PUBLICATIONS BY Rebecca Hagelin
Commentary
Books
Media Appearances
2008 Commentary
September 26, 2008
The Wisdom of Warriors
By RebeccaHagelin
This election year has generated a lot of talk about the role of America’s military in the Middle East. Less frequently does the conversation turn to what’s really at the heart of the matter – whether we, as Americans, are committed to a world blessed with freedom for all humankind.
September 26, 2008
Copy of THE WISDOM OF WARRIORS
By Rebecca Hagelin
This election year has generated a lot of talk about the role of America’s military in the Middle East. Less frequently does the conversation turn to what’s really at the heart of the matter – whether we, as Americans, are committed to a world blessed with freedom for all humankind.
September 03, 2008
Bloom Where You're Planted
By Rebecca Hagelin
I don't know who said it first, but I'll never forget who said it first to me: my mother. It was an admonishment to look around me at the opportunities and needs within my grasp -- and to embrace them. Her message was clear: If you bloom where you are planted, beautiful, unexpected things can happen.
July 25, 2008
Nuclear Power: Lighting the Future
By Rebecca Hagelin
Radical environmentalists didn’t like it when President Bush decided not to use the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions. And they hated his lifting of the presidential ban on offshore drilling.
July 17, 2008
Government Is Costing You a Bundle
By Rebecca Hagelin
Congratulations: The rest of your 2008 paychecks belong to you and your family. Enjoy!
July 04, 2008
By Rebecca Hagelin
June 26, 2008
Unleash America's Energy Potential
By Rebecca Hagelin
As any driver can tell you, the pain at the pump is pretty acute right now. It’s a simple matter of supply and demand. Demand is up (thanks, in part, to an increasing appetite for fuel in China and India), and supply is low.
June 06, 2008
Lieberman-Warner: A State-by-State Snapshot
By Rebecca Hagelin
Well, isn’t it just like Congress to take the latest fad -- in this case, “global warming” -- and use it to try to usher in yet more government control of your life?
May 15, 2008
Climate Control: A Costly Proposal
By Rebecca Hagelin
Think energy is expensive now? Wait until Congress plugs in the "Climate Security Act of 2007."
May 03, 2008
Abstinence: In the "No"
By Rebecca Hagelin
Who could argue with the idea that, when it comes to sex education, our teenagers should be taught to say “no”? Considering what’s at stake (their health, their future, their dignity as human beings, their morality) -- and because we love them and want what’s best for them -- nothing short of a clear-cut abstinence message will do.
April 24, 2008
Let Reagan Go?
By Rebecca Hagelin
I have one question for anyone who would have us "let Ronald Reagan go": Are you kidding?
April 17, 2008
Congress & The Mortgage Madness: Leave Things A-Loan
By Rebecca Hagelin
Americans are a compassionate people. Faced with media reports about the rising tide of foreclosures, it’s understandable that many feel tempted to applaud federal action -- to agree that politicians should “do something” to help people stay in their homes.
April 03, 2008
NAVIGATING THE NUMBERS
By Rebecca Hagelin
You know the expression “The numbers don’t lie”? Well, after you spend a few minutes perusing The Heritage Foundation’s new “2008 Federal Revenue and Spending Book of Charts,” you may wish they did.
March 12, 2008
Paying the Price to Wipe Out the Enemy
By Rebecca Hagelin
The headline in my local weekly paper was strikingly idiotic:“Ending War through Diplomacy"
March 05, 2008
Preserving "Liberty's Best Hope"
By Rebecca Hagelin
Listening to more than a few liberals, you'd think that the biggest problem in the world today is the United States. The "blame America first" crowd also foolishly wants us to give up our sovereignty, our security and our heritage. It's nauseating.
February 20, 2008
Heritage at 35: A Track Record of Success
By Rebecca Hagelin
Seen any liberals wearing black armbands lately? It wouldn’t surprise me. You see, it was 35 years ago this month that The Heritage Foundation opened its doors for the first time -- and the policy landscape was forever changed.
January 17, 2008
The Link Between Freedom & Prosperity
By Rebecca Hagelin
If there's one thing the American experiment proves, it’s the power of freedom to transform lives. If you let people control their own destinies, there's no limit to what they can achieve. But if you bind them with the straitjacket of central planning, smother their creativity with over-regulation, fence them in with high tariffs and take their hard-earned money with high taxes, you kill their dreams even as you wreck an economy.
2007 Commentary
December 19, 2007
The Power of Words
By Rebecca Hagelin
Imagine a university where you could hear some of the best and brightest minds on a regular basis.
