April 2, 2015

24 COMMENTS

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. — George Washington

Until almost literally the day before yesterday, it was universally acknowledged that religious faith and expression were bedrock American freedoms — enshrined in the Constitution, protected in law, and honored in custom. But now, because the left has been victorious in convincing the elites that upholding traditional marriage is low bigotry, religious freedom will have to yield.

Not all religious freedom though. Just last month the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of Elauf v. Abercrombie, which concerned a young Muslim woman who was denied employment because she wore a headscarf. Abercrombie has a policy against headwear. The argument turned, as it should in our republic, on how Abercrombie and others should handle the delicate matter of religious garb. Should the employer ask, and possibly commit ethnic and racial profiling, or should the employee be under an obligation to volunteer that his/her appearance was dictated by religion? Such are the cases we navigate in a nation that respects individual conscience and also seeks to avoid the appearance or reality of religious discrimination.

Member Post

By Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio…

Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio…

I'm a lawyer in Southern Arizona in my early 50s. I'm married to my high school sweetheart, with 4 kids. I'm a born-again Christian, saved in early 2004. My oldest son is a Marine. My second son and oldest daughter are in high school, and my youngest daughter is near the end of elementary school. My wife and I -- mostly my wife -- are still homeschooling the girls. I was an atheist prior to 2001, though not a militant one. I'm generally a political conservative with some conservataria… [more]

| March 20, 2015

I’m going to stick my neck out and respond to the recent calls for a “conversation” about race, focusing on the DoJ’s investigations regarding Ferguson Missouri. In the Libertarian podcast earlier this week, Richard Epstein did us all a service by debunking the DoJ investigation into Ferguson’s police practices, which is based heavily on: (1) […]

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

The Broader Problem with Starbucks’ Racialism

By Jon Gabriel, Ed.

King

Jon Gabriel, Ed.

Jon Gabriel (a.k.a., @ExJon on Twitter) is the Editor-in-Chief of Ricochet. He is a political writer and marketing consultant, contributing articles to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, and USA Today among others. Until 2012, he served as Director of Marketing for the free-market Goldwater Institute, where he converted policy initiatives into compelling stories. In the private sector, Jon led marketing efforts for Cold Stone Creamery, Honeywell, and several technology companies. In his… [more]

| March 20, 2015

95 COMMENTS

CAj_mkqUYAAyDem — Click image to embiggen.

In an effort to solve America’s race issues once and for all, Starbucks is offering a discussion guide named “Your Race Relations Reality Check.” The document is featured to the right. This is not a Photoshop. This is real. One of the biggest companies on Earth thought this was A Good Idea.

Does Starbucks Really Want an Honest Conversation?

By Mona Charen

Mona Charen

Mona Charen is a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Her new book, Sex Matters: How Modern Feminism Lost Touch with Science, Love, and Common Sense, is available now.

| March 19, 2015

37 COMMENTS

Starbucks is hoping to lead a national conversation about race. According to a video released by founder Howard Schultz, Starbucks barristas are encouraged to scrawl “race together” on coffee cups before placing them in the hands of customers. This hollow bit of moral exhibitionism is supposed to encourage “compassion,” “honesty,” “empathy,” and “love.” Does Starbucks sell caffeine-free compassion?

Each and every time we’re hectored to engage in an “honest conversation” about race, it’s a sham. What’s wanted is not honesty, but confession of sin by white people and expressions of pain from blacks and others. Decade after decade, despite vastly diminishing levels of white racism (and the rapid growth of non-white populations), we are told that the old stain of racism continues to poison the lives of minorities. By encouraging that fiction, Starbucks is subtracting from racial understanding.

For what it’s worth, here’s my little contribution to the “honest conversation.”

The Libertarian Podcast: Ferguson Revisited

By Troy Senik

Troy Senik

| March 18, 2015

1 COMMENTS

I’d recommend this week’s installment of The Libertarian podcast if only because it’s rare to hear Professor Epstein hold forth with this level of passion. Our topic: the recent Department of Justice reports on Ferguson, Missouri — one exonerating Darren Wilson in Michael Brown’s death, the other alleging a systemic pattern of racial bias in the Ferguson Police Department. Richard’s less than happy with the political agenda of Eric Holder and his associates. Listen in to hear why (and subscribe to The Libertarian on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to take us on the go):

Stop Making Everything Political, Please (cc: Starbucks)

