Showing posts with label civil war. Show all posts
Good Points
A lot of good points being made across the Blogosphere today:
Republicans ecstatic over the anti-Obamacare results in Missouri should temper their enthusiasm, since the status quo was and remains unsustainable. Repeal will not be enough. If Americans want to "keep" their current health care, they need to accept that they will have to actually pay for it. (Cafe Hayek)
Just because someone is a left-wing historian with an axe to grind, doesn't mean their research lacks merit. US involvement in the Korean Peninsula during the Cold War has actually inspired some useful historical writing from progressive types, as the "official" record has been hopelessly white washed. (Marginal Revolution)
The Obama Administration's approach to the "Birther" issue - mockery, combined with deliberate opaqueness that only encourages further "questions" - has had the opposite of its intended effect. The number of people who aren't sure whether Obama was born in the US is at 58%, at least in one poll. (Legal Insurrection)
In the wake of the Crash of '08, the US needs to do more than pass regulatory "reform," or build up balance sheets. Its regulators, finance pros, and ratings agencies need to rebuild their tattered reputations, or see themselves replaced by foreign competitors more willing to make bearish (i.e. rational) calls on US financials. (Ampontan)
American media outlets may be more numerous than ever, but they keep failing to report the same stories; namely that New Age/Leftist ideas and philosophies can be just as destructive and anti-human as anything you could point to on the Right. (The Macho Response)
Liberals like Paul Krugman claim to hate deflation because it creates a "downward spiral" that is hard to get out of. The truth is they hate the benefits of deflation: debt becomes more expensive, savings increase, and private capital formation encourages self-determination. So much easier if liberals could just artificially goose the economy with "stimulus" and zero per cent interest rates, and then inflate away all of the debt that their schemes generate. (Market Ticker)
If you are in New York City and want to talk to beautiful women, you need a Vespa and some blue shoes. At least that's what you need this summer. (The Sartorialist)
There's no scandal quite like a Republican bikini scandal. Apparently, the Left thinks this will kick off some sort of hypocrisy buzz. What they don't realize is that Republican bikini scandals remind people that the hot women are all on the right side of the aisle. (The Other McCain)
"When I Paint My Masterpiece" is one of Dylan's best songs from his post-accident semi-retirement period. It's also one that isn't well understood. (Brendan Bernhard)
While we can all put on an appropriately glum face on the anniversary on Hiroshima, it's worthy of comment that civilian battlefield deaths among our allies, including one battle that took place on American soil, have been forgotten despite their exceeding the toll from the atomic bomb. (The Belmont Club)
The Battle of Gettysburg
Today is the 147th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Gettysburg. History has tended to linger over the tragedy of Pickett's Charge, the "late" JEB Stuart, the defeat of Robert E Lee (D), and of course the high water mark of the Lost Cause. Comparatively little is known of the men in Blue (R), yet a visit to the Pennsylvania Monument tells the tale. These were great men, who fought just as hard, and as well, as their Southern counterparts. The only difference: they won.
The Monument, btw, includes a charming plaque stating that the soldiers were presenting the monument to the ladies of Pennsylvania who sacrificed so much during the war. Gettysburg, like few sites in the US, brought out the best in America - from the Gettysburg Address down to the tip-of-the-hat gentility towards the Home Front - even as it saw some of America's worst days.
And, dare I point out the vast gulf that separates the men of the 19th century who died to make men free; and the men (and women) of the 21st century who seem intent on grasping every scrap of "stimulus," "bailout" and "social justice" available? All in the name of (language abuse alert) "equality?" I've never been one to say that our best days are behind us, but certainly some of our better days are.
