The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

This Day in American History

Before we discuss what it means — this date marking a crucial anniversary — let us first recount the relevant facts: On or about August 20, 1619, “20 and odd” Angolans, kidnapped by the Portuguese, arrive in the British colony of Virginia and are then bought by English colonists. . . . Founded at Jamestown […]

Why Decca Didn’t Sign the Beatles (and Why That Was Really a Lucky Break)

How long have I been a Beatles fans? Since the mid-1970s, when there was a sort of reverb echo of “Beatlemania.” Born in 1959, I’d been much too young to take notice of the Beatles craze that swept America in 1964, although I do recall my cousins Deb and Trish (teenagers at the time) being […]

Of Declarations and Independence

Today is the 249th anniversary of the publication of the Declaration of Independence. The Fourth of July is celebrated as Independence Day because it was on this date in 1776 that printers in Philadelphia issued the first public copies of the declaration. The Second Continental Congress had voted for independence two days earlier, but took […]

Sweden-Kampuchea Friendship Association 2.0: Illegal Immigrants Are the New Khmer Rouge or Something

Dana Pico was thrashing Philadelphia Inquirer liberal columnist Will Bunch, who loves Kilmar Abrego Garcia more than he loves his own mother, and it got me thinking about the utterly reflexive nature of left-wing politics. Liberals see the world as a great dramatic conflict between the Forces of Evil (Republicans generally, and Donald Trump specifically) […]

Hitler, the Nobel Prize and ‘Grease’

Truth is stranger than fiction, it is proverbially said, and such is the course of history that events and people can be connected in ways that you never imagined. Certainly I never dreamed that the hit musical Grease could be connected to a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and a World War II military intelligence officer, until […]

Want My DNA? Get a Warrant

The Fifth Amendment protects me against self-incrimination — that’s what the Miranda warning is all about, and I committed that to memory long before I ever found myself in handcuffs, but this is not the time or place to be regaling you with tales of my juvenile delinquency. No, I’m here to talk about the […]

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing; He chastens and hastens His will to make known; the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing. Sing praises to His name, He forgets not His own. What a wonderful holiday! Turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato souffle, pecan pie — we’re […]

It’s Classical Allusions Day

Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra? Quam diu etiam furor iste tuus nos eludet? Quem ad finem sese effrenata iactabit audacia? Nihilne te nocturnum praesidium Palati, nihil urbis vigiliae, nihil timor populi, nihil concursus bonorum omnium, nihil hic munitissimus habendi senatus locus, nihil horum ora voltusque moverunt? Patere tua consilia non sentis, constrictam iam […]

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