Abortion, gun control and gay marriage are the three most reliable issues that get conservative and religious "values voters" to turn out in the primaries. This election cycle, there’s another issue that trumps this unholy trinity: the global spread of Islamic fundamentalism (or Islamofascism, as some prefer). The Associated Press reports:

As Vision America president Rick Scarborough put it to AP: "It's the ultimate life issue. If radical Islam succeeds in its ultimate goals, Christianity ceases to exist."

Scarborough won’t get an argument from Newsday columnist and Fox News analyst Jim Pinkerton. In a recent article for The American Conservative, Pinkerton takes the view that "the biggest danger we face is the Clash of Civilizations, especially as we rub against the ‘bloody borders’ of Islam" and asks:

Pinkerton makes the case that it’s not a matter of "what if" but "when":

To push back, Pinkerton proposes "a revival of Christendom … as a political concept" taking the form of "a Council of the West, bringing all the historically Christians countries of the world into one communion":

A sweeping – evangelical – vision, to be sure. No doubt Pinkerton will win converts to his cause amongst conservative Christian leaders – as well as those of us who emphatically do not believe that praying to G-d and to Allah are the same.

In the near-term, however, while conservative Christian leaders recognize that radical Islam is Issue No. 1, they disagree on the best candidate to deal with the threat (second item). Last week’s Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that one-third of conservatives who plan to vote for someone other than Rudy in the primaries cite him as their second choice – none of his rivals even came close - suggesting that he may be the consensus candidate values voters and Christian leaders alike can ultimately get behind in the general election.
 

Universal Health Insurance Not A Panacea

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, points out that "taxpayers pick up the tab for almost half the health care in America, via Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration." Just in case the often sub-standard care provided to Medicaid and VA patients is not sufficient to scare off those who agree with Hillary’s plan to impose government-paid (and government-controlled) healthcare for all, The Oread Daily^* blog offers this cautionary tale about retired teachers in VW finding out that they will be involuntarily switched from a state-run health insurance program to one administered by Advantra, a "Medicare+Choice HMO plan."

Aside from having no choice but to accept the change, the retirees have no choice in the hospitals at which treatment is covered and no choice but to take medications included in the plan’s formulary if they cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket:

The moral of the story: The government is as likely to renege on promises to retired employees as private employers. With that in mind, no one should willingly cede life-or-death control over healthcare decisions to the government. At the risk of being over-the-top, The Stiletto sees the universal healthcare debate as a choice between "give me liberty" or "give me death."

*Disclosure: OD has posted items from The Stiletto Blog, and we often exchange friendly correspondence on topics of mutual interest.


Don’t Sweat B.O.

The New York Times examines why Americans compulsively use antiperspirants and deodorants every day, even though most don’t sweat enough to reek all that much, and these products don’t work all that well:

The Stiletto is not one to suspend her grooming rituals just because it’s frigid outside – and keeps a small army employed for hairstyling, manicures, pedicures, waxing and facials year-round. So she can – and does – forego antiperspirant when there’s zero percent chance she will perspire.

The Stiletto’s first serious boyfriend (an October blond who looked like a Marlboro Man) did not use antiperspirants or deodorants, either. He showered with Ivory soap (you know, the blinding white rectangular cake that’s 99 44/100% pure), and always smelled really, really fresh and clean. To this day the crisp, slightly pungent scent of Ivory makes The Stiletto’s pulse quicken just a bit. 

The Stiletto Scoops David Yepsen

Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) is running for vice president – Hillary Cinton’s (D-NY) No. 2, specifically … In debate after debate he resolutely refrains from attacking her policy proposals, her inconsistencies or her lack of candor, and has even come to her rescue to extricate her from sticky situations. 
- Richardson Positioning Himself As Hillary’s Veep, The Stiletto Blog, November 2, 2007

Bill Richardson is being very nice to Clinton in these debates. Most figure it's because he wants to be her vice president.
- Yepsen: Look for organized effort to gang up on Clinton, The Des Moines Register, November 8, 2007

The Other Shoe Drops: Updates To Previous Posts

† The Part About Illegal Liberals Don’t Understand: NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer insists he is not backing off his plan to issue drivers’ licenses to illegal aliens - though he has met critics half-way by cutting a deal with the Department of Homeland Security officials to create three types of licenses, with the one for illegals valid only for driving and not for federal identification. Meanwhile, Dems fret that the issue could imperil NY Senate candidates, especially in politically moderate and conservative counties; many have come out against licensing illegals. The political shockwaves have also shaken Congressional races – and even Hillary’s White House campaign. Consequently, The New York Times reports, a year ago Spitzer "was viewed as a rising star nationally [but] has become isolated within his own party."

