This is part 1 of a 2-part article. Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is often cited by people trying to see where America is on the long path of her place in history. Certainly the detail of Gibbon’s work is full of specifics and nuance. But another work may be even more helpful. Although it is more … [Read more...]
What if Elections Can’t Fix Washington?
October 7, 2010 by 3 Comments
“Clearly there was only one escape for them—into stupidity. They could keep society in its existing shape only by being unable to grasp that any improvement was possible.” —George Orwell Orwell was speaking of the national leaders during Britain’s decline, but his words certainly could apply to the United States today. Independents rose as a … [Read more...]
Aggression Doesn’t Change Anything
October 6, 2010 by 7 Comments
This op-ed in the New York Times has me worried. Editorialist Frank Rich argues that our political dialogue has become more radical. The biggest reason why, he says, is panic about "a new era of cultural and demographic change." He points to cases of protesters carrying weapons or shouting incendiary phrases at political rallies. He … [Read more...]
Conditioning Us for the Next War
September 30, 2010 by 2 Comments
Just this morning I received an e-mail from a friend breathlessly warning of the dangers of impending Sharia law in America. The e-mail contained a series of photos of an Iranian boy whose arm was being crushed beneath a car's tire for the crime of stealing. Why aren't we bombing them already? Wow. I guess everything we've heard … [Read more...]
Is Government Broken? Part 3
September 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment
This is part 3 of a 3-part article. Read Part 1 Here Read Part 2 Here The New Religion: Employeeship Unfortunately, it’s not just the schools and universities that are continuing this outdated focus on jobs as the end-all of education and life. Movies and television often demonize entrepreneurs while dedicating most of their time to … [Read more...]
Is Government Broken? Part 2: Lost Leaders
September 28, 2010 by 2 Comments
This is part-2 of a 3-part article. Read Part 1 Here We are unable to overcome these and many of our deepest challenges because of the way we distribute leadership in our society. The American founders envisioned a truly great educational system, built around schools in every locale, to train their youth in the great ideas of mankind’s … [Read more...]
Is Government Broken? Part 1
September 27, 2010 by 2 Comments
This is part 1 of a 3-part article. Subsequent segments will be published daily. Is our government broken? More and more people think so. The current presidential administration makes periodic claims that we are in an economic recovery, but at the same time growth is still slowing and unemployment figures stay around ten percent. With … [Read more...]
Disturbing Parallels Between America & 1930s Germany
September 20, 2010 by 3 Comments
The practice of invoking a comparison between your opponent's argument and Nazi ideology is such a common occurrence in internet discussions that, years ago, an author and attorney named Mike Godwin coined a tongue-in-cheek adage known as "Godwin's Law." Strictly speaking, this tactic constitutes an informal fallacy in that it relies upon … [Read more...]
How to Destroy the Constitution, Part 3: The Overseers of Freedom
September 17, 2010 by 4 Comments
This part 3 in a 3-part article. Read Part 1 Here Read Part 2 Here Some might argue that our elected representatives should keep an eye on such things and take care of them for us. True enough; except for one thing: Despite of all their good intentions and willingness to step up and lead, most of these representatives are ultimately just … [Read more...]
How to Destroy the Constitution, Part 2: The Power of the Fine Print
September 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment
This is part 2 of a 3-part article. Read Part 1 Here Many Americans ignore the fine print in job contracts and mortgage papers, blithely signing our signatures and trusting others to handle the details. Consider how lax we are with proposed bills in Washington DC: They are written by someone we don’t know and voted on by people few of us … [Read more...]
