PARKER: Guarding against rich and powerful fanatics abroad |
SIMMONS SAYS: It’s so different when athletes play for country instead of club
Why Morgan Rielly won't play against Ottawa on Saturday night
Maple Leafs' Anthony Stolarz hit in throat in warmup, taken to Ottawa hospital
Edmonton-born man in U.S. ICE detention faces deportation
Share this Story : Toronto Sun Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr
PARKER: Guarding against rich and powerful fanatics abroad
I felt it the other day when I shelled out $150 to fill my tank. For sure, I wasn't happy.
You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.
At the height of the energy crisis in the 1970s, when oil prices more than sextupled, The Economist magazine showed a map of the Persian Gulf on its cover with the headline: “What’s a Nice Thing Like Oil Doing in a Place Like This?”
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.
Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.
Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.
Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.
Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.
Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.
Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.
Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.
Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account.
Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
Enjoy additional articles per month.
Get email updates from your favourite authors.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account
Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments
Enjoy additional articles per month
Get email updates from your favourite authors
Don't have an account? Create Account
The Iranian miscreants, with whom the U.S. is now at war, understand that, although they couldn’t care less what their own citizens think. In free countries, public opinion and support are vital to a president’s ability to wage war.
PARKER: Guarding against rich and powerful fanatics abroad Back to video
By impeding the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil supplies pass, they know they can hit the American people at the gas pump and start them screaming for President Donald Trump to pull out of the war.
I felt it the other day when I shelled out $150 to fill my tank. For sure, I wasn’t happy.
But for the many who are out of sorts because of high gas prices, know that if it brings you to start calling for Trump to pull out of the war, you are following to the letter the script written by the terrorists in Tehran.
Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond.
There was an error, please provide a valid email address.
By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox.
We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
Interested in more newsletters? Browse here.
Week leaders govern by poll, not principle
One thing that characterizes times like this is the tendency for governments to not do what they should do and to do what they shouldn’t do.
Weak leaders govern by poll, not by principle. Their finger is always to the wind, trying to determine what will make voters happy tomorrow. They seek ways that government can “ease the pain.”
In that energy crisis of the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter launched a major government assault on energy markets. Price controls. Government programs to incentivize use of alternative energy sources. He created the Department of Energy. It all just made things worse. Carter was then voted out, and Ronald Reagan was voted in. Reagan immediately removed government interventions and the price of oil plummeted by almost a factor of six.
So, on the domestic front, government, rather than looking for political fixes to “ease the pain,” should be keeping consumers in touch with reality by keeping markets as open and free as possible so the right adjustments in supply and demand can take place.
National security should be actively protected
On the side of what government should be doing, and often doesn’t do, is actively protecting our national security on all fronts.
The pursuit by the Iranian terrorist regime of nuclear weapons goes back as far as 2002, reports The Wall Street Journal; one year after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Those 9/11 attacks were planned during the Bill Clinton presidency while he was looking the other way. Those who piloted the planes into the World Trade Center learned to fly in flight schools in our country.
Under Clinton’s presidency, defence spending as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) dropped from 6.1% to 3.8%. Clinton then turned the reins of government over to George W. Bush, and shortly thereafter, the 9/11 attacks occurred.
The Wall Street Journal documents ongoing Iranian activity to enrich uranium and develop weapons since 2002, despite the delusional efforts of Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden to do a deal with them. With the easing of sanctions under Obama and Biden, the Iranian rulers had access to hundreds of billions again to once again fund terrorism. One result was the horrific attack by Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, we’ve had four attacks over recent weeks — in Michigan, Virginia, New York and Texas — by homegrown terrorists with Middle Eastern ties, while the Department of Homeland Security remains closed and unfunded. This is insane.
Do we really need to wait for another 9/11?
Let’s keep our country strong by keeping markets at home open and free and by being vigilant toward fanatics abroad, with money and power, who want to kill us.
Regarding short-term inconveniences and unpleasantness, it’s best to remember that freedom is not free.
Star Parker is the founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education
Share this Story : Toronto Sun Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.
SIMMONS SAYS: It’s so different when athletes play for country instead of club Sports
SIMMONS SAYS: It’s so different when athletes play for country instead of club
SUNshine Girl Vicky Sunshine Girls
Why Morgan Rielly won't play against Ottawa on Saturday night Toronto Maple Leafs
Why Morgan Rielly won't play against Ottawa on Saturday night
Maple Leafs' Anthony Stolarz hit in throat in warmup, taken to Ottawa hospital Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs' Anthony Stolarz hit in throat in warmup, taken to Ottawa hospital
Kidney disease is Toronto’s fastest-growing chronic condition — here’s how to prevent it Toronto & GTA
Kidney disease is Toronto’s fastest-growing chronic condition — here’s how to prevent it