Feb 21
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Our neo-Malthusian elites have returned to a repeatedly debunked belief: that population growth outstrips progress in supplying food. Evidently their Ivy schools don’t teach history since this canard has been foisted often enough and never supported by facts. The “green revolution” shot it down most recently (you can Google it). Nevertheless, it keeps returning, often [...]
Feb 19
- By: J.J. Jackson – Blacks were once enslaved in America. Jews were once persecuted and killed by Germany’s NAZI Party. Thomas Jefferson fought and defeated Muslims who were, even that long ago, targeting Christians because they believed their religion mandated such of them. These are all statements of historical fact. None of them are [...]
Jan 28
Sometimes a simple question can become complicated. Perhaps the question should be, “Have we adjusted to the cultural change to the point that we are ready for a different form of government to control our new culture?” The culture sixty years ago was quite different from what is observed today. Why did it change so much [...]
Jan 3
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What’s gonna happen, ya think? That’s easy for someone who’s not always right but is always opinionated: 1. The stock market and its cousin in flimflamary, real estate, have both been floating above their real market values on a sea of Fed funny money and credit, much of it pumped into sinking banks to keep them [...]
Dec 22
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Body armor, surveillance gear, drones, military weapons and even small tanks ore becoming routine police department inventory. Every department of any size already has a SWAT team. Perhaps it would be wise to start considering why and wondering where this path leads. The Pentagon Is Offering Free Military Hardware To Every Police Department In The [...]
Nov 11
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The Jews have always been tested and many have failed their test, especially in prosperity and peace. The testing of WWII led to a world-wide declaration of: “Never again!” and to the Allies’ conscience-assuaging (and treachery-laden) sponsorship of the nation of Israel in a leftover bit of the Ottoman Empire under British control. But “Never” is [...]
Nov 10
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Remember the craze of YouTube videos a while back, when people were dubbing a scene from a movie showing Hitler and his general staff in the command bunker at the end of the war? Folks from every notch on the political spectrum put words in the mouths of the highest-ranking Nazis in order to mock [...]
Oct 6
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Earlier this week, Ken Burns’ “Prohibition” premiered on every conservative’s least favorite network/channel – PBS. For a long time, this era has been an interesting period of our nation’s history for me and so I took the time to watch the three part mini-series (twice). What I did not realize, or at least had not [...]
Oct 1
In my family I am known as the family historian. Every family has one. You know, that one relative who knows the old family stories, tramps around old cemeteries, and takes pictures of absolutely everyone at family reunions. My grandfather loved to talk and to tell stories of his childhood and life experiences and I [...]
Sep 25
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Hoovers’s regressive tax policies in the Revenue Act of 1932 burdened consumers; Obama’s cap-and-trade carbon tax does that too. Republicans passed Hoover’s bill; they seem to have learned, since they’re not passing Obama’s. Hoover pushed for higher taxes on the upper bracket earners and the Smoot-Hawley protective policies are legend. Obama requires protection for higher [...]
If the government creates a debt so big that persons who are not old enough to vote or have not yet been born will have to pay for it, is that not in effect, Taxation Without Representation? just sayin’…
Sep 19
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Rule #1 for all conservatives ought to be this: Never let the left frame the debate or define the terms. They have created a political climate that insures leftward drift over more than two centuries. This drift was noted by former editor of National Review John O’ Sullivan who coined O’Sullivan’s First Law: All organizations [...]
Sep 14
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1. Politicians can save the economy… False. Politicians can and repeatedly do trash it but only private enterprise can provide the wealth generation needed to to save a sick economy and to keep one healthy. The last President who said that–and proved it in the recession of 1920-1921–was Republican Warren Harding. He held off his [...]
Sep 4
And now it’s time for the post I have been trying to avoid, but can’t since my colleague, The Rat, keeps posting images of socialists with less than colorful wardrobes. People, we are obsessed with the color black. Has anyone else noticed this, that half the country is dressed as if they are in mourning [...]
Aug 17
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The middle class’ share of U.S. income has been shrinking, the share going to the wealthier has been increasing. Recently, the rate of shift has increased. Extending the trends, if there is no change the country could be a two-class society within a couple of generations. The chart shows the trends. Incomes rose with inflation [...]
Jul 30
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NAACP CALLS FOR REMOVAL; NIKKI HALEY SAYS HELL NO From the Here We Go Again department, South Carolina Republican Governor Nikki Haley says she has no intention of removing the Confederate flag that flies beside the Statehouse, despite demands from the NAACP that she do so. Thanks for playing, though. South Carolina: 1, NAACP: 0 In [...]
Jul 7
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Man is a being capable of subduing his emotions and impulses; he can rationalize his behavior. He arranges his wishes into a scale, he chooses; in short, he acts. What distinguishes man from beasts is precisely that he adjusts his behavior deliberately. – Ludwig von Mises Conservatism is a thinking mans ideology. It requires understanding and [...]
Jun 28
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Allow me to humbly submit to you that conservatism, or at least the major principles that we incorporate and define as conservatism, certainly didn’t originate in 1776. It does predate the U.S. Constitution and its core principles go back throughout history for thousands of years to the dawn of man. If conservativism can be compared [...]
FROM KOREA TO LIBYA AND BEYOND: WILL AMERICA EVER LEARN?
Barack Obama’s decision to announce a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan was made against the advice of -arguably - the most respected military figure in the American military, General David Petraeus – and that of other top military advisers as well.
While another Obama decision – to ignore the advice of top Pentagon lawyers on his probable violation of the War Powers Act – raises different issues, it has one critical aspect in common with his decision on Afghanistan:
Both decisions were made for political reasons – against the advice of military experts.
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An important thinker worthy of our consideration is the French statesman and economist Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850). Perhaps his most important work was The Law. Published in the year of his death, it is a concise formulation of the case for classic liberalism (of the Adam Smith variety), and a stern warning against the dark clouds of socialism that were descending upon Europe, particularly after the great upheavals of 1848. Read the rest of this entry
Along the underbelly of the Multiculturalist monster is one particularly slimy patch that is a bit embarrassing to us, the advocates of civilization. I am speaking of the fact that Multiculturalism is the progeny of Western culture. The pernicious belief that all art, music, literature, and philosophy have equal value is impossible—nay, unthinkable—outside the context of Western society. Read the rest of this entry
Jun 10
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Having some time kill this week and being a bit of a bookworm, I splurged and bought Ann Coulter’s latest offering, Demonic: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America, and devoured it between various chores. Being a good conservative, Ms. Coulter’s work is always on the radar, but not always as easily digested and appreciated [...]
