Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert seems to think “Prince John” is really bad at running the United States government. Prince John of Wales died in 1919 at the age of 13.
Archives for March 2022
The “Leftist Bros” who teach fellow leftists about conservativism
Some of us at Current are regular listeners of the “Know Your Enemy” podcast. Matthew Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell have a great “on-air” rapport, they generally treat their subject matter fairly, and have great guests as conversation partners. Now The […]
America’s four-party system
Washington Post columnist Perry Bacon Jr. identifies four political factions functioning within our two-party system: The Trump Party (Trump, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, Fox News and other conservative cable outlets, conservative talk radio). The GOP Old Guard (Mitch McConnell, Mitt […]
Why do Christians give up chocolate for Lent?
Historian Miles Pattenden explains at History Today. Here is a taste of his piece, “The Theology of Chocolate”: Chocolate has a history but, for Catholics, it also has a theology. Long and learned treatises were written about whether it was […]
A University of Virginia student on the lack of intellectual diversity in American higher education
Emma Camp is just one voice at one school–the University of Virginia. I am sure campus progressives–students and especially faculty members–will dismiss her recent New York Times op-ed. When this post hits my Facebook page, I imagine a few academics […]
“They made a desert and called it peace”
Liana Fix and Michael Kimmage explain what Putin is up against in Ukraine and at home. This will not turn our well for him. Here is a taste of their piece in Foreign Affairs, “What if Russia Loses?”: Putin is […]
Why all the effort to persuade evangelicals and conservatives of Trump’s corruption and unfitness may be a complete waste of time.
Bill Barr, who is promoting his tell-all book about his experience as Trump’s Attorney General, recently said he would vote for Trump again in 2024. Here is the UPI: Former Attorney General William Barr said Monday he would vote for […]
What have social media platforms done to academia?
Jeffrey Lawrence, an English professor at Rutgers, gives us a lot to think about in this piece at The Chronicle of Higher Education. Here is a taste of “Who Owns Your Academic Community”: During the past five years, I have […]
Hope Comes from the Margins
When it comes to liberal learning, those on the outside often guide us to its center
The Canadian convoy was not the first protest group to tie-up traffic
As Rutgers University historian David Greenberg reminds us, this practice has a long history. Here is a taste of his Politico piece: “The History of Trying Up Traffic for Civil Rights”: The Ottawa truckers’ protests, which shut down Canada’s capital […]
Putin’s public memory law
Regular readers of the blog know that I am very interested in the way Putin uses a particular view of the past to justify his invasion of Ukraine. I talked with historian Bruce Berglund about this in Episode 96 of […]
When Batman fought Hitler
If my social media feeds are correct, a new Batman movie is out. But did you know that “before the Riddler, Batman’s archenemy was Hitler?” Here is Samantha Baskind at Smithsonian Magazine: With Covid restrictions subsiding, millions are certain to […]
Why some on the Christian Right support Russia
Historian Bethany Moreton explains the links between American conservatives (and conservative evangelicals) and Russia. Here is a taste of her piece at The Washington Post: From 1992 to 1997, a consortium of major U.S. evangelical organizations raised $60 million to bring former […]
What can we learn from the people of Ukraine?
Chris Stirewalt asks this question in a recent piece at The Dispatch titled “Ukrainians Hold a Mirror to America’s Egotistical Anxieties.” Here is a taste: It is the natural conceit of every generation in every great power that its own […]
Evangelical roundup for March 7, 2022
What is happening in Evangelical land? Evangelicals in Moldova are welcoming Ukrainian refugees. Sean Feucht and Eric Metaxas hanging out in New York City: Feucht brings his pro-liberty worship leading to the Brooklyn Bridge: Feucht is also at Liberty University: […]
Pope Francis calls for an end to the bloodshed in Ukraine
Here is America magazine: “Rivers of blood and of tears are flowing in Ukraine,” Pope Francis said today as he made a passionate and robust appeal for an end to the war in Ukraine that has now entered its 11th […]
Neighborhood Watch
Does loving our neighbor require us to love our neighborhood as well?
Sunday night odds and ends
A few things online that caught my attention this week: In Ukraine, the future is at stake. So is the past. Smart people offer suggestions for fixing American democracy Sitting Bull and the creation of Yellowstone National Park Michael Roth […]
Book an Airbnb in Ukraine?
In order to help those suffering in war-torn Ukraine, people are booking Airbnbs with no intention of showing-up. Here is Ginger Adams Otis at The Wall Street Journal: A social-media campaign that took off on March 2 has generated thousands […]
Will New Jerseyans have to pump their own gas?
New Jersey is the only state in the country where drivers are not permitted to pump their own gas. That might be changing soon. Here is Matt Friedman at Politico: For 73 years, drivers in New Jersey have been barred […]