The author spent thirty years as an American diplomat in Washington, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, and the UAE, including working for fifteen years as the Consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran.  Fluent in Arabic.  He participated in Operation Desert Storm, the Saudi accession to the WTO and the defeat of the al-Qaeda terror campaign in Saudi Arabia.

“Liberty and property; how naturally those words tripped, as a unitary concept, from the tongues of America’s Founders.  These were men who had been shaped in the English tradition and they saw parliamentary government not as an expression of majority rule, but as a guarantor of individual freedom.  How different was the Continental tradition, born 13 years later with the French Revolution, which saw elected assemblies as the embodiment of what Rousseau called the “general will” of the people.”-Lord Denning

In that difference, we may perhaps discern explanation of why the Anglosphere resisted the chronic bouts of authoritarianism to which most other Western countries were prone.  We who speak this language have always seen the defense of freedom as the duty of our representatives and so, by implication, of those who elect them.  Liberty and democracy, in our tradition, are not balanced against each other; they are yoked together. 

Most other countries have fallen for, or at least fallen to, dictators.  Many, during the 20^th century, had popular communist parties or fascist parties or both.  The Anglosphere, unusually, retained a consensus behind liberal capitalism.

This is not because of any special property in our geography or our genes, but because of our constitutional arrangements….They work because, starting with Magna Carta, they have made the defense of freedom everyone’s responsibility.  Americans, like Britons, have inherited their freedoms from past generation and should not look to any external agent for their perpetuation.  The defense of liberty is your job and mine.  It is up to us to keep intact the freedoms we inherited from our parents and to pass them on securely to our children”

There are those who believe that we need a “living Constitution”, more open to changes based on the moods, whims and foibles of the lowest common denominator.  Let us hope that we do not overthrow our proven vehicle for untried and fashionable experimentation.

Anytime power flows to the center of government, individual liberty decreases; it seems to be a law of nature. One of the beauties of our nation is our Federalist system by which individual states are allowed to function in the what they see is the best way for their citizens. Sometimes they are correct, sometimes they are wrong but we have the opportunity to learn from states actions and determine for ourselves which answer is the best. If you live in New York, California, Connecticut, Illinois, etc., this article may be of interest to you. California and New York shut down, Florida did not. California and New York destroyed thousands of jobs, Florida did not. Yes, under the proposed $1.9 Trillion Covid relief bill, New York will receive twice as much money as Florida with over 90% going to non-Covid related groups. This is a good lesson in the danger of government overreach. https://www.wsj.com/articles/vindication-for-ron-desantis-11614986751?page=1

I must admit I have not smoked an Alex Bradley cigar in quite a while, but this puppy was in a sample pack so as I headed out the door for a 5AM walk, I thought what the heck, give it a try. I was about a block into the walk and I realized that the cigar had a clean, white ash, a good draw, good plume and a moderate taste. Not bad. I wouldn’t smoke it with a Cognac for example, but if you are looking for an inexpensive (under $5.00 from on-line sources), 30-40 minute mindless smoke, give it a try.

Are you next? Have you ever uttered a harsh word that could be found in someone’s mind to be racist or sexist or offensive? Perhaps the word was not even harsh, but sounded like something that could be taken as a micro-aggression. Maybe you are so blissfully ignorant that you do not realize that wearing a green shirt on St. Patrick’s day is a sign of White supremacy, or that reading a book banned on Amazon is a sign of your inner prejudice. What happened in 1930s Germany, the Soviet Union or Mao’s China is coming to a street just like yours and you better be prepared. This is a battle where those who wage it, offer no mercy, no time off for ignorance or pure intentions; it is a battle to the death. It took 600 million books to be sold, read and loved before the terrible secrets within were revealed by people much more enlightened than you. So check your bookshelves, burn those family photos and prepare to cleanse your soul; they are coming for you. https://thefederalist.com/2021/03/03/the-cancellation-of-dr-seuss-should-disturb-you-because-youre-next/

With a new Administration in office, we find a renewed crisis brewing on our Southern border. Many of the old arguments on both sides will be dragged out to defend their positions, but few cite facts to support their own claims. Coulter can be loud and brash at times, but the question I always ask when someone attacks the messenger, is, “If the information correct or not?” Closing one’s mind because one does not like the messenger is a sure way to insure group think. I would recommend this book for advocates on both sides of this debate.  The key point of her book is that any immigration policy should firstly be designed for the best interests of the country (any country).  An immigration policy is NOT designed for the benefit of 1) the immigrants, or 2) the nations supplying the immigrants.

The following article entitled, “The Problem with “Indigenizing” the University” shows what happens when Professors have far to much time on their hands. Attempting to integrate a stone age culture model into a modern University, even with the best of intentions reflects 1) Moral Courage, 2) a lack of understanding of how the real world works and 3) a silly and vain attempt at slapping one’s own back for looking down on a group. A concept which includes “multiple truths” is one which not only counter-productive to progress, but should be recognized as providing an excuse for individual failure. Try to keep in mind, as you read this piece, that this is actually happening in Canada; let us hope it will be stopped at the border as undesirable. https://quillette.com/2021/02/24/the-problem-with-indigenizing-the-university/

Imagine there is a famine in part of your country; you are the Minister who control the rail system which can move food where needed when needed.  You are told that in the entire rail system there are too few cars to carry the good; being a diligent Minister, you find a car here, one there, four there and get them to the correct siding where the much-needed food is needed.  Finally, the train with its precious cargo is loaded and on its way; you wait by your telephone, calling and check on the progress of the train.  It must travel over a thousand miles, but you are determined that it arrives safely even though it must travel over a dangerous route and deal with a massive snow storm.  Finally, past the snowstorm you let yourself to relax only to receive a call that it was all mistaken, there was no train and no, the extra cars you found cannot now be found.  Welcome to the Soviet Union.

It has often been said that the Versailles Treaty imposed by the victors in 1919 ensured that there would be a Second World War.  Normally, this phrase is used to describe the harsh terms imposed on Germany who was partially occupied, saddled with a huge war indemnity, and assigned sole responsibility for the war.  This book, while not breaking any major new ground, does bring to one place, the other factors which lead to two decades of revolution, riots, murders and bloody political struggles in the lands formerly ruled by the Russian, German, Ottoman and Austrian empires as well as the unsatisfied demands of Italy.

A couple of days ago I read about a new math program in Oregon; according to the program, math is racist as it insists on accuracy. In other words, 2+2=4 is not always correct. Today I read this story which should tear your heart out. What kind of system, what kind of teachers and administrators would allow this type of abuse to continue? Is this how you want your tax dollars spent? https://www.foxnews.com/us/chicago-schools-illinois-progressive-politics-teaching-standards-inclusive