We are all struggling, each in his own way, to make sense of the dire straits in which the nation finds itself. Perhaps, like myself, you are stretching your mind to find answers wherever they may be found.
In this vein, I recall the trip that I took to Washington, DC a while back. One aspect of the city that impressed me was the heavy classical-revival element in the architecture of the older government buildings. The Treasury, for example, would not have looked out of place in the Athens of Plato. Read the rest of this entry
Jun 6
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ARE REPUBLICANS DOOMED TO REPEAT PAST MISTAKES IN 2012? – They don’t call the Grand Ole Party the Grand Ole Party for nothing. Let’s face it; Republicans have a history of adopting somewhat of a country club, “seniority” mentality when it comes to nominating presidential candidates. It’s as if the party goes through a collective “logical” [...]
Dziga Vertov was one of the most interesting and innovative filmmakers to ever operate out of the Soviet Union. I came to his work thanks to French composer Pierre Henry, who dedicated an album to the director called Man With A Movie Camera.
Dennis Lim of the New York Times discusses the pressures Vertov had to live under during the reign of Joseph Stalin, as well as retrospective of his life’s work at MoMA.
Cross-posted at Steinblóm.
Apr 12
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Today is the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War when rebel gunners opened fire on the Federals at Fort Sumter. Take a moment to remember the brave boys on both sides who gave their lives in that futile struggle. It was a national tragedy of epic proportions that probably, more than anything, defined us a nation and who [...]
Apr 6
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The simple hyphen. It’s safe to say that no other punctuation mark in the history of mankind has created as much controversy, misunderstanding, distrust and anger as the hyphen. It’s definition is even oxymoronic: To hyphenate is to “divide” or “connect.” Hyphens are used in “compound modifiers,” meaning that two or more words are joined [...]
Apr 5
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We exist in a vast sea of ignorance and lack of understanding in regards to history, politics, and ideology. Not to mention the implications of each upon our nation and civilization. Perhaps we should not be surprised that large segments of society can’t put the Civil War in the correct century or begin to find [...]
Mar 28
I can’t believe we’re coming up on 4 years since this 10 minute video has been posted and there are just shy of 50,000 views. Well, I guess part of me CAN believe it, since there are so many anti-Semites out there. This is a quick 10 minutes, and a good summation of the constant [...]
Mar 23
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How could this one year anniversary of Obamacare come and go without referencing that it is also the anniversary of the patriot Patrick Henry’s famous ‘Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech delivered on March 23, 1775. From Wikipedia: “Give me Liberty, or give me Death!” is a famous quotation attributed to Patrick Henry [...]
Mar 21
Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher died this weekend. May he rest in peace. I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, and this isn’t directed at Christopher, but the media. The lede in the LAT article says: Warren Christopher’s tenacity and decorum helped him secure the release of U.S. hostages from Iran for [...]
Mar 16
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My oldest daughter (age 14) just returned from a six-day trip to Washington D.C. and New York City with her eighth grade history class. They visited an amazing amount of places including Capitol Hill, the Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam, Korean and WWII Memorials, Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, George Washington’s grave, the White House, [...]
Mar 16
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Recently, several of our fine bloggers have hinted at or expressed the idea that there seems to be a feeling of decline and breakdown politically, financially, and culturally in the United States of America. I tend to concur with that assessment. I have been intricately involved in the ideological and cultural struggles for the last [...]
I found a couple of posts worth perusing at the corner on a couple of presidents past. The Corner really should be part of your daily reading if you consider yourself to be a center-right conservative. If not, have fun with Alex Jones or something.
Thomas Jefferson – By Michael Knox Beran
Calvin Coolidge – By Amity Shlaes
I cannot wait to hear the news tonight. The suspense is killing me… And, I sure hope it lasts! It seems the Vice-President will take control. But, let’s not hold our breath…
For all the historical collectors out there… undoubtedly appearing on ebay very soon. As I am a sucker for all things history and Reagan I’m sure I’ll have to try and get my hands on this sooner or later. Looks pretty good though I’m still a bit upset that of all the former presidents who have passed on Ronald Reagan is the only one that won’t appear in the presidential dollar series (that is unless Carter kicks the bucket very soon).
The following is from the Tampico, Illinois Historical Society (Ronald Wilson Reagan’s Birthplace) ^
DOUBLE RAINBOW STAMP & ENVELOPE CANCELLATIONS
On February 6th, 2011 the Reagan Birthplace announces that the U.S. Postal Service will provide a Postal Station at the Birthplace. Hours for the station will be 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Birthplace is planning to offer silk screen cachets featuring a double rainbow stamp for the centennial celebration. Purchase price will be $7.50 each. After purchasing your cachet, you may have it canceled with the Feb. 6th, 2011 date.
On February 10th, the Postal Service will be releasing the newest stamp honoring Ronald Reagan. There will be a dedication ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Birthplace & cachets will also be available on that day featuring the new Ronald Reagan Forever stamp.
Mail orders will be available after those dates for $10.00. Contact: Ronald Reagan Birthplace to place orders:
Joan Johnson, 815-622-8705, reaganbirthplace@thewisp.net
P. O. Box 344
Tampico, IL 61283
“Righteousness ALONE can exalt America as a nation. Whoever thou art, remember …this; and in thy sphere practice virtue thyself, and encourage it in others.”
-Patrick Henry
Reagan Super Bowl XLV Tribute – Feb 6, 2011
And a bonus feature for you:
US Sen. Fred Thompson Narrates a Tribute to President Ronald Reagan on his 100th Birthday
Happy 100th birthday Ronald Reagan. I have had the privilege of visiting the Ronald Reagan library in California and I looked back on that with fond memories today as I took pause to remember one of our greatest of presidents. I was a Reagan child if there ever was one and my formative years were spent under his presidency. My family used to gather to watch his State of the Union speeches together and his belief in American exceptionalism and the greatness of this nation and its people has always stuck with me. We are indeed the Shining City on the Hill and we will lose that only when we forget that and abandon that idea. For a bit of vintage Reagan in a speech that probably presents his core views and values as good or better than any I give you Ronald Reagan’s great 1964 “A Time for Choosing” speech on behalf of Goldwater. The elemental truths he enumerates here are just as true today as they were the day they were first uttered.