By Cameron Gray

Cameron Gray

Cameron Gray (On Twitter: @cameron_gray) is a broadcast media professional, with over 25 years of experience. He currently works for NRA News and Compass Media Networks. In the past, he has worked for SiriusXM Satellite Radio, CBS Radio, and the Washington Redskins Radio Network. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Cameron moved to Central Virginia for high school, then moved on to George Mason University in Northern Virginia. There, he earned a BA in Speech Communications and an MA in Telecommunicat… [more]

| March 17, 2015

37 COMMENTS

On Tuesday, Starbucks unveiled their new #RaceTogether campaign. From the press release:

“Each story, each voice, offered insight into the divisive role unconscious bias plays in our society and the role empathy can play to bridge those divides,” said Starbucks chairman and ceo Howard Schultz, in a free USA TODAY newspaper section that will be distributed in Starbucks stores beginning Friday and through the weekend.

The Perverse Logic of Immigration Politics

By Oblomov

Oblomov

Born in the Evil Empire, Oblomov was once a promising young man. He is now middle aged and spends most of the day lying on his couch in a suburb of Washington, D.C.

| March 11, 2015

24 COMMENTS

President Obama supports amnesty for foreigners who are in the United States illegally, as well as their prompt re-categorization as legal permanent residents with access to the full gamut of valuable benefits: Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Obamacare subsidies, in-state college tuition, earned income tax credit payouts, Daylight Saving Time (to bring them out of the shadows), etc. The President selectively refuses to enforce existing immigration laws, and sues the border states to stop them enforcing laws that he will not. He establishes a program of expedited resettlement for minors from the poorest and most dysfunctional states of Central America into U.S. communities. The President does all this administratively, thwarting Congressional oversight, and frustrating state and congressional attempts to ascertain where migrants are being held and resettled. He loudly advertises these policies to our southern neighbors, directly precipitating a massive humanitarian border crisis and ensuring its chronic repetition. Meanwhile, his nominee for Attorney General states in her confirmation hearing that she supports the right of illegal immigrants to freely compete with Americans in the labor market. This is not Alice in Wonderland – it’s the United States in 2015. Or, in the words of one David Mamet character, “the United States of Kiss My [Expletive].”

These executive actions amount to a de facto open borders immigration policy, specifically favoring the lowest of low-skill populations in the hemisphere. Yet this policy enjoys nearly unanimous support from the president’s party. It’s almost as though the Democrats see political advantage in deliberately ginning up an immigration catastrophe.

Why are Democrats unanimously bending over backwards in support of a policy that is unpopular, unlawful, and manifestly harmful to one of its core constituencies? Given that the party pretends to champion those most at risk from this policy, the degree of unanimity is surprising. But in fact the strategy makes sense for a number of reasons.

Jason Riley’s Brilliant Take on Daniel Patrick Moynihan

By Peter Robinson

Founder

Peter Robinson

Peter Robinson, former Reagan speechwriter, wrote the historic Berlin Wall address in which President Reagan urged Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!" Peter Robinson is now a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and hosts the interview program "Uncommon Knowledge." Peter is a co-founder of Ricochet.

| February 23, 2015

12 COMMENTS

I’m late in coming to it, but in the Wall Street Journal earlier this month Jason Riley published an enormously powerful article marking the fiftieth anniversary of Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s report, “The Negro Family.”

“The fundamental problem is that of family structure,” wrote Moynihan, who had a doctorate in sociology. “The evidence—not final but powerfully persuasive—is that the Negro family in the urban ghettos is crumbling….”

He goes on:

What Do the Ten Most Dangerous Cities in America Have in Common?

By Paul A. Rahe

Paul A. Rahe

Paul A. Rahe is Professor of History at Hillsdale College, where he holds an endowed chair, and last year he was a National Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. He is author of Republics Ancient and Modern: Classical Republicanism and the American Revolution (1992) and of Against Throne and Altar: Machiavelli and Political Theory under the English Republic (2008), Montesquieu and the Logic of Liberty: War, Religion, Commerce, Climate, Terrain, Technology, Uneasiness of Mind, the … [more]

| February 19, 2015

47 COMMENTS

Marketwatch posted a piece today listing the American cities where violent crime is most prevalent. The worst of the lot is Detroit, which was, 65 years ago, the wealthiest city per capita in the United States. Then comes Oakland, Memphis, St. Louis, Cleveland, Little Rock, Baltimore, Rockford in Illinois, Milwaukee, and Birmingham in Alabama.

