Joel B. Pollak

Joel B. Pollak - Page 334

Articles by Joel B. Pollak

Illegal Immigration and Illegal Dumping

The Los Angeles Times reports this morning about a “plague of garbage” in the center of town. More than the usual urban blight is at play. The problem stems from poor attitudes about littering and public sanitation among the itinerant residents

California's Tech Secessionists

The New York Times reports Tuesday that Silicon Valley is breeding a secessionist movement. It is attracting tech gurus who are frustrated with society’s refusal to listen to them, and its insistence on regulating them. Entrepreneur Balaji S. Srinivasan, who is leading

California's Tech Secessionists

NSA Scandal Shames the U.S. Media

The American media are the biggest losers in the latest revelations in the National Security Agency scandal. Not because domestic journalists could have been expected to discover closely-guarded state secrets such as a spy program that targeted foreign heads of

NSA Scandal Shames the U.S. Media

If Health Care Is a 'Right,' Obama is Violating It

White House press secretary Jay Carney insisted on Monday that health care is a “right,” not a “privilege.” That is a theme the Obama administration is sounding with increasing frequency as the rollout of Obamacare becomes a bigger policy and

Israel to Resume Cooperation with UN Human Rights Council

The UN Human Rights Council is as anti-Israel as its predecessor, the UN Commission on Human Rights. It protects dictatorships while focusing disproportionate attention and outrage on Israel’s alleged human rights violations. So in 2012, when Israel announced a boycott

Israel to Resume Cooperation with UN Human Rights Council

CBS, '60 Minutes' Try to Atone for Benghazi Cover-Up

On Sunday evening, CBS News’ 60 Minutes featured an investigative report on the Benghazi attacks by Lara Logan. Logan’s reporting confirmed that the Obama administration had been warned, months in advance, about inadequate security at the U.S. facility in Benghazi, and

CBS, '60 Minutes' Try to Atone for Benghazi Cover-Up

Spying on Foreign Leaders: What Didn't Obama Know and When Didn't He Know It?

The Obama administration claims that President Barack Obama was personally unaware that the National Security Agency (NSA) was spying on thirty-five world leaders, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday evening. The claim is contradicted by other reports and, regardless, represents

Spying on Foreign Leaders: What Didn't Obama Know and When Didn't He Know It?

Lou Reed and the 'Sweater Girl'

I came of age far too late to enjoy the late Lou Reed in his heyday, but in time for his 1990s revival. Much of the dialogue and soundtrack in Trainspotting (1996)–including the crazy overdose scene (content warning)–revolved around Reed, both

Lou Reed and the 'Sweater Girl'

Lobbyists Irked that Conservatives Don't Feel Guilty

Politico reports that 300 K Street lobbyists met with the conservative Republican Study Committee, a group within the House GOP caucus last week–and were irritated that the conservatives did not express guilt for the recent government shutdown. Anna Palmer and

Immigration Reform Should Start with Legal Immigration, Border Security

Before embarking on yet another “comprehensive” legislative effort, Congress should learn from the failures of Obamacare and start with incremental fixes that prioritize the most urgent problems. On immigration, the most urgent priorities are border and visa security, plus the

Immigration Reform Should Start with Legal Immigration, Border Security

Pakistani Prime Minister Promises to Re-open Afridi Case

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif promised that his government would review the case of Dr. Shakil Afridi, the doctor who has been imprisoned since 2011 for helping the United States find Osama bin Laden, Fox News reports. Dr. Afridi has

Pakistani Prime Minister Promises to Re-open Afridi Case

The Minnesota Vikings Must Drop Their Name

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) has asked state authorities to ban the use of the name “Redskins” when the Washington (_blank_) travel to play the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 7. In the same spirit, and for many of the same reasons,

The Minnesota Vikings Must Drop Their Name

Tunisia, Cradle of Arab Spring, Near Political Collapse

Tunisia was the birthplace of the Arab Spring, and was seen as one of that movement’s few success stories after the failure and ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Yet Tunisia’s ruling Islamist party is facing the potential collapse

