History
In a ProJo story about the annual reading of George Washington’s Letter to the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Brown University President Ruth Simmons is quoted thusly: She touched upon the moral contradictions underlying the noble desires of past leaders who were eager to uphold freedom, despite an indifference to the injustice of slavery. “We all…
Over at Spinning Clio (two mentions in a week!), I’ve posted about the Post-Modernism of Russell Kirk. I know, I know…but if your interest is pique, please take look.
Believe it or not, there has never been a movie made about Calvin Coolidge. [Cue laughtrack.] OK, that is ENTIRELY believable. Over at Spinning Clio I post about a new documentary that looks at the presidency of “Cool Cal” and attempts to revise some of the impressions we have about him. In short, it is…
As the resident maritimer (KP, ’91), I’d be remiss if I didn’t take note that today is National Maritime Day. Besides, one would think that denizens of the Ocean State would be at least mildly interested. (Though the idea of the sea as anything other than an avenue for pleasure craft or something to “keep…
Scott MacKay’s immigration piece in the Sunday ProJo was a good piece of historical writing. However, and inevitably, it will be used by some as proof for their arguments in the contemporary illegal immigrant debate. Namely that the U.S. has “historically” allowed all immigrants, whether illegal or not. My first thought after reading the piece…
I was going to write a high-snark-factor post about how nothing memorable has ever occurred in a State of the Union Address. However, I came across this Whitehouse webpage (the building, not the Senator; this is going to be really annoying for the next six years) which lists some impressive State of the Union moments…1823:…
In remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., take some time to read his “I Have a Dream” speech. Also, there are quite a few pieces extolling the inherent conservatism (and Republicanism) of Dr. King. For instance, the Heritage Foundation held a lecture in 1993 concerning “The Conservative Virtues of Dr. Martin Luther King” and…
{Nota Bene: Two years ago I wrote this post offering some thoughts from soldiers and others concerning spending Christmas at war. I still believe it to be relevant today. Merry Christmas.} With the current confluence of Christmas and our nation at war, I think it appropriate to mention a few noteworthy writings that deal with…
…year-in-review articles. Ian Donnis files his entry in this week’s Providence Phoenix…Imagine a year when the Narragansett Indians were energetically pitching a casino, cynical Rhode Islanders had plenty of reason to reinforce their jaundiced views, and state house Democrats maintained the upper hand over hapless Republican opponents without even breaking a sweat…. Yet whether the…
For those so inclined, I’ve put up a longish piece (WARNING: excessive scholarliness may induce drowsiness) over at Spinning Clio that touches on Pearl Harbor, 9/11 and conspiracies about each. (Though it is mostly about debunking the Pearl Harbor conspiracies.)