David W. Tollen's Blog, page 9
July 19, 2016
The Founding Fathers and the Election of 2016
This evening, the Republican Party nominated a truly unusual candidate for President. More than any major party nominee in history, Donald Trump has spoken against the principles and policies of America’s Founding Fathers. He has opposed legal restraints on government power — laws that tie the government’s hands — which for the Founding Fathers was the bedrock of freedom. And he has advocated open, overt religious discrimination, rejecting another of the Founding Fathers’ core values. Mr. Trump and his supporters aren’t necessarily unpatriotic. Most probably don’t realize they stand against the legacy of George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and the other founders. But as voters, we need to understand the Founding Fathers and the cornerstones they laid for our democracy.
Mr. Trump’s conduct on TV has led me to doubt that has the emotional balance or knowledge to succeed George Washington. But his responses to the Founding Fathers’ legacy raise more serious concerns.
1. Legal Restraints on Government Power. Nothing united the Founding Fathers more than their insistence that the law restrain government power, and they crafted a Constitution to protect liberty by imposing those restraints. Nearly all the founders spoke over and over on this theme, but George Washington probably did more than any of them to limit government power. He served as a living example of restraint when he led the nation, confirming for posterity that the law would check even America’s powerful presidency. Yet this year, the Republicans’ nominee for that same office has repeatedly scorned legal restraints on government power, calling them “politically correct,” and promised to break the law. Donald Trump has promised to violate NAFTA — a treaty, and thus a law: “[w]e will either renegotiate it or we will break it.” He has promised torture — to “bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding” — and he’s said he’ll assassinate suspected terrorists’ families. And in praising Saddam Hussein, he said: “He killed terrorists. … They didn’t read them their rights … they were a terrorist, it was over.” Mr. Trump’s disdain for reading rights — a Constitutional requirement — tells us much about how he’d approach the Founding Fathers’ legacy. Even if he kept few of his promises or none, Donald Trump’s election would stand as a statement that American voters no longer agree with John Adams that ours should be “a government of laws, and not of men.”
2. Religious Rights. George Washington said that, “in this land of equal liberty, it is our boast, that a man’s religious tenets will not forfeit the protection of the laws ….” Samuel Adams said, “[i]n regard to religion, mutual toleration in the different professions thereof is what all good and candid minds in all ages have ever practiced ….” Thomas Jefferson believed, “that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, [and] that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions.” The list of Founding Fathers’ proclamations go on and on. But today’s Republican nominee has called for open, overt discrimination against a religious minority, Muslims, in immigration and elsewhere. Some past Presidents probably practiced religious discrimination, but not recently (so far as we know) and not openly. The election of a President who openly advocates religious discrimination would reject the Founding Fathers’ guidance, on one of their central themes. (Mr. Trump’s election would also likely increase the very threat he means to address, since it’s because most Muslim citizens feel American — for now — that we’ve suffered fewer homegrown Islamist attacks than the less welcoming Europeans.)
The likely alternative to Donald Trump is Hillary Clinton. She’d be America’s first female President, and she inspires unusually positive and negative feelings among voters. Yet she’s far more a traditional candidate then Mr. Trump. That’s because she does not oppose the Founding Fathers’ legacy. Thanks to that difference, Secretary Clinton has attracted support from a large collection of Republican leaders. As former Reagan spokesman Doug Elmet put it: “I’ve never voted for a Democrat in my entire life,” but “I could live with four years of Hillary Clinton before I could ever live with one day of Donald Trump as president.” Only a few of these Republicans have cited the Founding Fathers, but it’s the founders’ legacy that creates this unusual alignment between Republicans and Democrats.
The founders’ legacy, however, doesn’t call on voters to cast a ballot for Hillary Clinton. Libertarian Gary Johnson stands just as much in line with the Founding Fathers, and so do other minor party candidates, as well as potential write-ins (Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders, John Kasich, Marco Rubio …). It’s Donald Trump who stands apart from the Founding Fathers.
This presidential election’s central choice, then, is not between or among candidates. It’s between the trail blazed by the Founding Fathers and the path they warned us not to take.
July 16, 2016
Governments can’t stop terrorism any more than lions can stop flea-bites.
When a single man can kill eighty-four with a truck, it’s time to let go of the illusion that governments can keep us safe from political violence. Lone-wolf terrorist attacks have become part of modern life, and no one can change that. We should accept it and at the same time recognize that we Westerners still live far safer lives than any people in the history of the world. Instead of sacrificing civil rights in favor of persecuting suspected minorities — in a doomed attempt to stop lone wolf terrorists — we should focus on preventing the most devastating attacks, by denying terrorists access to nuclear power plants, airports, and weapons of mass destruction.
As for the lone-wolf and small group terrorists, we should accept that they’ll be with us for the foreseeable future. We should bury the dead, comfort the bereaved, and refuse to be influenced. Imagine terrorists bullying a Roman emperor into changing policy by killing or threatening 0.00002% of his people. Or a an Ottoman sultan, French king, or Japanese shogun? Why are modern Western governments — proportionally so much stronger — more easily frightened than these past powers? We should ignore would-be leaders like Donald Trump and Newt Gingrich who panic and demand that we sacrifice sacred values — religious freedom and minority rights — to prevent flea-bite attacks. Our only hope of reducing lone-wolf attacks is the opposite policy: pulling suspected minorities closer into our national communities, so that fewer imbalanced young men lash out. Beyond that, we should recognize that lone-wolf attacks, while devastating to those involved, are flea-bites to our great nations.
