Townhall Review – August 18, 2018

Hugh Hewitt speaks with Alliance Defending Freedom’s Vice President and Sr. Counsel, Jeremy Tedesco about the Colorado Civil Rights Commission continuing harassment of cake baker Jack Phillips.  Michael Medved consults with retired airline pilot Dale Leidy for some answers about the ill-fated flight of a stolen Alaska Airlines turbojet. Michael Medved turns to former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer for his take on a former White House staffer popularly known as “Omarosa.” Dennis Prager and geopolitical forecaster Dr. George Friedman look at the turmoil in Turkey. Salem’s morning man on Denver’s KNUS, Peter Boyles, visited baker Jack Phillips and ADF attorney Jim Campbell about the latest skirmish with the Colorado Civic Right Commission. Hugh Hewitt and author Lawrence Wright reflect on the movie “Three Identical Strangers.” Dennis Prager looks at the controversy surrounding Minnesota State Attorney General candidate Keith Ellison.

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The US Department of Education recently released national test scores for American 4^th and 8^th grade students in math and reading. They call it the “Nation’s Report Card.” I call it a dismal failure, no better than a D.

Only about a third of American 8^th graders scored as proficient in reading and math, along with around 40% of fourth graders. And despite massive expenditures and countless reform efforts, there was essentially no improvement over the scores reported in the last tests 4 years ago. It’s been almost a decade since there was significant growth in the scores.

The new Secretary of Education is advocating more parental choice through charter schools and vouchers. In the face of these results, it would be hard to argue that it isn’t time to try something new. As Albert Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

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The new film “Chappaquiddick” depicts a searing scandal that changed the course of political history. As the only surviving brother in a storied dynasty, 37-year-old Senator Ted Kennedy looked like a sure bet for the Presidency in the Summer of 1969. But after leaving a boozy party with a 28-year-old female passenger, he drove his car off a bridge.

Inexplicably, he waited more than 9 hours before notifying local authorities who might have rescued the trapped young woman. The film highlights backstage manipulations, involving some of the nation’s most powerful figures, that rushed the victim’s burial without autopsy and treated Ted’s political survival as their all-important goal.

For those disgusted by today’s tawdry politics, “Chappaquiddick” provides a powerful reminder that corruption and arrogance have long afflicted American public life.

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The 75^th Annual Golden Globes recently awarded the prize for best drama to “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

The show is based on the dystopian novel of the same title, written by Margaret Atwood.

Hollywood would have us believe that Margaret Atwood pointed to what we’re facing now in America with the #MeToo movement. In reality, the novel was first published in 1985.

Back in 1985, Atwood was warning of about the impulse to theocracy in the Reagan administration.

Atwood basically renewed her charges of theocracy every time a Republican was elected as president.

But intellectual honesty compels us to recognize that when Margaret Atwood is talking about theocracy in her vision of dystopia, she’s actually talking about any legal mechanism to regulate marriage or sexuality in a way that doesn’t meet her feminist expectations.

So throw questions such as assisted reproduction and abortion and others into the mix and you pretty much have the picture of what it takes for Margaret Atwood to declare a theocracy.

 

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The Democratic leader of the United States, New York Senator Chuck Schumer, recently published a highly misleading tweet. In it he said, “#Trumpcare cuts Planned Parenthood Federation of America funds, hurting millions of women who turn there for mammograms, maternity care, cancer screenings & more.”

To its credit, the Washington Post decided to fact check that claim.

The fact check said, “Planned Parenthood does referrals for mammograms, and some affiliates host free mammography mobile vans for low-income and uninsured women. It does not have mammogram machines at its affiliate clinics. The Food and Drug Administration’s list, updated weekly, of certified mammography facilities does not list any (that is not a single) Planned Parenthood clinic.”

What we actually know is no one actually turns to Planned Parenthood for mammograms, they’re not even a certified mammography facility.

The Washington Post deserves credit for pointing out Senator Schumer’s three-Pinocchio tweet.

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The Washington Examiner’s Byron York joined Hugh Hewitt on his show to talk about Tim Kaine’s primary goal to interrupt Gov. Mike Pence at the Vice Presidential debate. Dennis Prager says that Kaine was like a wind-up toy. How will the GOP heal its divisions? Hewitt spoke with National Review columnist Jonah Goldberg. Prager discusses why America needs to be the world’s policeman with former Prime Minister of Denmark Anders Rasmussen. Medved reports that too many guys are having more fun playing videos games and living in mom’s basement than getting a job. Dodgers’ announcer Vin Scully recently signed off for the last time. Hewitt sat down with Scully a few years ago. In the wake of former President of Israel Shimon Pares’ death, Medved invited former ambassador to Israel Michael Oren on his show.

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Richard Weikart, professor of history at California State Univ., Stanislaus and a senior fellow at the Discovery talks to Dennis about this dangerous culture of death.

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