December 05, 2007
Compassion at Christmas
By Rebecca Hagelin
It's common, around this time of year, to hear people grumble about Christmas being "too commercial." They have a point, of course. It's easy to get so caught up in the buying frenzy that we forget why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. But let’s not sell ourselves short. The observance of Jesus' birth also inspires countless acts of kindness and generosity.
November 28, 2007
The (Un)fairness Doctrine
By Rebecca Hagelin
Who should decide what you hear over the radio and on TV? You? Or policymakers in Washington?
November 07, 2007
College Students & Privacy: Do Your Homework
By Rebecca Hagelin
If you have a child in college, you obviously want to know how he's doing academically. You want to know about his health, safety and general well-being. After all, you didn’t stop being a loving parent just because your child turned 18 and flew off to college on his own, right? Just don't be surprised if you call the university or one of his professors and are told: Sorry, pal. We can't disclose that information to you without your son's consent.
October 31, 2007
Protecting Your Children from Perverts & Pornography
By Rebecca Hagelin
Just reading the headlines is enough to make you feel numb.
Scan the “news feed” at familyfragments.com, and you’ll see what I mean
October 24, 2007
Becoming a Savvy Media Customer
By Rebecca Hagelin
Even in the highly competitive world of magazine covers, it’s hard to miss the latest issue of Salvo. A stark mannequin face, flanked by two other mannequins, stares out, a large computer cable port embedded in its forehead. The headline: "Under the Influence: The Media and Their Messages." Above the picture is the slogan "Garbage In, Garbage Out."
October 19, 2007
Becoming a Force for Good
By Rebecca Hagelin
What makes The Heritage Foundation one of the most famous and widely quoted nonprofit companies worldwide? Having a top-notch staff to promote public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values and a strong national defense helps, no question.
October 10, 2007
Charting a Course for "Common Ground"
By Rebecca Hagelin
Politics is a bruising, full-contact sport -- as Ronald Reagan discovered shortly after his inauguration.
October 01, 2007
The Justice Speaks
By Rebecca Hagelin
These poetic words of inconsolable grief were penned by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in his newly released memoir, My Grandfather’s Son. In this moving passage, he describes his agony in the days following the death of the man that came to be “Daddy.” The book is filled with magnificent prose in which one of the most powerful men in America repeatedly dares to bare his soul -- dares to make himself vulnerable to the cold, hard world of cynics in which we live.
September 21, 2007
A Poor Way to Measure Poverty
By Rebecca Hagelin
Each year, when you hear the latest Census Bureau numbers on poverty -- when they say how many of our fellow Americans are poor -- what do you picture?
September 13, 2007
Returning "Power to the People"
By Rebecca Hagelin
Decent Americans across the country are so disgusted by a culture that doesn’t reflect their values, a society that trashes the family, and a government gone wild, that they often feel helpless and hopeless about the future of our nation. So I think they’ll join me in saying: Thank goodness for Laura Ingraham’s latest book, “Power to the People.”
September 05, 2007
Education Policy: Putting Congress to the Test
By Rebecca Hagelin
Visitors to the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., encounter a bit of ticky-tacky architecture when they enter the otherwise grand, white-marble building:
August 23, 2007
Take it from a Mom: Time Flies
By Rebecca Hagelin
My husband and I held each other and cried more than I think we have in nearly 22 years of marriage.
August 16, 2007
SCHIP: A Better Diagnosis
By Rebecca Hagelin
The only thing worse than being against baseball, Mom or apple pie is being "anti-kid."
July 20, 2007
A Witness to Newfound Liberty
By Rebecca Hagelin
Shortly after 27 Cuban refugees set foot on a Florida beach in the wee hours of Saturday, July 14, Providence saw fit that I was among the first Americans to welcome them.
July 14, 2007
Cubans Land in Florida
By Rebecca Hagelin
The Florida barrier island known as Little Gasparilla was the place they found freedom as 27 Cuban refugees stepped safely on the shore at approximately 5:30 am today.
June 22, 2007
Education Policy: Lesson Learned?
By Rebecca Hagelin
Who should be in charge of your child's education -- you or some strangers in Washington, D.C.? It's a question worth pondering as Congress prepares to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law.
June 08, 2007
The Immigration Giveaway
By Rebecca Hagelin
Nobody ever said that being a parent is easy. But do politicians have to make it harder?
May 25, 2007
Ripping the Lid off a Secret Immigration Deal
By Rebecca Hagelin
I've never been more proud to work at The Heritage Foundation than I was this past Monday.
I was seated at a conference table with 31 of the brightest, most analytical and highly principled people I've ever known as we dissected and analyzed various ripple effects of the Senate’s devastating immigration-reform proposal.
May 18, 2007
Sovereignty at Stake: Losing Under a "Lost" Treaty
By Rebecca Hagelin
My husband and I have taught our three children that the people of the United States have a fundamental right to self-determination -- that our national sovereignty is critical if we are to remain a free people.
