Category Archives: History

Business, History, Law, Media Criticism, Political Commentary

Trump And Birthright Citizenship

49 Comments

Thoughts from Instapundit. It’s pretty clear that the writers of the 14th Amendment never had any idea it would be used for this. It was to deal with the aftermath of American slavery and continuing resistance by the Democrats to end it.

And of course, I’m long on record of believing that no one should have birthright citizenship. Work here, live here, but citizenship is a privilege to be earned, regardless of parentage or place of birth.

[Wednesday morning update, finally home in California after over six weeks away]

To clarify, in response to a discussion on an email list:

Simply, if you are born here, you have a right to stay here. It makes no sense to deport someone to a country in which they’ve never lived (i.e. DACA, even though Obama’s order was illegal). Everyone born here or otherwise legally here would have the same path to citizenship. But citizenship of someone born here via that path would not entitle their family to citizenship (i.e., an end to “anchor babies”). Everyone, including children of citizens born here, is responsible for earning their citizenship. Others are legal residents, but they don’t get to vote to confiscate my wealth.

Also, this is not about “preserving the Republican Party.” It’s about preserving the Republic itself.

Business, History, Political Commentary, War Commentary

The South China Sea

10 Comments

China is getting more aggressive. This is a dangerous game. One wonders, of course, how much more aggressive they’d be if Hillary had won. Of course, she’d have give Xi Jinping a misspelled “Reset” button.

[Update a couple minutes later]

Three quarters of a century after they were hitting the beaches against each other, in a joint exercise, Japanese amphibious troops establish a beachhead alongside U.S. Marines from the Seventh Fleet.

History, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Popular Culture, Space, Space History, Technology and Society

First Man

31 Comments

Eric Berger liked the movie.

[Afternoon update]
Thoughts from Marina Koren. Despite Gosling’s stupid statement, “it’s not an unpatriotic movie.”

[Late-afternoon update]
Here is Alan Boyle’s review.

[Saturday-morning update]

For those saying they’ll watch it at home, I rarely go to the theater, but this is the sort of film that deserves a big screen.

[Friday-afternoon update]

John Podhoretz hated it.

Business, Economics, History, Political Commentary, Popular Culture, Space, Technology and Society

The Return Of The Space Visionaries

1 Comment

About a year ago, I started writing an essay comparing and contrasting Bezos’s versus Musk’s visions for humanity in space. As is often the case, it expanded into a history of space visions in general, and how we’re finally returning to the old ones, after the tragic detour of Apollo. It’s out in the current issue, but unfortunately, isn’t yet available on line. I expect it will be in a few weeks or less, though.

[Update a few minutes later]

This is sort of a space issue. There is a piece by Bob Zubrin laying out his concept for Moon Direct, bypassing what he calls the space toll booth (Gateway), and another by Micah Meadowcroft on how Mars will disappoint.