One of our pastors shared this story from the pulpit yesterday morning about the late Medal of Honor winner Captain Ed Freeman, who put himself in harm’s way to rescue many young wounded American servicemen in the Ia Drang Valley in November 1965. Dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of Americans who gave their lives in the military service to help preserve our freedoms:
Spend a moment today to reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day, and find a way to show your appreciation to a military member, veteran, spouse or family member. And God bless America!
While a certain Democratic ex-President has been trying to exploit the memory of today’s terrible 15th anniversary to take a political cheap shot at millions of Americans, I prefer to commemorate a different anniversary.
Two hundred thirty-five years ago today, American patriots at Lexington and Concord ignited the cause of liberty on American shores. What was nearly unthinkable on April 19, 1775 — a ragtag band of Patriot colonists winning the hearts and minds of many countrymen, the support of the French crown and securing independence from Britain — eventually came to pass.
But the heroism of the farmers and craftsmen in small Massachusetts towns who stood tall against General Thomas Gage’s Redcoats, including of the dozens who gave their lives, deserves its own spotlight today: (more…)
Today — April 9, 2010 — will go down as a memorable day. First, my native state of Michigan officially declared it Ernie Harwell Day in honor of what looks very much like the legendary Hall-of-Fame baseball broadcaster’s last Detroit home opener with us (and bless the Tigers, they beat Cleveland 5-2). Can’t say it enough: Thank YOU, Ernie Harwell.
I’ve also learned that lawmakers from my adopted home state of Colorado have declared today David Benke Day, in honor of the selfless, heroic teacher at Deer Creek Middle School who doubtless helped save student lives from a deranged gunman. I’m honored to have met both of these fine, humble men, and am glad to know they share the same commemorative day. They are both most deserving, each in his own way.
But there’s one other reason to make April 9, 2010 memorable: It’s the 145th anniversary of General Robert E. Lee’s famed surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House — most beautifully and eloquently captured in the memoir of General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, The Passing of the Armies — bringing the great hope of peace to an American nation ravaged by the Civil War. (This one is for you, Snags.)
No political blogging this morning. Instead, a great video tribute to Michigan soldiers who served in the Civil War, with historical music provided by actor and native Michigander Jeff Daniels:
It’s hard for me not to be moved by this tribute, having studied the U.S. Civil War so extensively, having traveled to so many of its battlefield sites, having four ancestors who served in the War (including three who died in the service — one in the 9th Michigan Volunteer Infantry), and having my alma mater Hillsdale College so prominently represented in the 4th Michigan and other regiments:
A higher percentage of Hillsdale students enlisted during the Civil War than from any other western college. Of the more than 400 who fought for the Union, four won the Congressional Medal of Honor, three became generals and many more served as regimental commanders. Sixty gave their lives.
Furthermore, yes, “Michigan, My Michigan” is the official song of my native state.
The 1860s were such a different time in so many ways, and yet there must be some similar sentiments shared by our military personnel on active duty today. Lend a thought or prayer to our troops serving overseas and to their families.
On this 201st anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, no lengthy tributes are needed — I don’t even have time to replicate the modest one I wrote last year for the bicentennial. I did, however, want to take the occasion to recommend a book to you that was recommended to me by fellow RMA blogger Don Johnson about Christmastime.
Lincoln at Peoria by Lewis Lehrman highlights the great turning point in Abraham Lincoln’s political career, the awakening that resulted from the Kansas-Nebraska Act and his powerful October 1854 speech at Peoria, Illinois, which sharpened the distinctly antislavery focus that led to his key role in forming the Republican Party, debating Stephen Douglas in 1858 and ultimately serving as President during our nation’s most trying time. I recommend Lincoln at Peoria among the essential Lincoln books.
But don’t take my word for it. Of Lehrman’s book, Harry Jaffa, the dean of Lincoln scholars, writes:
The Peoria speech was what Socrates would call his “second sailing,” Lincoln’s re-entry into political life, to rescue the principles of the Declaration from the reproach of hypocrisy, to complete the work of the American Founders, and to make possible a new birth of freedom. Lincoln at Peoria laid the foundation for the greatest statesmanship the world has ever seen. We are greatly indebted to Lewis Lehrman’s superb book for helping us to understand why no list, however short, of the greatest speeches of all time could omit Lincoln at Peoria.
Thanks, Don, for the recommendation. Now I pass the recommendation on to all my readers as well.
Speaking of Obama, my PPC friends are licking their chops at the prospect of The One coming to Denver to stump for our appointed junior U.S. Senator Michael Bennet.
Speaking of arrogance, guest writer Don Rodgers at Reclaim the Blue calls out Democrats in our state legislature for their hubris, after shoving through four of the Dirty Dozen tax bills on Wednesday (and are scheduled to hear the rest starting this morning) as a prelude to their dying political majority.
Speaking of death, the New Ledger‘s Benjamin Kerstein gives Howard Zinn, the very recently deceased Marxist historian of A People’s History infamy, a harsh critique more grounded in reality than the one Zinn gave to the United States to manufacture his own career.