May 10, 2007
John Stossel: Myth Buster Extraordinaire
By Rebecca Hagelin
My teenage son Nick is smacked in the face with liberal, socialist dogma every day of his life. The notion that Big Daddy Government can take care of everyone, natural disasters and all of mankind's ills is commonly accepted in his generation, because that's the message the modern culture shoves down their throats.
April 20, 2007
Curtailing Campus Crime
By Rebecca Hagelin
It's part of human nature to seek shelter -- to yearn for safe surroundings. Sure, we take precautions: We buckle our seatbelts. We lock our doors. But even then, we preserve our mental well being by refusing to dwell on the reasons we take those precautions in the first place.
April 06, 2007
Low-skill households exact a high cost
By Rebecca Hagelin
Brace yourself for some old-fashioned class warfare in the months ahead. With a full roster of liberals running for president in 2008, some sharp contrasts will be drawn between the "haves" and the "have-nots" -- red-hot rhetoric designed more to anger than to educate.
March 30, 2007
Ethanol: Time to steer away
By Rebecca Hagelin
This week, in fact, President Bush has been busy pushing corn. On Tuesday, he and Energy Secretary Sam Bodman visited the U.S. Postal Service Vehicle Maintenance Facility to see a demonstration of some alternative-fuel trucks. The day before, the president met with Detroit automakers, who urged him to improve consumer access to ethanol.
March 16, 2007
Sen. Kennedy Snubs Ailes at Free Speech Awards
By Rebecca Hagelin
Anticipation was high. The black-tie crowd had just finished a wonderful meal and enjoyed several moving presentations. The evening’s keynote speaker and top honoree was approaching the podium. But before he could utter a word, Sen. Ted Kennedy rose from a table in the front of the room and exited. His silent, rude snub was plainly intended to send the honoree a message: Your work and values are invalid. I'm taking my toys and going home!
March 09, 2007
Endangered: Western civilization
By Rebecca Hagelin
When the U.S. population officially hit the 300 million mark last October, there weren't any celebrations. Most news organizations took note of it and moved on. Environmentalists and other liberals crabbed about having more people around to consume precious resources.
March 02, 2007
Charting a true path to success
By Rebecca Hagelin
Professional athletes taking steroids. Corporate bigwigs cooking the books. College students cheating on exams. Parents going ballistic at kids’ sporting events. Politicians resorting to dirty tricks. What do they all have in common?
February 23, 2007
The Power of "Amazing Grace"
By Rebecca Hagelin
Mention the word “slavery,” and people think of the distant past -- of Africans who were cruelly kidnapped from their homeland and forced to work in brutal conditions in a strange land, or of ancient Hebrews struggling to build pyramids under the watchful eye of sadistic Egyptian masters.
February 02, 2007
Separate and unequal
By Rebecca Hagelin
One of the most critical values my husband and I try to teach our three teenagers is the importance and joy of marriage.
January 26, 2007
Wealth and economic freedom go hand in hand
By Rebecca Hagelin
It's a question that has perplexed politicians, philosophers and philanthropists for generations: Why are some countries rich and others poor?
January 19, 2007
Dodging the perfect storm
By Rebecca Hagelin
No, it won't drown innocent lives or destroy the landscape as did the horrific tsunami of 2004. This tsunami is a financial one that threatens to bankrupt our children. The "perfect storm" has been created by the convergence of the promises our government has made through the Big Three entitlement programs: Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
January 12, 2007
Picking the terrorists' pockets
By Rebecca Hagelin
Conservatives are often accused of being anti-government. It's an unfair rap – coming, ironically, from liberals whose blind faith in government causes plenty of social ills – but the myth persists. In fact, conservatives favor a limited government that carries out its express duties (and no more) as efficiently and effectively as possible. And yes, you can find examples of government performing well – and contributing to the general welfare.
2006 Commentary
December 29, 2006
Learning from 'a glorious disaster'
By Rebecca Hagelin
It's only natural, on the threshold of a new year, to think about beginnings. So let me ask my fellow conservatives: When did the modern conservative movement get its start?
December 21, 2006
Shocker! Faithful really do sin less
By Rebecca Hagelin
In his 1971 song "Imagine," John Lennon asks us to envision a secular utopia. There's no heaven, no hell. Peace and harmony reign, and a global "brotherhood of man" flourishes. Amid this blissful state of affairs, of course, we find "no religion."
December 01, 2006
Trying to 'Rangel' the facts
By Rebecca Hagelin
It was bad enough when last month we heard John Kerry insinuate that our brave and talented troops aren't the brightest bulbs in the chandelier – that young Americans who don't pursue their education wind up "stuck in Iraq." But now Rep. Charlie Rangel is actually making an argument for Kerry's "joke" – that our troops are ignorant and motivated by nothing higher than self-interest.