Twenty fives years later in 1989 (the year I graduated high school) Ronald Reagan delivered his last address to the American people as their president. Compare his parting words to those of the current holder of that high office. The difference is striking.
Twenty-five years ago today. I remember this event vividly. I was in my high school science class and they brought a t.v. into the library next door so we could watch the coverage. Where were you?
Now I have to admit I am a great admirer of the man. A profound leader who was the right man at the right time in the right war. Without his leadership at the most pivotal time in Western Civilization I believe history might have turned out quite differently. I am an amateur collector of historical items (thank you ebay) and have a small Churchill shrine displayed in a medium-sized shadow box. It contains an August 1965 National Geographic featuring Churchill on the cover which was released with an actual record titled Special Recording: Churchill’s Great Words and Funeral Music. It also contains the paperback book Churchill: In Memoriam written by the New York Times, a brochure released by People to People titled Sir Winston Churchill: A Tribute, and five crown coins that were released with his likeness (the first commoner to appear on a coin in the UK) after his death. I always enjoy owning and holding a small piece of history that will someday be handed down to my children.
Definitely a great moment in history…
300 years ago today, one of the greatest American icons was born. The breadth of this man’s accomplishments stretches several very well-done biographies, and he’s worth a few more, plus a movie. In a time where idiots like Snooki and “The Situation” are considered celebrities, it’s nice to know that not everyone has forgotten what a true celebrity looks like.
Read more at Brian Michael’s article for AOL News.
Happy Birthday to the King James Version of the Holy Bible, which celebrates its fourth century of existence today. I grew up with this and the Douay-Rheims versions, and though Biblical scholarship has improved (and I possess an Orthodox Study Bible which I find superior), I have a soft spot for the KJV.
The Protestant blog The Seven Churches mentions more here.
Cross-posted at Apocatastasis.
Jeff Jacoby wonders, as do I, what in the hell Georgians are thinking in making a big deal about seceding from the Union 150 years ago. It is especially galling since the justification for seceding was the support of slavery. Jacoby states:
It was actually Georgia’s “Declaration of Causes,’’ a 3,300-word justification of secession approved 10 days after the adoption of the ordinance, that damned Abraham Lincoln’s Republican Party for its anti-slavery convictions. Secessionists in the Deep South made no bones about the fact that the threat posed to slavery by the incoming Lincoln administration was what fueled their decision to quit the Union. Yet in recent generations, innumerable Southerners have insisted that the preservation of slavery was not why the Confederacy was formed.
What on earth are they smoking over there? Let an ugly decision die. The South will never rise again, no matter how many fans of the plantation system chatter for it.
The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is a DISGRACE that cannot stand!
The Left hoped that by defining homosexuality as an orientation that cannot be changed, rather than a chosen behavior as has been recognized for millenia, they could exploit the goodwill of the civil rights struggle. Civil rights, like feminism, is a positive philosophy when promulgated by persons of integrity with no hidden agendas. However, those of us who were around in those times, or who study real history, know there were many communists and America-haters therein marching with genuine people of good will. It is not the conservatives with resume credits we hear from today, but Charlie Rangel and Jesse Jackson – those who exploit their past. They are exploiters first, and not those persons of consistent character.
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Cheers to Vassar Bushmills of RedState who posts this intriguing tidbit on Vladimir Lenin and his near-deistic status among his followers, despite the fact that Lenin himself knew he screwed up but was probably ‘offed’ before he could repair the horrors of his folly.
Cross-posted at RudyCarrera.com.
Ted Nugent pecks out an article for Human Events on the importance of the events of the 
Pearl Harbor bombing, which occurred 59 69 years ago today, and he ponders why people are spending more time fawning overthe anniversay of the murder of John Lennon rather than such a crucial event in American history.
Cross-posted at RudyCarrera.com.
November 19th was the 147th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. So, to help keep history alive and to honor the memories of the great many who died on those battlefields in perhaps this nation’s most heartbreaking war, I give you a fine reading of that most famous of speeches by actor Jeff Daniels.
On the eve of Election Day 2010, I received this via email.
A Q & A in May at University of Denver. Question is “What is the single threat to the USA?”
I never tire of Prager. Listen also to his comments about the United States vs. the United Nations on increasing good on Earth, and electing Iran (of all countries) to the commission on the status of women.
Excerpt:
…This is not a presidential election, and is the most important election in modern American history. This November is a referendum on what we want America to be…. You can love America, and be an awful American. You can love your children and be an awful parent. (These things have to be spelled out to the left because they like to distort everything we say…) the issue is you have different values than America was founded on.
Folks, Abraham Lincoln said that the United States is the last best hope for Earth… for mankind. It will not be the last best hope for mankind if it becomes like western Europe. Nobody has ever said Norway is the last best hope for mankind. I know I’ll be attacked as anti-Norwegian because anything that we say is race-based. So with the risk of being considered anti-Scandinavian in my essence, may I say that nobody says Sweden, Norway or Denmark is the last best hope for mankind, nor have they said that since 1603 about France. And so it is only being said about the USA— this is the force for good on this Earth. It’s not peace activists that liberated Auschwitz. It’s military people who liberated Auschwitz…
This falls into the “OMG, you have got to be kidding, some people have all the luck, what’s in my grandma’s attic,” category. Amazing, and a great find. It may be a family heirloom but I’d be willing to part with it for half that amount.
Unfinished Michelangelo found in Buffalo home?
Rare, Lost $300 Million (PHOTO) Possible Michelangelo Found By Buffalo Family
The Attempted Assassination of Theodore Roosevelt
Some twenty-five years after the death of my father’s parents I discovered among the boxes of their effects a number of old and interesting books. Included among them was Theodore Roosevelt: The Man As I Knew Him by Ferdinand C. Iglehart, D.D. (pastor of the Park Avenue Methodist Church in New York City) published by The Christian Herald in 1919. The preface ends with these words:
This book is sent out stained with my tears and those of the nation; with sorrow in our hearts that we shall see his face no more, but bright with hope that his spirit will remain with us, and that we shall see him again, and breathing a prayer that it may be used for the happiness and benefit of our fellowmen, and the establishment of Christ’s Kingdom on earth, to which Theodore Roosevelt, the man and the Christian, devoted his life.
