There now exists a general dissatisfaction with the present sunk condition of higher learning; complacency having trickled away, reform is conceivable… For a quarter of a century, the higher education in America has been sinking lower. 4,842 more words
via Simplicity & Audacity in Reform: A Call for Reactionary Radicalism — The Imaginative Conservative
For Father Tom, everything was larger in life, because he could see past our weaknesses and our failings. For Father Tom saw what God made a person to be, not what the person did stupidly with his own free will. When Father Tom looked at us, when he smiled at us, he did so with…
via An Ode to a North Texas Friar — The Imaginative Conservative
If James Madison offered the American republic a five-course meal of epicurean excellence, Roger Sherman was the short-order fry cook in the nearest greasy spoon, a block or two away from Independence Square… (essay by Bradley Birzer)
— Read on www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2018/05/roger-sherman-puritan-founding-america-mark-david-hall-bradley-birzer.html
I find it deeply disturbing that 1) so few Americans know about the Holocaust or believe it to have been as bad as it was; and 2) I find it disturbing that an actress’s comments have sparked so much debate. Each thing is tragic and sad. But, each is also true.
The Jewish holocaust matters. Our best estimates are that Hitler systematically eradicated the lives of 5.3 million Jews.
Governments (mostly communist and fascist) murdered roughly 205 million civilians (non combatants) between 1914 and 1991. Of these, Hitler and his regime are responsible for 21 million. Stalin and Russia for about 62 million, and Mao for about 65 million. In comparison, roughly 50 million combatants died in war in the same century.
Yes, to be sure, the organized state murdered 4x the number of people war (every war) did.
Granted, 5.3 million is much smaller than 62 or 65. Yet, there are still crucial differences and vital distinctions to be made about the Jewish Holocaust.
First, the National Socialists of Germany and Europe targeted a people specifically for their religion and ethnicity. They were torn from already ghettoized neighborhoods and communities to be wiped out in the camps.
Second, the Jewish survivors have done–unquestionably–more to remember and memorialize the dead more than any other group. Had the Jews not done this, it is almost certain that almost ALL holocausts of the last century would be ignored, forgotten or mocked.
Third, because of the power of the state of Israel, credible law enforcement went into the world–with righteousness and justice–eliminating the enemies of the Jewish people. There are lots and lots of retired Communists around the world. There are (and were) very few retired Nazis. They didn’t live long after the second World War. And, good riddance.
So, Natalie Portman–spout off all you want, but you 1) demean the Jewish people; 2) demean the dignity of ALL persons; and 3) show how historically ignorant you are.
Unlike reality—which is infinitely and ultimately unknowable—Marxism as ideology pretends to understand the world, but, in reality, it offers only the merest shadow of true complexities… 1,136 more words
The “moral imagination” goes beyond our personal, individual experiences to help us fathom the depths of human dignity in light of God’s creation… Today’s offering in our Timeless Essay series affords our readers the opportunity to join Robert Stacey as he explores the moral imagination, as understood by Russell Kirk, and it’s role in rolling…
via Russell Kirk and the Moral Imagination — The Imaginative Conservative
As if to create the cruelest irony possible, as the terrorist ideologies arose, Americans surrendered their own republican inheritance, their own Augustinian and Puritan caution, and their traditionally humane morality to the new god: “Progress.” It was nothing less than a new faith… 1,270 more words
via The Devil’s Abyss: America’s Descent Into Progressivism — The Imaginative Conservative
My favorite Rush album has been, at least going back to April 1984, Grace Under Pressure. I realize that among Rush fans and among prog fans, this might serve as a contentious choice. My praise of GUP is not in any way meant to denigrate any other Rush albums. Frankly, I love them all. Rush […]
Our heritage of foreign intervention is a new one, an innovation introduced by the progressives. To imagine a clean and humane progressivism is, simply, a fool’s errand. 1,532 more words
via Progressive American Imperialism: A Malicious Addiction — The Imaginative Conservative
Stormfields 