Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro (born 1984 in Burbank, California) is an Orthodox Jew and conservative political columnist and author.

Early life and college education

He attended YULA high school in Los Angeles, but graduated early after skipping freshman year. Shapiro enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) at the age of 16, majoring in political science. During his time at UCLA, Shapiro clashed with professors and students, whom he considered excessively liberal.Fact|date=July 2007

Legal education and career

Shapiro graduated from Harvard Law School in June 2007. As a second year law student, he had a summer clerkship with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. [B. Shapiro, [http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/challenges.php?id=1083614 The Hispanic Gang Problem: Coming Soon to Your Community?] , accessed June 21, 2007.] He now practices law at the Los Angeles office of Goodwin Procter LLP. [B. Shapiro, http://www.benjaminshapiro.com/bio.html.]

Writing career

Shapiro was hired at age 17 to become the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the U.S.He has written for the "Orlando Sentinel", the "Conservative Chronicle", and "Townhall.com". He has written a book on his experiences in college, titled "Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth" (ISBN 0-7852-6148-6), which was published in 2004. His next book, "Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future" (ISBN 0-89526-016-6), was published by Regnery in June 2005. His newest book, "Project President: Bad Hair and Botox on the Road to the White House" (ISBN 1-5955-5100-X), was published in 2008. He is also a staunch critic of judicial activism, supporting judges whom he believes interpret the United States Constitution according to its original meaning.

Political ideology

Shapiro has taken conservative stances on many social issues. He favors stronger military and law enforcement spending, as well as more restrictive laws against abortion, pornography and "seditious" speech protesting U.S. war efforts. He has also spoken favorably of tighter immigration restrictions and expanded government wiretapping powers of suspected terrorists. Shapiro is also strongly critical of the liberal beliefs of many of his fellow Jewish-Americans. Shapiro is also a very strong advocate for abstinence before marriage. Shapiro married in Acre, Israel in July 2008. [http://www.townhall.com/columnists/BenShapiro/2008/07/16/i_got_married_last_week]

External links

* [http://benjaminshapiro.com/ Shapiro's website]
* [http://www.outloudopinion.com Podcasts of Shapiro's recent articles]

References