On NPR's Morning Edition this morning, there was a profile of Iowa’s senior Senator, Chuck Grassley, the new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The segment played a quote by Grassley from a campaign or fundraising speech, where he railed against the president, tyranny, and how our Constitutional system of checks and balances was designedContinue reading “Chuck Grassley and George the Third”
Category Archives: History
Thoughts on the Jesus & Mary Magadelene Book
I heard there was a book coming out that contained the translation of an ancient manuscript that revealed that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and fathered two children before the crucifixion. “That’s fascinating,” I thought, “and also unsurprising.” The Merovingian kings of France were purportedly the descendants of Jesus, though that’s always puzzled meContinue reading “Thoughts on the Jesus & Mary Magadelene Book”
Veteran’s Day
As Garrison Keillor might say on The Writer’s Almanac, a poem for today, Veteran’s Day. In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago WeContinue reading “Veteran’s Day”
On the Counterfactual Decade
The tenth anniversary of the Iraq War has been on the minds of many in the past two weeks. Some who supported the war at the time have said that they were deeply wrong. Some who supported the war at the time fail to recognize that it was a collosal, world historical mistake. Last weekContinue reading “On the Counterfactual Decade”
On Musing about Beowulf and Its Culture
This morning, while I was listening to Scott Simon on NPR’s Weekend Edition and waiting for the coffee to kick in, I saw that a friend posted a question on Facebook about Beowulf. No, not the Robert Zemekis film. The Anglo-Saxon epic poem on which the Zemekis film was based. What, he wanted to know,Continue reading “On Musing about Beowulf and Its Culture”
On the Lewis Chessmen
For March I’m planning a trip to New York City. I put my vacation request in yesterday for a few days in the middle of the month. The Lewis Chessmen are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through early April, and they’re something I would very much like to see while they’re onContinue reading “On the Lewis Chessmen”
On American Briticisms
Ah, language. Slate weighed in on the Britishism invasion, charting the slow creep of British English into the American idiom. This is new? 🙂 To quote Sherlock Holmes, “My font of English has been permanently defiled.” I’ve been reading Doctor Who novels for years. I watch BBC America on a regular basis. I have shortcutsContinue reading “On American Briticisms”
On the Presidency of Al Gore
In less than two weeks the United States will mark a solemn and unfortunate anniversary, the tenth anniversary of 9/11. I bring this up, not to disturb the memories of some who are still traumatized by the incident, but because of a recent poll that asked Americans what they thought the world would be likeContinue reading “On the Presidency of Al Gore”
On Fascinating Periods of History
At times, I think of myself as an amateur historian. It's unsurprising that I think of myself in that way; I was a history student in college, after all, and my library is filled with history books, from general histories of the world to histories of specific periods to histories of specific ideas. Among theContinue reading “On Fascinating Periods of History”
On the Meaning of Thanksgiving
For reasons that are obscure even to me, on a bulletin board I frequent there is a discussion going about whether or not, in the United Kingdom, holidays like Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July are celebrated. To those reading across the Pond, I apologize for the obtuseness of my fellow countrymen. We have aContinue reading “On the Meaning of Thanksgiving”