The answer may surprise you.

"The U.N.'s special rapporteur for the right to food, Jean Ziegler, ... says Western biofuels programs are "a crime against humanity."

Read that, and more, at the Wall Street Journal.

It's official.

For us conservatives it must be about principles and policies that are grounded in freedom, free markets and the rule of law. That’s what I’ve been talking and writing about for the past few years, and that’s what I want to talk write about here on Townhall and in the new Townhall Magazine.

I joined Townhall and am writing exclusive commentaries for Townhall Magazine because I see them elevating the discourse on issues based on these principles -- smaller government, individual liberty, standing for common values that have become all too uncommon, a strong national defense and, most of all, an optimism and belief in America.

You can read the first of the former senator's columns in the June issue of Townhall Magazine.

The Farm Bill is likely to pass today.

The Heritage Foundation has a succinct post up, calling the farm bill "everything that is wrong with Washington."

Update: According to The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste,

H.R. 2419 fails in the following ways:

• It provides little improvement to means testing or payment limits.  Married couples with an adjusted gross income of $1.5 million will still receive subsidies.  The payment limit level of $360,000 was not reduced.
• It continues to dole out $5.2 billion annually in direct payments to individuals (many of whom are no longer farming) without any regard to prices or income.  These direct payments, 60 percent of which go to the wealthiest 10 percent of recipients, were created in 1996 and were supposed to phase out by 2002.  
• It creates a new “permanent disaster fund” worth $3.8 billion - a disaster for taxpayers, most farmers, and the environment.  This will encourage planting on disaster-prone land, plus most payments will go to the same producers already receiving the bulk of the direct payments.
• It increases the support price for sugar, reserves 85 percent of the U.S. market for domestic producers and creates a new sugar ethanol program.  The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this new program will cost taxpayers $1.3 billion over ten years, although the real cost is likely to exceed $4 billion.  The consumer costs of the sugar program will exceed $2 billion annually.
• It adds earmarks such as $5 million for grants to broadcasting systems inserted by Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), $3 million for Delta Health Alliance Grants inserted by Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), and $1 million for the National Sheep and Goat Industry Improvement Center inserted by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.).

I'm on a roll with Missouri-themed posts today, and not about to stop.

Sen. McCaskill as VP for Obama? Seriously?

McCaskill herself might have the best response to the idea. Click here to read it.

Oh good.

When 9-year-old Aleshia Glastetter got her turn to ask U.S. Sen. Barack Obama a question Tuesday, she was a little nervous about how he would answer.

"What are you going to do for the public schools?" the fourth-grade student at Blanchard Elementary School asked.

Before answering, Obama asked her age, and noted that he has a daughter, Malia Ann, who is also 9. He then began describing a plan for lifelong learning, expanded early childhood education, higher pay for teachers, more after-school programs and college tuition credits earned through community service work.

That all sounded pretty good, Aleshia said afterward. She was worried, she said, that he would prescribe more homework.

"I was worried because when my whole fourth grade got to go to Jefferson City to meet Sen. Crowell, he asked us a question if the whole fourth grade wants to do five hours of homework," she said.

For more on Obama's education ideas, click here.

Missouri's Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder has been very critical of Sen. Obama this week:

"It is my suspicion that the New York Times has concluded that a liberal like Barack Obama cannot win Missouri, and from where many of us in Southeast Missouri are sitting, they are probably right."

As Missouri goes, so goes the nation. (See here and here.) And thank goodness for that.

The Missouri GOP had no qualms about insulting Sen. Obama when he strolled into the Show Me State this week.

Support the conservatives who have been nominated in this Foreign Policy magazine contest. Voting ends Thursday.

A Wisconsin high school is forbidding a senior to wear his Marine uniform during his graduation ceremony. Here's part of the story:

 ''My son's wishes were simple: Daniel simply wanted to walk across the stage in his Marine dress blues to accept his diploma,'' said his father, Charles Lingen, who added after the meeting in an e-mail to supporters that he was ''astonished'' at the board's decision.

''I think there's going to be a lot of people angry over this,'' said Lingen, predicting reaction from both veterans and parents of Bloomer graduates, who will be affected by the new policy in other ways.

The policy requires caps and gowns at the ceremony, bans the writing of slogans or messages on the caps, and addresses proper clothing under the gowns and footwear, according to School Board President Joe Zeman.

...

Daniel Lingen completed his high school program by January, and so was allowed to go directly to the Marine Corps. According to his father, Daniel graduated from the basic training program in a ceremony.

Daniel is still part of the BHS graduating class, though, and when it came time to order his cap and gown, said he didn't want to do so because he wanted to wear his Marine dress blue uniform.

