Americans are told almost nonstop to ignore prohibitions against free sex and that indulging in unrestrained, promiscuous sex means everyone goes away happy. Bad idea.

Back in 2008, I had a difficult time detecting any substantive difference between the top-tier candidates — Barack Obama and John McCain — both of whom had surprisingly similar campaign themes: Regulate industry to control greenhouse gases through a cap-and-trade program; play a decisive role worldwide through aggressive foreign policy and generous foreign aid; institute “comprehensive immigration reform” (aka amnesty); ramp up the already huge amounts of deficit spending by backing such programs as the Troubled Asset Relief Program to boost the economy; and maintain the status quo with social welfare programs or even increase spending, etc.

Forty-four rich Germans have signed a petition, asking to be taxed more because they have too much money.

The United Kingdom released a list of the names of 16 people not allowed into the U.K. (apparently six more people are banned, but their names are not being released).

On January 22, the Worldwatch Institute, a group having the goal of bringing the global community together to address climate change, environmental degradation, population growth, and poverty, approvingly said about the UN’s Convention on the Law of the Sea: “The Law of the Sea [Treaty] has set international standards for fishing, deep sea mining, and navigation since the majority of the world’s countries signed it in 1982. It provides coastal nations with exclusive rights to ocean resources within 200 nautical miles of their borders — areas known as ‘exclusive economic zones,’ or EEZs.” (Note: the treaty was initiated in 1982, but didn’t enter into force until 1994.)

From infancy on, most Americans hear a steady litany of “compromise, compromise, compromise.” Whether parents are breaking up a toddler fight in a sandbox over a big, yellow Tonka truck or a teen scrape between siblings over which child will get to use the home computer, kids hear, “Work it out. Compromise!”

In California on August 20, U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel denied a request by the federal government in Santa Cruz v. Mukasey to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Santa Cruz city and the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana that accuses the federal government of unconstitutionally trying to nullify California's medical marijuana laws.

"Mister Welter! Mister Welter!" Brooke Forrest yelled down the hallway of Oprah's School for Relativistic Females and All Males Who Dress or Feel Womanly, formerly known as Ms. Prim's Academy for Genteel Young Ladies. "Please wait!" she called. "I need to talk to you! Please!" she gushed in a rush as she skittered up the hall, careening off one student after another as she sought to catch up to her reclusive English lit teacher.

Journalist Charlie Reese recently opined on the Salem-News.com that "545 human beings out of 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country." According to him, those responsible are our senators, congressmen, president, and Supreme Court justices. He goes on to say that since they are exercising the power of the federal government over us, "It must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red." He advocates making Congress accountable by voting all incumbents out of office in November.