The Townhall.com Columnists http://www.townhall.com/ http://media.townhall.com/TownHall/icons/TH-feed-icon-128x128.gif http://www.townhall.com/ TownHall.com, Where your opinion counts. 128 Copyright (c) 2009 Townhall.com, A Salem Communications Web. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED jim.dearras@townhall.com (Jim De Arras) Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:49:34 GMT Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:49:34 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ This year marks the 233rd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America. Back then, freedom rang because individuals were willing to risk, literally, everything to be... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RichardOlivastro/2009/07/03/let_freedom_ring_-_again info@townhall.com (Richard Olivastro) 1bad76dd-d148-4c10-80c1-769ba1a6a7d2 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:49:34 GMT It works out that retired Supreme Court president Aharon Barak - the man who shaped Israel's judiciary in his own image - doesn't care much for Jews. In a speech last Thursday sponsored by the post-Zionist New... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/CarolineGlick/2009/07/03/israels_democratic_challenge info@townhall.com (Caroline Glick) 1be3e0e4-5e0d-498b-8087-c644db195a85 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:35:56 GMT Millions of American women are busy with July 4th preparations. They are dusting off picnic blankets, preparing potato salad, and making arrangements with friends and family for firework displays. Few have time to... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/CarrieLukas/2009/07/03/government_growth_challenging_liberty_this_july_4th info@townhall.com (Carrie Lukas) c70f6e25-71ca-4e39-aef2-a609d2604897 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:36:33 GMT One of President Obama's pretensions is the pose of objectivity. Reversing his predecessor's policy on stem cell research, he boasted of restoring "science to its rightful place." Lobbying for his health care... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MonaCharen/2009/07/03/the_empirical_president info@townhall.com (Mona Charen) 7f6125a8-3b93-4842-ac01-ff8a92960db0 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:01:00 GMT WASHINGTON -- It may seem strange to Americans, so close to our independence celebration, that Iraqis should break out the fireworks when our troops withdraw. We are not accustomed to being cast in the Bri http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichaelGerson/2009/07/03/success_and_failure_in_iraq info@townhall.com (Michael Gerson) 45ebcfbc-c10f-4f6f-af61-febad8f504b0 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:01:00 GMT All right already. I won't call Obama a Marxist in this column. Instead, I'll point to some signs that indicate that Barack and Karl might well be soul mates. At least, they have similar attitudes about capital,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DavidLimbaugh/2009/07/03/none_dare_call_it_marxism info@townhall.com (David Limbaugh) 093729fa-2332-4fef-8110-fa5530431989 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:01:00 GMT On more than one occasion, I have asked myself how it is that in a country where twice as many people call themselves conservatives, liberals are able to control the media, the schools, the courts and are able to put a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BurtPrelutsky/2009/07/03/politics,_money,_and_sex info@townhall.com (Burt Prelutsky) 8bdd004c-26ce-4a2a-8dc7-eb2152b995f3 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:01:00 GMT The Supreme Court's decision this week in the New Haven firefighters case may cause problems for its newest prospective member, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. The court found in favor of a group of white and Hispanic... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/LindaChavez/2009/07/03/sotomayor_and_quotas info@townhall.com (Linda Chavez) 7f2dbf71-9422-48c9-901d-ba6ed76a6e8f Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:01:00 GMT Dear Oliver, Many years ago, when Bill Maher's comedy show was hosted by Comedy Central and he was funny, his formula for success was truly unique. Every week two sets of political and/or cultural opposites were... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BrentBozell/2009/07/03/oliver_stone,_lousy_historian info@townhall.com (Brent Bozell) 9132b033-2904-4de5-b981-b2c2191ed3c5 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:01:00 GMT Dear Governor Palin, You're blowing it. We haven't met, but you might remember I was one of the first columnists to tout you for John McCain's running mate. I cheered you mightily when Senator McCain selected... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JonahGoldberg/2009/07/03/a_letter_to_sarah info@townhall.com (Jonah Goldberg) 5bfb9a74-73fe-441a-9f58-9ffcca1fde2a Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:01:00 GMT Last Saturday, Honduran soldiers marched into the presidential palace, bundled up President Manuel Zelaya and put him on a plane for Costa Rica. The ouster had been ordered by the Supreme Court and approved by the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PatBuchanan/2009/07/03/hands_off_honduras! info@townhall.com (Pat Buchanan) c4943c82-f9e1-44eb-bc02-9a7308834a80 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:01:00 GMT WASHINGTON -- It's by far the hottest controversy in real estate this summer, and it could directly affect the value of your house -- probably negatively -- by tens of thousands of dollars. The issue... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/KenHarney/2009/07/03/appraisal_rules_under_fire info@townhall.com (Ken Harney) ad9caadd-d2f0-4705-97ed-9484038e2be0 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:01:00 GMT What a fortnight this has been for observing the human animal in his natural habitat. We're reminded daily of the clay feet, the wounded psyches, the angst of the exploiters and the anger of the exploitees. Their... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/SuzanneFields/2009/07/03/but_for_the_grace_of_god_ info@townhall.com (Suzanne Fields) a4e45af1-48bd-4add-9fee-6574dd3fb267 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:01:00 GMT WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court's ruling on the Ricci case -- that white firemen suffered illegal discrimination when a promotional test on which they did well was thrown out because not enough blacks did... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/CharlesKrauthammer/2009/07/03/the_meaning_of_ricci info@townhall.com (Charles Krauthammer) 3bf34fb5-403a-4193-9ea0-47005264f383 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:01:00 GMT The White House sure likes to put on a show. Fresh off its joint stage production with ABC News, the Obama administration broadcast another health-care propaganda play this week under the guise of a citizen "town... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichelleMalkin/2009/07/03/welcome_to_obamacare_theater info@townhall.com (Michelle Malkin) 249f3ed3-a95e-4bfb-a453-08e037d55f5b Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:01:00 GMT By the time you read this, the Obama administration will, no doubt, have bailed out the state of California. How can we be sure? Because it announced, on June 16, that it wouldn't bail out California. As National... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RichTucker/2009/07/03/bending_the_california_curve info@townhall.com (Rich Tucker) 7d928b38-06d7-4034-97f6-eb12c9ca03ec Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:00:10 GMT Move over, Sarah Palin? Jenny Sanford, the wife of embattled Republican South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, is attracting her own constituency. The reason behind this is easy to see. Sanford's husband, who... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/KathrynLopez/2009/07/02/mrs_sanford_and_sons_guvs_wife_stands_up_for_family info@townhall.com (Kathryn Lopez) 2eaf0b61-599a-4c5c-ab1d-756207511a07 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:04:50 GMT WASHINGTON -- Republican prospects in next year's Senate races are not good, with most analysts forecasting deeper GOP losses, though they could be offset by some Democratic upsets. Democratic Sen. Chris... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DonaldLambro/2009/07/02/gop_discovers_a_taxing_issue info@townhall.com (Donald Lambro) aaef725e-834e-4fcd-b286-a08bbaa41a1e Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:04:35 GMT I've been stewing over something really lousy that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been saying since June 20: that Iraqis have won a "great victory" over the "foreign presence in Iraq." That... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DianaWest/2009/07/02/iraq_is_victorious_over_the_foreign_us info@townhall.com (Diana West) 4beaa508-c286-4297-a005-bc03dd8cfe97 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:04:19 GMT E*Trade 's (Nasdaq: ETFC) debt exchange offer is a success. The online discount broker received commitments from its creditors to swap more than $1.8 billion in debt for new convertible bonds. The healthy reception... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RickAristotleMunarriz/2009/07/02/e*trade_makes_a_good_trade info@townhall.com (Rick Aristotle Munarriz) 8e044a18-f5a0-4c7d-8749-d484e75c77a8 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:05:57 GMT America's health care system certainly has its share of problems - of which most emanate from politicians' tinkering, tempting frustrated consumers with promises of better benefits at someone else's expense. So the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MarkHillman/2009/07/02/mr_president,_first_heal_medicare info@townhall.com (Mark Hillman) 50d5e842-c56d-43a3-8d30-bd616b30580e Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:05:20 GMT Short-sellers and hedge funds, though sometimes shadowy, are sometimes seen as the smartest investors in the room. They did their homework and will bet their capital against the crowd. It's not the most popular way to... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RichDuprey/2009/07/02/these_5_underdogs_are_no_dogs info@townhall.com (Rich Duprey) f4eefa4d-a20b-454f-8498-e2d8e01769ce Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:34:52 GMT There are really only two types of companies out there: the disrupters and the disrupted. What's in your portfolio? It's not an easy question to answer. Everyone likes to think that their stocks are the lions... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RickAristotleMunarriz/2009/07/02/i_can_make_you_rich_in_3_years info@townhall.com (Rick Aristotle Munarriz) ad3dd3b1-6366-4121-91e1-af4b4befc365 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:34:52 GMT With a cloud hanging over its Lantus insulin, sanofi-aventis (NYSE: SNY) offered a ray of sunlight to investors this morning when the Food and Drug Administration approved its drug Multaq for restoring the heart's... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RobertSteyer/2009/07/02/at_last,_a_heartening_drug_approval info@townhall.com (Robert Steyer) 3148ca69-db0a-4de4-bc48-e73da7ecf823 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:34:51 GMT You almost get the impression that the Chinese steelmakers are trying to shoot themselves in the foot. With most steelmakers in Japan and South Korea having agreed with their big iron ore suppliers -- I'm speaking of... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DavidLeeSmith/2009/07/02/chinese_paying_more_than_they_should info@townhall.com (David Lee Smith) ce31ddac-9fc8-4f21-a884-32db11a2cbe9 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:34:51 GMT Credit card losses reached 10.4% in June -- a record level that is quickly eroding bank profits on these products. That's bad news for large card issuers such as Citigroup (NYSE: C), Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), and... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AlexDumortierCFA/2009/07/02/as_card_losses_hit_record_levels,_banks_hit_back info@townhall.com (Alex Dumortier,CFA) 84db7a92-5ad9-4735-ac4f-bcb52570116c Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:34:50 GMT Retail giant Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) has long seen its reputation tarnished by allegations that it mistreats employees. But now, the company is spearheading a government-backed effort to create an "employer... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AlyceLomax/2009/07/02/health_insurance_the_new_competitive_advantage info@townhall.com (Alyce Lomax) e4646fbe-9755-4cf6-8b7d-dfeb3ce85515 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:04:36 GMT Remember The One Stock You Must Buy? It was: And while it's always a good time to buy a stock that possesses those four core traits -- think of big winners such as Home Depot (NYSE: HD) or Urban Outfitters (Nasdaq:... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TimHanson/2009/07/02/the_one_security_you_must_not_buy info@townhall.com (Tim Hanson) e836ce97-c8a7-42ee-a9fc-c7af2f48655e Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:04:36 GMT A stock's price follows its earnings, which in turn follow its sales. A company needs only to take care of its business for investors to profit in the long run. With that in mind, examining companies whose revenues... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RichDuprey/2009/07/02/5_stocks_geared_for_growth info@townhall.com (Rich Duprey) f1ec2e9c-48e7-4a5e-9455-ba38b0ac7fdc Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:04:35 GMT In the latest installment of our Motley Fool Money podcast, advisors Seth Jayson, James Early, and Shannon Zimmerman discuss some of the big questions of the week.  With unemployment hitting a 26-year high, is now... