When America First uses this slogan, they are comprehensively wrong
Archives for February 2022
Arthur Brooks on how to “want less” and “be happy”
Brooks says that “the secret to satisfaction has nothing to do with achievement, money, or stuff.” No argument here. Here is a taste of his recent piece in The Atlantic: I write a column about human happiness for The Atlantic and teach classes on […]
Who is Ohio Senate candidate Josh Mandel?
We haven’t spent too much time covering Josh Mandel, the 44-year-old GOP candidate for U.S. Senate from Ohio. The only sustained treatment has been a recent post on his rejection of the separation of church and state. According to New […]
Commonplace Book #208
So, as we assess the impact of the academic Left, we find a mixed picture. There was opposition and repression, but there was also acceptance and co-optation. There were reforms. Faculty hiring practices changed. Radicals got their scholarship published. A […]
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley is raising money off his fist pump to the January 6, 2021 insurrectionists
For $20.00 you can get a Josh Hawley fist-pump mug. Of course Hawley says he is only fist-pumping the peaceful protesters.
The Author’s Corner with Jesse Tarbert
Jesse Tarbert is an independent historian. This interview is based on his new book, When Good Government Meant Big Government: The Quest to Expand Federal Power, 1913–1933 (Columbia University Press, 2022). JF: What led you to write When Good Government Meant Big […]
Pope Francis Is Right: Having Pets Is Not Like Parenthood
The contrast between parenting and pet ownership reveals our hopes about the future—and the limits of our control
The American Historical Association condemns Trump’s violation of the Presidential Records Act
From the AHA website: The American Historical Association condemns in the strongest terms former President Donald J. Trump’s reported extensive and repeated violations of the Presidential Records Act (PRA) of 1978. The PRA requires that: Through the implementation of records […]
Those fingers in my hair; that sly, come hither stare; that strips my conscience bare…
It’s witchcraft. And pro-Trump, anti-vaxxer pastor Greg Locke is calling it out: Throughout history, witchcraft accusations were often used as political tools to drive unwanted or threatening people–women, widows, theological heretics, critics, the poor, people of color–out of communities. Leaders […]
Reuters uncovers threats made to school board members
It is getting scary out there. Here is Reuters: Reuters documented the intimidation through contacts and interviews with 33 board members across 15 states and a review of threatening and harassing messages obtained from the officials or through public records requests. […]
The Author’s Corner with S. Karly Kehoe
S. Karly Kehoe is Associate Professor of History and Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Communities at Saint Mary’s University. This interview is based on her new book, Empire and Emancipation: Scottish and Irish Catholics at the Atlantic Fringe, 1780-1850 […]
Don’t teach your kids how to ski
It doesn’t seem worth the investment. Eric Margolis explains at The New Republic: With an average of 16 feet of snowfall per year, Sapporo, Japan is one of the snowiest places on earth. But at the last Sapporo Snow Festival, […]
Is there a “Latino vote”?
In a recent piece at The Atlantic, historian Geraldo Cadava debunks the myth of the “Latino vote.” Here is a taste: Americans of all races are engaging in debates about our national origins because we sense that something is broken. […]
Could Trump be prosecuted for destroying documents?
Chris Truax, a lawyer and CEO of CertifiedVoter.com, believes it is possible. Here is a taste of his piece at The Bulwark: Funnily enough, the activity that puts Donald Trump in the greatest legal danger is also the most absurd: […]
It’s “I baptize,” not “we baptize”
A Catholic priest has resigned after using the wrong formula while baptizing thousands of children. Here is The New York Times: The Rev. Andres Arango was leading a baptism at St. Gregory Catholic Church in Phoenix last year when some […]
Commonplace Book #207
Intellectuals are in a position to expose the lies of governments, to analyze actions according to their causes and motives and often hidden intentions. In the Western world, at least, they have the power that comes from political liberty, from […]
The Author’s Corner with Mark Tabbert
Mark Tabbert is Director of Archives and Exhibits at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association. This interview is based on his new book, A Deserving Brother: George Washington and Freemasonry (University of Virginia Press, 2022). JF: What led you […]
BOOK MARKS: We Are In This Together
“Though I do not think that this book calls for blame, if someone wants to be unpleasant about it, he can blame me and my friends.”
The Author’s Corner with Clarissa J. Ceglio
Clarissa J. Ceglio is Associate Director of Research for Greenhouse Studio and Assistant Professor of Digital Humanities at the University of Connecticut. This interview is based on her new book, A Cultural Arsenal for Democracy: The World War II Work […]
What is going on at Grove City College?
Is Grove City College, a conservative Christian liberal arts college in western Pennsylvania, promoting critical race theory? I have no idea. The phrase “critical race theory” has become such a bogeyman in evangelical and conservative circles that it is impossible […]