Speaking of harshness — yes, as Lynn Bartels blogs for the Denver Post‘s The Spot, the Independence Institute is having its own “Biggest Loser” weight-loss competition — no, I’m participating in the “Biggest Gainer” competition instead.
Sometimes a look back into the recent past can help glean some important insights into the present. Such is the case with Colorado politics and the potential slate of candidates to replace Governor Bill Ritter as the 2010 Democratic nominee for the state’s chief executive. Do you remember a little over a year ago when so many Democrats were angling for now-lame duck Ritter’s appointment to the U.S. Senate?
In his latest offering, former state legislative leader Mark Hillman praises the “freedom nationally, virtue locally” National Freedom Initiative of Colorado’s own Kevin Miller — not the first time it has crossed my path. It was last year about this time I wrestled a lot with the role social conservatism should play, and something that never strays too far from my mind.
Therefore, I’m very intrigued by this initiative — which, of course, is not altogether new, but rather a very sensible clarification and reformulation for our current political context. The opportunity definitely is there:
To educate many social conservatives on the vital and wholly compatible value of liberty and limited government
To build a strong bridge between the Right-leaning faith-based community and the Tea Party & 9/12 movements (where I’m sure a lot of overlap already exists)
(At the least) To have ongoing, important debates that can help hone views and broader strategies heading into the 2010 election and beyond
Just maybe, Miller is vying to be the Frank Meyer for a new generation of the conservative movement. For more, watch Miller and state senator Ted Harvey hash out the issues on a recent episode of Independent Thinking with host Jon Caldara (parts 1 through 3): (more…)
It’s time to blow the whistle on two erroneous statements that opponents and proponents of the health care legislation being jammed through Congress have been making. Republicans have been saying that never before has Congress passed such an unpopular bill with such important ramifications by such a narrow majority. Barack Obama has been saying that passage of the bill will mean that the health care issue will be settled once and for all.
The Republicans and Obama are both wrong. But perhaps they can be forgiven because the precedent for Congress passing an unpopular bill is an old one, and the issue it addressed has long been settled, though not by the legislation in question.
That legislation was the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854….
In honor of the great Ludwig von Beethoven‘s 239th birthday, why not pop in a CD or MP3 and take in one of his symphonies: maybe the overlooked 1st, the mighty 3rd, the classic 5th, the serene 6th, the passionate 7th … or if you have a lot of time on your hands, the transcendent 9th?
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took his GOP-blasting rhetoric to a new level Monday, comparing Republicans who oppose health care reform to lawmakers who clung to the institution of slavery more than a century ago….
“Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all the Republicans can come up with is, ‘slow down, stop everything, let’s start over.’ If you think you’ve heard these same excuses before, you’re right,” Reid said Monday. “When this country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said ‘slow down, it’s too early, things aren’t bad enough.’”
Wow, what an apt analogy comparing us pesky ObamaCare opponents with the 19th century American defenders of chattel slavery because, you know, ObamaCare is so much about liberty. How else would you explain the extra layers of costly medical bureaucracy awaiting Americans if we vote for Harry Reid’s idea of health care reform: (more…)
After a busy weekend, all I have to offer are a few worthwhile reads for a Monday:
Last week Craig Steiner wrote an insightful piece titled “On GOP Unity in Colorado”, especially worthwhile for those who have followed the intense controversy around the “Platform for Prosperity” and misappropriated Tea Party endorsements
My Independence Institute colleague Jessica Peck Corry tackles the issue of church-state boundaries and public religious displays in a new Colorado Springs Gazette column, just in time for the Christmas holiday season
I listened carefully to Barack Obama’s West Point speech yesterday evening — at least as best I could while indulging the important concerns of the two Little Virtuses and ultimately having to turn off the radio to sit down for dinner. By that point I could tell the speech had dragged on too long for the relatively small amount of substance it contained.
I don’t need to go into great depth: Powerline’s Paul Mirengoff and Red State’s Erick Erickson offer excellent analyses of the politics, policies and rhetoric. (And Don Johnson asks where Colorado Republican Senatorial hopefuls Jane Norton, Ken Buck and Tom Wiens come down on Afghanistan.)
Meanwhile, if you want to find the depth of substance on the military challenges we face, and in Afghanistan in particular, the clarity and substance that was lacking in Obama’s speech — presented more pointedly and concisely — I recommend you read Victor Davis Hanson’s October address “The Future of Western War” in the latest (November 2009) edition of Hillsdale’s Imprimis.
With that, I’ll leave a Thanksgiving meditation from Scripture, Psalm 145 (with passages that caught my attention highlighted in bold):
1 I will extol You, my God, O King,
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised,
And His greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
6 Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.
7 They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and merciful;
Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.
9 The LORD is good to all,
And His mercies are over all His works.
10 All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD,
And Your godly ones shall bless You.
11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom
And talk of Your power;
12 To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts
And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
14 The LORD sustains all who fall
And raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to You,
And You give them their food in due time.
