If you are a conservative, then today is a sad day. Justice Scalia, Reagan’s intellectual blessing on this nation, is gone. The stakes for the 2016 election are now higher: the next President will pick the replacement to Antonin Scalia. Who do we trust with the job? Suddenly this is no “horse race,” but a real race for the leader of the free world and the pivotal vote on the Court. Where does this race stand? We have five men... Read more
Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us. The Lord hath wrought great glory by them through his great power from the beginning. Such as did bear rule in their kingdoms, men renowned for their power, giving counsel by their understanding, and declaring prophecies: Leaders of the people by their counsels, and by their knowledge of learning meet for the people, wise and eloquent are their instructions: A great man has fallen: Justice Antonin Scalia has... Read more
Abraham Lincoln was not the first GOP candidate for President, Fremont got that honor, but he was the first candidate who could get a Reynolds’ vote. Fremont was an erratic hero . . . a personality with accomplishment. Lincoln was the greatest President of the United States, a towering global figure, and the savior of the Union. He was not perfect, he had the flaws of most white Americans of his time, but he got the big issue right: Lincoln hated slavery. On... Read more
Socialism is having a “cool kids” moment. The generation that did not know Eastern Europe is in school and is tired of the corporate cronyism of our times. They are right to be mad, sadly they have picked the wrong solution: socialism. Socialism is a very, very bad idea. Last century, atheists picked a form of socialism, communism, to govern several nations. The result was a blood bath and the worst abuses of human rights in history: millions dead in... Read more
Senator Bernie Sanders is being promoted as a way for Christians to vote their values, but voting for Sanders would promote some values at the cost of being foolish. Sanders shares my values in some important areas (race, poverty), but has poor solutions. You can do bad, after all, by doing good! Generally, it is good to feed the hungry, but if the hungry are an army from Daesh (so called ISIS), then feeding them would do more harm than... Read more
New Hampshire, original colony, and beautiful state has just finished a primary. The networks called the results the moment the polls closed so there is less to “live blog” and more a live reaction. Here were my predictions before the polls closed (via Twitter): Trump 23.5 Kasich 17.5 Cruz 17 Bush 16.5 Rubio 14 Trump has been declared the winner. Let’s be clear: Trump had to win. He is now the front runner for the nominee, but the percentage matters.... Read more
Last month my feeds were dominated by Star Wars, David Bowie, and Peyton Manning. Great culture endures and so the play Hamlet has been performed, is being performed, and will be performed. Great culture endures because even though there may not be a great deal of money to be made, the art has the power to transform our lives. Great art may also entertain us, though sometimes it disturbs us even more, but it endures because the beauty is irreplaceable.... Read more
Today is the birthday of the literary showman, Charles Dickens. He was one of the first authors to add performance to his writing . . . Dickens would perform his own work to riotous applause and profit. If he lived during the Super Bowl, he would have found a way to be part of the excitement. This will mark the forty-third Super Bowl I can remember . . . and to celebrate the celebration I have allowed Dickens to comment... Read more
Usual rules apply: I will post my thoughts as they come, lightly edited, if edited at all. My call for Iowa held up and my call for New Hampshire has always been: Trump, Rubio, Cruz. Trump must win New Hampshire. Cruz would harm Rubio by coming in second. If Rubio comes in second, then Bush, Kasich, and Christie will drop out of the race. If he comes in a distant third, then there is room for one governor. Bias Alert:... Read more
OJ Simpson and his murders are back in the media. I recently reviewed the worthwhile miniseries for World Magazine and as part of my preparation read The Run of His Life by Jeffery Toobin and How I Helped OJ Get Away with Murder by Mike Gilbert. If read it, you will not acquit. I was just starting work as a professor in Southern California when the crime, the car chase, and the trial dominated the news. My present students know... Read more
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