The following passage is found on pages 235-237.
On Saturday some half a million plus patriots descended upon Washington D.C. to call for the restoration of American values and to honor those brave men and women who are serving this nation in the military. I have been receiving multiple links about the Restoring Honor rally held on 8-28-10 all day from a variety of people. Our own Conclub blogger MoK was in attendance and I hope that we will hear a first person report once she returns and has a chance to fill us in.
It was a fairly bold and risky move to hold the rally on the anniversary, and indeed at the same location, as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have A Dream” speech. But in the end the publicity was great, the inclusion of Dr. Aveda King (the niece of Martin Luther King) was brilliant, the raising of over $5 1/2 million dollars in scholarship money for the children of slain soldiers was noble, and the as usual well-behaved and peaceful crowd in the hundreds of thousands showed the nation that the activists on the Right are far from the racist crazies that the media and the Left have been furiously attempting to portray them as. Instead, they are dedicated American patriots who care deeply about their nation and its future.
Videos below:
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…. but Mr. Mo and I are planning on being well out of the D.C. Metro area by 2011, for several reasons.
What really bothers me is that I’m not the paranoid type, but I see the path this country is going down and unless we seriously reverse it, we’re headed for this.
Selfishly, I’d like to think it happens well after 2017.
John B. Kienker of The Catholic Thing taps the work of the often-quoted-but-rarely-read Christian apologist G. K. Chesterton (he of the wonderful Father Brown series of books) on his view of America. For me, the most poignant line of Kienker’s article was as follows:
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For more than 200 years, the American flag has been the symbol of our nation’s strength and unity. It’s been a source of pride and inspiration for millions of citizens. And the American Flag has been a prominent icon in our national history. Here are the highlights of its unique past.
On January 1, 1776, the Continental Army was reorganized in accordance with a Congressional resolution which placed American forces under George Washington’s control. On that New Year’s Day the Continental Army was laying siege to Boston which had been taken over by the British Army. Washington ordered the Grand Union flag hoisted above his base at Prospect Hill. It had 13 alternate red and white stripes and the British Union Jack in the upper left-hand corner (the canton).
In May of 1776, Betsy Ross reported that she sewed the first American flag.
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Here’s an odd story, courtesy of the (U.K.) Telegraph. China has rewritten its textbooks to say that North Korea did indeed strike the first blow in the Korean War, after decades of teaching that America and the United Nations were the aggressors. This comes as good news to the governments in Washington, D.C. and Seoul, as perhaps Chinese historians are finally learning the truth about the war.
Cross-posted at RudyCarrera.com.
Posted with only one comment: “Thought provoking.”
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.
I have long adored Tom Hanks for bucking the trend in Hollywood to be anti-American and leftist in attitudes about American history. His From the Earth to the Moon series was profoundly influential on me, and I revered Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. Which is why his recent comments about American racism towards the Japanese in World War II have had me scratching my head–they seem so different from what he would normally say about such a subject. Given his past performance, though, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
In any case, here’s a masterful deconstruction of the attitudes behind the Pacific war by historian Victor Davis Hanson.
Is Tom Hanks Unhinged?
Much has been written of the recent Tom Hanks remarks to Douglas Brinkley in a Time Magazine interview about his upcoming HBO series on World War II in the Pacific. Here is the explosive excerpt that is making the rounds today.“Back in World War II, we viewed the Japanese as ‘yellow, slant-eyed dogs’ that believed in different gods. They were out to kill us because our way of living was different. We, in turn, wanted to annihilate them because they were different. Does that sound familiar, by any chance, to what’s going on today?”
Hanks may not have been quoted correctly; and his remarks may have been impromptu and poorly expressed; and we should give due consideration to the tremendous support Hanks has given in the past both to veterans and to commemoration of World War II; and his new HBO series could well be a fine bookend to Band of Brothers. All that said, Hanks’ comments were sadly infantile pop philosophizing offered by, well, an ignoramus.
Hanks thinks he is trying to explain the multifaceted Pacific theater in terms of a war brought on by and fought through racial animosity. That is ludicrous. Consider:
1) In earlier times, we had good relations with Japan (an ally during World War I, that played an important naval role in defeating imperial Germany at sea) and had stayed neutral in its disputes with Russia (Teddy Roosevelt won a 1906 Nobel peace Prize for his intermediary role). The crisis that led to Pearl Harbor was not innately with the Japanese people per se (tens of thousands of whom had emigrated to the United States on word of mouth reports of opportunity for Japanese immigrants), but with Japanese militarism and its creed of Bushido that had hijacked, violently so in many cases, the government and put an entire society on a fascistic footing. We no more wished to annihilate Japanese because of racial hatred than we wished to ally with their Chinese enemies because of racial affinity. In terms of geo-strategy, race was not the real catalyst for war other than its role among Japanese militarists in energizing expansive Japanese militarism.
I have always heard that history repeats itself because no one listened the first time around, and today I have found additional evidence to support that claim. Scroll through some of the Time magazine covers, specifically from 1976-1980 and take a look at the headlines, the people, the concerns of the day. From socialism to the war on terror – it’s all there in vivid color. I recommend starting here and moving forward for a really interesting look at, well… Time.
Four score and 285 days ago (give or take a few), our nation elected someone they thought they knew. Today, not so much – but not to worry. All (or at least some of it, digitally enhanced and re-packaged to fit the format of your screen) will be revealed, when he gets a chance to re-introduce himself to the American public. I can hardly wait.
Let’s just say they were not kidding about the blood part…
As a passionate student of history I have always been interested in the story and life of the rebel slave, Spartacus. A man who shook Rome to the core yet a man we know fairly little about. Yet a legend has grown around his motives and actions and history has remembered him while forgetting countless others. Last night Starz debuted (to mixed reviews) an original series Spartacus: Blood and Sand which I made time to watch. It is produced by Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi who, a decade ago, gave to us Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess.
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“We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace.