16 You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways
And kind in all His deeds.
18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will save them.
20 The LORD keeps all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.
Ninety-one years ago today “the war to end all wars” officially ended. Among the millions of dead were more than 100,000 brave American military servicemen out of hundreds of thousands who honorably served (including two of my great uncles: Bill DeGrow and John E. “Ed” DeGrow). In 1954 the commemoration, originally called Armistice Day, expanded to celebrate the service of all American veterans and became known as Veterans Day.
Today I join with the millions of other Americans who honor the men and women who have worn the uniform for their sacrificial service on behalf of our nation. I am especially grateful this year to see so many businesses offering promotions that benefit our active duty personnel and veterans.
It almost goes without saying that the United States is besieged these days by dangers without and dangers within. In that light, may God keep our Republic strong, and may God enfold all our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines — and their families — with firm guidance and loving protection.
Twenty years ago today the Berlin Wall came down. Not exactly breaking news for my well-informed readers, but the significance of the event is hard to overstate. For five minutes of valuable reflection on the power of freedom with a stirring Beethoven soundtrack, check out this terrific video from the Competitive Enterprise Institute: (more…)
You’ll grant me a few indulgences for posting this one — after all, how often do I bother to write about my alma mater’s athletic feats? Not too often, I can assure you. But what happened yesterday in the old Hills & Dales on homecoming rates among the most historic gridiron happenings on Muddy Waters Field: the Chargers toppled the number 1 team in Division II, the perennial powerhouse Grand Valley State Lakers, 27-24.
Well, historic enough to make the Detroit News, anyway. The last time Hillsdale beat conference foe Grand Valley? Fifteen years ago, the year before I began my (non-athletic) college career. True, because it certainly didn’t happen during my brief tenures as sports editor for both the Hillsdale Collegian (1997) and Hillsdale Daily News (2001-02).
Yesterday’s upset ranks right up there in Charger football history with Chester Marcol’s 62-yard field goal (1969) and the 1985 NAIA national championship (before the team moved up to NCAA Division II). No word on whether the goalposts at Muddy Waters Field were left standing this time. But this was Hillsdale, after all — so no, it wasn’t that historic.
With the nearly never-ending election cycle, those of us here in the trenches can sometimes too easily lapse into the day-to-day tussles of the news without enough time spent in more serious reflection. (Or maybe it’s just those of us with small children whose attention spans are so easily distracted.)
Earlier this year I wrote several more reflective essays, most of which have ended up ignored by now. But while I still plan to write about the immediate issues of the day and follow events leading up to the 2010 election, I am also interested in engaging once more in deeper discussions about the status and future of the conservative movement — albeit, as dictated by the limits of my own time, occasionally.
What (besides the approaching end of baseball season) prompted me to do so? A recent essay published in the Washington Post by AEI’s Steven Hayward titled “Is Conservatism Brain-Dead?” (H/T The Next Right) ( I commend it to you — if you haven’t checked it out already.
Consider this post a teaser, and notice of a small course correction. There still will be plenty of political junk food to snack on here, but soon you also may have the opportunity to dine on something a little more substantive, too.
In recent years, one of the more famous heroic figures of the American Civil War — popularized by the Pulitzer-winning novel Killer Angels and the movie rendition Gettysburg — citizen-professor-soldier Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was born on September 8, 1828. Today is the 181st anniversary of his birth.
Chamberlain, of course, was the hero of Gettysburg’s Little Round Top (1863) as commander of the 20th Maine, was wounded six times in battle, the general who presided over the surrender of the Confederate Army at Appomattox, Governor of Maine from 1867 to 1871, and President of Bowdoin College. If you want to learn more, I recommend In the Hands of Providence, a very good Chamberlain biography.
Rossputin makes a great observation about the not-so-great surprise (I’m shocked!) that the Obama porkulus money is being spent at such a slow pace:
The “stimulus†bill was NEVER about stimulating the economy or fixing the infrastructure that needs fixing. That’s why it’s not being spent quickly and why many infrastructure projects are being undertaken where the bridge or road is not in very bad shape but happens to be in an important Democratic district.
Instead the “stimulus†bill is about stimulating the Democrats’ chances in the next election. The plan all along has been to save as much money as possible until mid-2010 and then spend like crazy, trying to buy as many votes as possible going into a mid-term election when the party in power tends to lose seats – and which is already looking worse than usual for the Democrats.
This type of taxpayer-funded patronage is hardly new. If you’ve read the magnificent book The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes, you would know that Franklin D. Roosevelt similarly manufactured a lot of New Deal spending to his political advantage in the 1936 election — which proved to be landslide Democrat victory.
Obama and today’s Democrats have learned at least one lesson of history. But this time they aren’t working to produce a landslide as much as to stave one off on the other side.
In recent years, one of the more famous heroic figures of the American Civil War — popularized by the Pulitzer-winning novel Killer Angels and the movie rendition Gettysburg — citizen-professor-soldier 
