Author: Thomas Fleming
The New Index: Montaigne
We are going to launch the New Year by taking nominations for the New Index of classic books to ban. To be eligible the book and writer must be either included in some Great Books series or, at least, be a staple of the postmodern curriculum, e.g., The Diary of Ann Frank or The Handmaid’s Tale or The Awakening.
Ban a Book
In this land of bogus holidays, I hereby assume the authority to declare this day the OFFICIAL BAN A BOOK DAY!
You Can’t Lose A Generation You Never Had
I woke up today with this happy thought. Born in April 1945, I am a 8 months too old to be a Boomer. That means I enjoy the rare privilege of not belonging to some stereotyped identity created by sociologists and exploited by marketing geniuses to enslave the minds of anyone dumb enough to call himself a Boomer, Gen Xer, Millennial, etc. Don’t Trust Anyone Under 78!
Westerns Episode 12: The Shootist (1976)
Dr. Fleming and Stephen discuss this worthy send-off for The Duke, and for this segment of our Westerns discussion. Your homework for next episode: Dances with Wolves.
No Exceptions: The Machiavellian Way of Truth
Several commenters have been kind enough to say they liked our recent pieces on the Middle East. I am grateful for the kind words. I am no expert on Middle Eastern affairs, though I flatter myself I know a few things about the history of the region. If my way of thinking has any distinctive merit, it is because I have followed a line of thought you can find in such diverse political thinkers as Thucydides, Machiavelli, the Marquis of Halifax, Gaetano Mosca, Roberto Michels, and Sam Francis
TERROR IN THE STREETS!!
I am afraid to go to sleep at night. What if Hamas decided to stage an attack on my house in Rockford. My cynical friend Jeremy Chiaroscuro tried to reassure me.
The Lighter Side of War to the Knife
Hamas and Israel are sticking to their game plans of inflicting maximum damage on each other’s civilian populations, but back here in the center of the universe the citizens of the only remaining superpower are continuing to abide by the rule that in war truth is the first casualty. At least our people are lightening up the situation with their comic antics.
The War in the Middle East
It has been 50 years since the last general war in the Middle East, the Yom Kippur War, which had been preceded by serious conflicts between Israel (backed by the US) and the Palestinians, Egyptians, and Russian
Religion Medici: Anger Management
In Ephesians 4:22-27, Paul instructs Christian converts to live according to the faith. He specifically cites the need to tell the truth, control anger, and work productively (rather than steal):