November 10, 2006
Operation Homecoming
By Rebecca Hagelin
Charles Rangel is now destined to be chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee -- which means we can expect higher taxes, more government waste, and perhaps most devastating of all, the possible defunding of our troops in Iraq and maybe even a call for the reinstatement of the draft. Happy Veterans’ Day!
September 22, 2006
Book reviews that parents can use
By Rebecca Hagelin
How many millions of parents over the years have been asked this question? It’s all too easy to simply focus on who is going and forget that we need to look at what they’re going to before we arrange the transportation (i.e., whether you’re taking or picking up).
September 15, 2006
On the Right Road
By Rebecca Hagelin
Pop Quiz: Name five accomplishments in the last five years as a result of our War on Terror.
August 24, 2006
The Melody of Time
By Rebecca Hagelin
The garage "rock" band in which my eldest son spent much of his high-school life took over our basement about two years ago.screamed, "Chill Out, Mom," followed by "Parents Fret About Children's Entertainment. Maybe That's Part of the Problem."
August 08, 2006
Mom and dad, where are you?
By Rebecca Hagelin
The headline on the Sunday, Aug. 6 Washington Post style section was so visually "loud" that no other words were immediately visible to my eyes. It screamed, "Chill Out, Mom," followed by "Parents Fret About Children's Entertainment. Maybe That's Part of the Problem."
August 01, 2006
Creating a culture of belonging
By Rebecca Hagelin
Pat Fagan's demeanor was characteristically calm, thoughtful and reflective, adding even more power to his soul-penetrating words. "We have become a Culture of Rejection," he said. "In 1950, for every 100 babies born, only 12 experienced the rejection of their parents -- either through out-of-wedlock birth and their parents left, or because their parents divorced. In 2000, for every 100 born, it's 60.
July 18, 2006
Looking behind the Mideast violence
By Rebecca Hagelin
My stomach churned and my breath grew shallow as I read his emotional letter describing the carnage when scores of U.S. Marines were pulverized by a single terrorist in Beirut. The man who would one day become my husband was on bridge watch aboard the USS Joseph Hewes, patrolling the gunline just off the beach that fateful day in 1983.
July 11, 2006
Ending the stigma of "Mental Illness"
By Rebecca Hagelin
You'd think nothing could compare to the heartbreak endured by families whose loved ones suffer from diseases such as cancer or muscular dystrophy. But as a recent House committee hearing on mental health made clear, the darkest and most devastating of illnesses often deal with the brain. Why? Because of the stigma, ignorance and pathetic health-care/legal policies that surround what we still call "mental illness." Unfortunately, this phrase makes it sound as if it's all psychological. The fact is that brain diseases are just as physical as heart diseases, diabetes or any other illness of any other organ.
June 20, 2006
The unending battle against pork barrel spending
By Rebecca Hagelin
That's Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, speaking in defense of "earmarks." An earmark is Washington lingo for what most people outside the Capital Beltway refer to as pork barrel spending -- when a politician inserts into a bill a set amount of money for a specific project in his or her home district.
June 13, 2006
Life With -- and Without -- Father
By Rebecca Hagelin
Judging by the way they're often depicted in pop culture, the answer would seem to be no. From the big screen to the small screen, from books to advertisements, fathers are mostly bumblers, abusers or dullards.
May 23, 2006
Putting Patients in Charge
By Rebecca Hagelin
Imagine selecting your own health plan, rather than simply accepting the one your employer picks for you. Picture a plan that you own -- that follows you from job to job and place to place.
May 16, 2006
Untying the immigration knot
By Rebecca Hagelin
"It would end the U.S. as we currently know it." That's Robert Rector of The Heritage Foundation, speaking of what would happen if an immigration proposal by Sens. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) becomes law. Their plan would grant amnesty to 9 million to 10 million illegal immigrants and put those immigrants on a path to citizenship.
May 02, 2006
Digging for the truth
By Rebecca Hagelin
If you're one of the millions of people who have watched John Stossel's incisive and hard-hitting reports on ABC's 20/20 over the years, you know that he's one of the best reporters in the business. But you may not know that he's also an entertaining speaker -- one who knows how to bring a crowd to its feet with a unique blend of truth and humor.
April 04, 2006
Manhunt: A lesson in history and conservative values
By Rebecca Hagelin
"Why are you here?" I asked, only half joking. James Swanson -- overnight sensation and best-selling author of Manhunt: The Twelve Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, grinned as he continued to sort the papers in his office on a Friday afternoon, which also happened to be the prettiest spring day at the height of cherry blossom season in Washington, D.C.
