American Spectator

In a recent and viral announcement, Joe Kent resigned as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center. In the letter, he accused the Trump administration of bowing to Israeli lobby pressure on Iran. He also stated that Iran (a nation who regularly proclaims “death to America”), “posed no imminent threat to our nation.” The reactions were mixed: A sharp rebuke from the White House, praise from Marjorie Taylor Greene, and a podcast appearance with Tucker Carlson. In the end, though, this move

Since the earliest days of aviation the seductive siren call of airpower supremacy has fascinated military aviators — particularly in the Air Force — and politicians. Beginning with Italian military theorist Giulio Duhet, airpower enthusiasts argued that bombing alone could win wars and save lives thus avoiding the carnage of WW I. Duhet advocated terror bombing that included the use of poison gas on enemy cities. Italians believed that his theories were vindicated in the 1930s when the Italian

In an age when glass-and-steel monoliths rise like tombstones over the graves of once-human cities, the classical idiom has come to represent an unapologetic act of cultural defiance. Léon Krier (1946–2025), the Luxembourgian architect and urban visionary, and Roger Scruton (1944–2020), the philosopher who taught us that beauty is not a luxury but oxygen for the soul, both understood what the modernists never will: architecture is not merely shelter; it is the visible language of belonging. As p

It was a glorious Easter Sunday to wake up to in America, for three reasons. Christ is risen, Navy Seals rescued a downed airman from behind enemy lines in Iran, and U.S. astronauts neared the Moon. But the people in one area, Hollywood, are not celebrating this Easter, also for three reasons. They hate Christians, who worship the first triumph. They despise Trump, who effected the other two. And they’ll probably soon be out of a job. A Wall Street Journal story last week, See How Hollywood’s Jo

As we enter week six of the Iran war, we know a little more than when President Trump took us to war in the Middle East. Mr. Trump’s rather desultory speech on Wednesday night lasted only 20 minutes, which is rather short for him. He jumped around from criticizing former president Obama (who gave Iran about $1.7 billion in cash) to the fact that we are energy independent. He bounced from the ayatollahs’ regime, which he said killed 45,000 of its own citizens, to a conclusion of the war, which he

Virginia’s redistricting referendum is not going as well as the Democrats evidently expected. The official date of the special election is April 21 but early voting began on March 6, and the number of ballots cast in heavily Republican areas of the state has been far higher than in their Democratic counterparts. The Old Dominion doesn’t register voters by party, but the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) publishes early vote totals by congressional district. Five of Virginia’s 11 U.S. House d

As a longtime adjunct professor of political science at colleges across New York and a former top aide to both Republican and Democratic elected officials in the state, I have watched the Justice Department’s reputation erode under successive administrations. I worked with elected officials from both parties at all levels of government who understood that the rule of law must be applied evenly or it collapses. That is why President Trump should nominate former Congressman Lee Zeldin to replace P

A people liberated from slavery after 220 years are forged into a conquering force. The biblical Exodus is more than God’s dramatic rescue of the Israelite tribes. The Festival of Freedom, by the name itself, is intensely political. Real freedom cannot exist without justice, equity, ethics, and a government to secure the common good. In words that soar Paul Johnson in History of The Jews describes the birth and historical struggle of the Israelites as a, “Perennial attempt to give human life the

It is the holiest weekend of the year, and there are a variety of ways to intentionally reflect on Jesus’ death and resurrection.  We remember the Lord’s Supper, His prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the betrayal. We reflect on Christ’s sacrifice for us, the propitiation to atone for our sins, saving us so that whoever believes in Him can receive everlasting life. We look forward to His triumphant resurrection on Sunday, and we praise God!  In this week’s episode of The Weekend Spectator,

A viral meme made me laugh a couple of days ago. Some rather disgruntled guy was saying, “Every time something happens to Jesus, I gain ten pounds.” I think nothing reflects Christianity better. We have the best parties in the history of religions. Jesus’ first great miracle was turning water into wine. And in our most important sacrament—if they can even be ranked by importance—water is used to wash our hands and to add a drop to a generous stream of wine. I’m not saying it’s a religion of fat,

