Paul Ibbetson

Goshen College Declares War on National Anthem

Officials at Goshen College, a Mennonite college in Indiana, have banned the use of the Star-Spangled Banner during sporting events. The reason school officials gave for the ban was that America's National Anthem was deemed too violent. Specifically, according to Todd Starnes of FOX News, the school's online fact sheet stated, "Historically, playing the national anthem has not been among Goshen College's practices because of our Christ-centered core value of compassionate peacemaking seeming to be in conflict with the anthem's militaristic language." Professor John Blosser, an art instructor at Goshen, attempted to clarify the school's opposition to the national anthem by saying, "It's obviously about a battle. It's rather violent. It's about using violence to conquer and that would be something that many people would have problems with."

The Naked Gecko: Challenging the Defenders of Gender Blending

Society tends to espouse the value of children in almost every facet of life. We talk about how our children will be the defenders of the nation in the future and our need to protect them until they take up that mantle of important responsibility. Many Americans express true concern that their children will be handed a huge government debt, and our responsibility today to minimize the economic burdens we lay at their feet. These large-scale social and economic confrontations are battles worth fighting, but they are not the only important conflicts of consequence when it comes to our children. Currently there is a battle of significant importance being waged over simply allowing boys to be boys and girls to be girls.

“Green” Products and Free Market Conflicts

In recent years the move toward green products and technologies has gone into overdrive. Everything from the expansion of windmills and solar technologies to the hard rush toward passenger vehicles that run on alternative fuels is in the media. Few people disagree that America needs to continue to develop more efficient and cost-effective products. However, what has been a bone of contention with many consumers is the way in which many within the “green” movement have gone about attempting to integrate these new technologies into the market.

The Beatable Obama: The Less Media-driven Story

Do you enjoy B-rated horror movies that are high on amusement but low on plot and believability? Maybe you’re into science fiction thrillers with their wild, futuristic villains and out-of-this-world heroes. Well, turn on the TV because you’re in luck, you have reached the highest point of media creativity where the biggest and most fantastic stories are spun for the viewing public. Yes, the presidential race has officially begun.

Bin Laden Death Photo: Obama Breaks from History, America Losing Spine

It is said that a picture says a thousand words. When it comes to today’s politically correct world, presenting some pictures may say even more. President Barack Obama’s refusal to submit the death photo of the number one terrorist behind 9/11, Osama bin Laden, is a fundamentally flawed decision full of negative consequences. The President’s decision appears to be based on a concern that terrorists around the world will be inflamed to a higher level if bin Laden’s death becomes public through pictures.

Osama bin Laden Killed by U.S. Forces, America Should Celebrate

The inevitable has taken place. Osama bin Laden has been killed by American forces. The details are still limited but as reported by FOX News, bin Laden was killed in a firefight on the ground in Pakistan. It is reported that no Americans were injured during the firefight that took bin Laden’s life. As I type this column I can hear the celebrations outside my window here in the heartland of Kansas. Celebrating the death of bin Laden calls for a short discussion on how Americans should act in the aftermath of the U.S. military operation in which a human life was taken. When it comes to the death of the nation’s number one terrorist, Americans should celebrate, should be happy. Allow me to expand on this line of thinking.

Cuba and Geritol Communism

Cuba, America’s little communist island neighbor to the south is doing a little bit of government restructuring. Fidel Castro has just finished the last stage of what has been an incremental step-down from power. In 2006, Fidel Castro handed over temporary power to his brother Raúl while the Communist dictator underwent a series of intestinal surgeries. In 2008, Raúl Castro was appointed as president of Cuba but the process was only recently finalized when Cuban President Raúl Castro selected José Ramón Machado as the second in command.

Liberals Struggle with Tea Party Reality

So where does the Tea Party stand today? If you ask that question in different locations you are going to get many different answers. If you listen to lefties such as columnist Ted Reinstein, you will hear that the Tea Party is a dying dinosaur suffering from what he describes as the terminal illness of being uncompromising. Reinstein blames the recent slow budget compromise on unbending Tea Party-supported Republicans who he asserts would destroy the country to get their way.

Intervention Failure in Washington: Budgets, Addicts and Enablers

I feel two percent happier today, as that is the amount of the 2011 federal budget that has been trimmed by the recent political negotiations that averted a government shutdown. Here are the numbers: the CBO estimates that our spending for 2011 will be $3.7 trillion. Congressional leaders have just taken the nation through a gut-wrenching, televised mini-drama over the last few weeks and after all the wrangling and tough talk, $38.5 billion in spending cuts, a meager two percent reduction of the projected budget, were agreed upon. Really? That’s the best they could do? Let’s get real about our country’s spending situation.

Doug Giles: Raising Righteous & Rowdy Girls

There is something endearing about conservatives that don’t mince words, who aren’t afraid to take the battle to today’s liberals with almost reckless abandon. When you mention these sterling knights of no-nonsense, you have to include Doug Giles. Giles, a Town Hall columnist and host of Clash Radio is not bashful about taking his beliefs on the road to Americans across the country. In 2009, heartland radio listeners got an opportunity to hear Giles’ unabashed pro-Americanism on my radio program, Conscience of Kansas. The Miami pastor filled the radio studio with a spirit of bold American grit.

