The West took a turn for the worse about 100 years ago. Three versions of a new political vision—fascism, communism, and progressivism—came to power at about the same time. Each one put the government at the center of national life. The political history of the 20th century in the West is largely the
Did you notice that common sense was almost entirely missing from the two nights of the Democrats’ radicalism pageant last week? In terms of common sense and nonsense, the clear winner of the pageant was Julian Castro. The former Obama housing secretary’s bold advocacy of government-funded abortions for transgender women—that is, for biological
On January 15, 1987, Jesse Jackson and around 500 protesters marched down Palm Drive, Stanford University’s grand main entrance, chanting "Hey hey, ho ho, Western Civ has got to go." They were protesting Stanford University’s introductory humanities program known as “Western Culture.” For Jackson and the protesters, the problem was its lack of
A new film, “Hotel Mumbai,” tells the story of the 2008 terrorist attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai. It is, I assure you, a film you want to see. It is more exciting than that action film playing next door in your town, better made than the films promoted by the Academy Awards, and
Have you heard this one? A federal judge has ruled that the all-male military draft is unconstitutional. How did you feel about this bit of news when you first learned of it? Did you think the ruling was ridiculous? An outrage? Did you feel hopeless about what is happening to our country? All
He [Harold Ross] was reminded of a pleasant afternoon that the two of them [Ross and Mrs. Roosevelt] had spent a few years earlier, talking for hours as they rode along in Mrs. Roosevelt’s sedan. At one point the former First Lady suddenly allowed as how “old people ought to be bumped off
I have a friend who tells me that attempts to understand Donald Trump in the ordinary ways we understand politicians, even truly remarkable politicians, are doomed to failure. My friend is pointing to the astonishing revelations Trump has precipitated. One such effect is that people in public life are ripping off their masks—and
The New Year’s Eve celebration at Times Square will again this year feature John Lennon’s song “Imagine." We thought this article, first published in 2017, would be worth revisiting today. Republishing it also affords us an opportunity to wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. Thank you for all of your support in
Judge Jon S. Tigar is back in the news. I wrote about him nearly two years ago: A federal judge ruled recently that an inmate serving a life sentence for murder in California must receive sex-reassignment surgery at taxpayer expense. The inmate was Rodney James Quine, 57, twice married and the father of
Progressives have finally lost patience with the American people. Until recently and on the whole they have been remarkably patient. From their beginning over a century ago, they have been quite far-sighted, keeping their eyes on the prize, always advancing their agenda while at the same time being careful not to unnecessarily alarm
