Wal-mart and Columbus Day
Leftist unions (
walmartworkers@ufcw.ca) have declared that it is their intent to save Columbus Day, yet their ideological fellow-travelers are the ones who put his legacy in jeopardy in the first place.
What's interesting about this isn't how bold and brazen the breach from leftist orthodoxy, but that it is used so shamelessly to punish a perceived enemy (wal-mart) and do so to the benefit of union members. Unions are one membership association, to quote political science interest group theory, that well understands maximizing and ensuring material benefits for their members. Unions would welcome a day off to celebrate "right to work" legislation if they could get it. The Air Traffic Controllers Union would vacation during a
Reagan fires Traffic Controllers holiday if they could get it.
Columbus Day Cancelled!
It’s official: Walmart, the world’s largest corporation, is cancelling Columbus Day. It’s nothing personal, of course, but the day commemorating the world’s most famous explorer and his faith in the circumference of the globe just doesn’t jibe with the Walmart monopolization of all circular objects.
That’s right folks, that old circle-grinch Walmart is throwing cold water on all those Columbus Day traditions that you and yours look forward to every year. And, yes, if you’re a federal employee then your boss will be expecting you at work bright and early on October 12.
BUT THERE IS STILL A CHANCE TO SAVE COLUMBUS DAY!
Rally your Facebook friends. Tell them to stand up for global circumference by joining the new Facebook Cause: Save Columbus Day for Free Speech! http://apps.facebook.com/causes/366224/75716640?m=c20bb5a8
Together we stop Walmart and SAVE COLUMBUS DAY!
Labels: culture, history, unions
A 20 year late review of the television show “Quantum Leap”
A 20 year late review of the television show “Quantum Leap”
Growing up with this show, I have a memory of it that it almost without any historical context, and without any philosophical grounding. I would watch this show as an almost blank slate, unaware at the historical references but also unaware at the not-so-subtle messages it was trying to convey.
The show [
here on Hulu], starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell, jumps through the last 50 years of the 20th century ‘setting right what once went wrong’ and gives an interesting look at various parts of American history.
What occurs to me, many years after the original viewing, is how it becomes the collective societal grief counseling for the horrors of history. It serves as a release valve to the drastic social changes of the 60s and 70s. But in so doing, perhaps saddled with the unbelievably poor and shallow television writing, it lacks any complexity. The story is always simply that of the good and the bad, the wrongs and the right, the entire world is told in black and white.
It seems too simple to argue that the show should have portrayed these moments with a bit more complexity, or with the complications of a world torn between principles that were not necessarily right and wrong, but irreconcilable. The first few years of Law and Order were a brief expression of this idea, and a way of those primarily left-wing writers to treat their philosophical opponents with some grace and humility. Performance art without self-reflection, introspection and humility quickly becomes shameless propaganda, and heavy-handed moralizing. Watching Quantum Leap, despite it being enjoyable for the performances, situations and its embrace of the beauty of history, is still stained by its moralizing.
Even in an episode ostensibly about a sister about to marry a man quite unfit to be a good husband, the sister becomes a Peacecorps devotee, a lover of John Kennedy, rather than a normal girl. It wasn’t enough for her to simply be a good girl deserving of a good man, she had to be a darling of the left. And her jilted fiancée at the end of the episode, obviously beaten and broken, is simply left in the dust as a relatively shallow, disposable character. There is no love for one’s enemies, no compassion towards those who are the ‘bad’ in the show, and no complexity to the situation. Perhaps in a moment where moral clarity was easier, the show could thrive, but today these episodes just seem trite and thoughtless.
It seems as though there are two ways for left-wing people to deal with history, most of which becomes inconvenient to their worldview, either lying about it or ignoring it. While today they prefer the latter, simply to ignore or render it irrelevant, it seems as though, broadly speaking in such a way as to be quite ostentatious, that in the late 80s and early 90s it was more of the former, to lie, to change the ‘interpretations’ of events in order to fit the narrative. It becomes difficult, after all, to simply ignore what Chesterton called the “democracy of the dead” for so long as their voices speak increasingly louder as they are ignored, a haunting of the political establishment solved only through reading and reflection.
If the show were ever remade, one would hope that it would deal more honestly with the complexities of history, one that gave a bit more of both sides. I won’t go so far as to say that all aspects of the vaunted “critical theory” are bad, but at its core any discussion of history ought rightly be a celebration of American history, and not so down and dour as we have become accustomed. Friends reading this are likely expecting a long diatribe here about memorials and public memorials and how all the new ones are tragic, how the old ones were triumphant, and how utterly inappropriate the World War II memorial is, but I’ll spare you while still pointing out its relevance here.
Bill Clinton once said that nothing that’s wrong with America can’t be fixed by that which is right about America. And while I’m sure we differ on the specifics beyond that cliché, I think he’s right. And there are so many good, powerful and wonderful stories worth telling, viewpoints worth capturing and retelling that any remake would hopefully include and leave out the stereotypical divisive moments that have been so ridiculously overplayed already.
