The Fleming Foundation Cultural Commentary
END OF CICERO Cicero played an ambiguous role in the final years of the republic. He loyally supported Pompey in the vain hope that he would uphold the old order, but he also allowed himself to be courted by Caesar. He was out of Rome, as governor of Cilicia, in the period leading up to the civil war, but he bravely refused an attractive invitation to join Caesar, but gradually faded out of the picture. When the plot against Caesar was formed in 44, Cicero was not even invited to join: The conspirators did not trust him. He did...
As the nations of the west slip into an amnesiac sink, knowing neither who they are, where they come from, or what their role in the maintenance of humane civilization is supposed to be, it is inevitable, I suppose, that one starts looking for the source of the intellectual virus that has so successfully turned what used to be western brain matter into pink sludge. In a large general way one can call the disease liberalism, though the destruction we are now witnessing is the effect of the mutations of liberalism that we call socialism and progressivism. As we think...
Dr. Fleming explains the theme of the series, invoking the example of Russian dissidents who were not content to criticize specific policies of the USSR but zeroed in on the flawed principles on which the regime rested. The USA, which began as a constitutional republic, has tended more and more to accept the principles of the French Revolution. Even conservatives accept leftwing theories of equality and human rights as the cornerstone of their ideology. To resist the radicalization of America, we must debunk the false principles that justify the destruction of authentic American liberties. Original Air Date: November 20, 2015...
Thomas Fleming was recently interviewed (10 November) by Nikolaos Hidiroglou for the Greek newspaper Ελεύθερη Ώρα (Eleftheri Ora). Is Donald Trump the man for the job in the White House for the Republicans? The “Grand Old Party” has been fielding impossible presidential candidates that have made Republicans a political joke: Bob Dole, John McCain, Mitt Romney. Perhaps the worst was George W. Bush, who won two elections, squandered money and lives on a pointless and fruitless war in Iraq, and bankrupted his country. How could Trump do any worse? Trump’s great strength is his candor: He openly talks of...
We used to have a dog named Robert or, to be more precise Robert the Bruce. Robert was a Scottish Terrier of a particularly independent mind. Though he obeyed me, loved my life, and loyally guarded the family, it would be misleading to say we owned him. The reverse was closer to the truth. If previous Scotties in the family had been “jaunty,” as almost all of them are, Robert went them one better in being cocky or, rather, arrogant. Although each of us was of two minds about Robert, we all agreed at his funeral, as we drank the ...
I am writing this from Munich, a place known universally since September 30, 1938, for democracy’s sacrifice of strategic interest — or honor, for that is what strategic interest is in the life of individual or nation — to tactical advantage. The advantage, during the next few weeks or months, would benefit a politician, Chamberlain, and his party; the sacrifice, in the course of the century, would mean the death of hundreds of millions and half of Europe in chains. Before going any further, however, I should like to apologize for this choice of subject. I had been hoping that...
On this maiden voyage of the Fleming Foundation into podcasting, Dr. Thomas Fleming and Dr. Srdja Trifkovic discuss the recent bombings in Paris from both an American and a European perspective. Please enjoy and feel free to give feedback and ask questions. This is a work in progress so please be gentle on us! Original Air Date: November 18, 2015 Show Run Time: 54 minutes Show Guest(s): Dr. Thomas Fleming, Dr. Srdja Trifkovic Show Host(s): Stephen Heiner The Fleming Foundation · FF Podcast, Episode 1: The Paris Bombings The Fleming Foundation Podcast℗ is a Production of the Fleming...
Earlier this year, after the Charlie Hebdo shootings, I reflected on the conversations that may or may not ensue from the changing of a facebook profile picture. As my facebook news feed in the last few days has changed into a wash of the modern French flag (the tricolor) I’ve reflected further on our need, as a consumer-driven culture, to “brand” disaster. Clearly the French didn’t start the #prayforparis trend – as it’s an English phrase. #jesuischarlie started up so quickly because the attack was directed at a specific target for a specific reason. The French reacted, in their own...
Answer these questions honestly. If you score zero, you are rightwing; 5-10 makes you a conservative liberal, while a score of 15 tells you that you have reached the highest plateau of political correctness. 1. I have a nice Muslim friend; therefore ISIS is not Islamic. 2. The vast majority of the world’s “1.6 billion Muslims” are not part of ISIS or al-Qaeda; therefore ISIS and al-Qaeda have nothing to do with Islam. 3. The presence of large Islamic populations in Europe and North America is culturally enriching and intellectually invigorating. 4. Christianity and the Catholic Church have historically suppressed...
If you listen to the official press or even look at comments on news websites, Islamic terrorism is some sort of natural disaster caused by sun spots, global warming, or the political equivalent of fracking. One comment on the Washington Post summed up the popular despair. The commenter wanted to know why our government could not stop these attacks, but added he had no idea of how it could be done. On leftist news sites, a favorite talking point is to blame religion in general. Yes, those vicious Buddhists, Confucianists, and Neo-Platonists, for centuries they have been waging war on...
