The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Opinion Wednesday, May 23, 2018 B- 11 The preferred form of populism Heritage Viewpoint by Edwin J. Feulner We hear a lot about "populism" these days. Conservatives often praise it, while liberals call it a threat to democracy. This debate presupposes a com- mon definition, but is there one? In fact, throughout our history, popu- lism has surfaced in two very differ- ent forms. Today, there is the populism of the Tea Party Movement — gener- ally right and center-right, support- ing Donald Trump. It is a populism that rebels against big government. "Leave us alone so that we can suc- ceed (or fail) on our own" is its ral- lying cry. The second form of contemporary populism is the populism of the Occu- py Wall Street movement and Bernie Sanders voters. It stresses the equal- ity of outcomes, rather than equality of opportunity. It is a populism that looks for handouts, whether it is for- giveness for college loans or reverse discrimination in the form of quotas and set-asides. Neither of these strains is new, of course. Victor Davis Hanson of Stan- ford traces both forms back to an- cient Greece, then down through the American Revolution (Tea Party) and the French Revolution (Occupy). The question is, why has their age- old clash been sharpened so much of late? Largely, I believe, because of the vacuum created by the crumbing of the "Liberal International Order." And what is the "Liberal Interna- tional Order? " It was a governing phi- losophy defined largely by the United States with a broad bipartisan consen- sus in the years following World War II. It helped guide the U.S. use of pow- er in the broad service of freedom for Americans and for our al- lies. We shared a common adversary with our allies, a fact that held us together and even enabled others to jointly claim the patrimo- ny of the Liberal Interna- tional Order. By 1989, however, with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, the old world came apart. The binding of Allies by the shared enemies of the Cold War dis- appeared. It was the "end of history." Within a decade, we could "make the world safe for democracy." Alas, it did not turn out that way, at least not all the time: Rwanda (1994) still haunts those who clamor for in- terventions despite our inability and our unwillingness to intervene in all of them. And when we refused to in- tervene in any one of them, we were seen as disappointing and disrupting our shared commitment to the Liber- al International Order. Few bothered to examine the real effect of this new version of the Order on the safety and prosperity of Amer- ica, our allies, and those who want- ed to be our allies. At the same time, we were encouraged to "engage" with our adversaries, as if bringing them to the table would automatically cause them to adopt our system and beliefs. Today, we are seeing the limits of the Liberal International Order which the world has outgrown. Not every na- tion nor every political entity is ready for admission to this club. Should we talk with a resurgent Russia? Yes, but we should also real- ize the role of Russia in territorial ex- pansion beyond its bor- ders (Ukraine), and in areas outside its tradi- tional interests (Syria). And we should recog- nize what Russia truly is: an economy the size of Spain based on an in- creasingly competitive international market for energy supplies, with a declining population, a powerful military and a large stock- pile of nuclear weapons. Must we deal with China, an emerg- ing power that is certainly a disrupt- er to the old Order? Yes, even as we eye warily its "belt and road" efforts to achieve worldwide strategic expan- sion in economic terms, and as we denounce its bullying claims to the South China Sea as territorial waters in violation of international treaties and obligations of prudent, serious members of the international com- munity, and as we and our ally in Tai- wan confront a resurgent PL A Navy in the Taiwan Straits. In short, the Liberal International Order has outlived its purpose. The world is thrashing around to figure out what will replace it. Small won- der, then, that we find big-thinking, disruptive, unconventional President Trump at the center of these debates. The question is, whose form of pop- ulism will prevail? Judging by the alarm bells being sounded on the left, my bet is on the Tea Party. Ed Feulner is founder of The Heri- tage Foundation (heritage.org). SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY? LET US KNOW AT 812-354-8500! Court Report CRIMINAL Pike Circuit Court Ladonna Straw charged with count I possession of methamphet- amine, a level 6 felony, and count II maintaining a common nuisance - controlled substances. Coltyn J. Rainey charged with maintaining a common nuisance - controlled substances, a level 6 felony. Matthew J. Lee charged with count I possession of metham- phetamine, a level 6 felony, count II possession of marijuana, count III possession of paraphernalia, and count IV operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Adam C. Simmons charged with domestic battery, a level 6 felony. Kesha D. Adams charged with count I operating a vehicle with an ace of .15 or more, a level 6 felony, counts II and III operating a vehi- cle while intoxicated, count IV en- dangering a person with a passen- ger