General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”
Some poignant words on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall which was the symbolic end of the cold war. I remember that day clearly. Berliners from both sides danced on top of the barrier that once divided them. A barriers that witnessed the deaths of countless East Germans seeking freedom on the other side. Even with all the historical perspective of a 13 year old I knew that I was witnessing history in the making.
The full text of the speech after the jump courtesy of historyplace.com
In my never ending quest to be a good father and at the same time quinch my thirst for knowledge and history I took the opportunity to accompany (chaperone) my daughters seventh grade class to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. A highly touted Ghengis Khan exhibit is touring the United States and is currently on display there. They have a large number of unique and one of a kind artifacts on loan from the Mongolian National Museum. Unfortunately, they didn’t allow gum, water, or photography of any kind while you were inside their heavily monitored and climate-controlled display area. I did manage to get some pictures of a fine rendition of the Great Khan himself that greeted you as one approached the entrance. I can’t get enough of historical artifacts. Bringing the past alive is an emotional and quickening experience for me. It was extremely interesting to see such rare and very old items up close and personal. As a history buff I knew a good deal of the information that was displayed for one’s reading pleasure but I learned much as well. Definitely worth the visit. I spent twenty minutes last night giving my wife a history lesson about the origins and tactics of Genghis Khan and the Mongol empire so I must have been excited about today.
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DISPUTATION OF DOCTOR MARTIN LUTHER
ON THE POWER AND EFFICACY OF
INDULGENCES
While we love our Catholic brothers and sisters we Protestants owe a great debt to Martin Luther and his courage on this day. My oldest daughter (12) just finished a fairly extensive study of him in school so she got excited when she saw I was posting this. At the time we had a good conversation about the Biblical teachings concerning salvation and Martin Luther’s emphasis on faith over works (though faith without works is dead) which we continue to abide by to this day as practicing, Bible-believing Protestant Christians. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and breadth of her knowledge and understanding of the subject. As the son of the Protestant version of a priest I guess I should be thankful of the abandonment of celibacy by the Protestant clergy through the example of Luther himself otherwise I probably wouldn’t be here to enlighten, entertain and enrage.
OCTOBER 31, 1517
Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light,
the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg,
under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther,
Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in
Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that
those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us,
may do so by letter.
In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Elect the softest and most apologetic of all Democrats, of course!
In an unprecedented move that tells our most vulnerable allies in Eastern Europe to effectively ‘kiss off,’ President Obama scrapped the European missile shield. This shield would have symbolically, if not effectively, told Poland and others that we will never abandon you again. If this isn’t the most disgraceful captitulation to the re-emerging power in the east, I don’t know what is.
But naturally, Obama was able to spin the details by saying we will actually be safer because of him. Just as he does with distubing news about the economy or unemployment or taxes or health care, Obama has managed to spin the negative to suit his party’s true political goals.
Obama promised a redesigned defensive system, saying it would be cheaper, quicker and more effective against the threat from Iranian missiles. The Bush-era plan had complicated ties with Russia, which objected to where the shield installations would be built.
Anticipating criticism from the right that he was weakening America’s security, Obama said repeatedly that this decision would provide more — not less — protection.
The inability to stand up to Russia is nothing short of cowardice. Remember when Democrats used to throw around catchy buzz words like “unilateralism” and “alienating our allies?” Well how’s this for alienation?
Obama said the plan was scrapped in part because, after a review, the United States has concluded that Iran is less focused on developing the kind of long-range missiles for which the system was originally developed, making the building of an expensive new shield unnecessary. New technology also has arisen that military advisers decided could be deployed sooner and more effectively, he said.
Oh I see, I’m sure the Czech Republic and Poland were real concerned about long range missiles from IRAN! These two nations have put their asses on the line by forming alliances with us and hosting our defense systems. And now the President of the United States pulls the rug out from under them while a growing menace lurks to the east. Unreal.
I suppose it has been chic to make fun of the quirky, often circus-like, life of Michael Jackson. But those in my generation cannot escape the fact that our cultural lives were transformed immensely by the ‘King of Pop.’
When I was about twelve and cable television arrived in my neighborhood, the first thing I did was turn to Mtv (ch. 46) and the first video I saw that day was Thriller. It was fitting that the first video I saw on my own cable television set was the greatest video.
Long after the sad carnival that surrounded his life was played out, his music was always going to endure. Michael Jackson died today of an apparent heart attack. As it is when any icon of our youth passes away, a small part of us goes with him. Rest in peace.
Unfortunately brutal crackdowns start like this also…
“I’m absolutely optimistic, because history has taught me that all the revolutions start like this,” she said. “Every revolution has violence and some people die, but nothing stays like this forever.”
I agree with the forever part. I do think the optimistic part is well..a bit optimistic based on this support…
“When a young woman gets shot on the street when she gets out of her car,” Obama said, “the violence clearly has reached an intolerable level.” But reports from Iran show his own statements are being “mistranslated” there and spun to suggest that the U.S. is encouraging rioters, Obama said, and he doesn’t want to give opponents anything to work with.
Rarely if ever is it a lack of understanding – it always is a matter of principle.
President Barack Obama did not “lose” Iran. This is not a Jimmy Carter moment. But the foreign-policy education of America’s 44th president has just begun. Hitherto, he had been cavalier about other lands, he had trusted in his own biography as a bridge to distant peoples, he had believed he could talk rogues and ideologues out of deeply held beliefs. His predecessor had drawn lines in the sand. He would look past them.
Thus a man who had been uneasy with his middle name (Hussein) during the presidential campaign would descend on Ankara and Cairo, inserting himself in a raging civil war over Islam itself. An Iranian theocratic regime had launched a bid for dominion in its region; Mr. Obama offered it an olive branch and waited for it to “unclench” its fist.
Mr. Obama’s June 4 speech in Cairo did not reshape the Islamic landscape. I was in Saudi Arabia when Mr. Obama traveled to Riyadh and Cairo. The earth did not move, life went on as usual. There were countless people puzzled by the presumption of the entire exercise, an outsider walking into sacred matters of their faith. In Saudi Arabia, and in the Arabic commentaries of other lands, there was unease that so complicated an ideological and cultural terrain could be approached with such ease and haste.
