The Fleming Foundation Cultural Commentary

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Shine, Perishing Republic  

This was my second Perspective in Chronicles, June 1985 Murray Rothbard, [with a nod to Milton and Pope] described American conservatism as “chaos and old night.”  Apart from the nasty implication that we are all dunces, there is something to what he says. It is getting harder every year to figure out just what it is that makes a conservative. Consider Newt Gingrich—the Carl Sagan of politics.  He wants to colonize the stars, mine the galaxies for precious minerals, and open up the entire universe to free trade and economic opportunity.  In between star treks, Gingrich plans to overthrow the...

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Jerks I: Home of the Free, Land of the Jerk, Part C–

Overgrown Children The exaggerated display of emotions is not limited to children.  Adults who throw temper tantrums are no longer despised, as they once were.  They are often celebrated for their spontaneity or, in the case of successful athletes, adored for getting away with doing as they please.  There was a time when tennis was a gentleman’s game, when the loser congratulated his victorious player and did not blame  the umpires.  Even in the 1970’s, when crybabies like Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe were staging their amateur theatricals on the court, Arthur Ashe was still acting like a grownup, on...

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First Debate Postmortem: Trump Won Where He Had To

Pundits and polls are all over the place on who “won” the First Debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Rodham Gorgon. But I haven’t seen any major analysis of how they did among those who will decide this election: suburban, white voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. It’s because, assuming he wins Florida and North Carolina, which he likely will, those are the “swing states” he needs to win. Any combination of Ohio + Michigan or Pennsylvania and he’s in like Ronald Reagan. The New York Post reported from a bar in Youngstown, Pa., “[Ken] Reed, 35, is a registered...

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Wednesday’s Child:  Chalk and Cheese

Please imagine two foes from the annals of history, say, Wellington and Napoleon, or a pair of ideological adversaries, like Burke and Robespierre.  Obviously there’s a whole ideological mythology trailing in the wake of each of these combatants, and to this day the world – whether it is conscious or oblivious of it – is divided between partisans of one or the other.  So, whether they know it or not, folks who opine that the European Union is a good thing for Europe are on Napoleon’s side; so 3.5 million Russian secret policemen endorse Robespierre, even if 3.4 million of...

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FF Podcast, Special Edition Trump

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On this special edition of the podcasts of the Fleming Foundation, our founder, Dr. Thomas Fleming, shares his impressions of the first Presidential Candidates’ Debate of the 2016 Election. If you’re new to the Foundation and our work, please register as a free user and get access to some of our content. Show Sponsor: Members Who Support Our Work Original Air Date: September 27, 2016 Show Run Time: 37 minutes Show Guest(s): Dr. Thomas Fleming Show Host(s): Stephen Heiner The Fleming Foundation · FF Podcast, Special Edition Trump The Fleming Foundation Podcast℗ is a Production of the Fleming Foundation. Copyright...

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The Best Revenge, Episode 4: Diets

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In this episode of The Best Revenge, Dr. Fleming takes a look at the role of diets in our daily lives. What was the purpose of a diet traditionally and what is the essence of the fad diet that dominates our (American) lives these days? Where did it come from? Where is it going? How do we deal with our friends and neighbors besotted with these schemes and how can we “revenge” ourselves upon such a joyless practice? Original Air Date: September 27, 2016 Show Run Time: 43 minutes Show Guest(s): Dr. Thomas Fleming Show Host(s): Stephen Heiner The Fleming...

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Latin, Episode 5

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In this episode of Latin, Dr. Fleming discusses the ablative case, as well as the 4th Declension. Please use these texts as necessary to follow along: Romanum imperium, quo neque ab exordio ullum fere minus neque incrementis toto orbe amplius humana potest memoria recordari, a Romulo exordium habet, qui Reae Silviae, Vestalis virginis, filius et, quantum putatus est, Martis cum Remo fratre uno partu editus est. Is cum inter pastores latrocinaretur, decem et octo annos natus urbem exiguam in Palatino monte constituit XI Kal. Maias, Olympaids sextae anno terto, post Troiaie excidium, ut qui plurimum minimumque tradunt, anno trecentesimo nonagesimo...

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“We Out Like Taliban”

Indeed. Charlotte is burning.  Social media on Tuesday night were  lit up with messages of defiance:  “This ain’t no one day action, ” screamed one rioter, as others were venting their righteous outrage on a conveniently located Walmart.  Still others carried signs saying, “It’s a Book,” which will no doubt eclipse, for the time being, “Don’t Shoot”  and “I Can’t Breathe” as the battle cry of the underprivileged citizens who in pursuit of justice will loot any store, shoot any fireman, tell any lie, do anything but get jobs, support themselves, and lead law-abiding lives. Charlotte Police say that they...

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Wednesday’s Child:  Oral Equivalence

Entertained or amused as I was by readers’ responses to last week’s post, I could not suppress the feeling that we were speaking different languages, all mischievously masked as Standard English.  Nomenclature gives way like an old shirt when cultural differences pull on it from behind, and nowhere is the horrible ripping sound more audible than in discussions revolving around food. If you are explaining something about Hollywood to an Englishman, it makes no sense to compare it with Pinewood Studios, even though, purely functionally, this is its British counterpart in the industry; better to compare it to the BBC,...

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Properties of Blood I.7: Dueling for Honor, Part B

Military Duels Frontiers and unsettled times attract reckless men, who are going to shoot it out, one way or another.  The pretense that Abilene after the War Between the states or the Chicago ghetto of today can be run according to the rules of an Oxford College can lead only to anarchy and the death of law-abiding people who are minding their own business.  Where a community maintains a civil order, most men will be content to keep the peace most of time, relying on the forces of the law for protection and redress of injury, except on the exceptional...