March 14, 2006
A beneficial budget blueprint
By Rebecca Hagelin
Thanks to the outrageous, profligate spending habits of our elected officials, every taxpayer reading this is in serious trouble.
As Heritage Foundation budget expert Brian Riedl notes in a recent Web Memo, lawmakers are spending at such a frantic clip that if they don't stop the madness, within a decade taxes will have to increase by nearly $7,000 per household just to balance the budget. And that's on top of the $18,000 per family Congress is already collecting.
March 07, 2006
Getting America Right
By Rebecca Hagelin
How did it come to this? How did conservative leaders lose their way? And what must be done now to get America on the right path before it's too late? You'll find all the answers in "Getting America Right,"
February 21, 2006
The lessons of school choice
By Rebecca Hagelin
Choosing how your children are educated should be as routine in America as the ability to choose your neighborhood, your church and your place of employment.
February 14, 2006
More Than Merely "Off Course"
By Rebecca Hagelin
Imagine, for a moment, you're back in 2000. A visitor from the present day arrives and tells you that Washington is spending almost $22,000 per household, the most since World War II and one third higher than it was in 2001. Your reaction?
If you're like most conservatives, you'd probably say, "I guess the liberals won."
We know otherwise. And that makes the spending impossible to explain. In fact, some people wind up sounding a bit foolish. They'll sheepishly admit that, yes, budget mistakes have been made. But, they say, we've simply drifted off course.
February 07, 2006
A Plan for Iran
By Rebecca Hagelin
Iran today stands at a crossroads. In one direction lies peace. In the other, isolation, economic harm, international denunciation, military pressure ? maybe even war. Which road will Iran's leaders choose?
January 30, 2006
A Revolution on the Hill
By Rebecca Hagelin
"We must marry fiscal and moral renewal in our agenda. We are composed of men and women who are committed to principle -- this is not just a time for challenge, it's a time for opportunity."
January 24, 2006
New Study Shows Pro-Life Laws Save Lives
By Rebecca Hagelin
Unanimous verdicts by the Supreme Court are rare. Yet, last week, we witnessed one -- and in an abortion case, no less.
January 10, 2006
Spreading Economic Freedom
By Rebecca Hagelin
Flip through the 2006 "Index of Economic Freedom," and you'll see numbers -- lots of them.
That's hardly surprising. After all, the Index (published annually by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal) provides a snapshot of how much economic freedom can be found in every nation. That takes numbers, and the Index provides them -- in abundance. From inflation to taxation, it's all there in black and white.
January 03, 2006
Happy New Year
By Rebecca Hagelin
International Best-Selling Author Brian Tracy has done it again: written a book that sears the conscience and challenges conventional thinking with deep thinking.
2005 Commentary
December 20, 2005
Winning an "Inevitable" Victory
By Rebecca Hagelin
Those who follow politics and government are well acquainted with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's sterling character, invaluable experience and superb qualifications for the post.
December 13, 2005
The War on Christmas
By Rebecca Hagelin
You may know John Gibson as host of the Fox News show "The Big Story," which airs weeknights at 5:00 p.m. (and is currently the sixth most popular news show). Or perhaps you know him from his crackerjack reporting days at NBC and MSNBC.
December 06, 2005
XXXMas
By Rebecca Hagelin
You see them on people walking down the street. On joggers. On subway riders. On shoppers at the mall. Men and women, old and young -- no one is immune. They're Apple iPods, and like many other electronic gadgets, they seem to have taken over the world.
November 29, 2005
A Real Education
By Rebecca Hagelin
Imagine having the chance to attend one of the best colleges in the world. I'm talking about a place where you could soak up the wise musings of some of the brightest minds around. GPAs don't matter: All that's required is an inquisitive mind. Forget scheduling conflicts -- these educators are ready when you're ready. And it won't cost you a thing.
November 22, 2005
Forging a Healthy "BOND"
By Rebecca Hagelin
It's easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of a busy Thanksgiving and forget that we gather for a simple and sacred purpose -- to say thanks.
November 15, 2005
Our Great Charter of Liberty
By Rebecca Hagelin
With the confirmation of John Roberts as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to fill the seat vacated by retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, we're hearing a lot about "original intent" when it comes to interpreting the U.S. Constitution.
November 08, 2005
All dolled up and no place to go
By Rebecca Hagelin
A new catalog from the American Girl doll company arrived in the mail recently – something my daughter Kristin and I used to really look forward to.
November 01, 2005
Men of Character, Boys of Fortune
By Rebecca Hagelin
Picture the scene: Boys and their parents gathered to discuss a "youthful indiscretion" and its consequences. I was once at such a meeting, and I was struck by the thought that what America needs perhaps more than anything else is fathers who will father.
