03/03/2008 3:25 AM
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By Matthew CunninghamWho are Orange County's most influential people? That's a good question, and we decided to take a stab at answering it. Since Red County's primary focus is politics, we confined our tabulation to the realm of public affairs: broadly speaking, that intersection between politics and government where public policy is influenced, decided and altered.We are calling our list the Red County Top 40. While it includes Orange County's top forty politicos, it is
03/03/2008 3:23 AM
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By Hugh Hewitt I join with everyone at Red County in welcoming Victor Davis Hanson as an editorial contributor (Click here for his latest piece, "America Abroad and the Elections at Home"). If this is your first time reading his work, you are in for a treat. Victor Davis Hanson, is actually Dr. Hanson, a classicist, prolific author on ancient wars and civilizations, and a long time resident farmer in the Golden State's central valley. He
03/03/2008 3:21 AM
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The rhetoric of the Democratic candidates on foreign policy is by now predictable. George W. Bush squandered our good will abroad and the unity at home in the aftermath of September 11--sacrificing our constitutional freedoms for political expediency, and ignoring necessary multilateral consensus about military action. We are lectured that he took America's eye off Osama bin Laden and the Afghan occupation by unnecessarily waging a preemptive and unilateral war in Iraq--perhaps the "worst" blunder
03/03/2008 3:14 AM
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By James Lileks When you read that North Dakotans are angry about a National Geographic profile on their state, you might think: ya sure you betcha, rent them a phone booth, they can have a convention, doncha know. This is typical of the abuse the state regularly endures, and it's up to faithful loyalists to defend it. They're often like me: people who left at the earliest possible opportunity. The National Geographic story concerned the
03/03/2008 3:13 AM
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Facing the challenges of 2008, the American people feel pleased about their private lives, but report a sense of unease, even foreboding, concerning the nation at large. Though presidential elections theoretically inspire hope with the possibility of fresh leadership, the unique circumstances of this particular campaign cycle serve to intensify the gap between personal contentment and public pessimism. Just in time for the New Year, the Gallup Poll (with responses gathered between December 6 and
03/03/2008 3:12 AM
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Once again, the folks in Sacramento have shown their talent for recognizing a problem and then failing to create a solution. For the last 20 years California's influence in choosing presidential nominees has been limited to writing checks that end up being cashed in other states. According to our politicians, the solution was to move the state's presidential primary from June to February. But thinking that California's ability to attract a presidential candidate's attention hinges
03/03/2008 3:09 AM
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When the Editor-in-Chief of Red County magazine suggested I write this piece, I thought it would be simple. However, as I worked to distill my current ideology (and how I got there) to a pithy article, I found myself struggling to curb a Kaczynski-like desire to pen a manifesto. If I've failed dear reader, take comfort in knowing I'm far more boring in real life.I WAS BORN A POOR BROWN CHILDOK, so that's not really
03/03/2008 2:05 AM
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The wild gyrations of this presidential political season have taken Orange County politicos and financial big wigs through a series of unanticipated ups and downs like a Disneyland rollercoaster.Senator John McCain, the frontrunner a year ago landed money men Don Bren, George Argyros and General Bill Lyons to lead his fundraising effort. These financial big shots had a sure winner until McCain's surge politics, amnesty support and general dislike by the rank and file reduced
03/02/2008 6:42 PM
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Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor, Michael Steele, burst on to the national political scene as a Republican candidate for the United States Senate in 2006. He lost the race to then congressman Ben Cardin. Steele has since assumed the post of Chairman of GOPAC, a Republican political action committee focused on training the next generation of Republican candidates. Steele can be seen regularly as a guest commentator on Fox News.1. Is Chairman of GOPAC a full-time
03/02/2008 6:17 PM
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By Rep. Ed Royce Over the past six months, we have all witnessed the downturn in the housing market in Orange County as well as throughout much of the United States. While roughly 95% of homeowners are paying their mortgages on time, there are millions of homeowners holding mortgages that have defaulted or may default in the near future. In 2008 alone, $350 billion worth of mortgages will adjust up to higher rates. These are
03/02/2008 6:13 PM
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By Jerry Slusiewicz Due to the recent Screen Writers strike, Hollywood has been accepting plots for almost anything. Scene One: Our protagonist Jim, a handsome college graduate from Cleveland Ohio and an OC resident for ten years, is seen sitting on a beach at sunset recalling just how he got into this mess. There are a lot of beautiful people around--so OC.Scene Two: Jim flashes back to one year ago when everything seemed so right at
03/02/2008 6:03 PM
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By Jennifer Bohler It's hard to imagine an incredible athlete like Tiger Woods, who has found extraordinary success on the green, would search outside his profession for something more satisfying in life, especially after wrapping up a banner year on the course by becoming the first golfer to win back-to-back titles last December at the Target World Challenge. But at the end of every World Challenge victory, he donates his million dollar winnings to a
03/02/2008 5:58 PM
