The Other McCain

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

Born in Odessa, Ukraine, in 1886

Louis Wolfe Gilbert emigrated to the United States as a boy and became “one of the most prolific lyricists of Tin Pan Alley.” He started out as a singer on Coney Island, eventually settled in Hollywood, where he helped popularize Cuban rumba music and “was an innovator in his field, having been one of the […]

What Time Is It?

Not long ago, I mentioned how Ace of Spades has for a while been referring to certain Republicans as believing it’s still 2003, i.e., they’re stuck in the obsolete politics of Bushism, incapable of dealing with the current reality. Ace makes the same point in referring to those who know What Time It Is, i.e., […]

An Analogy Too Far?

Considering my own notorious propensity for hyperbole, perhaps I’m not the ideal person to quibble here, but has Michael Walsh gone too far in declaring Merrick Garland to be “the second coming of Lavrentiy Beria”? Grant that Garland’s motives are essentially totalitarian, i.e., that he wishes to criminalize opposition and establish an all-powerful one-party government. […]

Historic Thoughts on ‘Our Democracy’

“It has been frequently remarked, that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not, of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend, for their […]

War and the Meaning of Nationhood

Once upon a time (he says, as if speaking of a mythical ancient past, but in fact speaking of his own youth) students were taught to think deeply about the nature of government, what constitutes a nation-state, and what purpose such a geopolitical entity is intended to serve. This is (or at least once was) […]

The Savage Young

Dave Reaboi is a hater. The Southern Poverty Law Center doesn’t have a “Beatlephobia” category on their Hate Map, but if they did, Dave would be a dot on it. Like a lot of Beatle haters — and I could also name Ace of Spades in this category — Dave Reaboi is a Gen Xer, […]

Instapundit Goes Socialist?

Glenn Reynolds linked to and quoted a critique of the “underhanded journalism and bogus history” behind the New York Times‘ 1619 Project. When I clicked the link, I was shocked to find myself at the World Socialist Web Site, a platform of the Trotskyite “Fourth International.” And if you keep reading the article by Professor […]

A Letter of Introduction

Nearly 200 years ago, a resident of Fairfax County, Virginia, wrote a letter to introduce a teenage boy — his niece’s grandson, who wanted to attend West Point — to the Secretary of War:  Ravensworth Feb 7th 1824. My dear Sir, I cannot permit the young gentleman, who will hand you this letter, to make […]

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