NEWS AND OPINION:
He is still a faithful and forthright man with a mission: that would be Allen West, who has a new book out Tuesday. “Guardian of the Republic” provides ample evidence that the former U.S. Army officer and Florida congressman has never given up on conservative values that he says have driven him for decades — family, faith, tradition, service, honor, fiscal responsibility, courage, freedom. He is unapologetic and enthusiastic about it all.
“There is one thing I want Americans to take away from this book. They must know and understand that the America that was founded for us is the America we must guard, and the one we must pass on to subsequent generations,” Mr. West tells Inside the Beltway.
The book, which is both memoir and policy guide, is published by Crown Forum and has already won accolades from, among others, talk radio kingpin Mark Levin, Donald Rumsfeld and Weekly Standard editor William Kristol. The 14 chapters have such titles as My Warrior Code, The Hunt for Black Conservatives and Bravo-Foxtrot-Oscar.
“Scores of reporters, journalists, pundits, bloggers, opponents and strangers have done their darnedest to paint a particular picture of me and typecast me to fit their narrative,” Mr. West writes in the prologue.
“In this day and age, when ’news’ and ’reporting’ have become tools to further an agenda instead of the means of presenting the facts, it’s not always easy to communicate the truth,” he says, adding, “I’d like to share with you my philosophical belies and the reason why I love this country and why I shall fight wholeheartedly and fearlessly for the future of our republic.”
STORMY WEATHER
SEE ALSO: Allen West: I’m ‘disgusted’ by Benghazi lies from Obama, Hillary
Batten down the hatches. Somebody notify Al Gore. The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a monster report on Monday written by 745 authors and 1,749 experts. It warns that the “effects of climate change are already occurring on all continents and across the oceans. The world in many cases, is ill prepared for risks from a changing climate.”
Yeah, well.
“The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is guilty of nothing short of making the science fit their political agenda. It is a political body masquerading as a ’science’ body’,” counters Marc Morano, founder of the Climate Depot, a media watchdog.
HOLA AMERICA
Could a left-leaning political bias already be at work in major Spanish-language TV news now airing in the U.S.? Looks like it’s a factor, and one which could ultimately sway the opinions of a potential 35-million member voting bloc in the 2014 midterm elections and beyond. There are new and unique findings on this phenomenon from MRC Latino, a foreword thinking and proactive initiative organized by the Media Research Center, a conservative watchdog that has long cataloged the bias sins of broadcast networks.
“In sum, MRC Latino’s aim is to be a champion of journalistic integrity in U.S. Spanish-language media. The measure of our success will be the extent to which we call out bias when we see it, point out missing facts or perspectives, and help promote the inclusion of more conservative voices and views in this significant segment of the media,” Ken Oliver-Mndez, director of the new project, tells The Beltway.
Sen. Rand Paul is among those appearing at a substantial morning forum to introduce the research on Tuesday morning at the Newseum, some six blocks from the White House. Joining the Kentucky Republican on the podium: Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center, Alfonso Aguilar, executive director of the American Principles Project’s Latino Partnership; Daniel Garza, executive director of the LIBRE Initiative; Israel Ortega, spokesman to the Spanish language media for the Heritage Foundation; and Izzy Santa, Hispanic media communications director for the Republican National Committee.
The group will hash out the particulars, plus strategize about effective tactics for communicating a conservative message to Hispanics. The American Principles Project, incidentally, is a co-sponsor of the event. The nonprofit is dedicated to “the fundamental principles on which our country was founded, including that we are all created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, and among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
PUTINOLOGY
Oh darn, here comes that pesky Ukraine matter again. So how’s the White House doing with it all? Grade-wise, pollster John Zogby awards President Obama a “D” in his dealings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent days.
“The president visited the pope. Thus ends the positive portion of our report. Mr. Obama spent the week trying to reassure U.S. allies and bolster NATO over Russia’s grab in Ukraine, but no real bolstering or reassurance happened,” Mr. Zogby observes, then offers a litany of policy woes.
“U.S.-led sanctions have been imposed. But Putin is laughing at them. Congressional leaders are saying the U.S. must get tougher but offer no road map as to how we are supposed to do that. Boots on the ground? Drone strikes? Special forces? Slow boats with natural gas that will get to Europe in 2017?” the pollster asks.
“Mr. Obama has no good options except to slowly and ploddingly follow former President George H.W. Bush’s model of building a global coalition to isolate Mr. Putin. That will take lots of time, a lot of horse-trading, including spending, and a cooperative Congress. Good luck,” Mr. Zogby declares.
PUTIN’S BORDER PATROL
There are also some subtle observations of note about the Russian president.
“Large-scale land acquisitions are occurring across much of the globe. Vladimir Putin just grabbed a whole country and accomplished dual land and labor needs at once. That’s real ingenuity,” says Cornell University development sociology professor Charles Geisler.
“We should view Putin’s annexation as a de facto immigration strategy. Russia has an acute labor shortage but is allergic to non-Russian worker-immigrants. Just across its southern border are Crimea, South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Transnistria — national gray zones with sizable Russian enclaves loyal to Russia,” the professor notes.
POLL DU JOUR
• 63 percent of Americans say people exaggerate how busy they are in order to “look better”; 64 percent of Republicans, 58 percent of Democrats and 67 percent of independents agree.
• 59 percent of Americans overall consider themselves to be “a busy person”; 66 percent of Republicans, 62 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of independents agree.
• 53 percent overall say being a busy person is “neither a good nor bad thing”; 47 percent of Republicans, 52 percent of Democrats and 56 percent of independents agree.
• 37 percent overall feel “guilty or anxious” when they are not busy; 41 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of Democrats and 34 percent of independents agree.
• 35 percent overall say being a busy is “a good thing”; 44 percent of Republicans, 35 percent of Democrats and 31 percent of independents agree.
• 6 percent overall say being a busy is “a bad thing”; 4 percent of Republicans, 5 percent of Democrats and 7 percent of independents agree.
Source: A YouGov poll of 995 U.S. adults conducted March 24-26.
• Carefree commentary, nervous quibbles to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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