Cal Thomas
Columns by Cal Thomas
Matthew Perry and the cult of celebrity
The outpouring of grief from people who never met Matthew Perry was astounding. A Fox News sub-headline said the world mourned for him. The world? Really? Published November 1, 2023
Can House Speaker Mike Johnson cut the debt?
Among the top priorities for newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson was his announced intention to form a bipartisan panel to cut massive spending that has led to an unsustainable $33 trillion national debt. Published October 30, 2023
Israel faces continued threats from its many enemies
For Israel, more delays in invading Gaza and destroying Hamas' ability to commit new acts of terror against the Jewish state is only one of several considerations faced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Published October 25, 2023
America needs a renovation
Some popular shows on PBS and cable TV are about renovating old houses -- taking dilapidated, out-of-fashion and dreary houses and turning them into modern, functioning and attractive places to live. Published October 23, 2023
What a Palestinian state would look like
If anyone wants to see a preview of what a Palestinian state would look like, they should consider Gaza. Published October 18, 2023
Raw antisemitism: We are constantly warned that words matter, and so they do
"They have said, Come, let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel's name is remembered no more" (Psalm 83:4). Published October 16, 2023
Robbing children of their future
LOS ANGELES -- The second-largest school district in the country is suffering from academic afflictions of its own making. While test scores show a continuing decline at the high school level in math proficiency (21%) and reading (51%), is the district making improvement in these subjects a top priority? Apparently not. Published October 12, 2023
The Yom Kippur War — plus 50
On Sept. 22, 2005, Israel completed its unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. It did not take someone with the power of an Old Testament prophet to predict what would come next. Published October 9, 2023
Trump: Not a great man
Donald Trump is not a great man. His rhetoric, which has included denunciations of those who have served in the military (while he dodged the draft five times with a limp excuse about bone spurs), ought to disgust all but those who are in complete denial of the danger he would pose to the Constitution and the country should he be elected president again. Humility is not part of his vocabulary, and words mean something, especially when they reflect character. Published October 4, 2023
Some honest talk about immigration
With pictures showing -- and Border Patrol agents confirming -- that tens of thousands of migrants are crossing into the U.S. every day without authorization, it is a lie to say the border is secure. Published October 2, 2023
Both parties will be blamed if the government shuts down
Common sense and sanity are not the first words that come to mind when dealing with congressional spending. Published September 27, 2023
Rupert Murdoch deserves the gratitude of conservatives
At 92, Rupert Murdoch remains very much alive, and his influence, not only on Fox News but on much of journalism, will likely continue for some time. Published September 25, 2023
What happens if transition to EVs doesn’t curb global warming?
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has rejected appeals from the Conservative Party to extend the deadline for requiring all new car sales in the United Kingdom to be electric by 2030. Published September 20, 2023
Sex and the city: Republican politicians edition
The Republican Party, the party that for years has styled itself as the party of "family values" and "traditional marriage," has lost all credibility on these issues. Published September 18, 2023
Chicago Teachers Union president’s hypocrisy on school choice
There was a time in bygone America when calling someone a hypocrite or claiming they were guilty of hypocrisy was equivalent to branding them with a scarlet letter or the mark of Cain. Published September 13, 2023
What to do about the crime wave? Swift and certain punishment
Of all the explanations for the rise in crime in America, none may be more accurate than the lack of swift and certain punishment. Published September 11, 2023
Getting the Saudi-Israeli peace formula wrong — again
If one is mixing chemicals, getting the formula wrong can produce disastrous results. Published September 6, 2023
Climate science has degenerated into a discussion based on beliefs
It's been a good summer for climate activists who are pushing the false narrative of "climate change." Published September 4, 2023
Illegal immigration: A key campaign issue for the 2024 presidential field
It can be difficult to establish the motives of government leaders unless they are told to us outright or unless a pattern of behavior allows us to draw conclusions consistent with that behavior. Published August 30, 2023
Force-feeding school children to comply with the state’s secular worldview
It was just a matter of time before choice became mandatory. Published August 28, 2023