The great ideological and civilizational confrontation of our time is played out, in large part, in the hearts and minds of the people of the world. Imprisoned for five years, contrary to international law in some dark hole only miles
The Founding Fathers Reconsidered R.B. Bernstein Oxford University Press, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-19-983257-6 238 pgs. R. B. Bernstein leads the reader down three important and intertwined roads in The Founding Fathers Reconsidered. The first explores the importance of the Constitution
The history of 1861-1865 is an unconquerable mountain of moral lessons, action, heroes, villains, violence, politics, honor, compassion, culture; the core of American history. One of the most brutal battles of the Civil War occurred at Franklin, Tennessee, November 30,
The upheavals of the sixties had political and cultural contexts – the war in Vietnam and the Civil Rights movement. There is a great debate about the relationship between culture and politics; a which-came-first conundrum similar to the vexed “chicken
As our imperious head of state takes his most recent ill-timed vacation and the stock market falls, the ranks of unemployed Americans grows, and crises and commotions remain unresolved the dustbin of history is being prepared. Anger at failed leftist
Character always matters. Character is the foundation of civilizations, it is the font of understanding a person’s value and values. People of discernment always judge a person based upon their character or want of it. At the core of character
This has been a difficult week; debt crisis resolution talks going to the last moment in Washington, an horrific mass murder by a lunatic in Norway, and an aborted followup attack on Fort Hood by a Muslim US soldier. It’s
Not much is new in all of this – innocents have been massacred by arrogant, deluded, self-important failed humans since time immemorial. Now Oslo and Shanksville are neighbors in a global world and a global failure. It is difficult to
On July 4, 1826, two of the great founders of American democracy breathed their last. John Adams, ensconced at Peacefield in Quincy, Massachusetts was comforted in his last moments in the belief that Jefferson still lived. Such were Adams’ last
The passage of SB1028/HB1353 (Material Support to Designated Entities Act of 2011) in the Tennessee Legislature on May 21, 2011 after months of controversy, and inaccurate and misleading reporting in local and national media marks a sea-change moment in America’s
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. – Hamlet (1.4.90), Marcellus to Horatio The statement above is obvious and redundant. Something is rotten in Denmark, but also in Canada, United Kingdom, Finland, Austria, and most importantly, in the United
Former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney announced on April 11 that he is “formally exploring a presidential bid”. As such, because a 2012 Romney run would be a repetition of his 2008 attempt at presidential power, a look back is
The former Governor of Massachusetts and semi-declared candidate for President, Mr. Romney, has the Massachusetts health care “solution” called now “RomneyCare” (a plan upon which the widely unpopular “Obama Care” plan is based) to discuss with the American people. For
Former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney announced on April 11 that he is “formally exploring a presidential bid”. As such, because a 2012 Romney run would be a repetition of his 2008 attempt at presidential power, a look back is
It seems a strange juxtaposition that so many conservative pundits oppose the no-fly/no-drive intervention against Gadhafi after having touted American exceptionalism for years. If the United States is “exceptional” and we have a global reach military of air and sea
The attention of the world is focused now on the Arab world. We are watching a fault line cracking; decades old political constructs of tyranny and abuse are being challenged and overturned across the Arab Muslim world. When the upheavals
Two great challenges facing the West in our nasty and brutish post 9 -11 world are how to interact with Muslim states and if it is possible to integrate Muslim citizens into our open, too often self-destructive, hyper-tolerant cultures. The
Observers and interested parties have expressed amazement, confusion and concern at the growth of Islam in the West since 9/11. Apparently, no acts of mass murder, familial barbarism and cruelty, jihad violence against non-Muslims, and threat of (nuclear) war from
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died & Why It Matters by James W. Douglass Orbis Books, 2008 510 pages, with Appendix, Notes and Index. – One month before his trip to Dallas, President John F. Kennedy returned to Boston.
After the Civil War Confederate General Robert E. Lee was asked his opinion as to who was the greatest commander of the war. His response was said to have been without hesitation, “A man I have never met, sir. His
Holy Warriors: Islam and the Demise of Classical Civilization by John J. O’Neill Felibri.com: August, 2009; 266 pages. From 9/11, Madrid, Bali, London, Mumbai, to Fort Hood and beyond, thoughtful people across the West are re-examining and re-assessing our understanding
The operative descriptor of the Obama Administration and how it interacts with the American people from Presidential aloofness and perceived ambivalence to TSA airport intrusive gropery is tone deafness. The newest example of our ruling elite’s tone deafness is the
Approximately 3400 Americans have earned the Congressional Medal of Honor since 1861. With few exceptions it is awarded for bravery and valor above and beyond the call of duty; it is reserved for the bravest of the brave. Since the
The absence of yellow in the color scheme of some newspapers should not be misconstrued as indicative of the quality of “journalism” to be found therein. Recent scribblings in The Tennessean of Nashville are a case in point. The “religion
In a speech to members of her Christian Democratic Union party in Potsdam on October 16, German Chancellor Angela Merkel drove a stake through the heart of European Utopian fantasies. Referring to the influx of foreign workers to Germany since
A surprisingly honest pro-global warming film meant to promote the UK “10:10” carbon reduction effort was recently pulled from its sponsoring organization’s website. Believe it or not, this film is not a deliberate parody. The purpose of the film is
The rejection of the religious world-view of the founders is not a theoretical matter; it is a central theme in American Progressive leftist politics. On September 15th President Barack Obama addressed the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Mr. Obama quoted the Declaration
The idea that Judeo-Christian religious morality is the basis of a just society is a foundational concept in the creation of the United States. This once pervasive concept has now fallen from favor within certain loud segments of society regardless
The mistaken new Oval Office rug in which one quote is falsely attributed and another is taken out of context is both food for the foot as well as a heartening reminder that, like rugs, societal ignorance and confusion do
See part 1 here and part 2 here. American character has not significantly changed since the 1830s and de Tocqueville’s travels. As we look to the future we sometimes inadvertently leave things and people behind to our later regret. The
This article has been updated since its original publication. The financial gains to the Gettysburg region that the proposed casino will bring as promised by its supporters is said by them to be significant, but the inappropriateness of the project
We are a forward-looking people. We look to the future and advance beyond adversity, tragedy, and setbacks. We are not obsessed with the past. All of these are qualities that de Tocqueville observed in the people of America, north and
Alternative history is a popular genre in American fiction and film. What if Lee had won at Gettysburg? What if Hitler got the Bomb before we did? What if the American Revolution had failed? These kinds of speculative, leading questions