Review: Soft Despotism, Democracy’s Drift: Montesquieu, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and the Modern Prospect

Erudition Demanding Concentration–Need Lay Chapter or Pamphlet October 12, 2009 Paul A. Rahe This is an extraordinary book offering a very detailed and superbly integrated examination of the consistencies and differences among Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Tocqueville, both to illuminate precisely what was in the Founding Father’s minds when they sought to create a Republic of, …

Journal: Nobel Peace Prize Implodes (Update 5)

Original Announcement: Oct. 9 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” the Nobel Committee said. “The Nobel Committee has in particular looked at Obama’s vision and work toward a world without atomic weapons,” Thorbjoern Jagland, chairman of the five-member …

Review: Betrayal: How Black Intellectuals Have Abandoned the Ideals of the Civil Rights Era

My Head Hurts–Time for a Black Caucus on Black Power October 7, 2009 Houston A. Baker My head hurts. After enjoying and reviewing Waiting for Lightning to Strike: The Fundamentals of Black Politics yesterday evening, I was not anticipating the firestorm of erudite adjective-laden brow-beating that this author delivers. Minus one star for beating several …

Journal: Chuck Spinny Flags Glenn Beck, Populist Rage is Rampant and Rightly So…

Chuck Spinney says: Even though OODA loops shaping nutty mass behaviour are becoming ever more disconnected from reality, Frank Rich shows this fact does not imply that the phenomenon of populist rage is not based on some real frustrations, grievances, anxieties, and fears.  CS The New York Times OP-ED COLUMNIST Even Glenn Beck Is Right …

Journal: Race, Class, Money & Truth

In keeping with our new-found commitment to focus on public intelligence and leave political reform to others, this commentary provides an overview  of the political scene (including political commentary from journalists lacking any independence), and concludes that what is missing from our national dialog are integrity and public intelligence. First, the political “terrain” of ideological …