morning race.
24/06/2007today i had the privilege of reading the current issue of newsweek; and i figured i’d share some of the more brilliant and wisdom-filled ideas that were conveyed to me during this momentous occasion.
a - amnesty is undoubtedly the best solution for america’s immigration problem. no euphemisms implied—just amnesty. the legalization of 12 million illegal immigrants (without reasonable assurance of a fully secure border) is in no way an invitation for anarchy. right.
b - “overstating the threat of terrorism risks making us less safe.” americans have become complacent, as we have learned to sense when terrorism is being exploited for personal gain; thus, we ought not to be mindful of the global threat that is islamic fundamentalism, regardless of how great (or minuscule) the chances are of another domestic attack. worry about where you’ll get your morning latte: a more practical concern.
c - we live in what andrew ferguson, author of land of lincoln: adventures in abe’s america, calls a “wised-up era”—where “skepticism about the country, its heroes and its history” is “a mark of worldliness and sophistication.” this point, to my surprise, was refuted by newsweek commentator william kristol. he stated that “historians, in the old days, were moralistic and patriotic (some of them, at least) — but no longer.” he recalled how lincoln saw that time diminishes the memory of our battles won against tyranny. lincoln explained, the events of the revolution and the founding remained “living history,” and those americans retained an emotional attachment to the political institutions that had been created. this, of course, is not the case today. to be a skeptic is to be “progressive,” and patriotism in its contemporary form is a product of ignorance.
i admit this post was a bit satirical and sarcastic; but seriously, i hate dumbed-down political rags. it’s almost worse than watching tv.
almost.
