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Examining Declinism

March 10, 2010  •  Family Security Matters

Writing from his perch at the New York Times (2/8/10), Paul Krugman notes, "We've always known that America's reign as the world's greatest nation would eventually end. But most of us imagined that our downfall, when it came, would be something grand and tragic."

It isn't clear who the "we" is in this paragraph, nor is "downfall" as obvious as Mr. Krugman infers. But the position is part of a declinist stance that has insinuated itself into elitist positions. And there is some justification for it.

After all, the Obama administration acts as if the U.S. should engage in withdrawal from all international obligations except those channeled through the United Nations or other international organizations.

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Free Speech: A Casualty of Intimidation?

March 2, 2010  •  Family Security Matters

Jake Witzenfeld, president of Cambridge University's Israel Society, cancelled a talk by Benny Morris, a distinguished Israeli historian, for fear the Israel Society would be portrayed as a mouthpiece for Islamophobia.

The trial of Geert Wilders, in Holland, has received almost no attention from the media panjandrums in the West for fear the issue might lead to Muslim incitement, particularly in cities like Rotterdam where the Islamic population is near a majority.

Yale University Press refused to publish cartoons about the Prophet Mohammed in a book about the cartoons and the aftermath of the original publication, for fear of a possible violent response from Islamic adherents.

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Remembering Liberty

February 24, 2010  •  Family Security Matters

There is a shift occurring in the United States, a tectonic shift that is imposing statism in a land predicated on limited government.

In the past, the not very distant past, mediating structures served as a barrier against managerial despotism. But these structures have been under assault for decades and are showing signs of weakness and decay.

The family has been undermined by divorce and illegitimacy. Schools have eroded rigor and standards. Churches resemble social institutions more than religious centers. And associations like Rotary and Lions are suffering from insufficient enrollment and a lack of interest.

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The Spiritual Dimensions of Nationhood

February 7, 2010  •  Family Security Matters

I've said this before but no matter how many times it is said, it bears repeating: the threats that the United States face from a fanatical Islamic foe are made possible by our devotion to positions that undermine our heritage, accomplishments and founding.

It is not coincidental that I'm reminded of this condition by the passing of Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of The United States. This bestselling book, memorialized by the pseudo intellectual rants of the actor, Matt Damon, is among the most influential textbooks ever published. Bob Herbert of the New York Times wrote a saccharine ecology which suggested Zinn was a "national treasure." If so, it was a treasure of fool's gold.

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In Today's Government, Words Can Mean Whatever They Choose Them to Mean

February 2, 2010  •  Family Security Matters

The contemporary spokesmen for government, business and the academy have taken a page out of Alice in Wonderland: Words mean whatever you choose to have them mean. At some point, words had meanings detached from the user. They were ideas incarnate that stood on their own buttressed by Webster's Dictionary. Now, of course, they are unmoored, set adrift by sophists who employ words for advantage or even to change meaning. The Orwellian reversal of language, e.g. "war is peace," has been taken to a new level of manipulation.

Let me cite examples.

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Books by Herbert I. London