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Archive for 'In Praise Of'

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

William F. Buckley, Jr.: A True Intellectual Giant

The big news of the day, of course, is the passing of one of the true fathers of modern American conservatism. If you want coverage, you’ll find it in all the major outlets, and of course, the National Review website is chock-full of related articles. I purchased my first Buckley book in high school, so […]

No Comments » - Posted in Hitchens the Great, In Praise Of by Mark

Monday, January 21st, 2008

In Praise Of: Martin Luther King, Jr.

NOTE: For the fourth consecutive year, I am moving this post from 2005 to the top in honor of the great civil rights leader. This year, we are unfortunately seeing Dr. King brought into the Democratic presidential race in a manner most unbecoming of his legacy. I think it’s safe to say that neither Hillary Clinton or […]

7 Comments » - Posted in In Praise Of by Mark

Tuesday, January 15th, 2008

Join Me In Sending Positive Thoughts, Prayers, and Well Wishes…

…to one of my all-time favorite bloggers, the always interesting and frequently hilarious Tim Blair from down under, as he undergoes major surgery after a diagnosis of cancer. Tim, regardless of the outcome, stay upbeat and hopeful, and know that you’ve got people from literally every corner of the globe in YOUR corner…

No Comments » - Posted in In Praise Of by Mark

Saturday, November 10th, 2007

Death Of A Giant

Say what you will about Norman Mailer (his recent work has been spotty at best, as he let his long-time tendency to obsess about, not just sex, but very odd and implausible sexual fetishes overcome his never-strong restraint - see The Castle in the Forest and Harlot’s Ghost), he will forever be remembered, justly, as […]

No Comments » - Posted in In Praise Of by Mark

Thursday, November 1st, 2007

For The First Time Since I Started This Blog…

…I am not a finalist in any category for the Weblog Awards. That’s okay…I didn’t earn it, and I didn’t lobby for it. This was, of course, the year that I decided to pull back a bit from blogging, and it showed. I have a very interesting set of loyal readers who comment frequently, and […]

4 Comments » - Posted in Navel-Gazing, In Praise Of by Mark

Monday, October 22nd, 2007

A Real Hero

I don’t have much patience for ‘chickenhawk’ arguments - it is absurd on the face of it to say that only those who serve in the military can have an opinion on military matters. I don’t need to shoot heroin to know it’s probably not a good idea. One small kernel of truth in the […]

5 Comments » - Posted in Radical Islam / GWOT, In Praise Of by Mark

Monday, July 30th, 2007

For The Superstitious Among You…

…who subscribe to the ‘bad news comes in threes’ theory, here’s something to chew on: three quite accomplished people in vastly different fields, dead within 24 hours of each other: Tom Snyder, Bill Walsh, and Ingmar Bergman…
I sincerely hope and pray that bad news does not come in fours, in this case, as we also […]

1 Comment » - Posted in Fred Thompson, In Praise Of, Celebrities / Pop Culture / Sports, Republican Candidates by Mark

Wednesday, July 11th, 2007

Goodbye and God Bless, Lady Bird

You can’t live in the Texas Hill Country and not appreciate the legacy of the widow of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Lady Bird, who died today at the age of 94, was almost as big a figure in this area as her husband, and she left one gift for posterity that is evident every time you […]

2 Comments » - Posted in In Praise Of by Mark

Wednesday, July 4th, 2007

Hey, Baby, It’s The Fourth Of July!

No words can explain the day more than these:
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s […]

8 Comments » - Posted in In Praise Of by Mark

Sunday, June 17th, 2007

A Happy Father’s Day To You All

Posting has been light this weekend, for no particular reason, but I do want to wish the fathers among you a special day…enjoy your Sunday (and go, Tiger!)…

No Comments » - Posted in In Praise Of by Mark

Tuesday, June 12th, 2007

Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!

Do you remember? I certainly do - it was twenty years ago today, and it wasn’t the day Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play - rather it was the day Ronald Reagan fired perhaps the most important rhetorical bullet of the Cold War. Electrifying then, electrifying now - it was a truly great moment […]

1 Comment » - Posted in POTUS, Foreign Affairs, In Praise Of by Mark

Wednesday, June 6th, 2007

So Who Won, Anyway?

What do the pros and pundits say about last night’s Republican debate? Chris Cillizza gives it to Rudy:
Of the Big 3, the former Mayor of New York City was the most consistently sound last night. He has improved in each of the three debates and last night seemed genuinely comfortable on stage with his rivals. […]

8 Comments » - Posted in In Praise Of, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, 2008 Polls, Republican Candidates by Mark

Monday, May 28th, 2007

Remembering The Fallen

We don’t honor our heroes anymore; or rather, we do, but the wrong ones. We idolize rock stars (yes, me, too; have you read my posts on Bono?), sports stars, celebrity heiresses, and other similar non-entities, but can you name a single hero of the Iraq War? Peter Collier laments this state of affairs:
Once we […]

10 Comments » - Posted in In Praise Of by Mark

Saturday, May 26th, 2007

McCain’s Five Best

This Memorial Day weekend, John McCain contributes the five best books about soldiers at war in the Wall Street Journal’s Five Best series, and it is a truly excellent set of choices. His number one choice, For Whom The Bell Tolls, is the wrong Hemingway novel, in my view; much, much better is A Farewell […]

4 Comments » - Posted in In Praise Of, John McCain by Mark

Saturday, March 3rd, 2007

Two Good Weekend Reads

I’ve got nothing to say about either of these stories other than to recommend them to you.
First, William F. Buckley remembers Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and second, TIME magazine, for the mystery buffs among you, takes a look at the various atrocities to be known at one time or another as “The Crime Of The Century”…

No Comments » - Posted in Domestic Affairs, In Praise Of by Mark

Wednesday, February 21st, 2007

Remembering The Fallen

Our good friend too many steves forwards this story of two heroes, both, alas, casualties of war, but both of whose stories are guaranteed to raise a tear and a lump in the throat.
We forget, too often, to honor our dead. Take moment to read about two of them…

No Comments » - Posted in In Praise Of by Mark

Wednesday, January 31st, 2007

Molly Ivins, RIP

Molly Ivins was not my type: forgetting our huge political differences, I never enjoyed that Texas ‘cornpone’ populism so popular with Ivin and Jim Hightower. Nevertheless, she had a long history with progressive Texas politics, and I find myself quite saddened to learn that she has succumbed to cancer after a fierce battle.
Ivins was only […]

No Comments » - Posted in NY Times/Media Watch, In Praise Of by Mark

Monday, January 15th, 2007

MLK In Pictures

If you haven’t noticed, I’m taking a bit of a day off from both work and the blog in observance of MLK day and just because everyone needs a day off now and then. Here’s another quickie, though: a very interesting photo essay on Dr. King at TIME…

No Comments » - Posted in In Praise Of by Mark

Saturday, January 6th, 2007

What A World We Live In!

Hey, let’s face it, college guys go weeks without washing their underwear already - but now they can admit it!…
These are the days of miracle and wonder…

No Comments » - Posted in In Praise Of by Mark

Thursday, January 4th, 2007

A Great Big Welcome Back Cheer…

…to one of my favorite bloggers and professional ‘New Media’ politico types, Patrick Ruffini. He deserves a bookmark, trust me…good to see the (redesigned) blog back in business…