“The Barbarian cannot make … he can befog and destroy but … he cannot sustain; and of every Barbarian in the decline or peril of every civilization exactly that has been true.” Hilaire Belloc’s depiction of the barbarian is recalled to mind as the statues honoring the history and heroes… CONTINUE
Contributors
What Will Your Rabbi Talk About This Week?
Tomorrow night is Rosh Hashana, one of the two High HoIy Days of Judaism, or “Days of Awe,” as they are called in Hebrew. The other High Holy Day, nine days later, is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Just as there are many Christians who only go to church… CONTINUE
Hollywood’s Self-Defeating Political Snark
Sunday night, after noticing Sean Spicer’s name trending on social media, I brushed aside my better judgement and turned on the Emmys. Though the former White House press secretary’s brief appearance was long over, the anti-Trump posturing at the glitzy, self-congratulatory schmoozefest was still in high-gear. Unsurprisingly, the president was the butt… CONTINUE
Trump’s Shift to the Path of Least Resistance
It’s been nearly a year since Donald Trump won the election, and it seems that most people, at this point, understand why. He took the GOP primary because he channeled the anger of frustrated voters, tore “the establishment” a new one, and rode a wave of overwhelming media coverage against a ridiculously… CONTINUE
A ‘Read-My-Lips’ Moment for Trump?
“Having cut a deal with Democrats for help with the debt ceiling, will Trump seek a deal with Democrats on amnesty for the ‘Dreamers’ in return for funding for border security?” The answer to that question, raised in my column a week ago, is in. Last night, President Donald Trump… CONTINUE
COUR 101: Introduction to Courage
You may have heard the saga of law professors Amy Wax and Larry Alexander. In an op-ed published last month, they put forth a simple and common-sense prescription for getting ahead in modern America. Their piece, headlined “PAYING THE PRICE FOR BREAKDOWN OF THE COUNTRY’S BOURGEOIS CULTURE,” first laid out… CONTINUE
Steve Bannon — the Political Right’s Benjamin Linus
On Sunday, Politico’s Alex Isenstadt reported that President Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, is leading an effort to remove a number of sitting senators in the 2018 election. Notably, the politicians he’s targeting aren’t Democrats. They’re Republicans, and his plan is to take them out during the primaries, and replace… CONTINUE
Tribalism Marches On!
Recently, a columnist-friend, Matt Kenney, sent me a 25-year-old newspaper with his chiding that my column had been given better play. Both had run in The Orange County Register on June 30, 1991. “Is there no room for new nations in the New World Order?” was my title, and the… CONTINUE