In the land of the mainstream media, conservative and Republican positions on so-called “culture war” issues are always “extreme,” while they rarely raise such concerns about liberal and Democrat positions. They then “helpfully” suggest ways that Republicans could attract more … Continue reading
American History & Presidents
On John Mearsheimer: Or, is the West really responsible for the Ukrainian crisis?
John Mearsheimer has unquestionably earned our attention on contemporary international relations and on the Ukrainian crisis. Mearsheimer is an academic who specializes in theories of international relations (IR). If you were an IR graduate student in the 1980s or 1990s … Continue reading
Ukraine’s Freedom Fighter
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at The American Spectator. “Two visions of the world remain locked in dispute,” said President Ronald Reagan in July 1983. “The first believes all men are created equal by a loving … Continue reading
The Manhattan Project — Developing the Atomic Bomb
On August 6, 1945 the Unites States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. These are the only two times a nuclear weapon has been used in war. This is … Continue reading
1776 and Slavery
Many progressives today are eager to redefine America not as starting in 1776, which is literally when the very title “United States of America” began, but in the year 1619, before Plymouth Rock and before John Winthrop and the Arabella … Continue reading
What Reversing Roe Really Means
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at The American Spectator. Throughout the 2015-16 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, I urged conservatives not to nominate Donald Trump. When November 2016 arrived, I did not vote for Donald … Continue reading
Russians Know Death Unlike Any Other People
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. The number of Russian combat deaths in Ukraine is striking, perhaps already exceeding the total dead in 10 years of war in Afghanistan from 1979-89. A NATO official has estimated that 7,000-15,000 … Continue reading
Should We Celebrate Presidents’ Day in 2022?
Given the low approval ratings of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, should we celebrate Presidents’ Day this year? Trump’s highest approval rating during his four years in office was 49 percent, and he ended his tenure with a 34 … Continue reading
The Biden administration’s ongoing ill-timed battle against fossil fuels
A few months ago, I wrote about President Biden’s anti-fossil fuel policies. Among other steps designed to restrict domestic production of oil and natural gas, the president canceled completion of the Keystone XL pipeline, banned drilling for oil in the … Continue reading
Mark Twain and Winston Churchill: Shared Experiences and Cultural Critiques
What do Mark Twain, the highly celebrated American author, and Winston Churchill, the monumental British politician, have in common? Quite a bit. Both were born on November 30, albeit almost 40 years apart—Twain in 1835 and Churchill in 1874. These … Continue reading
Us vs. them — why we remember 9/11 differently
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. On Sept. 8, 2021, Grove City College President Paul McNulty spoke in downtown Pittsburgh regarding his uniquely fascinating yet somber 9/11 experiences. He played an intimate role in the prosecution … Continue reading
Keeping Watch in Dr. Strangeloveland
“Heck, I reckon you wouldn’t even be human if you didn’t have some pretty strong personal feelings about nuclear combat.” Maj. King Kong, USAF Charges of treason leveled by politicians and journalists against Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of … Continue reading
God, Joe Biden, and the National Day of Prayer
President Joe Biden’s omission of the word God from his National Day of Prayer proclamation last week has evoked a firestorm of protest. Christian Broadcasting Network commentator David Brody, evangelist Franklin Graham, Catholic League president Bill Donohue, Fox News, and … Continue reading
From the Dawn of the American Twilight
Fifty years ago this spring, my wife and I, both Air Force intelligence officers, returned to Udorn Air Base, Thailand from an “in-country rest & recuperation” trip to Chaing Mai. That night I worked the mid-shift in the intel shop … Continue reading
Greatest of All Time: Celebrating Presidents’ Day 2021
The 2021 Super Bowl fueled conversations and debate about the legacy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback Tom Brady. When he finally hangs up his cleats, will he be widely recognized as the GOAT—greatest of all time? Or does the title … Continue reading
Reflections on Impeachment with President Paul McNulty
In February of 2020, President Paul McNulty, the ninth president of Grove City College, gives his reflections on the history of impeachment in the United States. He briefly looks at the impeachments Presidents Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump. … Continue reading
On the Impeachment and Conviction of President Trump
The House of Representatives, with the sole responsibility of impeachment, has passed a single Article of Impeachment charging President Donald Trump with committing a high crime, namely that he “made statements that encouraged—and foreseeably resulted in—imminent lawless action at the … Continue reading
Martin Luther King, Jr. and America’s ‘Promissory Note’
Each January, we honor Martin Luther King, Jr. for his leadership in combating racial segregation and securing civil rights for African Americans. However, critics lately have charged that King’s legacy has been “whitewashed,” or remembered selectively. A 2019 Guardian editorial … Continue reading
George S. Patton and Christmas 1945
Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator. “I’ll be home for Christmas, you can plan on me.” So crooned Bing Crosby in December 1943. The song was a lament for countless boys fighting abroad in World War … Continue reading
History and War: A Veterans Day Reflection
For 50 years, I have had one foot planted in Sparta and one in Athens: the military and the academy. The dichotomy is not simply between militarism and intellectualism. Athenians Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were soldiers as well as philosophers. … Continue reading