TOWTON 25
In its special Christmas issue, The Economist has a report on an archeological excavation in the Town of Towton, in England. This is where, on March 29th, 1461, the House of York defeated the House of Lancaster in the climactic battle in the War of the Roses, delivering the English crown to the Plantagenets. The …
THE PIPES OF CHRISTMAS
Was it a preview of a return to child-free late middle age? Hard to say for sure, but Ginny and I had a good time Sunday in Manhattan. First we had a leisurely stroll up Fifth Avenue for a tour of the Big Street’s holiday decorations (nice flags outside Cartier’s, nicer rocks inside), and then …
GREAT WEDDING CRASHER, BUT A BAD AMERICAN
In my most recent column for the Disunion series in the New York Times, I tell the following story about a wedding that was held in Washington in December 1860 that was interrupted by a bombastic guest, Lawrence Keitt, buoyantly booming out the news that South Carolina had seceded from the union. Well, I was …
SECESSION BALL, CHARLESTON SC, DECEMBER 20, 2010
In Charleston last night, the 150th anniversary of the great slaveholders’ revolt that ended in America’s bloody Civil War was marked with a gala ball featuring dinner, dancing, and a theatrical reeanctment of the signing of the Ordinance of Secession. Protesters led by the NAACP gathered outside.
COMPARTMENTALIZING THE CIVIL WAR
Tonight in Charleston, The Confederate Heritage Trust is holding what it calls “a theatrical performance and secession ball’’ to mark the 150th anniversary of the secession of South Carolina from the United States. For $100, guests will see a 45 minute play “re-enacting the signing of the original Ordinance of Secession with Senators and famous …
THE TEA PARTY VS. THE CONSTITUTION
In an article that appeared in The Washington Post, Michael Waldman, a former speechwriter for President Clinton, points out that while members of the Tea Party and other right wingers like Michele Bachman say they are committed to upholding the Constitution, they in fact favor changing the Constitution in countless ways. Here are some Waldman …
CSI 17TH CENTURY
According to an article by Joanne Impey of AFP on the website Deutsche Welle, “a team of scientists identified an embalmed head as that of King Henri IV of France, who was assassinated in 1610. . . .The head was apparently lost after a mob of revolutionaries desecrated the graves of French kings in the …
JOURNALIST OR TERRORIST?
I was sorry to see government officials like Eric Holder and Hillary Clinton overreacting to last week’s Wikileaks’ data drop, but it’s appalling to see CNN trying to poke a reaction by asking “Is Julian Assange a terrorist or a journalist?”, which the network did on a December 12th broadcast. FBI profiler Greg McCrary toed …