Tunisia, Cradle of Arab Spring, Near Political Collapse

Sheldon Adelson's 'Bomb Iran' Talk Draws Fire

Casino magnate and Republican benefactor Sheldon Adelson triggered worldwide controversy on Tuesday night when he suggested that the U.S. should drop a nuclear bomb in the Iranian desert as a warning. The remarks were reported and recorded by Philip Weiss,

Sheldon Adelson's 'Bomb Iran' Talk Draws Fire

Forget the Shutdown: Immigration is the Real GOP Rift

The conventional wisdom is that divisions within the Republican Party are about tactics, not goals. That is true of the shutdown over Obamacare. It is less true of divisions over immigration, which are about tactics but also policy. Tactically, pro-reform

Forget the Shutdown: Immigration is the Real GOP Rift

Review: Krauthammer vs. Stewart on the Daily Show

Take half an hour and enjoy this three-part interview, via RealClearPolitics and Comedy Central, of Charles Krauthammer by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. Krauthammer was promoting his new book, Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics–but

Review: Krauthammer vs. Stewart on the Daily Show

Who Best to Beat Hillary–Moderates or Tea Party?

Big business is stepping in to fund moderate Republican candidates ahead of the 2014 midterm elections in order to defeat Tea Party candidates in the primaries. I regard that as a welcome development, because it will force Tea Party candidates

Is Hillary Clinton Just a Better Biden?

One of the topics of lively debate here at Breitbart News is just how formidable Hillary Clinton really is as a candidate–whether almost unstoppable, or just really strong with a few key weaknesses. On the “unstoppable” side, she has incredible

When Are Hearings 'Hecklings' for Politico? When Republicans Run Them

Politico accused Republicans of “heckling” witnesses at committee hearings at the House of Representatives in a lead story by David Nather on Thursday morning ahead of testimony about the failure of the Obamacare website. According to Nather, it fell to

When Are Hearings 'Hecklings' for Politico? When Republicans Run Them

Hypocrite: When Hillary Yelled

The media are celebrating Hillary Clinton’s response to a heckler at an event in Buffalo, NY. The man shouted at her about the Benghazi scandal: “You let them die!” In response, Clinton said that Americans had to work together for

Hypocrite: When Hillary Yelled

Obamacare Tech Firms: Website 'Worked as Designed'

Contractors who were responsible for building healthcare.gov and the technology to handle enrollment in the federal Obamacare exchanges told the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday that they had not been aware of any problems that should have prevented

Obamacare Tech Firms: Website 'Worked as Designed'

Cummings Previews Democrats' Script for Obamacare Hearings

As the first hearings on the failed implementation of Obamacare begin Thursday, with the testimony of the healthcare.gov contractors before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Democrats have already developed their strategy for blunting Republican criticism. They will a) assert

Cummings Previews Democrats' Script for Obamacare Hearings

Did MSNBC's Chris Hayes Use 'KKK' Image for Cruz, Paul, Rubio?

Chris Hayes, host of MSNBC’s All In, has a favorite tactic–though not an original one: connecting today’s Republicans with the racist Democrats of the old South. In June, he rewrote history by casting George Wallace as a Republican–an error for which,

Did MSNBC's Chris Hayes Use 'KKK' Image for Cruz, Paul, Rubio?

When It Mattered, Red-State Dems Voted Against Obamacare Delay

Dana Bash of CNN reported Wednesday evening that all of the Democratic Senators facing re-election in 2014 would back a “new” proposal to delay the Obamacare enrollment deadline–not really “new,” since Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) already said he would propose

Perry, Sandoval Visit Israel

Ha’aretz reports that Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval are both visiting Israel this week. Both are considered possible contenders for the 2016 GOP nomination.  Perry is being accompanied on their visit by the Republican Jewish Coalition. 

