What do you say when someone throws the “But abortion is legal” mantra at you? Let me begin by telling you a little about a piece from the L.A. Times last Friday, February 17. It’s entitled “War Against a Woman’s Right.” Obviously, it is about abortion because women’s rights now pretty much focus on the issue of abortion. This is an editorial piece that reflects on some recent fires at abortion clinics. It makes a couple of comments.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
Thomas Jefferson — author of the Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, third president of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia — voiced the aspirations of a new America as no other individual of his era. As public official, historian, philosopher, and plantation owner, he served his country for over five decades.
His father Peter Jefferson was a successful planter and surveyor and his mother Jane Randolph a member of one of Virginia’s most distinguished families. Having inherited a considerable landed estate from his father, Jefferson began building Monticello when he was twenty-six years old. Three years later, he married Martha Wayles Skelton, with whom he lived happily for ten years until her death. Their marriage produced six children, but only two survived to adulthood. Jefferson, who never remarried, maintained Monticello as his home throughout his life, always expanding and changing the house.
Post Traumatic American Syndrome
I have noticed fewer people around town this past weekend. First I thought it was because of the Presidents Day holiday. Then I realized it was because anarchists were being bused into Wisconsin! More for them, and less for us!
The Midwest is getting a bit of a taste of Berkeley life. I’m guessing they are not liking it one bit. The violent, hostile vibe wouldn’t sit well with decent Midwestern folks.
Top 10 Historic Midterm Elections
While not as memorable or studied as much as presidential campaigns, the midterm elections also stand as pivotal moments in U.S. history. Congressional elections, usually held in the middle of a president’s term, are usually a referenda on a president and his policies.
Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections was started as a paper hobby after the 1992 Presidential Election. I was 22 and attending graduate school at MIT. I made a photocopy of a U.S. map (with county boundaries) from one of the libraries and filled in counties with colored pen according to the winner. There were only two percentage points – above 45% and below 45%. I used the data for Perot, Clinton, and Bush that was published in the 1993 World Almanac and Book of Facts (there were no minor party data).
Standing Tall: The Rise and Resilience of Conservative Women
My military friends have a favorite saying: “If you’re not catching flak, you’re not over the target.” This campaign season, conservative women in politics have caught more flak than WWII Lancaster bombers over Berlin. Despite daily assaults from the Democratic machine, liberal media and Hollyweird — not to mention the stray fraggings from Beltway GOP elites — the ladies of the right have maintained their dignity, grace and wit. Voters will remember in November.
What is the Electoral College?
The Electoral College, administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), is not a place. It is a process that began as part of the original design of the U.S. Constitution.
It’s our duty to preserve the ‘Blessings of Liberty’
Liberals love to call the U.S. Constitution a “living document” — in other words, one that changes through time in order to keep up with the times.
And at one level, they are certainly right. Because the Constitution can be amended at any time through a difficult but manageable process, it can reflect the changing needs of our people.
1913 Was a Very Bad Year
Prior to 1913, there was no federal income tax. The states had rights and representation in Washington DC, there was no Federal Reserve Bank, and the federal government lived under the enumerated powers afforded within the US Constitution. What a difference one year can make…