October 25, 2005
Getting Rid of Reckless Spending
By Rebecca Hagelin
I've never been more thankful or proud to work at The Heritage Foundation than I was on Thursday, Oct. 20.
October 18, 2005
Taking the Heat
By Rebecca Hagelin
"In fire, gold is tested," the saying goes. Just ask Mike Pence. A third-term congressman from Indiana, Pence has been sorely tested lately, enduring a fire that few of us would want to withstand -- and he's demonstrating that he's as good as gold.
October 11, 2005
Looking for that Silver Lining
By Rebecca Hagelin
"If I can stop one heart from breaking," Emily Dickinson once wrote, "I shall not live in vain." Imagine, then, what the poet would think of Andrea Yaeger.
October 04, 2005
Don't be Manipulated by the Master Marketers
By Rebecca Hagelin
When you think of "marketing," what images come to mind?Chances are, you're thinking of a large company that makes a certain product -- food, cars, computers, you name it. In other words, a physical thing you buy with money.
September 27, 2005
Sounding the Alarm Bell
By Rebecca Hagelin
Thousands of anti-war protesters (and pro-war counter protesters) marched in Washington, D.C., this past weekend, and emotions ran high.
September 20, 2005
Dishing out some Hart-felt wisdom
By Rebecca Hagelin
Have you ever met a perfect parent? Me neither. Yet book after book, magazine after magazine, could easily lead you to believe otherwise.
September 13, 2005
Tools in the Daily Battle
By Rebecca Hagelin
It isn't hard to convince most parents to enlist in the daily battle for the hearts and minds of their children -- the evidence of cultural rot is all around. But many lack the practical tools they need to assure victory.
September 06, 2005
Throwing Out the Thugs
By Rebecca Hagelin
"Women and children first." This famous, selfless cry for the safety of others is best associated with the tragedy of the Titanic, when thousands lost their lives in the frozen waters of the sea so many years ago.
August 30, 2005
The Proper Role of Judges
By Rebecca Hagelin
The American Bar Association says John Roberts is "well qualified" to sit on the Supreme Court. Former Attorney General Edwin Meese calls him "a judge of unquestionable integrity and proven fidelity to the Constitution and the rule of law."
August 23, 2005
Fashioning a Response to Immodest Clothing
By Rebecca Hagelin
It's not uncommon for parents who fight the culture on a daily basis to assume they're alone -- that no one else shares their concerns.
August 16, 2005
Are your kids reading rot?
By Rebecca Hagelin
Reading isn't always good for our kids. How's that for an opening sentence to stir a little controversy among the educational elites?
August 09, 2005
The Culture War: A Five-Point Plan for Parents
By Rebecca Hagelin
As I travel the country speaking about my book, Home Invasion: Protecting Your Family in a Culture that's Gone Stark Raving Mad, I'm met with nearly universal desperation from parents who are sick and tired of the battle for their kids' hearts, minds and very souls.
July 29, 2005
Girls' Swimsuit Selection A Crying Shame
By Rebecca Hagelin
If you don't have young girls, then you probably can't understand the dilemma. It's quite simple, really. The problem is that there are virtually no swimsuits, tops or shorts designed for tweens and teens that don't resemble something a streetwalker would wear.
July 22, 2005
Debunking the Siren Song of "Safe Sex"
By Rebecca Hagelin
When it comes to drug abuse, underage drinking and smoking, recent years have seen the arrival of much-needed media campaigns and school programs designed to let kids know flat out: Do not engage.
July 15, 2005
Court of Public Opinion
By Rebecca Hagelin
You know the phrase "round up the usual suspects"? That's exactly what those of us battling on the front lines of the culture war often do when we perceive a threat to our children.
July 08, 2005
Worth Fighting For
By Rebecca Hagelin
But the truly toxic heat bellowed from the chambers of the U.S. Senate as Ted Kennedy took the floor.
June 24, 2005
Leaning Hard on Government
By Rebecca Hagelin
Believe me, I don't want to ruin anybody's fun preparing for Independence Day celebrations. Like so many of you, I'll be out there when July 4 rolls around enjoying family, food and fireworks and toasting everything that makes America great.
June 17, 2005
Dad, We Need You
By Rebecca Hagelin
It's a simple message, but one rarely heard in today's culture. The sad reality is that we live in a society where the message to fathers is, "You're irrelevant. You're useless. You are a loser."
June 10, 2005
Faith of Our Fathers
By Rebecca Hagelin
Dads, you know you can expect some nice gifts from your families when Father's Day arrives on the 19th. But nothing compares to what you can give them all year long -- the gift of faith.
May 27, 2005
Connecting the Dots
By Rebecca Hagelin
Crammed upside down at the bottom of a trash bin with cement blocks piled on top of her tiny body, yet another of America's little girls was seen as nothing more than garbage.
