Attention Span: Our National Education Crisis, Part One
Click Here For Part Two I have a number of different topics to cover over the next couple of months. I will post most of these in the form of series. Sometimes, as these series can be multi-parts (as many as ten), I will introduce a new series before a given series is completed. […]
Thanksgiving: A Proclamation
How many of us know the origin of Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving celebrations began as early as 1541 along the eastern seaboard of North America. Most of us relate to the celebration at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. The Pilgrims, having survived their first winter (during which about half of them died), invited their local Indian friends to […]
Why the Liberal Arts, Why Monticello, and Why the Outdoors?
Contributing author Joelle Mancuso of Simi Valley, CA 9/2/10 Imagine a liberal arts education as you would a physical training program. The program you use, the tools that are engaged and the environment you utilize will determine if you become fit or remain idle. A college that is dedicated to greatness, a curriculum that engages […]
People Who Live at the End of Dirt Roads: Monte and Laura Bledsoe – Quail Hollow Farm, CSA
Six years ago one of my former mentees decided to try growing vegetables on a tiny patch of ground. She thought, “what a nice little hobby I will create for myself.” Her vision was to grow and provide a little food for a few other families. She was not willing to commit to more than […]
Montesquieu: Luminary of the Enlightenment
(Please excuse any errors. I am writing on the fly from New York and time is limited). Cicero said, “To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child.” To paraphrase, he who only knows his own generation is an unwitting slave to those who have a knowledge of the past and an eye on the […]
What Sort Of Despotism Democratic Nations Have To Fear
The debate of the Federalists and the Anti-federalists is not our debate. Their argument was centered on how to create a system that maintained the strength of sovereign states and create a strong, independent general government. We now have the opposite, weak quasi-sovereign states with a run away all-powerful federal government. The central government debated […]
The Courage of Washington
George Washington was not a great president. He was an average farmer and a loyal but solitary if dispassionate husband and neighbor. When it came to people and relationships, public speaking, pressing the flesh, and gushing, Mr. Washington had a lot of room for improvement. It’s a good thing Washington’s mission was none of those […]
Article V: A Potential Path to Restoring State Sovereignty, Citizen Responsibility and the Original Intent of the Founders
Today there are two strongly promoted opinions regarding the advantages and disadvantages of a Constitutional Convention that could be activated by the application of at least 34 of the several states as outlined in Article V of the U.S. Constitution. One purports that such a move would likely put the nation and her 224 year-old […]
Liber and Public Virtue – A 4th of July Tribute
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate and memorialize our Independence Day than by introducing you to this excellent and inspiring speech by the best teach and mentor I know, Dr. Oliver DeMille. Happy 4th of July. Liber and Public Virtue By Oliver DeMille A speech delivered by Dr. Oliver DeMille […]