“How can ANYONE take this man seriously?” writes Marilyn, a frequent reader of our Center for Vision & Values articles. Attached to Marilyn’s email was this headline, “Gore compares climate change fight to war against Nazis.” As the accompanying article … Continue reading
Media & Culture
V&V Q&A: On E.D. Hirsch Jr. and Cultural Literacy
Editor’s Note: The “V&V Q&A” is an e-publication from The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an intriguing thinker or opinion-maker that we hope will prove illuminating to readers everywhere. In … Continue reading
Slumdogs and Slavery
On the Monday morning following the Oscars, U.S. news websites splashed the announcement that the “little film that could,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” had garnered the Best Picture of 2008 award. Buried on many of the same web sites was the news … Continue reading
Team Obama: Ready to Rock ‘n’ Roll
Ready for some political and economic rock and roll? It’s happening. In 2008, Americans were rocked by the beginnings of a deflationary credit collapse and Uncle Sam’s extraordinary bailout/nationalization agenda. In 2009, Americans will be rolled. If you think 2008 … Continue reading
“Media Lied, Kids Died?”
I first heard it in an email from a professor in Illinois. We were arguing about something I wrote on Barack Obama. I asked if he agreed that the media had been breathlessly, transparently biased in favor of Obama in … Continue reading
Not the Great Communicator: On Bush, Berlin, and Moses
As the country considers the inauguration of Barack Obama, I’m mindful of another inauguration that seems a long time ago, and which speaks volumes to the presidential transition we are about to witness. It was a January day in 1999, … Continue reading
Howard Dean’s Presidential Victory
“George Bush is not my neighbor!” —Howard Dean, January 2004 Five years ago, George W. Bush finished the last good year of his presidency. Things were looking up. The Democratic front-runners seeking their party’s presidential nomination lauded the historic accomplishments … Continue reading
Ignorance is Not Bliss
Quick, attempt the following: Name the three branches of the federal government. Recognize the speech where the words “of the people, by the people, and for the people” come from. Identify the female judge on American Idol. The Intercollegiate Studies … Continue reading
Today’s Frankensteins
“Man,” I cried, “how ignorant art thou in thy pride of wisdom! Cease; you know not what it is you say.” —Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, volume III, chapter 7 With the help of Hollywood—though often to its detriment—Mary Shelley’s 19th century … Continue reading
Hatred and Politics
Politics in America is a contact sport. Passions flare and the rhetoric can get heated and nasty. Political parties stoke these fires, playing on people’s fears as a key fund-raising tactic. Conservative authors have produced books with insulting titles like … Continue reading
A Tale of Two Narratives—and the Palin Paradigm
Reactions to Governor Palin’s selection as Senator McCain’s running mate ranged from laughter to incredulity and then from alarm to panic. Indeed, editorials on the danger she poses to Senator Obama’s once inevitable coronation in November now radiate furrowed brows … Continue reading
Hating Palin: Words of Wisdom from Reagan
It has taken me a couple of weeks but I think I’ve finally gotten handle on why Sarah Palin’s bravado Republican convention speech was such a smash among conservatives: After nearly eight years of watching President George W. Bush curl … Continue reading
Sarah Palin, Slasher
Contrary to a widely circulated report in Tuesday’s Washington Post, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, did not slash funding for a program supporting teen mothers. The Washington Post’s Paul Kane reported that “Palin Slashed Funding for Teen Moms.” The far-left Huffington … Continue reading
The Power of the Media
So powerful are the media that they have been referred to as the fourth branch of government. Indeed, they can make or break reputations. Example: when former Vice President Dan Quayle misspelled “potato” by adding an “e,” the press magnified … Continue reading
Hollywood’s Stinger Missile
Editor’s Note: A longer version of this review is posted at The American Thinker. “Reagan specifically urged the supplying of U.S. shoulder-launched, heat-seeking missiles that can shoot down Soviet helicopter gunships.” —Martin Schram, Washington Post, January 10, 1980 Last week … Continue reading
“Charlie Wilson’s War”—movie review
“Charlie Wilson’s War” is a fascinating movie for political buffs. Director Mike Nichols, star and co-producer Tom Hanks, and co-star Julia Roberts are well-known liberals. The U.S. support of the Afghan Mujahedin’s fight against the Soviet invaders in the 1980s … Continue reading
Movie review: “Hairspray”
“Hairspray”—the film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name—is trite and formulaic. Some of its key characters are mere caricatures. I can’t remember the words or melody of any of its songs. And on top of that, I … Continue reading
Multiculturalism as a Peculiar Institution
In 1857 the U.S. Supreme Court handed down what has since been regarded as one of its most notorious decisions. In Dred Scott v. Sandford, Chief Justice Roger Taney delivered the opinion of the court, which, in the words of … Continue reading
The Real Danger of Global Warming Policy
Amidst the rock concert mania surrounding a post-July 4th global warming consciousness raising, it is important for citizens to understand the difference between reasoned debate about public policy and the verbal pyrotechnics of a crusade. The politics of policy formation … Continue reading
VISION & VALUES CONCISE: Q&A with Janice Brown
Editor’s Note: The “V&V Q&A” is an e-publication from The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College. Each issue will present an interview with an intriguing thinker or opinion-maker that we hope will prove illuminating to readers everywhere. In … Continue reading