May 20, 2005
The Power of Parenting
By Rebecca Hagelin
May 13, 2005
How to Take Back Your Home
By Rebecca Hagelin
After listening to caller feedback on the scores of radio interviews I've done so far on my new book, "Home Invasion: Protecting Your Family in a Culture That's Gone Stark Raving Mad,"
May 06, 2005
Becoming an Eagle Scout
By Rebecca Hagelin
I'm not sure if the soft pink glow of her cheeks was a reflection of the beautiful rose sweater she wore to the ceremony that day or not.
April 29, 2005
A Culture Awash In Porn
By Rebecca Hagelin
"Porn is just another form of entertainment now." The speaker, an 18-year-old concession-stand worker named Ben Meredith, was explaining to a Los Angeles Times
April 22, 2005
Heroes
By Rebecca Hagelin
My life has been filled with heroes. My own father was a giant of a man who understood that fathers and mothers are the most important forces in their children's lives.
April 15, 2005
Home Invasion
By Rebecca Hagelin
The following is an excerpt from Rebecca Hagelin's new book, Home Invasion: Protecting Your Family in a Culture that's Gone Stark Raving Mad, which hit Amazon.com's best seller list within 24 hours of release.
April 08, 2005
Scouting: Memories for a lifetime
By Rebecca Hagelin
The orange flames of the firelight reflected in his glimmering eyes and made his young face glow like a new moon.
April 01, 2005
Uncle Sam's nasty Ponzi scheme
By Rebecca Hagelin
I've got three teenagers, and like most parents, I dream that they will one day have families and children of their own.
March 24, 2005
Do you know your family?
By Rebecca Hagelin
What a silly question, you may think. "Of course we know each other," some parents reply. "We live under the same roof. We see each other daily.
March 18, 2005
MTV's poisoning our kids
By Rebecca Hagelin
This astounding statement is one that every parent, and anyone concerned about our culture and its affect on children, must investigate.
March 11, 2005
Nightmare in Neverland
By Rebecca Hagelin
Lately I've heard many people ask, "What kind of mother would let her child 'sleep over' at Michael Jackson's house?"
March 04, 2005
America's little girls ... or tramps?
By Rebecca Hagelin
It's been quite cold here in Northern Virginia this past week - we've had below freezing temperatures and enough snow and ice to close local schools for two days.
February 25, 2005
America's Children Search for Meaning
By Rebecca Hagelin
It felt more like a juvenile detention center during lockdown than lunchtime in my neighborhood public middle school. Teachers were strategically stationed throughout the cafeteria about 20 feet apart.
February 18, 2005
Making "Right Turns" Into Conservatism
By Rebecca Hagelin
Sitting in a radio studio towering above New York City in the Empire State Building was the highlight of one of my many trips to New York. But not because of the view.
February 11, 2005
Parents Beware!
By Rebecca Hagelin
Parents, does the school your children attend feature a sex-education program that's billed as "abstinence-based" or "abstinence-plus"?
February 03, 2005
Enough Fear
By Rebecca Hagelin
Do you believe in the transforming power of freedom? The Iraqi people do. You could see it etched deeply in the faces of those who went proudly to the polls last...
January 28, 2005
The Ups and Downs of Marriage
By Rebecca Hagelin
For supporters of traditional marriage, 2004 was quite a roller-coaster ride
January 21, 2005
Saluting our Troops
By Rebecca Hagelin
To take the true measure of a man, they say, watch not what he says but what he does.
January 14, 2005
A 'Mandate' for Accountability
By Rebecca Hagelin
You don't have to work in Washington for long before you realize how easy it is to succumb to the spirit of pessimism.
January 07, 2005
Economic Policies are Moral Issues
By Rebecca Hagelin
How can it be, that in a time when "conservatives" are running the country, the United States is losing it's grasp on any kind of freedom – let alone economic freedom?
2004 Commentary
December 17, 2004
Selling a Dangerous Lie
By Rebecca Hagelin
What is it about sex education that causes some otherwise rational adults to behave irrationally? When it comes to other topics -- smoking, drinking, drug abuse -- we don't hesitate to give our children the benefit of an unambiguous "no.
December 10, 2004
Are your kids web wise?
By Rebecca Hagelin
Are your kids web wise?
December 03, 2004
Agenda-driven Entertainment
By Rebecca Hagelin
There's just no such thing as a passive sitcom.
November 26, 2004
Rich Miniter
By Rebecca Hagelin
But it's a little difficult to chat about the frivolous things of life when you're with Rich.
November 12, 2004
Street Saints
By Rebecca Hagelin
November 05, 2004
Life is Bigger Than Politics
By Rebecca Hagelin
People of strong faith will not be duped – they know when a candidate cares more about the clever use of words than he does about their values.