This would be to say, of course, that it should be the anti-Howard Zinn. American history doesn’t need to be seen solely through the prism of a left-wing agenda, and the culture of sorrow, shame and guilt is unduly burdensome, and inappropriate. A show that deviates from that aspect of the original, that showed the wonderful and proud moments of American history, would go a long way to reconciling what Pat Buchanan has recently begun describing as the fragmentation of American identity.
The time is ripe for a remake of this series, and one that bridges the divisions rather than exacerbate them, and treats those complexities of history with the respect they deserve.
Labels: history, media, media bias, theory
Secret Histories of America, and other tall tales by Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone is planning to come out with a major production of the secret history of America. And one thing that really bothers me about Stone is how he plays off both ends of this argument or has done so in the past. On one hand he says he's not a historian, he claims that he's just a filmmaker, just an entertainer. And in that regard, sure, obviously, he's right and his films are all very entertaining, if amazingly misleading about their factual history.
But here, all the sudden Stone becomes a historian. He wants both things without the responsibility of either, especially as a serious historian. He wants to tell interesting tales that people tune into because they are so desperate for truth, for clarity about their cultural identity, and then Stone maliciously lies and maligns historical figures because of his twisted ideology. I write ideology and I don't even know that he seriously has one, or if his ideology is just a manner of saying that he enjoys filming lies. I don't think he's "liberal" as much as he's "completely unconcerned with truth" and likes to tell a big tale. He's somewhat infantile in that regard, and many of the things in his personal life suggest a certain childishness that comes through. He's the victim of sexual abuse by his mother, so he claims, and I've read elsewhere that such people often stop their emotional and psychological development at the point when that happens. So, taking that unfortunate fact into account, you can start to see Stone as the prepubescent boy who loves lying so that people listen to his tall tales, the kid who always has an amazing yarn to spin. He's always wanted and desired because he can capture and enthrall people. We're all supporting actors in this 50 year old tragedy of mommy molesting oliver.
And I love Stone's movies, they're all masterful. They're incredibly engaging, they provide and provoke hours of discussion. The man is dangerous and ought to be imprisoned for life, however, and anyone with even a passing interest in either history or films ought to seriously consider if they ought to intellectually consume our modern Gnostic priest of recent American history.
Labels: cinema, history, movies, Oliver Stone, theory
Late Bloomer: the aged accomplishments of Ben Franklin
This is a snarky little graphic I made for MCFL, for the back page of the newspaper. It's pretty plain, in that the message is pretty simple yet, I hope, profound-- that the depression of everyday life ought to be put in the context of the great things to come. Let me know what you think.
Labels: history, imagery, pro-life, pro-life movement
Professor Esolen, reposted
I just can't say how much I loved this speech by Prof. Esolen, and wanted to repost it. Truth is intellectually delicious.
Labels: children, culture, history, pro-life, society
Obama as Leviathan
I made
this Obama Leviathan graphic, both with graphic images and
without, based on this
infamous cover to Thomas Hobbes' classic work,
The Leviathan. Alas, the only consistent comment from friends seems to be that they don't initially see 'it' and then when they do I don't hear anything further.
Labels: abortion, government, history, imagery, obama
History of Abortion: 19th century pro-lifers
Dr. Horatio Storer was the founder of American gynecology and was a tireless pro-life advocate. His book, "
Why Not?", and whose biography is
here. Patrick tipped me off to this, and pointed out that as a Bay Stater, he ought to be eventually memorialized somehow.
Labels: abortion, history, statues
Lincoln and the Constitution: what first amendment?
Doing some research on the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" I was less than surprised to hear
Dr. DiLorenzo outline what I had heard before but never in such great detail: the outrageous abuse of power exercised by Abraham Lincoln to prosecute the War Against Southern Independence.
Labels: Constitution, history, media, war
Television: "Strength through Joy"
My friend Drew passed along
this link to a 55-minute long documentary that is well worth the length. The subject matter is Nazi television, and it's striking. It's almost surreal to see, something we take for granted in the modern age: television without overt political agendas and that politicians could so masterly use television. Of course, that only better illustrates how much better modern Nazis have gotten at using television to advance their agenda: we realize this programming as obscene because we know how the story ends. Would we know how bad it was if we were living through the period of Nazi programming? Do we realize how bad it is now? Drew noted that
this is the companion book.
Labels: history, media, media bias, Nazi
Pelham, Mass. - Home of Daniel Shays
I found out today that I live 1:15 from Daniel Shays' hometown of Pelham, Massachusetts. Shays was, for you government school educated readers, the leaders of
the Shays Rebellion and a great Massachusetts native. While I live in this state, separate and sovereign from the rest, I am trying to enjoy and appreciate its history and unique localism. I went to Walden Pond over the summer, and enjoyed it. If those who consider themselves center-right are ever to create a separate and unique culture, it behooves us to figure out what that identity is, and build up the history, traditions and mores surrounding it. This is my small attempt at doing so.
