Donald B. Hawthorne

A Rare Zen Moment of Simplicity

By Donald B. Hawthorne | January 18, 2008 |

Roger Simon frames the debate: While watching the endless pundit blather on TV tonight after the Republican Michigan Primary and Democratic Nevada Debate and reading the various opinion meisters commentaries online, I had one of those rare zen moments of simplicity. It all comes down to a simple question: Who would you like to be…

The Ongoing Debate About Capitalism and Freedom

By Donald B. Hawthorne | January 10, 2008 |

With a H/T to one of my favorite blog sites, Cafe Hayek, watch this YouTube “debate” between Naomi Klein and Milton Friedman. Further videos on Klein vs Friedman can be found at the bottom of this post from Copious Dissent. For more information on Friedman’s underlying ideas, check out these Friedman-centric posts from my earlier…

Another Anecdote in Support of Limited Government

By Donald B. Hawthorne | December 19, 2007 |

Some news stories, like this one below about the just-passed Omnibus bill in Congress, need no further commentary: [South Carolina Senator] DeMint’s office put a finger in Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D-Ill.) eye last night: Durbin: “For 46 hours and 8 minutes—the Senator from South Carolina has had an opportunity to go to the Internet and…

RIP, Ted

By Donald B. Hawthorne | December 10, 2007 |

Last December, I paid tribute to Ted, a former teacher of mine: Ted was my English teacher in 1971-1972, my junior year in high school. And he was one of four teachers who, over the years, had a profound effect on my life. A high school classmate told me two days ago that Ted had…

Romney Speech: The Public Square Cannot Be Naked

By Donald B. Hawthorne | December 6, 2007 |

The Corner provides excerpts from Mitt Romney’s speech today, which suggest it will focus on the broader strategic question of what role religion should play in the American public square instead of the granularity of Mormon theology: There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the…

Clarence Thomas

By Donald B. Hawthorne | November 15, 2007 |

Think of the way some people have sought to portray Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Then check out this video of him. Hard not to respect the man and see his depth. (h/t Power Line) Check out his book, too.

Re: Time for Cities and Towns to Tighten Their Belts

By Donald B. Hawthorne | November 15, 2007 |

I want to second Marc’s concluding thought in his prior post. The Rhode Island budget deficit elephant is sitting in the middle of the room and people are still trying to ignore – or, at least, downplay – its very presence. How long has this elephant been present without any real acknowledgement? A long time…

The New Atheism

By Donald B. Hawthorne | October 29, 2007 |

There have a flurry of books in recent months on atheism. Writing about them in The City Journal, Theodore Dalrymple – a non-believer himself – discusses What the New Atheists Don’t See: To regret religion is to regret Western civilization: …Lying not far beneath the surface of all the neo-atheist books is the kind of…

Hope

By Donald B. Hawthorne | October 17, 2007 |

Julieanne Dolan writes about comments this week made by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas: The most striking moment in his remarks was his response to a question about what he thought people would gain by reading his biography. His short answer was “hope.” A simple, and perhaps common enough answer, but considered in light of…

East Greenwich Teachers’ Union Contract Negotiations Update: School Committee Stays Focused on Priority #1, Educational Programs for Children

By Donald B. Hawthorne | October 10, 2007 |

This official statement from the East Greenwich School Committee has been distributed to the media and updates us on the NEA teachers’ union contract negotiations: The School Committee and the East Greenwich Education Association met last evening for over 5 hours with the assistance of a state appointed mediator. Unfortunately, we were unable to settle…