The Fleming Foundation Cultural Commentary

18

Wednesday’s Child: Belorussian Roulette

Not a kind word for him anywhere, East or West.  They are calling him “Europe’s last dictator,” which only makes sense if neighboring Russia is a country in Asia, and every little French politician, every sniveling British journalist, every U.S. State Department flunky, and every Kremlin lackey are gloating over his political demise, which is said to be imminent. This coming Sunday, Belorussian elections may be won by a random female candidate who is capitalizing on the protest vote against the taciturn mustachioed incumbent, and I sincerely hope this grossly maligned man manages to falsify the result to stay in...

1

PRESIDENT TRUMP ADDRESSES THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, 4

My list of  vital  but neglected problems  includes the threat to freedom of speech and democratic government  from control of  the so-called social media by a handful of unelected men.  These people seem to consider  themselves masters of the universe who can force Americans  in a direction they want us to go.

5

Clash of Civilizations

Reading A Thousand Years of Jihad took me back more than 55 years to my freshman year in college.  I had become a rather indifferent student by the time I graduated from high school and went to college only to play football.  However, an outstanding history professor renewed my interest in scholarly pursuits with lectures that not only told great stories but also revealed great truths.  Thomas J. Fleming and Frank Brownlow do the same in this volume, and convey an impression of intimacy as if one is sitting in their classroom.  This is learning at its best.

0

Homer Against the Iconoclasts

This is the opening lecture of the Fleming Foundation’s 2020 Seminar on Homer–held in the teeth of a government shutdown on the freedoms of speech and assembly and of the political correctness being imposed by mob rule and insurrection. Thomas Fleming provides an overview of the Greek reverence for religious and national symbols and contrasts the piety and respectfulness of the ancient Greeks with the irrational and hate-inspired vandalism of contemporary America.

This lecture is offered gratis to subscribers. All the lectures will be on sale in a short time.

3

More on the Masked Avengers

A FB friend I wish I knew personally reposted my observations on masks. I thought about responding to the rather shrill responses, but it would be bad taste to insert myself into his discussion, so… I don’t wish to stick my oar into Bob Alpert’s discussion, but I did include a proviso for medical necessity, which I meant also to cover, obviously, people in regular contact with decrepit old people like me. Our son, in his late 30’s, was talking to me on FaceTime, from Chapel Hill, when someone across the street–about 30 feet away, tried to shame him for...

1

Trump on the Couch

You have to laugh at politics or you’ll collapse in a corner and start babbling like Joe Biden. A recent comedy fest has been the book by President Trump’s niece, Mary Trump (MT), trashing him