The military code forbids wearing of another garment over the top of the Marine dress uniform.

If you'd like to give the school a piece of your mind--or, for more information--visit this local radio station's blog, where, among other things, you'll find a link to the school directory.

Thanks to my friend Kevin for passing this story along and helping to spread the word.

Update: I missed that Steve had this story up before I did. My bad.

• According to TVNewser, Fox News really is fair and balanced. Check out why this production assistant was fired.
  
• I couldn’t agree more with Quin Hillyer. Please, no Huckabee for VP. Please.
• The Heritage Foundation points out today that federal spending reached an all-time high last month with the U.S. government spending $244.5 billion.
• A Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that more than 8 in 10 Americans say the country is headed in the wrong direction.
• The NYT reports that Leno is likely leaving NBC.
• This story from Politico has, probably, the best lead ever.
• Folio looks at a 100-percent user-generated magazine issue. Intense.
• Newsweek is reporting that Penthouse has turned to Jesus to make money. It’s equally disturbing and hilarious.
• In case you missed it, the founder of Soldiers’ Angels was named “America’s Favorite Mom.” Read about her plans to put the cash winnings to work. What an unbelievable woman.

The most popular content on the New York Times' website yesterday (as of about 3:30 p.m.) was Thomas Friedman's column, "Call Your Mother," in which he talks about how this is his first Mothers' Day without his own mom and the pain of her dementia. Reading through it, I couldn't help but think of George Will's 2006 column about his own mother's dementia and death, as it is included in his new collection of essays, "One Man's America."

In these two previous blog posts, which each include an excerpt from my interview with him, I allude to my conversation with Will that has yet to be published. What has Will left out of every column for the last 15-20 years? What does Will think is a sign of "lazy writing?" I'll give you a hint: One response roughly answers both of these questions. Read the accounts each of these men wrote about their mothers' illness and death, and see if you can figure it out.

Stay tuned for "The Bookshelf" in the June issue of Townhall Magazine to read more about this. If you haven't yet subscribed, you can do so by visiting this site, where you'll also receive a free book with your one-year subscription.

The June issue of Townhall Magazine includes a feature by Mary Katharine Ham that delves into Israel's long fight for freedom and the ways in which the United States can learn from their longstanding strife. I'm not an expert in foreign policy, and I don't pretend to come close to understanding the full breadth of our ally's struggle. I can assure you, however, that the piece is enlightening and poetic, and paints a portrait of a people down, but not defeated--of a nation tired, but committed to victory.

2008 marks the 60th anniversary of Israel's Independence. Today, Hugh Hewitt includes a snippet of Wednesday interview with John McCain about Israel, and a link to The Jerusalem Post's website with numerous "Israel@60" features. I recommend taking the time to read both.

Last week, I recounted a short question from my interview with George Will about his new book, "One Man's America." Here is another question and answer from that discussion.

KF: Included in the "Paths to the Present" chapter is a column from last September about Normandy, in which you comment on the popular "War is not the answer" bumper stickers. You say, "It is well to remember that whether war is the answer depends on the question." I know you come right out in the introduction and call this book "an Iraq-free zone," but I couldn’t help but wonder: What is "the question" for the situation in Iraq today?

GW: "Well the question today is, 'what do we do now?'
    T.S. Eliot defined success as what we make of the mess we’ve made. We want to succeed in Iraq. Treasure has been sunk, blood has been lost, lives have been lost. We clearly can’t walk away now.  
    As Colin Powell presciently said to the president before the Iraq invasion, “Remember the Pottery Barn rule: If you break it, you own it.” We are now morally complicit and as well as politically entangled with Iraq.  
    It’s all very well to say, and I will cheerfully say, knowing what we know now: we should never have gone in. But that’s an academic exercise."

What does Will say about today's "general entitlement mentality" and "bailout culture?" What is "a quiet epidemic" in America today? What does Will think is a sign of "lazy writing?"

For these answers and more, check out "The Bookshelf" in the June issue of Townhall Magazine for more of my interview.

Subscribe via this link and you will receive a free copy of Michael Yon's new book.

Stay tuned to the second hour of Hugh Hewitt's show for his talk with Michael Yon, renowned Iraq reporter who has written the cover story for our June issue of Townhall Magazine, about his new book. The book, like the magazine, is worth checking out. But don't take my word for it; listen to Hugh.

You can get a free copy of the book by ordering a subscription to Townhall Magazine.  It is the best premium you will ever receive for a magazine order.

In the words of Madeline's Dad, "Finally, something useful from the NYT."