Unclear Strategy in Libya Presents Dangers to U.S.

The Barack Obama administration has remained motionless while the people of Libya have struggled and even died to replace Col. Muammar al-Gaddafi. Gaddafi, who came to power in 1969, has been a sponsor of terrorism around the world and a ruthless dictator to his people for over 40 years. Ronald Reagan called Gaddafi the “mad dog of the Middle East.” His removal from power, if done in the right way, could have been a positive situation for both the people of Libya and the U.S. Unfortunately, that window of opportunity has passed and now the Obama administration, after allowing hostilities to escalate, will attempt more passive U.N. strategies to quell this radical Islamic dictator. This strategy by the White House will inevitably fail in helping freedom seekers in Libya and it will also cause complications for America down the road.

Earthquake in Japan: Dependable Aid from America

There is no dependable way to foretell the next natural calamity that will befall planet Earth. Actually, the only thing mankind can say about the next planet-shaking catastrophe is that after whatever horrendous event has ended, America will have aid en route. Yes, many countries give assistance to afflicted areas of the world; however, the unchallenged leader of emergency aid is always America. The United States is usually the first to arrive at devastated locations of the world by request and is the last to leave, having brought the lion’s share of assistance with no strings attached. In fact, our country’s speed, efficiency and overwhelming willingness to assist nations in need has in some corners become viewed as less of a matter of American charitableness and more of a matter of world entitlement.

Christians push back against gay agenda in Kansas

Recently there has been a push by liberals to advance the homosexual agenda into pivotal areas of American life. Barack Obama’s abolition of “don’t ask don’t tell” in the military has replaced silent service for gays with the requirement that the heterosexual majority of our fighting forces now accommodate a new, aggressive homosexual agenda if they wish to continue to defend the country. The foundation of traditional marriage in American culture is also under full assault.

LGBT and Rainbow Justice

As of February 8, 2011, Manhattan, Kansas has created a new mentality for the state. The message is clear: “Christians, beware.” There is a new sheriff in town that goes by the name of LGBT. The acronym “LGBT” stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender and this organization and those that follow under its rainbow banners now wield the power to start a legalized process that could very well shut down local businesses in the city of Manhattan. This new ordinance alteration sends a clear message that the state itself is in an uncertain state of moral decline.

Abortion in 2011: From Tax Breaks to Heartache

Since the United States legalized abortion in 1973 in Roe v. Wade, approximately 40 million abortions have been conducted in this country. These death toll numbers, which continue to mount, dwarf the statistics of Americans killed in war, crime, accidental death from handguns, you name it. As we enter the year 2011, legalized abortion in America is by far the leader in institutionalized death. Prior to 1973 abortion was more than simply illegal, it was a socially shunned activity for both the pregnant mother and the covert abortionist. Today not only have the tables turned on the legality of taking the life of a baby in the womb, but the decades that have passed since Roe v. Wade have seen a continual desensitizing of Americans to the ramifications of abortion.

Analyzing The Open-Border Mentality

How special is America? Is it truly a unique place where people can find opportunities for a better life that surpass those of other countries? Many think this to be true and the country has had a long history of being a welcoming place for people from all across the world. From 1892 to 1924 the port of New York at Ellis Island processed over 20 million foreign immigrants to legally enter the country. According to the National Park Service’s Ellis Island site, as many as 11,747 immigrants legally entered America in a single day in 1907. It is estimated that as many 100 million Americans are descendants of the process of legal immigration that took place at locations such as Ellis Island.

The Pet Rock versus Obamacare

In 1975 advertising executive Gary Dahl had one of the simplest and most rewarding marketing ideas of the decade. He placed a shiny little rock in a box decorated as an animal carrier and offered it to consumers to buy and keep as a “pet.”

Democrats look to dupe GOP at State of the Union address

The Democratic Party, if anything, is consistent with their actions. They took advantage of an ideologically weak Republican Party that failed to rein in spending in 2006. Democrats managed to place one of their most liberal politicians into the office of president in 2008 and then proceeded to pass bill after bill that would expand government control by monumental leaps in the hopes of fundamentally transforming the nation.

The do’s and don’ts of Sheriff Dupnik: Another ploy to silence conservatives

The recent shooting in Tucson, Arizona, that critically injured Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords as well as killing six other innocent citizens brings the nation again to attempting to find reasons where they are least likely to be found. At this time authorities are still discovering many of the details; however, it has been reported that the shooter in the incident, Jared Lee Loughner, was a mentally unstable individual.

The Barack Obama Presidency: When being unbelievable is the best defense

As we step into a new year I take a moment to reflect on what has been attempted and what has been accomplished in the struggle to preserve traditional conservative values in this country. This is a struggle to which I have committed myself for the long haul. Through my radio program “Conscience of Kansas” I have had the opportunity to bring to the radio-listening public some of the country’s most renowned conservative minds. The topic they have all addressed in their own unique fashion is sections of Barack Obama’s life and his effect on the country in his position as President of the United States.