† The Keystone Kops Are Enforcing U.S. Immigration Laws: When the Department of Homeland Security tried to initiate a new policy that subject employers who did not fire workers who could not produce a valid Social Security number within 90 days to prosecution, the U.S. Small Business Administration joined forces with the American Civil Liberties Union ACLU) and the AFL-CIO, among others, to put the kibosh on the plan. Imagine – one federal government agency suing another to prevent it from doing its job.

Well, the SBA is not the only federal agency undermining the effort to secure our borders and disincent illegals from breaking our laws to get here and to get jobs here. You can add the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to the list. The Wall Street Journal reports that FDIC has been granting federal charters to banks that make no secret of the fact that they were formed to serve the illegal alien market (subscription required).

These banks include Solera National Bank, located in the Denver area; Banco Buena Ventura, located in Oxnard, CA; and Nuestro Banco, located in Raleigh, NC. C. Mark Arnold, a former investment banker at Bank of America who founded Nuestro Banco tells The Journal that "nothing in U.S. banking regulations or U.S. law says you can't provide services to those who want it." Not only there’s nothing stopping banks from catering to illegals, the FDIC approves of the trend: "Robert Mooney, senior adviser at the FDIC, says the quasigovernmental regulatory agency applauds the ‘pattern of new banks’ opening in immigrant communities. ‘Minority banks are particularly adept at reaching their own group, especially in the Hispanic market.’"

† The Wall Street Journal Accused Of Fabricating Facts: In a follow-up to the Daily Telegraph’s list of the 100 most influential conservatives in the U.S., blogger John Hawkins, who publishes Conservative Grapevine and Right Wing News – two sites The Stiletto recently discovered that she plans to add to her blogroll, along with a few others, when she has a spare minute – came up with his own list of "The 25 Most Influential People On The Right," with another 20 honorable mentions. As in the case of the Daily Telegraph’s list, a certain obscure blogger who works for The Journal did not make the cut – but his colleague Paul Gigot was included on both lists, as was Matt Drudge.

† Does The ACLU Consider This A Separation Of Church And State Issue?: Part II: Remember Elvira Arellano, who finally got deported after holing up in a Chicago church for a year? Before being granted sanctuary by a misguided minister, she had been working at O‘Hare International Airport cleaning planes. O’Hare contractors continue to employ illegal aliens, as evidenced by the arrest of 23 illegal workers employed by Ideal Staffing Solutions Inc., who are "accused of using fake security badges to work in critical areas of O'Hare International Airport, including the tarmac," reports The Associated Press. Two company employees were also arrested after an eight-month investigation by federal, state and Chicago authorities. "The investigation identifies a vulnerability that could compromise national security, while bringing criminal charges against individuals who built an illegal work force into their business practice," U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Elissa A. Brown tells AP.

† Illegal Immigrants Driven From U.S. Flood Canada Seeking Refugee Status (second item): After a series of well-publicized workplace sweeps by ICE, some 450 illegal aliens, mostly from Haiti and Mexico, flocked to FL, where a group called the Jerusalem Haitian Community Center began funneling them to Canada on the pretext of seeking asylum – for a "donation" of $400. Now under a deal worked out with the FL attorney general, the center’s founder, Jacques Sinjuste, will close up shop and refund the $170,000 he collected from the "refugees."

† Pay-Go A No-Go? (second item): By a vote of 216 to 193, the House passed a $78.3 billion tax bill that fends off the specter of the alternative minimum tax for 21 million people – and pays for the revenue loss by doing away with tax breaks for private equity funds, hedge funds and other partnerships. The bill faces a rocky road in the Senate, because Republicans don’t like to raise taxes on anyone – even rich Dem donors – and because Dems are "torn between appealing to their party instincts and alienating some of their big contributors," reports The New York Times. President Bush is likely to veto the bill, anyway, which means Pelosi & Co. get all the credit for "doing the right thing" and fighting for middle class voters without having to worry that fat cat donors will actually have less money to pour into Dem campaign coffers because more of it will be spent in taxes to pay for extravagant Dem programs – like extending State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) coverage to illegal aliens.

† Are You Man Enough For A Real Woman?: Science has finally proven what red-blooded heterosexual men knew all along: Women were meant to be curvy, not flat-chested and narrow hipped like adolescent boys. T&A is sexually desirable and healthy, too! A bit of oomph in all the right places is associated with reduced risk of dying of all major diseases except heart disease, whereas skinniness is associated with a higher risk of dying of all major diseases except cancer. The "avoirdupois effect" works in men’s favor too – so curvy women who like their men to have a bit heft to them can look forward to many happy, healthy years together with their partners.