What a wimp! Why is he stopping at 21? If he really wants to make a dent, make it 30 or later. By that time, people are likely to be beyond the singles bar scene (where a lot of people smoke); they'll be married with families to support and unable financially to start up the habit. Or better yet, make it 55; that way parents wouldn't be setting a bad example for kids still living in their homes. Typical politician! He doesn't want to go all the way and do the job right.

I'm so tired of the endless threats, all intended to get yet more concessions, gifts, etc. out of the west, that I'd like the president (if we had one worth the title) to tell Kim: Just shut up and do whatever the hell you are going to do and accept the consequences.

This isn't the first time for the I-didn;t-know-what-was-happening defense. It was very popular in Germany after 1945. It works just as well as it did then. I don't normally quote Peter, Paul and Mary in political discussions, but the words, "how many times can a man look away and pretend that he just doesn't see?" seem more than relevant now.

I, as one pro-lifer, have been riveted by the story and have followed it to the extent reported., in part because it hideously documents how government at all levels and the media have allowed the "woman's choice" rubbish to trump all other considerations. Because of this not-so-benign neglect, women are now subjected to the kind of back alley abortionist conditions that prompted the call for legalization of abortions. And the liberals whose hearts allegedly bleed so badly for minorities have succeeded yet again in victimizing those minorities they supposedly care so much for. Margaret Sanger succeeded in this part of her eugenics campaign beyond her wildest expectations.

While I share your disgust with Tiller the Baby Killer, the person who "took him our" is no more martyr than the Islamists who blow themselves up while murdering others. Those of us who profess to be pro-life cannot condone the murder even of one as despicable as Tiller. In addition, that kind of violence allows the "pro-choice" people to portray pro-lifers as extremist nut jobs.

It's not just the money. IRA's represent independence from the government. That is intolerable to a statist like Obama. All must be dependent on government all of the time, so flashes of independence such as IRA's must be snuffed out. The only tolerable retirement income must come from social secruity or lavish governmental pensions like Obama's.

Interestingly, the churches that are being most abandoned in droves are the ones who have been the most "relevant" and politically correct. The "pervert priest scandals" didn't involve pedophiles, as the term is commonly understood, but a group of gay priests who weren't screened, and some of whom were covered for. They have been systematically weeded out, and screened out before ordination. If you look at the statistics, that whole episode, while tragic, is finished. Only Cahtolic church haters and low information people keep talking about it as if it were an ongoing event..

This article may be the most beautiful and eloquent I've read about Pope Francis. That it comes, not from a Catholic, but a Jew, makes it partcularly meaningful. As a Catholic, I am overjoyed at his selection, and I believe the Holy Spirit was present in the conclave. People of good will are hopeful. Those small, pitiful souls (they know who they are) who only want to cricitize, will certainly find fault with him. But that should be expected. Jesus was faultless, and look what they did to him. Can a mere mortal expect any more favorable treatment. Thanks, Paul, for having the class to say what many prominent Catholics should have said, but didn't.

He's been in the White House for 4 years now, what are you waiting for?

Proving once again the sagacity of Buckley's observation that he'd rather be governed by the first 50 names in the phone book than the Harvard faculty (it may not be exact, but that's the gist of it).

I agree with your assessment of the danger, but have a problem with your use of the word "weakness." That term implies opposition to the other country. There is none in our administration. In the underlying struggle between us (American and Western values) and them (persons seeking to extend the influence of Islam) our president is one of them. The Hagel nomination is only its latest manifestation.