Thursday, March 30, 2006

 

Patriots, Then and Now

But we are not communicating love of country. We are not giving them the great legend of our country. We are losing that great legend.

What is the legend, the myth? That God made this a special place. That they're joining something special. That the streets are paved with more than gold--they're paved with the greatest thoughts man ever had, the greatest decisions he ever made, about how to live. We have free thought, free speech, freedom of worship. Look at the literature of the Republic: the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Federalist papers. Look at the great rich history, the courage and sacrifice, the house-raisings, the stubbornness. The Puritans, the Indians, the City on a Hill.

The genius cluster--Jefferson, Hamilton, Adams, Madison, Franklin, all the rest--that came along at the exact same moment to lead us. And then Washington, a great man in the greatest way, not in unearned gifts well used (i.e., a high IQ followed by high attainment) but in character, in moral nature effortfully developed. How did that happen? How did we get so lucky? (I once asked a great historian if he had thoughts on this, and he nodded. He said he had come to believe it was "providential.")

We fought a war to free slaves. We sent millions of white men to battle and destroyed a portion of our nation to free millions of black men. What kind of nation does this? We went to Europe, fought, died and won, and then taxed ourselves to save our enemies with the Marshall Plan. What kind of nation does this? Soviet communism stalked the world and we were the ones who steeled ourselves and taxed ourselves to stop it. Again: What kind of nation does this?

Only a very great one. Maybe the greatest of all.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

 

Homeschooling, sweet homeschooling

"Why do we even assume that modern schools are a healthy way to socialize a child and set a standard homeschooling must match? The socialization of our school system is profoundly anti-social. Edmund Burke wrote of civilization as a partnership 'between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born.' In the schools, society doesn't even consist of the various generations of the living.
The standard (though rarely articulated) definition of successful socialization is to 'fit in' with a lot of immature little savages raised by television, video games, and the internet. Spending at least 35 hours a week, nine months of the year, with 20-30 kids of one's own age (with a harried adult supervising) is the antithesis of what is needed in order to learn how to function in society.

The problem isn't a lack of funding.

Rather, much of it is due to a fondness for egalitarian gestures. As Christopher Lasch observed, "Given the underlying American commitment to the integral high school – the refusal to specialize college preparation and technical training in separate institutions – make-work programs, athletics, extracurricular activities, and the pervasive student emphasis on sociability corrupted not merely the vocational and life-adjustment programs but the college preparatory course as well." People have varying intellectual abilities, and however much it may offend liberals, half the population is below average. "

Friday, March 10, 2006

 

The New Protectionists

How to create a real security crisis.
Foreigners are not buying up America's stock of wealth; they are investing in ways that add to it.
More broadly, U.S. economic and defense security are intertwined. Imagine the threat to American well being if investment capital were trying to flee the U.S. because it believed opportunities were better elsewhere. Meanwhile, the interdependence that comes with foreign investment also gives those investors a stake in both American success and security. Are the Gulf emirates more, or less, reliable as U.S. allies because they invest their petrodollars in American assets? We'd say more. And, of course, foreigners who invest in the U.S. also help finance the military that keeps us safe.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

 

Embarrassing the Angels

Or, that's no way to treat a lady.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

 

Few Americans Know 1st Amendment

"Americans apparently know more about "The Simpsons" than they do about the First Amendment.
Only one in four Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. But more than half can name at least two members of the cartoon family, according to a survey."
John's note: I only got 4 of 5. Test yourself and check the article.

 

Reading Key to College Success

"One major factor separates high school graduates who are ready for college from those who aren't, a new study shows: how well students handle complex reading.
Based on that test, only 51 percent of students showed they were ready to handle the reading requirements of a typical first-year college course. The literacy of today's high school graduates has become an enormous concern for colleges and employers."

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