Yes, the European Jews were just a bunch of pants-wetting pansies back in the thirties: Dr. Ben Carson recently asserted that if guns had not been confiscated from Jews then Hitler would have had more trouble orchestrating the Holocaust. Jonathan Greenblatt, National Director of the Anti-Defamation Leauge, quickly objected, stating that there were few firearms available to Jews in Germany … Read More
9/11 Plus 14
I’m a bit like Ed Gilgore, who writes today…: Most years I don’t get too involved in 9/11 reminiscences. It’s not like any American old enough to be aware of what was happening that day is going to forget it. Some ideologues want us all to get hysterical each 9/11, but they are the ones whose memories are impaired, forgetting … Read More
Queen For A Day (and 23,225 more)
At 17:30 BST today, Queen Elizabeth, age 89, has reigned for 23,226 days, 16 hours and approximately 30 minutes – surpassing the reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. She becomes Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
Katrina: Ten Years Ago
Yes, this blog was around ten years ago when Katrina hit, and yes, I was all over it (and yes, a lot of the links are dead now)
70 Years Ago Today (UPDATE: And 50 Years Ago Today)
UPDATE: Voting Rights Act of 1965 signed 50 years ago today…. Sadly, much of the key components were eviscerated by the Supreme Court in 2013.
Remains Of The Day
Cool new archaeological discoveries at Jamestown announced today: Archaeologists have uncovered human remains of four of the earliest leaders of the English colony that would become America, buried for more than 400 years near the altar of what was America’s first Protestant church in Jamestown, Virginia. The four burial sites were uncovered in the floor of what’s left of Jamestown’s … Read More
RIP Nicolas Winton
Dead at 106. Who was he, you ask? This is a good day to found out. He is an Englishman who saved 669 children from the Holocaust. Find out how.
Supreme Court Rules 5-4 To End The Sanctity Of Marriage
46 years ago this weekend, police in New York City raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. Obviously, this is the end (we hope) of a remarkable civil rights story (despite my snarky headline). Here’s the opinion. Reactions are about what you expect. I will update as the day goes on. But the important thing is that about 3 … Read More
The Watershed
Josh Marshall channels what I have been thinking these past few days: I still cannot believe the Charleston Massacre has triggered quite this total a collapse of support, not just for flying the Confederate battle flag in places of honor at Southern state capitols, but for public display and honor for the Confederacy and the War of the Rebellion in … Read More
More Confederate Flag Fallout
I want to preface this flag round-up by saying this: although I welcome the removal of the confederate flag from the public (and commercial) square, and while doing so may garner some sniping from the likes of Bill Kristol and Haley Barbour, we must remember that taking down the flag is easy. No matter how good it will be to see … Read More
For The Last Time, The Civil War Was About Slavery
It gets exhausting sometimes having to explain to some people that the US Civil War was not about “states’ rights” or some other nonsense. That’s all 19th and 20th century revisionism, and it is not true. The Civil War was about slavery, and the reason we KNOW this is because there is an historical record. I will share some of … Read More
Fun Fact About The South Carolina Confederate Flag
The South Carolina Capitol did not display the Confederate Flag until 1961. In fact, it was raised on April 11, 1961 — the one hundredth anniversary of Fort Sumter. Here’s other news that happened that week: Sen. Marrion Gressette, the head of the State Segregation Committee, created in 1951 to recommend measures to maintain segregation, was supporting a resolution condemning … Read More
Celebrating Nellie Bly
You don’t know who Nellie Bly is, do you? She pioneered investigative journalism. — Sorkin Dialogue (@sorkinese) May 5, 2015 Google is celebrating Nellie Bly today with a little cartoony thing. Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s has written a song in her honor, which is featured in the lovely Google Doodle created by artist Katy Wu. Why Nellie Bly? Today … Read More