Partisanship is an essential part of your system. Hyper-partisanship may destroy it. Martin provides the highlights of a thought piece from the Winter 2020 Claremont Review of Books.   Read the rest of this entry »

Check out Jim's latest article on American Thinker.   Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. James Swisher, inspired by the life of Daniel Morgan, wrote an engaging new biography, Daniel Morgan An Inexplicable Hero, which is being published this year posthumously by his son and family. Morgan was a giant in every sense of the word. He participated in many critical events of the American Revolution (The Siege of Quebec, Saratoga, and Cowpens). He transcended his humble beginnings and earned the respect of his compatriots and his enemies.   Read the rest of this entry »

And now for something completely different - a steampunk/dieslpunk alternative history boardgame.   Read the rest of this entry »

Creighton focuses on the societal and cultural significance of the Buffalo fair but stops just short of drawing unsupported conclusions and says what she has to say in a plausible and thoughtful manner. Creighton weaves her observations throughout her tale of assassination, romance, kidnapping, and crazy women riding the rapids of Niagara Falls. And, if that's not enough, there are lions and tigers, elephants, monkeys and socialists.   Read the rest of this entry »

In writing his new book, Young Washington, Peter Stark utilizes an imagination fueled by his experience as an outdoorsmen both prior to, and in preparation for his reconstruction of the man Washington was before he became the man he wanted to me.   Read the rest of this entry »

Today when we commemorate the blessings bequeathed to us by the Founders is a good time to remember that those blessings come with responsibilities. It seems fitting that this should be our annual post on this day.   Read the rest of this entry »

The Unexpected President is an aptly named biography of Chester A. Arthur. The oft-used subtitle, The Life and Times of …, is also very fitting. Greenberger gives the reader a clear picture of what life was like in New York in the mid 19th century and highlights several of his subject’s contemporaries in telling Arthur’s story. In fact, the book is as much about Arthur's times and contemporaries as it is about Arthur.   Read the rest of this entry »

The Founders, however admirable, were people with faults and foibles. This might seem obvious, but for many biographers who devote years studying their subjects, it's easy to engage in hero worship without realizing it. Though she is not guilty of this, as a reader it's particularly easy to do when one reads Melanie Randolph Miller's biography of Gouverneur Morris.   Read the rest of this entry »

I have enjoyed listening to The Similitude of a Dream all week on my commute to and from work.  My son was so excited about a scheduled tour, that he immediately bought tickets for the two of us to go. Figuring I'd enjoy the show more if I knew what to expect, he lent me the CDs. He flew into town this weekend for the concert. We're going to the show tonight   Read the rest of this entry »