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STEVE JOBS by Walter Isaacson
ANTHEM by Ayn Rand
ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand
CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE by Henry David Thoreau
POWER DIVIDED by Jason Lewis
OF THE NATURAL LAW by Thomas Aquinas
OF PROPERTY by John Locke
FEDERALIST NO. 51 by James Madison
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Category Archives: National Security
Aug
29
Blowing cash in the Middle East
By Katie Kieffer 
We blow cash money, baby! We act like rappers with king-size egos. We discount our own laws, norms and massive debt load. We imagine we sit on a global throne. We kiss away about $2 billion a week in Afghanistan. We’ve spent almost $800 billion fighting in Iraq. We’re offering Iraq assistance from U.S. troops beyond 2011 to the tune of $10 billion annually. We gave Mubarak’s Egyptian regime an annual gift of $1.5 billion in military and monetary aid. The Pentagon reports that we’ve spent $896 million intervening in Libya through July 31 alone and we’ve promised an additional $25 million in aid to the Libyan Transitional National Council.
Posted in Economy, Law, National Security
1 Comment
May
17
Clinton* sweet-talks Hispanics
By Katie Kieffer
Bill Clinton is the one exception to the Constitutional rule that U.S. Presidents may only serve two terms.
When President Obama went to El Paso, Texas last week and pitched his immigration reform plan to Hispanics, I felt like I was watching a movie called “Bubba’s Third Term.” The President did not sound like himself. I detected a faint Arkansas accent as he stood at the podium and outlined amnesty objectives disguised as immigration reform. Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Law, National Security
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Apr
26
Green Tech Needs Capitalism
By Katie Kieffer
Earth to Washington: The free market offers practical solutions for going green. Private entrepreneurs will literally fly to the moon to solve the U.S. technology crisis while government initiatives to support green technology fall flat.
The set of 17 rare elements known as “rare-earths” is integral to normal technology like iPads, fiber–optic cables and military equipment as well as “clean” technology like wind turbines, solar panels and electric batteries. Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Energy, National Security
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Apr
21
Talking to America’s Mr. Right
By Katie Kieffer
I have listened to The Jason Lewis Show since I was a very little girl. At first, my dad made me listen to Jason’s show at the dinner table. We would sit down to eat and he’d inevitably say, “Katie, you should listen to Jason. You’ll learn something.” Eventually, I became hooked. Now, I listen by choice. Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Free Speech, Law, National Security
4 Comments
Apr
05
Love oil and it loves you back
By Katie Kieffer
Listening to morning shows is a good way to wind up in a psychiatrist’s office. I flip between 300 channels and have three basic choices: Bad economic news, high-profile violence or cotton candy interviews with reality stars. I try switching to Twitter and a trending topic is a cobra that escaped from the Bronx Zoo. I almost choke on my Pop-Tart.
I’m tired of negative news and hearing people whine without offering solutions. So, I’m defying the world by being optimistic. Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Energy, National Security
2 Comments
Feb
23
Why young people are happy
By Katie Kieffer
The latest Pew Research Center poll shows that young people (ages 18 – 28) are happier now than they have been in over 30 years. Why is this? Aren’t we in the middle of a financial meltdown in America? Aren’t the costs of living going up? Aren’t young people losing their jobs? If you are down on America or down on your life, I’ll help you change your mindset to match that of today’s youth. I promise you, you’ll be happier for it.
I believe young people today are happier for two reasons: First, most Millennials want to live more like grownups and less like their parents who sometimes act like babies. And, second, they understand and are excited by the opportunities America has to rebound out of recession and back to greatness. Let me explain: Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Entertainment & Culture, Free Speech, Humor, Law, National Security
1 Comment
Feb
08
Snatch U.S. from Davy’s Grip
By Katie Kieffer
The U.S. economy and national security are in “Davy’s Grip.” In pirate-speak, that means the U.S. is in “fatal danger.” Somali pirates and Middle East tensions have the potential to drag the U.S. into complete depression and unrest. We can lift the U.S. out of her current precarious state, but we need to act fast. If you are concerned about the U.S. economy, energy independence, national security and international relations, then you will want to understand Davy’s Grip.
Why is the U.S. in Davy’s Grip?
There are several reasons why the U.S. is in a dangerous place, and they stem from America’s energy policies and Middle East tensions: Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Energy, National Security
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Jan
20
We kiss, we fight China
By Katie Kieffer
“We’re up then we’re down,” is a Katy Perryesque way to describe U.S.-China relations.
Mixed messages are useful if we want to confuse, frustrate or anger another country. They are not useful in diplomacy or relationship-building. Mixed messages are dangerous because they make the U.S. appear weak and untrustworthy. Here are some of the mixed messages that we’ve given China, our biggest debtor and whose central bank owns $896 billion in Treasury bonds: Continue reading
Posted in Economy, National Security
1 Comment
Jan
12
‘Stop this war in Afghanistan’
By Katie Kieffer
Ambassador Richard Holbrooke must have known that his last words would echo around the globe. Unsure if he would survive emergency aorta surgery, he told his doctors: “You’ve got to stop this war in Afghanistan.” Holbrooke never came out of that surgery: He left this world on Dec. 13, 2010. Holbrooke was a man of influence in peace-brokering and foreign affairs. This week, the White House will honor him at his funeral in Washington.
At the time of his death, he was the Obama Administration’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was a key diplomatic leader in both the Clinton and Carter Administrations and also advised Sen. John Kerry and former Sen. Al Gore. Despite his liberal leanings, I respect Holbrooke for urgently seeking to end the War in Afghanistan. Sadly, Holbrooke did not live to successfully end this war, as he did the War in Bosnia in 1995.
We can honor Holbrooke by thinking realistically about Afghanistan and by pursuing peace. But, first, we need to understand Afghanistan. Continue reading
Posted in Economy, National Security
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Dec
28
New Year’s Party Crashers
By Katie Kieffer
My 2011 New Year’s Eve Party was crashed. Let me rephrase that: My plans to host a 2011 New Year’s Eve party were foiled. This year, I was expecting over 700 guests to my humble abode on 1776 Capitalist Curve. Last year, I hosted a New Year’s Eve party that included a celebrity mixologist and gastropub chef, live music, helicopter rides, overnight accommodations and breakfast the next morning. Well, my 2011 party was going to make that party seem like a yawn.
This week, my guest list of over 700 dwindled down to a sad 37 due to the NYE Party Crashers. They “pre-crashed” my party by sending the foul weather that stranded my East Coast friends and delayed or canceled flights for my friends throughout the rest of the country. They sent the foul winter storms that are preventing my friends in Moscow, London and Frankfurt from traveling. And, now, they are warning of a blizzard for New Year’s Eve in Minnesota, where I live. Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Energy, Humor, Law, National Security
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