Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 218
September 24, 2015
Yogi Berra dies–here are some of his sayings
Yogi Berra, the winner of three MVPs who played in more World Series games than anybody, died at age 90. Here is his obituary. In addition to his baseball greatness playing for the New York Yankees, Yogi became known for his gnomic comments. On one level, they didn’t make sense, and yet, on a higher [Read More...]
Child abuse as cultural relativism
The New York Times has published a piece condemning the U.S. military for ignoring cases of child sexual abuse in Afghanistan. And yet, a few years earlier, the Times published a piece praising military briefers who told the troops to ignore the custom of “boy play”–older men taking young boys on “Love Thursdays” to use [Read More...]
September 23, 2015
Winfield, Kansas, and the musical world
I have been gorging myself on western and midwestern small-town culture, since retiring. In the last few weeks, I’ve been to a rodeo, a county fair, and Charlie Adams Day (a festival honoring a town legend and his horse). Last week I attended a huge event that shows just how influential a small town can [Read More...]
Joe Biden says “Abortion Is Always Wrong”
Joe Biden, good Catholic that he is, says that life begins at conception and that “abortion is always wrong.” But, good Democrat that he is, he also believes in legalized abortion, saying that it would also be wrong to impose his religious beliefs on those who do not share them. The objective fact of the [Read More...]
So where are the Democratic debates?
There are, as of this date, five candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley, Lincoln Chafee, and Jim Webb. Why aren’t they debating like the Republican candidates are? There will be some Democratic debates–six of them, the smallest number in a modern race without an incumbent–but they will be late [Read More...]
September 22, 2015
The Pope gets here today
Today at 4:00 p.m. ET, Pope Francis will arrive in Washington, D.C. The next day he will visit the White House. On Thursday the pope will address a joint session of Congress, the first time that has ever happened. Friday he’ll be in New York, addressing the UN, and Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia. What [Read More...]
Scott Walker quits the race
Scott Walker, a front runner in the early days of his campaign, announced that he is quitting the Republican race for the presidency. He urged others in the field to do so as well, urging his party to coalesce around a conservative alternative to Donald Trump. From Scott Walker Ends His 2016 Presidential Run – [Read More...]
Collective bargaining with “joint employers”
The National Labor Board has ruled that companies that subcontract parts of their operation or sell franchises to private operators are to be considered “joint employers.” That means they may have to engage in collective bargaining with the unions that represent employees of the subcontractors or franchisees. But many subcontractors offer services to scores of [Read More...]
September 21, 2015
Mercury is in retrograde!
Until October 9, an optical illusion due to the rotation of the Earth will make it look like the planet Mercury is moving backwards. That’s, literally, a bad sign in the world of astrology. Mercury is said to govern communications, and it’s happening in the constellation Libra, which has to do with relationships, partnerships, and [Read More...]
What Donald Trump won’t talk about
Have you noticed that Donald Trump almost never mentions the words “freedom” or “liberty”? Or that he never complains about big government? National Review‘s Jim Geraghty discusses these words that Trump doesn’t use, pointing out that instead he focuses on strength and weakness. From Jim Geraghty, Donald Trump’s Message Doesn’t Include ‘Liberty’ or ‘Freedom’ | [Read More...]