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ChrisHill/2009/07/02/3_stocks_on_our_radar info@townhall.com (Chris Hill) 1b873c1a-c202-4738-8dd2-04ab0f8a355e Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:04:35 GMT Canadian Solar (Nasdaq: CSIQ) kicked the week off on a positive note, with an announcement that the firm had "recently signed or reconfirmed sales contracts, contract extensions or received purchase orders for delivery... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TobyShute/2009/07/02/this_week_in_solar info@townhall.com (Toby Shute) 807a6061-2699-4cb4-b3fd-2eea1fe2d03f Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:04:34 GMT Investors are constantly searching for the next "it" space. Could renewable energy be the one? Brad Nordholm, CEO of Starwood Energy, the energy investment affiliate of private equity firm Starwood Capital, said in a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JenniferSchonberger/2009/07/02/will_renewable_energy_be_the_equivalent_of_tech_in_the_go-go_90s info@townhall.com (Jennifer Schonberger) 0fa9ca9e-a09f-4f4c-bcaf-b7718cc62fe3 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:04:33 GMT If you're feeling good about the market, you're not alone. Take my hand as we go over some of this week's more uplifting headlines. 1. Amazon knows how to cross the state line First it was North Carolina. Now it's... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RickAristotleMunarriz/2009/07/02/this_weeks_5_smartest_stock_moves info@townhall.com (Rick Aristotle Munarriz) a19c1035-8167-439a-81a0-b236d4d4b477 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:04:33 GMT Thank goodness. After months of soap-opera rumors, including potential deals with Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), Lundbeck, Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY), and Novartis (NYSE: NVS), we finally have a definitive close to Elan... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BrianOrelli/2009/07/02/squeezing_blood_from_a_half-dollar info@townhall.com (Brian Orelli) 60221199-ee58-43ab-948c-67510578a36b Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:04:31 GMT Who are the richest people in town? Here's a hint: Every dime they have is disposable income. The answer is tourists. And they increasingly are the victims of the soak-the-rich mentality that has resurfaced with a... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MattTowery/2009/07/02/we_love_new_york_--_just_less_than_we_used_to info@townhall.com (Matt Towery) 1013e292-aad2-49b0-8aba-93fb2c36cca9 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:50:39 GMT Sure, we all feel like geniuses now, right? We stuck it out -- "it" being the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression -- and have now enjoyed fat and happy double-digit gains over the past three... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ShannonZimmerman/2009/07/02/prep_for_the_pullback_now info@townhall.com (Shannon Zimmerman) d8cd5a76-7af9-4de5-bf2b-aded0b00388a Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:35:24 GMT Do you have a very best stock? A stock that brings you... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JamesEarly/2009/07/02/the_best_stock_to_own info@townhall.com (James Early) 6c443a25-ccdc-4983-8509-e2e7f6b1bec0 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:35:23 GMT When stocks perform well, an announcement of a coming stock split can make investors even more optimistic about the future. In the uncertain market environment we're facing now, however, many companies either have... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DanCaplinger/2009/07/02/do_reverse_splits_ever_work info@townhall.com (Dan Caplinger) 4d4dd533-c1e8-4670-b9e5-1ec3cad6be5b Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:35:23 GMT Stupidity is contagious. It gets us all from time to time. Even respectable companies can catch it. As I do every week, let's take a look at five dumb financial events this week that may make your head spin. 1. Sony... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RickAristotleMunarriz/2009/07/02/this_weeks_5_dumbest_stock_moves info@townhall.com (Rick Aristotle Munarriz) 42bc4bf8-ca28-4e3f-b08d-909250e54fcf Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:35:22 GMT Considering that I live in Las Vegas and report on casino companies for The Motley Fool, it's probably not all that surprising that I've done a bit of wagering at the casinos myself. Most of what the casinos have to... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MattKoppenheffer/2009/07/02/investing_lessons_from_the_horse_track info@townhall.com (Matt Koppenheffer) e0bcb19c-1021-472b-a1d1-6e99a2c9fafa Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:35:22 GMT Acorda Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ACOR) secured a decent upfront payment to license the ex-U.S. rights to its multiple sclerosis drug, Fampridine-SR, from the perfect partner. Unfortunately, investors still smacked the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BrianOrelli/2009/07/02/deal_struck,_shares_stuck info@townhall.com (Brian Orelli) 2edbdc4f-a8e7-45d5-939a-9e949887d748 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:35:15 GMT After nine months of explosive monetary and fiscal stimulus, you'd think economic recovery would be upon us. But the June jobs report tells a much different story. Non-farm payrolls fell by 467,000 as... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/LarryKudlow/2009/07/02/june_jobs_tell_a_bad_story info@townhall.com (Larry Kudlow) 085d83cf-f93b-475a-8dcd-53d2e8df739f Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:31:16 GMT In case you couldn't guess from last month's test flight cancellation, or the subsequent cancellation of 15 orders for the 787 Dreamliner, all's not well at Boeing (NYSE: BA). The latest news, that Boeing is in... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RichSmith/2009/07/02/is_it_time_to_sell_boeing info@townhall.com (Rich Smith) e28e21cd-8190-48f7-8986-343a2f9ce612 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:06:21 GMT Sadly, there's no such thing as an ultimate buy signal when it comes to investing in stocks. Identifying companies with the wind at their back takes time, patience, and a good dose of due diligence. There is,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MotleyFoolStaff/2009/07/02/5-star_stocks_on_the_upswing info@townhall.com (Motley Fool Staff) c52255c8-a2cd-418e-917b-c486ee1000a2 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:06:20 GMT General Mills (NYSE: GIS) shareholders are feeling a nutritious boost. Fiscal fourth-quarter and full-year 2009 results revealed that the food maker's leading brands, which include Haagen-Dazs, Yoplait, Cheerios, and... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MikePienciak/2009/07/02/consumers_chow_down_on_general_mills info@townhall.com (Mike Pienciak) 56378408-a6c1-4682-8804-e30b30bde1a1 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:06:19 GMT Sadly, there's no such thing as an ultimate buy signal when it comes to investing in stocks. Identifying companies with the wind at their backs takes time, patience, and a good dose of due diligence. There is,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MotleyFoolStaff/2009/07/02/4-star_stocks_on_the_upswing info@townhall.com (Motley Fool Staff) 44895e8c-43bc-4ded-9550-7dc8888399d9 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:06:19 GMT Here's how to get a dubious bill into law, or at least past the U.S. House of Representatives, which of late has deserved to be called the lower chamber: -- First, make the bill long. Very long. So long no one... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PaulGreenberg/2009/07/02/cap_and_confuse info@townhall.com (Paul Greenberg) c5440853-b383-4be3-b424-e7046dfd3499 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:00:31 GMT The process is predictable. An affair is exposed; the politician has his teary press conference; then the feeding frenzy starts. One of the most frequently-stated opinions is that no one should care if a politician... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JaniceShawCrouse/2009/07/02/who_cares_about_a_politician's_affair info@townhall.com (Janice Shaw Crouse) ecec4a8c-c16d-4648-8e79-e34499126218 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:50:03 GMT The flip side to shareholder-friendly stocks expected to underperform the market? Highfliers that pay little heed to their owners' interests. Conversely, there are top-flight companies that also treat their shareholders... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RichDuprey/2009/07/02/top-rated_stocks_that_treat_shareholders_right info@townhall.com (Rich Duprey) 092e8e17-5e8c-43c8-9651-a0df9b3c4c93 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:35:23 GMT When you pit two power players against one another, there are bound to be sparks. I haven't had much comment on the drawn-out takeover tussle between Exelon (NYSE: EXC) and NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) since the former... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TobyShute/2009/07/02/exelons_nrgetic_new_bid info@townhall.com (Toby Shute) aa5e94f6-767e-4cb2-b79c-14cdb04b9e14 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:35:23 GMT