October 29, 2004
The End of Illusions
By Rebecca Hagelin
He was a brutal dictator, a crazed man, the personification of evil.
October 22, 2004
Does he or doesn't he?
By Rebecca Hagelin
Senator Kerry is trying to make the practice of faith an issue in the presidential election. But if
October 15, 2004
Your Kids Need You
By Rebecca Hagelin
Family trips don't have to be expensive or filled with endless planned activities and tours, and the meals don't have to be fancy. They just have to be.
October 08, 2004
Elaine Chao is looking out for you!
By Rebecca Hagelin
Bill O'Reilly frequently asks the question, "Who's Looking Out For You?" When it comes to workers, that someone is Elaine Chao.
September 29, 2004
The Smart Vote
By Rebecca Hagelin
Advocates of same-sex "marriage" are known to reach for one of the oldest arguments in the liberal arsenal – that a vote in favor of their point of view is a "smart" vote, and a vote against it is the mark of a knuckle-dragging reactionary.
September 21, 2004
Joe Scarborough is one feisty guy
By Rebecca Hagelin
For loyal fans (and loyal enemies) of his energetic MSNBC show, "Scarborough Country," my characterizing Joe as "feisty" comes as no real surprise.
September 14, 2004
Convention Reflections
By Rebecca Hagelin
From our seats way up near the rafters in Madison Square Garden, my daughter and I had a great view of the crowd's reactions to President Bush's acceptance speech on the final night of the Republican National Convention.
September 07, 2004
'Inside the Beltway'
By Rebecca Hagelin
"Inside the Beltway" is a book that has what folks crave: the inside information on the people who run our country. What makes them tick.
August 31, 2004
Here comes the judge ? not!
By Rebecca Hagelin
In the lazy days of late summer, when Congress is off campaigning and Washington more or less grinds to a halt, it's easy to forget those poor judges that President Bush nominated to various federal judgeships – seemingly ages ago.
August 24, 2004
Bringing Justice to the People
By Rebecca Hagelin
The book, "Bringing Justice to the People," describes the 30-year history of the freedom-based public-interest law movement.
August 17, 2004
Teaching Good Manners
By Rebecca Hagelin
Want to know how you're doing as a parent? Check out how your children are doing when it comes to minding their manners.
August 10, 2004
What Constitutes Cool
By Rebecca Hagelin
As I wrote in my column two weeks ago, marketers are out to get America's youth, and they'll stop at nothing in the name of "entertainment" to do it.
July 27, 2004
Selling Selfishness to Children
By Rebecca Hagelin
So just what does McDonald's put on those Big Macs? Let's hear it, everyone 35 or older. A one, and a two, and a ... "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun."
July 20, 2004
Understanding 'The Siege'
By Rebecca Hagelin
Those of you who are sick and tired of watching liberals drool over Michael Moore's miserable "Fahrenheit 9-11" are probably wondering why our side doesn't have something better to watch. Well, now we do.
July 13, 2004
Defining marriage: Who decides?
By Rebecca Hagelin
This week, the United States Senate will take the first step in deciding who gets to define marriage for the entire nation: activist judges – or the American people.
June 29, 2004
What's at stake in marriage debate
By Rebecca Hagelin
Some might argue that two men or two women could form such a bond. My faith tells me such blessings could come only from what is natural.
June 21, 2004
Hands of horror, hands of hope
By Rebecca Hagelin
As I struggle to find the words to describe the horror of what I have learned, I find myself doing more tossing and turning than mental writing.
June 15, 2004
The 2nd Reagan Revolution
By Rebecca Hagelin
More than 100,000 people waited in line for hours in California to have the opportunity to walk near his casket. The scene was repeated in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.
June 08, 2004
The Gipper's Greatness
By Rebecca Hagelin
It has been a true blessing over the last few days to hear my Heritage Foundation colleagues Ed Feulner, Ed Meese, Becky Norton Dunlop and Lee Edwards, who all spent many years with President Ronald Reagan, give their personal insights into this great American president, world leader and man among men.
June 01, 2004
Looking fear in the eye
By Rebecca Hagelin
Thousands of veterans are descending on Washington for the dedication of the World War II Memorial on the Mall over Memorial Day weekend. And about the time the celebration dies down here, another will begin at the D-Day Museum in New Orleans to mark the 60th anniversary of Somma's cold, dark trip up those bluffs.
May 26, 2004
Down the Sewer to Abu Ghraib
By Rebecca Hagelin
The horrific images of degrading acts by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison are, in a sense, nothing new. Millions of Americans feast on similar scenes every day.
May 25, 2004
B-24 gunner steps back into history