Labels: history, massachusetts, resistance
Catholic Reparations
Since the mainstream media is trying to program me into believing that our next president will be B. Hussein Obama, I decided to get a jump start on what will be probably be job one in his first month in office: reparations. And it occurs to me that two countries in particular owe quite a debt to the Church, that is the one true Church established by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that of England and France. The many confiscations of wealth, art, land, property and Churches ought to be returned to the dominion of Roman Catholicism. As well, there were a variety of wrongs to right in Maryland that were levied against Catholics. While we're at it, someone ought to tell those Turkish heathens that they need to return the Haig Sophia while we're at it. If we're going to assert the rights of every silly group in existence in our foreign policy when we deal with foreign countries, why not try to get the return of the greatest Church in the world?
Labels: Catholicism, history
Why Bush is a failure
This small little drudge snippet says so much by saying so little. I wonder whether the White House has the courage to ask why its own party defected on an issue critical to Bush by a 2-1 majority? I doubt they do. And yet, never could it be clearer that the priorities of this President are irrelevant even to those who are his 'friends.' Indeed, I wonder whether this lame-duck President has any chits to cash with this Congress, whom he strong-armed into a bogus Prescription Drug Benefit, has drug through a now unpopular occupation and has demonstrated almost zero leadership in sustaining public support for, and has directly gone against the interests of most of his own caucus in proposing amnesty for illegal aliens. The Democrats since 2004 have been exceptionally well disciplined and well-organized, but that's only half of this President's problems, for his biggest problem is himself. And the lack of leadership from Bush, especially on any issue important to his base, is critical to this. Would that Bush extended half the energy he has to this bailout to gut the millions of federal dollars given to Planned Parenthood. Or an iota of this effort to real border security. If only his administration had a tenth of the attention to an exploding federal budget as he does to a bailout that helps such a fraction of the American people. No, we couldn't get any of that kind of leadership from George no matter how much we, his supposed friends, and even those who consider themselves "Republicans" begged. I don't know what else to say with a man who treats his 'friends' and his party like this, whose priorities are so out of line. Maybe history, time and an awful McCain/Obama presidency will leave us longing for Bush, but I doubt it.
Labels: bailout, Bush, history, policy, politics
Sept. 11th, 2008
Seven years after the terrorist attacks, it's tough not to frame the entire situation simply through the petty fears I went through. Everyone relates what they were doing at that moment, as if it was notable. 2,974 lost their lives, another 25 died are missing or died from injuries later. It was a tragic moment, a tragic day, and an overall tragic episode. God gave us a few good things out of it though, he pulled out the good from the bad made by man:
1. Reassessment of the importance of family
2. National unity for a period
3. Greater patriotism and nationalism
4. The liberation of Afghanistan and Iraq
5. Respect and honor to those who perished
After losing nearly 3,000 civilians in a day, this country responded by liberating 80 million people in two countries, at the cost of 4,000 more brave military men, in order to make sure more attacks didn't follow. If history ever looks back on this time appropriately, I don't think they'll have the same vision of it that we who lived through it will see: they won't focus on the bad and be able to appreciate the good. And our country is good, our people are good, and occasionally, are leaders are even good. On a day as bad as the one 7 years ago today, we should thank God that men like
Todd Beamer lived, and that in the face of tragedy we were able to do good.
Labels: America, history
Unknown and Unsung Cosmonaut Heroes
So,
according to this bit of possible evidence, the Soviets may have had lost cosmonauts who died in space that were never acknowledged. One, the theory goes, has been long dead and is drifting out into space. Conspiracy theories like this may not be true, but often they are and they force us to deal with the harshness of life. America never lost a man in space, though notably came close with Apollo 13. Though these men lived under a country no longer in existence, they ought to be remembered and honored as the explorers they were. No lives are meaningless, and no one is worth forgetting especially not those who make such grand sacrifices. /thanks to Drew for the link
Labels: exploration, history, Soviet
Soviet Madness: Modernism eats the past
The Taliban were not the first to destroy religious symbols, they learned it well from the barbarian Soviets to their north. The
Cathedral of Christ the Savior was demolished to make way for the
Palace of the Soviets, a
truly hideous monstrosity, especially in
contrast to the Cathedral. What is it about modernism that requires it to destroy the past, never can it live peaceably with it. The proof of the past, perhaps speaks too loudly and too clearly for the disorders of modernism to tolerate their fine example. When Christianity overtook pagan Rome, they incorporated
the Pantheon, and
Christianized, even, the Coliseum. Where Christianity grows, develops and improves, modernism in whatever form always destroys.
Labels: architecture, art, Christianity, history
The new ways that hide the beautiful old ways
Somewhat in keeping with my traditionalist bent, I wanted to offer some links from my wonderful friend Amanda. They are the older versions of the Baptism,
here and
here. Little did I know that the modern changes within the Church were greater and more drastic than the tambourine and the drum sets. It makes me recall the statement of a liberal Catholic during the days I worked at
NCEA who pointedly asked "why these young people long for a Church they never lived in" to which he received no answer. Even though I worked in the Secondary Schools (high schools) department, the topic of choice was the
Franciscan University of Steubenville, and why it was growing and attracting so many young people. They could not understand the fascination with the restoration of the old Church. These were people intent on changing the Church, and modifying it to fit their ideological preferences.
Labels: Catholicism, history, traditions