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Map: Pays attaqués par au moins une attaque terroriste au 21ème siècle, by Lolaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, licensed through Wikimedia Commons via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
© 2016 by David W. Tollen.
June 4, 2016
May 12, 2016
LitPick Interview
I recently did an interview with LitPick.com about my writing, particularly The Jericho River — and you can read it at LitPick’s author page.
In case you don’t know, LitPick.com is a fantastic site, dedicated to promoting reading among teens, preteens, and young adults. They publish book reviews written by young readers, giving kids a chance to participate in the publishing industry. (A fourteen-year-old LitPick reviewer penned one of my favorite reviews of The Jericho River.) LitPick also recently won the prestigious Mom’s Choice Awards Honoring Excellence, among other honors.
Please come check out the interview.
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© 2016 by David W. Tollen
March 17, 2016
Last Chance for E-book Discount — Until March 19
FYI, our $1.99 discounted price on The Jericho River e-book continues until Saturday, 3/19. (It’s £1.49 in the U.K., $1.99 in Canada, and in ₹130.00 India.)
Sales have been tremendous! Please spread the word if you know anyone who might be interested.
The Jericho River: A Novel About the History of Western Civilization
A spellbinding fantasy that seamlessly blends ancient history and mythology: When Jason sets sail on the Jericho River to save his father, he’ll explore a magical world — and face the legendary beasts that stand in his way.
March 13, 2016
Even Better Sales Ranks for The Jericho River!
FYI, today, The Jericho River e-book ranks #4 in historical fantasy at Amazon (U.S.) and #1 for education-theory/history!
Among other retailers, it’s #2 in historical sci-fi/fantasy and #5 in historical fiction at Kobo! And it’s #75 overall at BN.com!
March 12, 2016
Big Amazon Ranks for The Jericho River!
So far today, The Jericho River e-books hit Amazon ranks 683 in the U.K., 318 in the U.S., and 37 in Canada!
“A spellbinding fantasy that seamlessly blends ancient history and mythology: When Jason sets sail on the Jericho River to save his father, he’ll explore a magical world — and face the legendary beasts that stand in his way.” — BookBub
BookBub Feature & Discount, Jericho River E-books
BookBub has chosen The Jericho River as a featured title! That’s flattering recognition, and it also means you can buy an e-book at a discount, from today through March 19.
In case you don’t know BookBub: members get notices about e-books the staff thinks they’ll enjoy, after a competitive selection process. The members also get a limited-time discount. But you can take advantage of the discount even if you’re not a member, at most or all retailers in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and India …
March 12-19, 2016: The Jericho River, A Novel About the History of Western Civilization, U.S. list price $6.99 — limited time discount:*
U.S.: $1.99 — Amazon, BN.com, iBooks, Kobo, etc.
U.K.: £1.49 — Amazon U.K., etc.
Canada: $1.99 — Amazon Canada, Kobo Canada, etc.
India: ₹130.00 — Amazon India, etc.
I’m excited that BookBub chose The Jericho River. Please spread the word about the discount opportunity, particularly to anyone who enjoys fantasy, history, or unusual fiction. Thanks!
A fantasy novel that’s also a history, The Jericho River has won multiple awards. It’s a magical adventure story that explores the history of Western Civilization, from its roots in the ancient Middle East to the modern world. It’s also a remarkable, light, fun way to learn, for both teens and adults. And it’s an exciting ride for anyone who enjoys stories like Tolkien’s work — or thinking out of the box.
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* Prices may vary outside the United States.
March 3, 2016
An Amateur Historian Imagines a Trump Presidency
If Donald Trump were President, and if he kept his campaign promises …
The United States would be fighting a trade war against China — after we levy 45% tariffs on our second biggest trading partner, reversing our long-term success at reducing tariffs (but it’d be “a fair war”).Mussolini’s ideas would once again guide a great nation.
The U.S. would be fighting a cold war + trade war against Mexico, our third biggest trading partner and one of two countries on our land borders.
Just after they pass by the Statue of Liberty, refugees and immigrants would take an “I’m not Muslim” oath.
The intelligence agencies would have to halt most anti-terrorism operations in the Middle East, thanks to our loss of Muslim allies, but they’d compensate by assassinating suspected terrorists’ wives and children (and “war crime” would no longer be a thing).
The Pope would not visit the U.S. for four years.
The market for instruments of torture would soar, as the President “bring[s] back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding” because, “believe me, it works” (again, “war crime” no longer a thing).
Treaties with the U.S. would no longer be binding, thanks to our policy on NAFTA: “We will either renegotiate it or we will break it.”
A hundred thousand Syrian and Iraqi men, women, and children would lie dead, due to the President’s plan to “bomb the shit out of” ISIS (but ISIS itself, highly dispersed, would be fine).
ISIS Recruiting Officer would be the world’s most sought-after job: easy and highly paid.
Instead of “my esteemed opponent” or “the right honorable gentleman from South Carolina,” American politicians would call their opponents “loser.”Fashions of the 1930’s (see photo) would return, thanks to a new Great Depression, caused by trade wars and by the credit collapse (the latter triggered by the President’s debt policy: “be unpredictable”).
Libel laws would “trump” freedom of speech, and I’d owe the President my house and savings for this post.
This might not seem like a post on history, but it looks at the Trump effect on historical forces. Those include America’s unique advantage from having no opponents across a land border, America’s habit of winning in a free trade environment, the economic effects of unpredictable government, and the impact of demagogue leaders. Please share!
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Trump Photo by Gage Skidmore, licensed through Wikimedia Commons via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.
© 2016 by David W. Tollen.