Days into his presidency, it should be recalled, Mr. Obamahad spoken of his desire to restore to America’s relation with the Muslim world the respect and mutual interest that had existed 30 or 20 years earlier. It so happened that he was speaking, almost to the day, on the 30thanniversary of the Iranian Revolution — and that the time span he was referring to, his golden age, covered the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the American standoff with Libya, the fall of Beirut to the forces of terror, and the downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Liberal opinion would have howled had this history been offered by George W. Bush, but Barack Obama was granted a waiver.
Sometimes being glib has limited utility.
Have a great Memorial Day. A solumn and sincere thank you to all who have ever worn the uniform and sacrificed for this great nation. My stars and stripes are displayed from the front porch and the Revolutionary War Gadsen “Don’t tread on me” flag flutters from the flagpole in the backyard. Here are a few different renditions of The Battle Hymn of the Republic for your enjoyment.
Amen. God bless you and your family this day and may God bless America.
“You and I know and do not believe that life is so dear and peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery. If nothing is worth dying for, when did this begin? Should Moses have told the children of Israel to live in slavery under the pharaohs? Should Christ have refused the cross? Should the patriots of Concord Bridge have thrown down their guns and refused to fire the shot heard round the world?”
—Ronald Reagan (1964)
Today I took two of my three girls to the local library. We were in search of a book for use in a project by my sixth grader. As we were leaving I noticed a side room which had tables of books for sale. Like a moth to a flame, I herded my little brood into the relatively small room with tables literally overflowing with books no longer wanted by the library. After a little browsing and a “hurry on home” phone call from my five-year old, I noticed a couple of far older books among the lines of the usual riff raff and kindling that you often find at such sales. I discovered a book titled The World War in Photographs Uncensored published in 1934 by the International Newspaper Syndicate. A visually gripping representation of the “Great War”, it is the best of some ten thousand WWI photos gathered by the publishers. I also discovered next to it the book Pictorial History of the Korean War Memorial Edition: the MacArthur Reports published by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (published 1954 and 394 pages). I purchased each for $2.00 a piece.
When I got home I actually was a little peeved. I told my wife that I thought libraries were supposed to be the repositories of knowledge and the preservers of the past. Apparently not. Instead it is sold for a pittance on a bargain table in a side room. And only the rare fool like myself attempts to truly preserve it.
I think I might be losing it…
41 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Life Magazine posts these never before published photos from the scene taken just hours following the killing. In them, you can sense the misery and sadness that were in the air on that night, and I can only imagine the sense of racial tension in the country at that moment.
A view on “Progressivism” and Liberalism by Michael P. Federici:
The philosophical fathers of progressivism include Francis Bacon, Hegel, Marx, Comte, Rousseau, Condoret, Bentham, Mill and Edward Bellamy… One of the main characteristics of these thinkers’ progressivism was its pseudo spirituality, or relation of humanity. In this substitute religion, faith in a transcendent moral order is replaced by faith in nature, science, technology, and reason, This faith also involves a sort of humanitarian sentimentalism that attempts to satisfy an inner desire to serve mankind and the world by engaging in reforms meant to uplift the less fortunate. Yet these reforms are not intended to effect inner spiritual reform but rather to change institutions and thus improve society through outer reform. Conservatives argue that progressive humanitarianism is both a diversion and escape from individual moral responsibility.
Progressivism also includes the idea that human perfectibility is possible in history. This doctrine hold that it is unnecessary to wait for the afterlife for human perfection; the fulfillment of human nature can take place in earthly life. Scientific progressives, like Bacon, believe that progress is a predicate of scientific knowledge and technological developments. Social progressives, like Croly, believe that human nature can be transformed through political reform
Progressivism is intimately tied to modern liberalism and the politics of the welfare state, which holds that the transformation of society can only be achieved by a centralized government that has sufficient power to remake society…
…Finally, progressivism has in it a gnostic element. That is, progressives believe that they possess the knowledge needed to transform society and human nature. They are greatly dissatisfied with the world as it is and are impatient with life and the very structure of reality because these fall short of perfection or the the progressive ideal. These gnostic attributes are part of an existential disposition that fails to accept the permanence of evil in earthly life – in theological terms, original sin. By contrast, most conservatives believe that the structure of reality, including human nature, is permanent. Attempts to transform the human condition end up in disaster, as Huxley and Orwell suggest in their dystopias Brave New World (1932) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).
…Here again lies the underlying assumption of progressivism: evil is the result of a poorly organized world. Reorganization of the world in accordance with progressive ideas will usher in a new age of freedom, equality, and peace.
-from American Conservatism: An Encyclopedia
Remember 1997? If you have forgotten, here is a quick list of events from 1997-
Why am I reminiscing about 1997? Because the DOW Jones closed today at 7365, only 79 points above that November low of 1997. Over a decade of gains in the market have been obliterated (minus dividends). At this point, there seems to be no bottom in sight.
It’s not just that fact that the markets have dived to these decade old levels, but the rate at which it has happened. Paul Volcker today described the current situation as the “Mother of All Financial Crisis”.
I don’t remember any time, maybe even in the Great Depression, when things went down quite so fast, quite so uniformly around the world…
Jim Cramer illustrated the staggering losses of capital today on his Real Money blog.
The declines are so staggering that you find yourself thinking only one thing: How could we have ever trusted these pieces of paper with our nest eggs? Plus, the “terminal” value of some of these stocks, such as BAC, C, AIG, is catastrophic. They aren’t coming back
In the past, whenever everyone started to throw the baby out with the bathwater, it was time to cowboy up and start putting one’s money to work. This just feels different and it seems as if there are so many macroeconomic hurdles to clear before we see light at the end of the tunnel. The “stimulus” plan and “homeowner” plan are only patches that are delaying the inevitable market bottom. We need to find that bottom, and fast, or we just may find out that there isn’t one.
Dang, I miss the Gipper. And I heap curses upon those who pissed away his revolution and his vision for America.
I miss my grandparents. I feel fortunate to have grown up as a young child in the 1970′s still being able to see them in a real American setting. The setting was not idyllic nor glamorous. It was real. They were real. He was a WWII hero, she was one of last riders of the infamous orphan trains. With each passing year, I appreciate them more and more. I appreciate that house where the flag always proudly flew.