less than 18 years of age, and count V operating a vehicle with an ACE of .15 or more. In re: search warrant. TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANOR Pike Circuit Court Joshua D. Wilson charged with possession of marijuana. Kade B. Cornelius charged with operating a vehicle with an ACE of .15 or more. Krystal N. Simpson charged with operating a vehicle with an ACE of .08 or more. Brandon L. Miller charged with count I possession of marijuana and count II visiting a common nuisance - controlled substances. Eric A. Heubner charged with driving while suspended. Kameron J. Peter charged with public intoxication. Ronald A. Travis charged with count I failure to make report, and counts II, III an IV, false inform- ing. Jason L. Basham charged with false informing. James M. Behn charged with driving while suspended. Amber N. Cashman charged with possession of marijuana. Kevin M. Matthews charged with possession of marijuana. Dillon K. Bedell charged with driving while suspended. Rachel Lynn Roettger charged with domestic battery. Thomas J. McDougall, AK A Jake Thomas, charged with do- mestic battery. James H. Toler charged with operating a motor vehicle with an ACE of .15 or more. Tameeka Lee Straw charged with count I driving while sus- pended and count II false inform- ing. Tyler James Munjas charged with count I possession of mari- juana and count II possession of paraphernalia. Dewan Anthony Bush charged with reckless driving. CIVIL Pike Circuit Court Americredit Financial Services sues Robert Deffendoll on com- plaint. Personal Finance Company LLC sues Ronald Fidler and Dana Fidler on complaint. Personal Finance Company LLC sues Dick Abell on complaint. Donna King sues Eddie Tisdale on complaint. SMALL CLAIMS Pike Circuit Court Jason and Hannah Hill sue Rod- ney and Katie Watts on complaint. Tower Construction sues Krys- tin Lee on complaint. Tower Construction sues Kim- berly McCammon on complaint. Kyle Kinder sues Perk-A-Lawn Gardens on complaint. Kenneth Dale Mitchell sues Rhonda Myers on complaint. INFRACTIONS Pike Circuit Court Brian Ballard charged with speeding, 86 mph in a 70 zone. Adam Benefiel charged with speeding, 39 mph in a 25 zone. John Boyer charged with no/ discharged/unsecured fire extin- guisher. Nicholas Bundy charged with speeding, 79 mph in a 70 zone. Eric Carrico charged with no/ improper tractor protection valve. Joseph Hummel charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Mary Russell charged with seat- belt violation. Nathan Stokes charged with driving too fast for conditions. William Sweet charged with speeding, 78 mph in a 55 zone. Jerry Uppencamp charged with speeding, 70 mph in a 55 zone. Jerald Wright charged with speeding, 55 mph in a 45 zone. Chad Zink charged with speed- ing, 39 mph in a 25 zone. Jay Darnell charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Eli Eck charged with seatbelt vi- olation. Matthew Fletcher charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Aaron Garretson charged with speeding, 91 mph in a 70 zone. Terra Hill charged with speed- ing, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Steven Osborne charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Bridget Quackenbush charged with driving while suspended. Shannon Rone charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Anne Rutledge charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Sommer Schippert charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Shanel Schwartzlose charged with speeding, 64 mph in a 50 zone. Ty Smith charged with seatbelt violation. Denereo Clay charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Judith Gladish charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Hannah Hunsicker charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Michael Johnson charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Laura Lopez Pulido charged with speeding, 91 mph in a 70 zone. Jacob McCandless charged with speeding, 93 mph in a 70 zone. Harley Miles charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Robert Siegel II charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. Rachel Smith charged with speeding, 64 mph in a 50 zone. Thomas Watson charged with count I speeding, 39 mph in a 30 zone and count II seatbelt viola- tion. Nikki Whiteaker charged with speeding, 84 mph in a 70 zone. and allies, and are utterly indifferent to the victimiza- tion of strangers. It was just Sherry Iverson's tough luck that she lived outside Cash's orbit of friendships, and it's too bad for women and chil- dren that Target and Wal- green corporate executives and Liberal politicians are unmoved to protect them during their most vulnera- ble moments on company premises. If a corporation wants to build lockable unisex rest- rooms for customers and staff, I have no firm opin- ion about that. I would rath- er not pay higher retail pric- es to fund the accommoda- tion of sexual pathology, but at least it would protect wom- en and girls from the men- ace of voyeurs and assail- ants. It's a reasonable judg- ment call by management. That's different from the reckless proposition of invit- ing men to share restrooms with women and girls, im- munized against any inter- vention or questioning by se- curity or retail staff. "Sexual crimes are of- ten crimes of opportunity," wrote Christian activist