The piece is an honest attempt to find what unites these cities. But it is skewed by its trust in the standard liberal cliches. So after specifying the crime rate, the population of the city, and the number of murders in 2013, it specifies the poverty rate — as if to imply that poverty is “the root cause” of crime. No other common denominator is mentioned.

A Unified Field Theory of the Obama Presidency

By Oblomov

Oblomov

Born in the Evil Empire, Oblomov was once a promising young man. He is now middle aged and spends most of the day lying on his couch in a suburb of Washington, D.C.

| February 5, 2015

27 COMMENTS

Victor Davis Hanson’s insightful article about the logic of our President’s foreign policy inspired an excellent post by member Mike Rapkoch and a lively Ricochet discussion. I wanted to comment in a separate post on an aspect of the VDH article that wasn’t directly addressed in Mike’s discussion.

VDH brilliantly shows that, although Obama’s foreign policy may look like a hot mess from a traditional vantage point, his strategy falls into crisp focus when seen through the lens of Obama’s worldview.

I think Hanson’s theory of the Obama foreign policy is exactly right. But while VDH identifies the four pillars of Obama’s foreign policy, he does not tell us much about the underlying worldview on which these pillars are founded. This underlying worldview explains not only Obama’s foreign policy, but most of his actions as President. It’s not Marxism or socialism, exactly, as some commenters in Mike’s discussion have suggested (although they are certainly in the toxic mix), but something more malignant.

Taking the “Race Realists” Seriously

By Tom Meyer, Common Citizen

Tom Meyer, Common Citizen

Conservative libertarian, former Ricochet East Coast/Morning Editor. I post on Twitter @tomdmeyer

| December 9, 2014

32 COMMENTS

Following up on John Walker’s review of A Troublesome Inheritance, I thought it would be a good idea to write a little about the so-called “Race Realists.”

Race Realism is — broadly speaking — the belief among some on the Right that America has fallen victim to romantic and erroneous rhetoric about the equality between the races and that this romanticism is the source of many of our social problems. Some Race Realists desire only to be allowed to talk openly about the subject, while others favor (no, I am not making this up) creating an ethnic homeland for whites within the continental US. The subject briefly came to public attention when John Derbyshire was defenstrated from National Review. Derbyshire had written a column for Taki’s Magazine offering advice to white parents about how to speak to their children about race analogous, he said, to that offered by black parents to their children. As a result, Derbyshire was subjected to a two-minute hate from the mainstream and left-wing medias.

I’m not a Race Realist, but I think they make some valid points, and I’ve continued to follow Derbyshire’s writing (for what it’s worth, I thought the piece that got him fired was indefensible, though I would have kept him on at NR). Some of their better arguments include:

Member Post

By Tim Kowal

Inactive

Tim Kowal

Attorney; Vice-President, Orange County Federalist Society; Commissioner, Orange County Human Relations; Blogger at Ordinary Times -- ordinary-gentleme

| December 2, 2014

7 COMMENTS

To my wife’s chagrin, I spent part of the long weekend in an email argument with a libertarian friend about whether cops and the War on Drugs are to blame for the violence in our culture. Then, just yesterday three interesting articles spoke to the issue: First, Harvard sociologist Orlando Patterson explains “How Sociologists Made […]

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

Member Post

By Chris Lang

Chris Lang

Chris is an Actor, Dialect Coach, and Theatre Practitioner who is based in Los Angeles, CA. He holds an MFA from Harvard University's A.R.T. Institute, and has worked professionally as an actor, in theatre administration, as a voice and speech coach for actors and business professionals and politicians.

| November 26, 2014

5 COMMENTS

It’s a touchy subject. Preview Open

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

Member Post

By Tim McNabb

Tim McNabb

I work in marketing. I like to write, and do so for a couple blogs - my own <a href="http://fivehundredwords.com" target="_blank">FiveHundredWords.com</a> and <a href="http://TheTruthAboutGuns.com" t

| November 22, 2014

2 COMMENTS

Preview Open

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Get your first month free.

Member Post

By Tim McNabb

Tim McNabb

I work in marketing. I like to write, and do so for a couple blogs - my own <a href="http://fivehundredwords.com" target="_blank">FiveHundredWords.com</a> and <a href="http://TheTruthAboutGuns.com" t

| November 18, 2014