They lived in north Denver throughout my young life at a time when the neighborhoods were transforming from predominantly Italian ones to the current Mexican ones. To be certain, the ethnicities are each unique and carry with them their own cultures and stereotypes. Both groups have a proud heritage that shows in the small shops, restaurants and churches. I think my grandfather would have been content to simply have the neighborhood remain Italian. I think they often felt helpless at some of the demographic changes that occured around them. But through it all, my grandparents steadfastly remained in that small, well kept house on 35th amidst all the changes.
I think Walt Kowalski also felt helpless too. Walt is not real in the traditional sense; although he is as real as you or I. Walt is the person that Clint Eastwood portrays in the movie Gran Torino. Walt is a Korean War hero who has seen his urban Detroit neighborhood transformed from the “all-American” haven for returning vets of the 1940′s and 1950′s to a gang-infested hotbed of inner city turmoil. Like many men of his generation, I think Walt probably felt a deep sense of pride. Pride in his work as an auto assembly lineman. Pride in the nation he defended. Pride in having a wife and kids and a small plot of land he could call his own. Through it all he rarely bitched about that work or boasted about that service or doted on those kids. He clocked in and clocked out, drank the same beer for decades (PBR) and went to church because his wife wanted him to.
So when the changes occuring around Walt begin to confront Walt, he is understandable frustrated. He speaks in the plain words that the men of his generation spoke; language that enlightened liberals of today would deem intolerable. They would wrongly believe that Walt was evil for lamenting the “zipperheads,” “slopes” or “gooks” that have moved in around him. They would demand sensitivity training for Walt because he has contempt for the “spooks” or “beaners” that harass others. He lives by the rules and expects others to do the same.
Everyone should see Gran Torino not because it is a good movie with a nice message. They should see it because it gives a healthy glimpse at what is becoming of American cities today. They should see what fatherless households are turning our society into. They should see the vets that still proudly fly that flag. And they should come to see Walt. And get a look at the man I knew as grandpa.
President George W. Bush’s farewell address to the nation.
Full Text (not as prepared but actually delivered):
He was always “First in War, First in Peace, and First in the hearts of his countrymen”. As we prepare to usher out one president and install another perhaps we should look back at what the first one had to say after his eight years in office.
On Christmas Day, 1776, nearly all thought the Revolution was lost, except for a valiant few who still believed in “The Cause.” We owe our liberty today to those valiant few.
Led by George Washington, most of his army, dressed in rags and barefoot, faced a winter gale of rain, sleet, ice and snow. This band of patriots braved a midnight river crossing and a nine mile march over frozen roads to win a spectacular victory at Trenton, New Jersey, the following morning. Those were indeed times, as Thomas Paine would write, that “try men’s souls.”
In a season that has become too commercialized and — worse yet — had much of its religious meaning driven from the public square, Washington’s Christmas crossing is a story that should be remembered and celebrated, this Christmas and every Christmas…
“The Roman Republic fell, not because of the ambition of Caesar or Augustus, but because it had already long ceased to be in any real sense a republic at all. When the sturdy Roman plebeian, who lived by his own labor, who voted without reward according to his own convictions, and who with his fellows formed in war the terrible Roman legion, had been changed into an idle creature who craved nothing in life save the gratification of a thirst for vapid excitement, who was fed by the state, and who directly or indirectly sold his vote to the highest bidder, then the end of the republic was at hand, and nothing could save it. The laws were the same as they had been, but the people behind the laws had changed, and so the laws counted for nothing.”
- Teddy Roosevelt
From Utpal Bhattacharya in today’s New York Times:
Say I convince my friend Elvis to invest $100 with me, promising to double his money in a month. Next I convince my friends Simon and Garfunkel. They each give me $100, and I use the $200 to pay off Elvis. Elvis is impressed and tells all his friends. I take $100 each from four of them — John, Paul, George and Ringo — and use the $400 to give back $200 each to Simon and Garfunkel. Suddenly everyone wants to invest with me. I take money from eight of them, then 16, then 32, and so on. When a lot of people are involved, I disappear with the money that I raised in the last round.
The scheme that I have just illustrated is called a Ponzi scheme. It is named after Charles Ponzi, who raked in $15 million in nine months in 1919 and 1920. At the height of his success, Mr. Ponzi was hailed by those he was cheating as the greatest Italian who ever lived. “You’re wrong,” he said modestly, “there’s Columbus, who discovered America, and Marconi, who discovered radio.” “But, Charlie, you discovered money,” they told him.
What is being called the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time was uncovered just a few days ago. The Wall Street legend Bernard Madoff is reported to have told influential investors that he could guarantee them a 1 percent monthly return. That promise probably sounded too good to be true — and it was.
Unfortunately people conveniently neglect the fact that the greatest Ponzi scheme of all time is perpetrated by the Federal government and affectionately called “Social Security.” Right now, the people at the bottom of the pyramid are in their 30′s.
”The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.’
- Cicero, 55 BC
Imprimis is a free publication of Hillsdale College and always provides intellectual and thoughtful analysis and opinion. Anyone can request a free subscription to Imprimus by signing up here.
How Christianity Shaped the West
This idea of the preciousness and equal worth of every human being is largely rooted in Christianity. Christians believe that God places infinite value on every human life. Christian salvation does not attach itself to a person’s family or tribe or city. It is an individual matter. And not only are Christians judged at the end of their lives as individuals, but throughout their lives they relate to God on that basis. This aspect of Christianity had momentous consequences.
Though the American founders were inspired by the examples of Greece and Rome, they also saw limitations in those examples. Alexander Hamilton wrote that it would be “as ridiculous to seek for [political] models in the simple ages of Greece and Rome as it would be to go in quest of them among the Hottentots and Laplanders.” In The Federalist Papers, we read at one point that the classical idea of liberty decreed “to the same citizens the hemlock on one day and statues on the next….” And elsewhere: “Had every Athenian citizen been a Socrates, every Athenian assembly would still have been a mob.” While the ancients had direct democracy that was susceptible to the unjust passions of the mob and supported by large-scale slavery, we today have representative democracy, with full citizenship and the franchise extended in principle to all. Let us try to understand how this great change came about.