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By Jennifer Bohler It's been called a critical part of US defense--a unique morale booster that delivers a piece of home to millions of US troops and since its establishment in 1941 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, its mission has remained the same: to provide morale, welfare, and recreational services to service members and their families. It is the United Services Organization, more commonly known as the USO. In the 2003 airing of War Stories with
03/02/2008 5:49 PM
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By Stephen Bainbridge This column was originally published on TCS Daily In the past, I have bemoaned the ponderous development of a national online market for direct-to-consumer sales of wine. In too many states the big liquor distributors, who oppose such sales, still have a stranglehold on their state legislatures. The good news is that things are better than they used to be and the trend line is increasingly favorable. Buying wine online has a number
03/02/2008 5:47 PM
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By Kenneth Schwarz A typical vacation to the Washington DC metropolitan area usually includes touring the famous museums, monuments, and government buildings. However, far too often visitors to the nation's capital miss out on visiting one of the true gems in the region that offers beauty, history, and nightlife, all of which can be found right across the Potomac River from its big city neighbor."Old Town" Alexandria, Virginia, located just 8 miles from downtown DC,
03/02/2008 5:19 PM
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By David L. Bahnsen Jewish intellectual, Norman Podhoretz, has left interested readers a rich legacy of material in the fields of foreign policy and international studies. His perspectives have infuriated his critics, educated his readers, and challenged international agnostics to better understand the nature of the enemies with whom America has often been engaged, and to better consider the aggressive solutions needed to secure peace and prosperity, stability and safety. With his latest release, World War
02/27/2008 2:54 PM
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It's time for all conservatives to take a moment and acknowledge their debt, known or unknown, to William F. Buckley, the intellectual godfather of American conservatism, who passed from this vale of tears today at the age of 82.The website of the magazine he founded, National Review, is the place to go to read the tributes.My late father introduced me to National Review when I was a teenager. "When you read it, you wouldn't think
02/23/2008 9:46 AM
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Although Christianity and freedom are under attack from some quarters, a new year is a perfect time to reflect on the nature of Christianity and democracy through the sweep of history. By tracing the development of Christianity and democracy, one important fact firmly stands out. On some issues these two philosophical systems have been adversarial, yet they share interwoven threads that have endured the test of time. European societies borrowed rudimentary Greek and Roman ideas
02/16/2008 9:56 AM
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Winston Churchill once quipped, "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all others that have been tried." Time and time again, history has proven Churchill to be correct in his assessment of democracy as a very messy human enterprise. However, "government of the people, by the people, and for the people..." (Lincoln), offers human beings the best opportunity to achieve their dreams. Democracy is spreading because it appeals to
02/12/2008 2:47 AM
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Troy Senik sent this unsolicited article to RC... over one year ago! It is prophetic given it was written when a Hillary nomination was a foregone conclusion. Troy has since accepted a position as a speechwriter for President Bush.
02/07/2008 6:36 PM
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I live with warriors. Veterans of foreign conflicts fill my life with joy every day. My husband served during the Vietnam Era and came home to a disdainful nation. His father is a Korean War veteran who was awarded two Bronze Stars. My father is a former Marine who served between those two conflicts. My uncle retired as a Master Chief in the Navy and lost his final battle to the ravages of Agent Orange.
01/29/2008 11:35 AM
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I keep hearing that a candidate's character doesn't matter--his leadership skills are most important. What is a leader if he or she doesn't have strong moral convictions and character? Whether or not a person is moral and has character simply means that he knows the difference between right and wrong, and in knowing the difference chooses to do the right thing. Not necessarily the most expedient, popular, financially enriching, or politically suave--but the right thing
11/16/2007 6:43 PM
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In addition to outstanding articles from regular contributors, Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved, James Lileks, and others, we are grateful to Dennis Prager for distilling a remarkable and speech he gave at the Education Alliance annual dinner into an article titled The Ten Nos of Education. In this issue, we interview KABC's self-proclaimed "Sage from South Central", Larry Elder. You will also enjoy our profile of long-time OC resident and current Ambassador to the United Nations
11/16/2007 6:41 PM
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By Scott W. GravesRC: Why were you drawn to radio?Elder: I think radio was drawn to me. I got into radio quite by accident. I had written an op-ed piece for a local newspaper where I outlined my prescription for limited government, maximum personal responsibility, my opposition to high taxes, my opposition to race-based preferences. And, I was invited on as a guest. I stayed on for an hour. This was in 1992. I was
11/16/2007 6:39 PM
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By Jerry SlusiewiczMuch like pro football's draft where teams have fifteen minutes to make up their minds on who to pick or whether to make a trade, the NFL or a current or future team owner has about six months to decide if they would like to bring a team to Orange County. Anaheim has been waiting for an NFL team to relocate to Orange County since the Rams bolted in the night to St.