Perry, Sandoval Visit Israel

The Hill's Erik Wasson Asks If RYAN Will Do a Budget Deal

After President Barack Obama vowed not to negotiate over the continuing resolution or the debt ceiling, after the Democratic Senate failed to pass a successful budget since 2009, The Hill‘s Erik Wasson

The Hill's Erik Wasson Asks If RYAN Will Do a Budget Deal

The Saudis and Obama: Weakness Breeds Contempt

All the bowing to the monarchy, all the Muslim outreach, all the criticism of Israel, all the help in crushing a Shia rebellion in Bahrain meant nothing to Saudi Arabia, which has let it be known that it intends to

The Saudis and Obama: Weakness Breeds Contempt

The Kasich Litmus Test for 2016

Amidst all the talk about a split between the Republican establishment and the Tea Party, there is still some underlying unity–at least if Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal editorial page, a reliable barometer of GOP elite opinion, is any indication. The Journal takes

Bernie Sanders and the Playboy Paradox

The November issue of Playboy features an interview with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who spends much of the article railing against the evils of capitalism and its alleged control of the political system. Playboy does deserve some credit for ideological diversity: in

Bernie Sanders and the Playboy Paradox

Experts Conclude: Limbaugh Plan Better than Obama's Stimulus

In 2009, at the height of debate about President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh proposed a compromise in the pages of the Wall Street Journal that would have devoted half the stimulus to tax cuts. Now, a

Experts Conclude: Limbaugh Plan Better than Obama's Stimulus

Five-Alarm Fire for Obama's 'Fifth-Year' Fall Failure

President George W. Bush’s presidency began to unravel in the autumn of 2005, after the Hurricane Katrina disaster seemed to affirm much of what critics had said about the administration’s cronyism and inattention to domestic affairs. Likewise, President Barack Obama’s

Five-Alarm Fire for Obama's 'Fifth-Year' Fall Failure

Amnesty International Accuses Obama of 'War Crimes'

Amnesty International has accused the Obama administration of “war crimes” in its drone policy in a new report released Tuesday. The human rights organization reviewed forty-five drone strikes in the Pakistani providence of Waziristan since January 2012, and concluded that they

Amnesty International Accuses Obama of 'War Crimes'

Obamacare Tech Firm Tried, Failed to Build Gun Registry in Canada

CGI, the Canadian company whose U.S. subsidiary built the failed Obamacare website, was once contracted to build a federal gun registry for the Canadian government, Breitbart News has learned.  CGI’s contract was canceled in 2007 after a report by the

Obamacare Tech Firm Tried, Failed to Build Gun Registry in Canada

How to Save California in 3 Easy Steps

Gov. Jerry Brown is being hailed by the left media for balancing the state’s budget. Unfortunately, he did so by raising taxes, thereby continuing the state’s economic self-destruction, and by raiding the funds California had raised through its rather inept

How to Save California in 3 Easy Steps

Crazy Barry Declares Health Insurance BLOWOUT SALE!

On Monday morning, President Barack Obama stepped into the role of pitchman as he tried to convince a skeptical public that the Affordable Care Act is a success and that Americans should keep trying to access the program despite the

Crazy Barry Declares Health Insurance BLOWOUT SALE!

J.P. Morgan Case Reveals Bipartisan Political Problem

The Wall Street Journal‘s lead editorial Monday presents a good summary of what is wrong with the government’s case against J.P. Morgan: it seeks to punish a company for helping the government; it targets one of the only financial firms

J.P. Morgan Case Reveals Bipartisan Political Problem

5 Predictions for Obama's Obamacare 'Glitch' Speech

President Barack Obama will address the glaring problems of the so-called “glitches” in the Obamacare websites. (Given the scale and complexity of the legislation itself, it would be more accurate to say that the problems are features, not bugs.) I

CNN's Zakaria: Conservatives 'Hate America'

CNN’s Fareed Zakaria is a sanctimonious elitist and a plagiarist besides. Yet he still has a worldwide audience via Global Public Square. And so his rantings do merit comment from time to time, especially when they spread rabid anti-conservative propaganda

CNN's Zakaria: Conservatives 'Hate America'

It's Never Too Early: Principles for Picking Presidents, 2016

The Republican Party, Ari Fleischer said earlier this year, is one presidential election away from unity and success. I disagree–there is much work to be done before then, and not necessarily in Fleischer’s preferred fashion. However, since leadership is probably