Worth a read. I’m always been very torn and can argue effectively and convincingly for each side and for the various causes represented in the Civil War. I abhor the “peculiar institution” that ended up ripping this nation apart and yet I do believe that the Southern states probably had every right to secede from the Union as they saw fit. I had multiple relatives risk life and limb to serve in the Grand Army of the Republic and defeat the ‘secesh’. It is an interesting debate and intellectual exercise whenever it appears. Lincoln himself is a fascinating character that I never tire of studying.
The Real Abraham Lincoln: A Debate
The question: Is Lincoln’s reputation deserved? In his book, Lincoln scholar Harry Jaffa argues that Lincoln was a model statesman who stuck by high-minded principles as he fought to promote to liberty. Lincoln critic Tom DiLorenzo argues that Lincoln was a calculating politician who waged the bloodiest war in American history, not to free the slaves, but in order to build an empire. Was Lincoln a great hero or a villain or both? Did he honor the promise of America or did he betray it?
In a post a few days ago, Dave seems to ride the fence between being upset that Obama may have been born in Kenya (and therefore Constitutionally unfit for office) and resignation that it is no big deal. I tend to think that Dave is more intellectually curious about the in’s and out’s of how it is all playing out than feeling outraged by some possible birth requirement, but I could be wrong. When I said that Obama’s mother was from Kansas and the point is moot, Dave wrote:
There is a bit more to it than that E, and Obama’s mother and her various residencies in Kenya and Indonesia and her age at that time do not fall within “the rules” for little Barry to be an American citizen if he was, indeed, born in Kenya.
For the record, I think the Presidential requirment to be born in the United States is as dumb as the 18th Amendment. And it just so happens that the same type of people who supported the Volstead Act also believe that Obama should be disqualified from office. Ultimately, I think David Horowitz sums the argument up nicely:
The continuing efforts of a fringe group of conservatives to deny Obama his victory and to lay the basis for the claim that he is not a legitimate president is embarrassing and destructive. The fact that these efforts are being led by Alan Keyes, a demagogue who lost a Senate election to the then-unknown Obama by 42 points, should be a warning in itself.
. . .The birth-certificate zealots are essentially arguing that 64 million voters should be disenfranchised because of a contested technicality as to whether Obama was born on U.S. soil. (McCain narrowly escaped the problem by being born in the Panama Canal zone, which is no longer American.)
What difference does it make to the future of this country whether Obama was born on U.S. soil? Advocates of this destructive campaign will argue that the constitutional principle regarding the qualifications for president trumps all others. But how viable will our Constitution be if five Supreme Court justices should decide to void 64 million ballots?
Conservatives are supposed to respect the organic nature of human societies. Ours has been riven by profound disagreements that have been deepening over many years. We are divided not only about political facts and social values, but also about what the Constitution itself means. The crusaders on this issue choose to ignore these problems and are proposing to deny the will of 64 million voters by appealing to five Supreme Court Justices (since no one is delusional enough to think that the four liberal justices are going to take the presidency away from Obama). What kind of conservatism is this?
The Long, Slow, Torturous death of Zima
Many drinkers assume that Zima vanished shortly thereafter and has since existed solely as a punch line. But Zima actually survived for more than another decade, until MillerCoors pulled the plug on Oct. 10. Rarely has such a famously maligned product enjoyed such a lengthy run—a testament to its brewers’ Madonna-like knack for reinvention. The Zima that died a quiet death last month bore little resemblance to the
malternative that swept the nation during President Clinton’s first term. . .
. . .To Coors’ horror, Zima proved most popular among young women—a demographic that, while generally fond of getting tanked, just doesn’t have the same thirst for hooch as its male counterpart. And once the ladies took a shine to the stuff, the guys avoided Zima as if it were laced with estrogen.
I think every guy in our generation can safely say that have had one Zima in their life. But if you have had any more than one then your sexuality and gender will be called into question. In any event, I’m always intrigued by the phases that young drinkers go through. As a freshman in college I recall “Ice brewing” turning out products like Bud Ice and Miller Ice (it was just re-labelled beer). The clear phase in the aforementioned time of the mid 90′s saw a resurgence a year or two ago with the Smirnoff products. About five years ago, martini’s were all the rage. Now its power drinks that include some kind of Red Bull or energy drink. Did I miss any drink ‘phases?’
This is definitely an exciting development for all those who enjoy history and should give you plenty to do whenever you tell yourself “I’ve got nothing to do”.
10 Million Photos from LIFE Magazine Archives Made Public
“The science of politics is the one science that is deposited by the streams of history, like the grains of gold in the sand of a river; and the knowledge of the past, the record of truths revealed by experience, is eminently practical, as an instrument of action and a power that goes to making the future.”
I have to wonder if Mr. O would get this teary eyed advocating polygamy. Without interjecting any undue personal opinion into the matter, the fact is that marriage is between one man and one woman as it has generally been defined as throughout history, or it simply becomes whatever anyone defines it to be, with all the myriad of variances and possibilities that implies. As a culture America, and Western Civilization in general, will have to make that decision. Hopefully they will make the correct one, and continue to frustrate Mr. Olbermann to no end.
Olbermann’s twisted version of theology, principle, tradition, marriage and concept of ‘love’ aside I must say it is indeed far better to have your name in the Book of Life than this world’s “Book of Love” (as defined by him). The Left has managed to turn nearly every issue on it’s head. Right is wrong, perversity is normal, lust is love, deviancy is desirable, immorality is morality and that which rejects values is in itself a treasured value. As a culture, you know we are approaching the brink when every thing that is wrong is called “right” and those who stubbornly cling to what is right, and condemning what is wrong, are mocked, vilified, branded as bigots and themselves considered by the popular culture as being wrong. I have been mockingly referred to as a “modern day Isaiah” in the past and though I am nothing of the sort I do believe the original Isaiah (as in the Old Testament Hebrew prophet) had some wise things to say. “Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” It is as true today as it was then.
I wonder if Mr. Olbermann ever bothered to read Romans 1:28-32. It sounds like Paul could see him directly through the sands of time.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
The Sage
Steve
E the Wise
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hairybeast
Mo K.
Sting the Away
Rudy
Voice of Reason
Anthony Rogers
Vérité
Isaiah's Cry
danagall
Hal Jordan
The Rat
Aquinas Shrugged
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a west texas view
pino
Cultural Limits
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Short Little Rebel
AWOL Civilization
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rogueoperator
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