…thirty years on. A little history from Marcia Smith.
I disagree that the NRC “Pathways” report was “excellent,” though.
Category Archives: History
Islam Needs A Religious Reformation
It’s not a new idea, but this is from a surprising new source. As noted, let’s hope he doesn’t pay with his life.
The Lost Colony Of Roanoke
…has apparently been found. Including the body of Virginia Dare. I discussed this in the book.
[Update a while later]
Being told that this is a fake article. If so, too bad. It read as credible. It does seem to be a dubious source, though.
Elizabeth Warren
We are in the midst of a record wealth gap between America’s rich and middle class, according to the Pew Research Centers. That has fueled the populist opposition to Washington among Main Street Americans on both sides of the political line — and Warren is trying to cash in on it.
That’s fine; that’s what we do in America. But it isn’t populism, as will be seen when people do not rise up.
Populism is an ideology extolling the virtues of the people against the depravities of elites — such as Harvard Law professors like Warren, according to Baylor University political science professor Curt Nichols.
The notion that the Democrats are the party of the “little people” is insane. The two biggest donors of the 2014 election were Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg, who promoted insane green policies and gun restrictions that would be devastating for the majority of Americans.
[Update a while later]
Will Warren sell outside her bubble? No better than Wendy Davis, I suspect. I’m hoping that she’ll be this cycle’s Barack Obama, when it comes to knocking off Hillary and being the nominee.
Toys Of Christmas Past
Lileks reminisces on the Golden Age of Mattel.
By the way, Merry Christmas to all.
The Keynesians
…are wrong again. At least they’re consistent.
The House Of Repeal
It’s not a new idea, but Instapundit is pushing it again, over at USA Today.
I’d like to see it happen, but I still like my idea of a Sunset Amendment. It would keep them so busy renewing the old laws that they wouldn’t have much time for new mischief. I had some related thoughts here a few months ago.
I would note, though, in thinking further, I’d probably make it a twenty-year sunset, rather than ten. That way, each law would be reviewed at least once per generation (assuming, of course, that “generations” still exist in a post-human future).
The War On Mammals
I’d come to watch the Adsheads poke at decaying stoats because they are nature lovers. So are most New Zealanders. Indeed, on a per-capita basis, New Zealand may be the most nature-loving nation on the planet. With a population of just four and a half million, the country has some four thousand conservation groups. But theirs is, to borrow E. O. Wilson’s term, a bloody, bloody biophilia. The sort of amateur naturalist who in Oregon or Oklahoma might track butterflies or band birds will, in Otorohanga, poison possums and crush the heads of hedgehogs. As the coördinator of one volunteer group put it to me, “We always say that, for us, conservation is all about killing things.”
It’s a bizarre story.
[Wednesday-morning update]
A number of commenters are wondering why I think this is bizarre. I guess it’s just because the notion of living in a place with no mammals whatsoever (other than humans) seems very weird to me. I understand that they’re not native, but I’ve lived with them all my life, and have trouble imagining their total absence. Would I even be allowed to keep a dog? Or a cat?
The Inherent Violence Of The Left
It’s no surprise that when you have an ideology that denies human nature, it can only be imposed by threats and force:
…(barely) deniable violence for purposes of intimidation is all part of the scheme. That’s what “no justice, no peace” means. As Richard Fernandez has written: “It is impossible to understand the politics of the Left without grasping that it is all about deniable intimidation.” That’s why they don’t want you to own guns, and that’s why they’re so panicked at groups, like the Tea Party, that aren’t intimidated.
Yup.
Let’s Have A “National Conversation About Race”
…so we can know whom to fire.
As noted at the end, those calling for a “conversation,” don’t really want a dialogue. They just want to lecture us, without interruption.