Michael R. Shannon's Past Articles

215 articles

One man’s museum is another man’s menace

published: August 14, 2011

When is the last time you saw a McDonalds’ commercial ridiculing fat people? Costco checkers questioning the intelligence of bulk buyers? Or the staff at Ralph Lauren lecturing the clothes&nd...;

Dead skunk stinkin’ to high Heaven

published: August 08, 2011

Conservatives make a fundamental mistake regarding government employees. Frequently conservatives rail against lazy workers, using the enthusiasm–challenged as examples of all that’s wr...

Hot town – summer in the city

published: July 30, 2011

I cheated death last Saturday. I went outside to work in the yard. No doubt, in light of the last week’s crippling heat wave smothering the East Coast, you think my decision foolhardy. Here ...

Embracing Defeat in the Debt Ceiling Debate

published: July 24, 2011

You may recall during the failed fight over imposing term limits on members of Congress the Stasis Caucus argued that the country could not afford to deprive itself of the “leadership” ...

Persuading Politicians to Do Your Price Fixing

published: July 17, 2011

Aaron Duncan probably won’t be the guest of honor at the Virginia Bail Agents Assn. Christmas party. In fact, he might not get an invitation. That’s because Duncan — a stranger to...

Aviation justice and the debt ceiling

published: July 09, 2011

In contrast with his recent actions in Libya, Barack Hussein Obama, stalwart class warrior, has declared non–kinetic action on corporate jet owners and is asking for Congress’ help in p...

What’s legal in court is often a crime

published: July 03, 2011

A chill wind is wafting through the criminal defense bar. It appears the federal government has decided there should be consequences for some forms of obstruction of justice. Charles F. Daum, desc...

Richmond Fed: Letting Its Glee Flag Fly

published: June 24, 2011

One of the positive benefits of smaller government is the consequent reduction in taxpayer–funded prevarication. The private sector will produce plenty of liars without government help. Case...

Illegal Immigration: Address Supply & Demand

published: June 17, 2011

Reversing the tide of illegal immigration is not a one–time operation. After all, Rome wasn’t invaded in a day. Elected officials can’t collar a single undocumented swimmer and ex...

The Passive–Aggressive Police Chief

published: June 11, 2011

Who says passive–aggressive obstructionism and borderline insubordination doesn’t pay off for some government employees? We had a perfect example last month where I live in Virginia. Af...

Driver Survey Confirms the Obvious

published: June 03, 2011

If the Obama administration’s gas prices weren’t enough to keep you at home over the Memorial Day Weekend, the results of a recent area driver survey should have been enough to do the t...

The Gang that Couldn’t Negotiate Straight

published: May 27, 2011

It was somewhat disconcerting last week to witness the man our MSM assures us is the essence of cool, calm and collected resorting to the Redneck Philanderer’s defense. Yet there was Preside...

The Return of the Unicorn

published: May 20, 2011

Last week an intrepid reporter tracked down a creature long thought to be extinct along these shores. It appeared in the guise of Retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. John W. Douglass a man who claime...

Standards? We don’t need no stinking standards!

published: May 13, 2011

If it’s spring, it must be time for another round of stories focused on executives and compensation. Sure enough, the Wall Street Journal reports the median value of “salaries, bonuses ...

Cuccinelli Conducts Free Backbone Seminar

published: May 09, 2011

It’s really tempting to write about Osama finally getting his just desserts this week — particularly after I learned that before they tossed his body into the sea it was wrapped in Obam...

Gov. McDonnell Demonstrates Resolve

published: April 30, 2011

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell provided state and national Republicans with a useful and timely lesson in leadership when he vetoed the redistricting bill last week. Complaints emanating from disgrunt...

Budget & Other Deals on Slow Boat to Nowhere

published: April 24, 2011

One would think a party that’s supposed to be a tool of greedy capitalists under the control of Daddy Warbucks would be capable of analyzing a budget. But evidently Republican leadership is n...

Contracts Are Made to Be Broken

published: April 15, 2011

Conservatives and Tea party voters now know the discount rate on Boehner–led Republican promises is in the neighborhood of 62 percent. This means if Speaker Boehner promises to cut $100 billi...

Virginia Tech’s Teflon President

published: April 09, 2011

Last week Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell missed a golden opportunity to re–establish accountability in higher education. The US Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid ...

Political Cartography for Dummies

published: March 25, 2011

One of the methods Egypt’s former strongman, Hosni Mubarak, employed to stay in power — aside from torture, summary executions and defriending on Facebook — was denying the opposi...

Can You Hold It ‘til We Get Home?

published: March 18, 2011

It’s beginning to look like Governor Flomax — the man who closed the highway rest stops in Virginia — will enter the race for our open US Senate seat. Former governor Tim Kaine is...

The French Fry’s Revenge

published: March 12, 2011

I really don’t understand how DC commuters continue to resist the allure of mass transit. There’s the serene quiet found as you stand at the base of one of Metro’s frozen escalato...

A Newton for Our Time

published: March 05, 2011

Last week a man who personally performed or supervised 75,000 abortions — including two on his own girlfriends — died. He helped found NARAL, the most largest abortion lobby in the US. ...

What Do You Do When the Government Revolts?

published: February 28, 2011

Fresh off his success destabilizing the government in Egypt, President Obama is now taking aim at domestic tyrants — beginning with Republican Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin. This time, rath...

Standing Up to Adversity, Both Foreign & Domestic

published: February 20, 2011

Recent events prove if your travel plans include countries where government is both unstable and hostile to the USA, your chances of escaping a long prison term are much better if you work for Goog...