Paul A. Ibbetson's Page

As has been the case for many years, and especially most recently, the charge is that conservatives are falsely railing against a straw man in their observations and accusations leveled against the activities of liberals, and the Obama administration. Before I address this situation directly, let’s take a moment to look at what is meant by the term “straw man.”

The concept of the “straw man” is the observation of the deceptive capability of humankind. When an individual wants to divert attentio… Continue

America, where is your character, your pluck, your grit? If that question seems overly harsh and needlessly aggressive, then you are staring directly at the problem. This nation sits at the precipice of a fundamental, irreversible transformation that will make all too visible a new country that is incontrovertibly “one nation under a spineless, politically correct, brow-beaten, emasculated bunch of sheep.” Is that too harsh? If you believe my words are too offensive, that I should tone it down,… Continue

Sometimes being right is personally rewarding, sometimes it’s of financial benefit, and sometimes, unfortunately, it’s just downright painful. I recently wrote an article, “What’s Still The Matter With Thomas Frank?” about the upcoming (at the time) documentary by filmmakers Laura Cohen and Joe Winston, inspired by Thomas Frank’s 2004 bestselling book, “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” The article I wrote caused a minor brouhaha with the filmmakers, who posted a commentary rebuttal and a photo of… Continue

In the midst of the fight over whether or not the United States should, or should not, turn our medical system into a socialistic bread line, or whether the administration should heed the request for additional troops in Afghanistan, Barack Obama feels compelled to add to his strategic plate, the gay question. One could say that Obama’s recent move to change the military’s standing “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for homosexuals serving in the armed forces has been sparked by the recent unrest of… Continue

“It’s a mad house, a mad house!” These were the words shouted from the lips of Charlton Heston in the 1968 movie release, Planet of the Apes. Heston, who played the character of astronaut George Taylor, found himself in a future Earth where apes ruled the land and humans, and their past culture, were considered evil taboo. Ah, science fiction, such a wondrous escape from reality, right? What happens when fiction and reality begin to overlap? What happens when they become one and the same?

Befor… Continue