An- dy Parrish. "Allowing grown men in the girls bathroom increases the opportunity for sexual crimes. I choose my daughters' safety over the convenience of shopping at Target." More than 1.4 million peo- ple have pledged to honor the American Family Asso- ciation's boycott against Tar- get. But why do any Chris- tians shop at Target or Wal- greens anymore? It sug- gests that we have been compromised by material- ism. In other words, we have subordinated our Christian values to our consumption, not vice versa. But it's also because Liberals have been successful at framing the is- sue as a matter of compas- sion for transgendered peo- ple. When Christian activists published a list of 21 inci- dents in which male intrud- ers victimized women and girls in public restrooms, Liberals replied that none of the 21 assailants and voy- eurs were transgendered people. Even if we concede this is true, it would only vindicate the harmlessness of transgendered people in unprotected restrooms. It would not vindicate the safe- ty of permitting adult or ado- lescent males to enter wom- en's and girls' restrooms. The 21 incidents remain se- rious with or without abso- lutely autonomous transgen- ders circulating among the restrooms. It may be true that trans- genders are innocent of most attacks and voyeur- ism in ladies' restrooms. But they and their Liberal allies are not innocent of making common cause with rapists and voyeurs in seeking rest- room policies of mutual ben- efit. Of this, they are guilty. My hat is off to Chris- tian activist groups like One Million Moms and the American Family Associa- tion. But I don't think U.S. consumer behavior is go- ing to be shaped by nice people following Marquess of Queensberry rules. Tar- get and Walgreens and ilk need to face enormous pho- tographs of young Sher- ry Iverson at their entranc- es every May 25, and at ev- ery stockholder meeting. Do you know how and when to request that your gover- nor declare an annual Sher- rice Iverson Day every May 25? How about your munici- pal government? It would be an opportunity to remember young Sherry, but also to re- member Jeremy Strohmeyer and David Cash. Whenever a municipal or state body takes up a proposal to give adult men free access to women's rest- rooms, opponents should al- ways refer to it as Strohm- eyer's Law. This would prop- erly frame it as an issue of women's and girls' safety. Whenever officials or com- mentators are dismissive of safety concerns in deregu- lated women's restrooms, they should be challenged to distinguish their position from David Cash's position. What comes first for these people—their friendships and alliances with sexually confused men, or the protec- tion of physically vulnerable women and girls? Should men like Strohm- eyer and Cash be allowed to enter your daughters' rest- room unchallenged? Liber- als may hedge, but their pol- icies most emphatically say yes. MOTHER Continued from page 10 KANYE Continued from page 10 black libertarians/conservatives and West is that he has 28 million Twitter followers and a huge audience of lis- teners whereas few blacks have even heard of libertarian/conservative blacks outside of Supreme Court Jus- tice Clarence Thomas. (I might add in passing that Dr. Thomas Sowell is one of the nation's most distinguished and accomplished scholars alive today.) The Kanye problem for the Demo- cratic Party is that if the party doesn't keep blacks in line and it loses even 20 to 25 percent of the black vote, it can kiss any hope of winning any presi- dential and many congressional elec- tions goodbye. Democrats may have already seen that threat. That's why they support illegal immigration and voting rights for noncitizens. Immi- grants from south of the border who are here illegally may be seen as ei- ther a replacement for or a guaran- tee against the disaster of losing the black vote. Keeping blacks blind to the folly of unquestioned support for the Demo- cratic Party by keeping blacks fear- ful, angry and resentful and painting the Republican Party as racist is vital. Democrats never want blacks to se- riously ask questions about what the party has done for them. Here are some facts. The nation's most trou- blesome and dangerous cities — In- dianapolis, Stockton, Oakland, Mil- waukee, Cleveland, Kansas City, Bal- timore, Memphis, St. Louis and De- troit — have been run by Democrats, often black Democrats, for nearly a half-century. These and other Dem- ocratic-run cities are where blacks suffer the highest murder rates and their youngsters attend the poorest- performing and most unsafe schools. Democrats could never afford for a large number of black people to observe, "We've been putting you in charge of our cities for decades. We even put a black Democrat in the White House. And what has it meant for us? Plus, the president you told us to hate has our unemployment rate near a record low." It turns out that it's black votes that count more to black and white politicians than black well-being, black academic ex- cellence and black lives. As for black politicians and civil rights leaders, if they're going to sell their people down the river to keep Democrats in power, they ought to demand a higher price. Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. CREATIVITY. OUR SPECIALTY. 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