Category — General Thoughts

One of the "Essential Documents" featured in The Patriot's History Reader, is President Jackson's veto message. Jackson's words are perhaps more applicable to today than for his own time.   Read the rest of this entry »

The limit of executive power under the Constitution and the prerogatives of the states in a federal system were vexing in 1832 and have continued to be so. John C. Calhoun's arguments regarding nullification resonate today.   Read the rest of this entry »

President Obama remains unable to conceal the conflict between his political ideology and that of the Founders.   Read the rest of this entry »

Calvin Coolidge deserves a good deal more attention. Strangely, he is not much more than a footnote in most history textbooks. He exists in the education system as a kind of witless boob Neanderthal relic of the pre-Depression 20’s. Progressives can’t refute his argument, so they seek to shut Silent Cal up instead.   Read the rest of this entry »

Memorial Day thoughts.   Read the rest of this entry »

A trip to the national portrait gallery made me fall in love with Rosalba Peale. This picture made the visit to the museum all by itself.   Read the rest of this entry »

Who are we as a people? What do we believe in? Societies which fail to transmit their core beliefs to the next generation can expect those beliefs to erode, sometimes by design, sometimes by default or by carelessness. Standards not reinforced whither away. Liberty, independence and equality under the law give way to less demanding ideals.   Read the rest of this entry »

Have some spare time? Here are some interesting things we've happened on this week. Good reading from good people.   Read the rest of this entry »

The Liberty Fund's Portable Library of Liberty is full of interesting things. The two quotes given for consideration here are from the first of two sermon's entitled "Discourses on Liberty". It is well worth reading in its entirety, but the text excerpted here makes two points worth pondering. In fact, they could have been written today.   Read the rest of this entry »

Hezekiah Niles lived in a more innocent age. Yet, he saw the need to keep the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence always before the people. Much has changed since the Niles Register was published, but not that.   Read the rest of this entry »