On Manifestoes
So here are some manifestos of the present day on books, education, faith, and civic life. Though their weight for good or ill, for much or little, is as yet unknown, these are some of the words that will shepherd us into our shared future.
Learn MoreWhy True Stories Are Important – Elie Wiesel
Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.
—Listen to the whole testimony: A God Who Remembers
Learn MoreArranging a Memorial Service for Dr. King
April 7th, 1968: “You can’t have it here,” the man snapped at my father as we walked toward his study at the church on Sunday morning. “This is our church, and you cannot have it here. This ain’t your church, Vernon, this is our church. And I am telling you right now, you ain’t having no Martin Luther King service in our church…You can’t have a church full of niggers in here. This is our church.”
“The last time I checked, it was God’s church,” my father replied…
Learn MoreThe Audacity of Strategy
I wonder if Barack has read Condi’s book?
Learn MoreFamily, Heroes, and History
One thing that Aldo Leopold did to become great was find, and use, his voice. His family was in many ways similar to mine and to thousands of others here in Wisconsin; his famous shack seemed completely familiar to us–just like Grandad’s place up north. But he made a difference in the world by figuring out what he had to say that was worth saying, and saying it wisely and well.
Learn MoreReading the Foundations of Religious Freedom
Kenneth Jackson, writing in the New York Times, commemorates the 350th anniversary of the Flushing Remonstrance, written in 1657 by Edward Hart and his fellow Flushing, New York, citizens to protest the public torture of a Quaker preacher and the fining and imprisonment of non-Quakers who allowed them to meet in their homes. Jackson notes […]
Learn MoreGood Oak and Good History: Leopold’s “Sand County Almanac”
Here, right here, is where it happened–the Leopold family and their farm, the acorn, the rabbits, the Civil War, the covered wagons (with all the Ingalls family times), the Great Depression, the dust bowl drouths, floods, storms, fires, extinctions, and acts of government; and the lightning, and the heat from the fire.
Learn MoreWhat is the eternal city?
With a little Roman history and Latin under your belt, you end up seeing more everywhere…. –Harry Mount, A Vote for Latin. I completely agree–with a big thank you to Mrs. Robesonand her teaching descendants today, who taught me lingua latina and classical humanities at Lane Technical High School, and introduced me to the depths […]
Learn MoreA Thanksgiving Tale from Alice’s Restaurant
There were people singing this song together who, politically, had nothing in common and probably wouldn’t have talked to each other…. It’s just the story of a little guy against a big world. It’s not so much an anti-war song as a song against stupidity…
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