Though last week’s article began talking about ancient tales of conflict, it didn’t deliver. Time to pick that thread up, beginning with an example of conflict taken from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Stories can deal with conflict in a different way than a reasoned investigation. Rational analyses require a distance and are suspicious of natural biases. Civilization knows the need for such investigations. Even when they are uncomfortably contentious, they are the mark of freedom, that we

In October 2008, I sat on a plane at the New Haven airport. It was parent’s weekend so I was surrounded by proud parents fresh from visiting their above-average offspring — all first-years at Yale. You’d think this would be cause for unalloyed joy. But for some, joy was tinged with disappointment. “My son really wanted to go to Harvard. But he didn’t get in.” What to say to this decidedly ivy-covered lament? I riffed, “Oh, someday he’ll be a Harvard professor.” Then, I added seriously, “if he re

Devotees of the old Catholic liturgy have reason to hope that the restrictions and calumnies heaped upon the form of the Mass that they so love, which has so long sustained the Church, may soon be eased, although it will likely be some time before the old liturgy is given the pride of place it was once afforded. In a recent letter to the bishops of France, Pope Leo XIV urged the shepherds of the eldest daughter of the Church to treat Catholics who sincerely love the Vetus Ordo (commonly called t

By most metrics, Rep. Byron Donalds is the frontrunner to win the GOP nomination in the Florida gubernatorial election this year. He’s been endorsed by 17 of Florida’s 20 Republican representatives, as well as Florida U.S. Sen. Rick Scott. He also has the backing of President Donald Trump, which is as close to a golden ticket as you can get in a GOP primary. While there remains some grumbling from the camp of current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis about Donalds, thus far, they’ve not been able to ral

Last weekend, America was subjected to its third “No Kings” protests. While there was no king, there were many rallies. There were even more pawns. Extensively hyped by the establishment media, they then gave them extensive coverage. They continue to do so. However, if you are an average American, you likely only saw evidence of them from the establishment media. (RELATED: Why the ‘No Kings’ Protests Are Actually America’s Biggest Therapy Session) Establishment media reported protest organizers’

Americans correctly believe that the federal government is notoriously fiscally inefficient and irresponsible. This inefficiency is particularly noticeable regarding the legislative branch. The nation endures government shutdowns and massive budget deficits despite general prosperity because Congress lacks the political will to reach compromises or enact painful reforms (like reducing massive entitlements, raising taxes, downsizing federal bureaucracy, ending congressional earmarks, or selling g

For years now, I’ve written, with something between sadness and exasperation, that NATO is dying. Despite pious pronouncements to the contrary, not even the Russian invasion of Ukraine has done much to bring NATO back to its original purpose, namely protecting Europe against a Russian threat. When Germany and other European countries chose climate change fantasy — and Russian oil — over energy independence, they betrayed a fundamental unseriousness about the threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s over

We had an unusual situation here in the prodigious arts and theatre metropolis of little Grove City, Pennsylvania. For the first time ever, our talented theatre programs/directors at both Grove City College and Grove City Christian Academy chose the same play to perform this spring. It was pure coincidence, and a blessed one at that. Both chose the classic You Can’t Take It with You. For my family, the choice was wonderful, heaven-sent. The 1936 play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart won the Pu

Something spiritual is happening this Easter. Christ is risen, indeed. But so is Christianity around the world, despite the best efforts of the secular Left and pagan fanatics to undermine it. In Europe, Africa, and the Americas, faith demonstrations are surging after a long decline. It’s like the Christianization of the Roman Empire all over again — tragically including the slaughter of the faithful. (RELATED: Fresh Horror in Nigeria: The Return of Boko Haram) In Spain, for instance, socialist

One month into Operation Epic Fury against the Islamic Republic of Iran, a long-overdue conversation has finally broken into the open: What, exactly, is the enduring rationale for NATO? For decades, this question has been treated in Washington foreign policy circles as heretical. But it isn’t. And to their credit, President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are now saying so plainly. As Trump recently put it, “They haven’t been friends when we needed them. We’ve never asked them fo