Friday Talking Points [195] -- SOTU Review
[ Posted Friday, January 27th, 2012 – 17:27 UTC ]
Well, that was an eventful week in politics, wasn't it?
Archive of Articles in the "American Society" Category
King's "Drum Major Instinct" Speech
[ Posted Monday, January 16th, 2012 – 18:07 UTC ]
[Program Note: I am taking the day off today. But I did want to post this link to a transcript of Martin Luther King Junior's "Drum Major Instinct" speech. This is the speech that was misquoted on his new memorial in Washington D.C., and you really have to read the speech itself to [...]
Happy Birthday, Common Sense
[ Posted Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 – 18:09 UTC ]
Two hundred and thirty-six years ago this week, a pamphlet was published in Philadelphia. There is some disagreement among historians over the exact date (variously given as January 9th or 10th), and the pamphlet's title page itself only lists the year, 1776. Whatever the actual date, though, Thomas Paine's Common Sense hit the American consciousness like a bombshell -- one which would reverberate for years to come.
Old-School Editorializing
[ Posted Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 – 18:55 UTC ]
What struck me about New Hampshire's contest, being in the midst of historical research into such things, was the old-school nature of the Union Leader, a very conservative New Hampshire newspaper. It struck a lot of the media as interesting as well, but I didn't see anyone else commenting on such historical context.
The Amazing, Ginormous List Of Official Banished Words Of The Year
[ Posted Friday, December 30th, 2011 – 17:25 UTC ]
It's that time of year again -- when we turn our eyes to Lake Superior State University (in beautiful Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan), and their official list of this year's banished words.
My 2011 "McLaughlin Awards" [Part 1]
[ Posted Friday, December 16th, 2011 – 18:36 UTC ]
As always, if you disagree with any (or all) of my picks, feel free to make your own in the comments. The categories are completely open to interpretation, and don't forget that there will be a "Part 2" column next week, so I can likely squeeze things I forgot in there.
The Real "War On Christmas"
[ Posted Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 – 17:05 UTC ]
But just because the modern-day "War on Christmas" may not, in fact, exist does not mean that such a war never existed in America. The subject of Christmas was indeed at the heart of a previous bitter political dispute, but you've got to go pretty far back in time to find it. All the way back to the New England Puritans.
Historic Interlude -- Guess The Decade
[ Posted Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011 – 17:33 UTC ]
It's all bunkum, of course. America has always enjoyed a rousing good political fight, and our media has almost always reflected this (to their profit). Read the following excerpt, if you have a problem believing this, and see if you can put it in context. When, in other words, was the following written?
Guest Column: Occupy Wall Street is Not the Tea Party of the Left
[ Posted Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 – 14:35 UTC ]
Every so often, I am so impressed by a comment to one of my columns that I offer to just turn my column over to the author, and let them have my soapbox. This doesn't happen often, usually around once per year.
I've written a few columns so far about the Occupy Wall Street protest, [...]
America's First Political Sex Scandal: The Reynolds/Hamilton Affair
[ Posted Monday, November 7th, 2011 – 16:33 UTC ]
While the subject of which American politician's sex scandal came first is a debatable one (such as: did Benjamin Franklin's dalliances in Paris count?), most agree that the sex-and-blackmail scandal of Alexander Hamilton was the first with any impact, from George Washington's time onwards.