Sir Thomas Browne (d. 1682) is acknowledged to be the first to coin the expression into print form in 1642: Charity begins at home, is the voice of the world; yet is every man his greatest enemy, and, as it… Read More ›
National
Loudoun Lowdown
In recent weeks, Loudoun County—and its school system—has been all over the news, particularly among right-wing outlets such as Fox, who decry the county’s supposed descent into the teaching of critical race theory, which only suggests that aspects of systemic… Read More ›
Do It My Way
By Frank Blechman I have written several times in this column that in political campaigns, there are really only two strategies: Keep the bums in, or throw the bums out. I have said that for a challenger or an incumbent,… Read More ›
A Well-Educated Populace?
Editors’ Note: Reposted from the Roanoke Times, June 26, 2021. Our formal education systems are largely responsible for the transmission of the values of our society. Fear of examining the evidence of those values is unproductive. By John Kitterman Now… Read More ›
Amazon, My Amazon
Often despite dedicated efforts to the contrary, our nation collapses under its own dynamics, forgetting the lessons of history and the laws and policies that previous events have taught us. In A History of American Law (by Lawrence M. Friedman),… Read More ›
Presidential Portrait Palaver
Among dictionary definitions for palaver is an “unnecessarily elaborate or complex procedure.” Traditions, especially public ceremonial ones, too often tend to become encumbered with pomp and circumstance that detracts from the purported value of the tradition itself. Sometimes, such traditions… Read More ›
Proportionality Matters
The 2020 election drew 155 million voters to the polls. On January 6, 2021, a violent mob of hundreds or more sought to nullify those votes by assaulting the Capitol Building where the Electoral College count was being conducted. One… Read More ›
Words Matter–Even For You, Rudy
Editors’ Note: Reposted from the New York Daily News, June 25, 2021. Many observers have been wondering about the antics of attorneys advocating bizarre election theories and the ethics of practicing law. This opinion catches the idea. Words have consequences,… Read More ›