Category Archives: Culture

The New Barbarians

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Joe Benning

Toward the end of February 2001 Mohammed Omar, the Taliban’s spiritual leader, ordered the destruction of all the statues in Afghanistan because, he said, they were idolatrous. And so the Taliban went about the systematic destruction of pre-Islamic artwork, which … Continue reading →

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Death in Charlottesville, Virginia

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Joe Benning

It has come to this: The President of the United States had to be dragged kicking and screaming into making a statement condemning neo-Nazis in Virginia. This was not a mere abstract exercise. The neo-Nazis in question had staged a … Continue reading →

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Dateline August 8, 2017—Lenox Massachusetts

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Joe Benning

The Kemble Inn, located in Lenox, is just a mile or so down the road from Tanglewood. A classic New England Inn, it features spectacular views of the Berkshires and a decent restaurant where a very good Amarone will set … Continue reading →

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Trump’s Important Speech in Poland

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Joe Benning

Stranger things have happened. With storm clouds gathering speed over Russia, China, Iran and North Korea President Trump not only conducted himself like a grown-up, he delivered a speech in Poland that sounded positively Reaganesque. He delivered a much-needed affirmation … Continue reading →

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Rhetoric and Political Violence

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Joe Benning

On January 8, 2011 a mentally disturbed man named Jared Lee Loughner shot 18 people, killing 6. Those wounded included Representative Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat, who represented Arizona’s 8th Congressional District. Loughner, diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic was initially found, … Continue reading →

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Commencement Season

Posted on May 28, 2017 by Joe Benning

The season is upon us when the good and great serve up the traditional pabulum to young graduates about the importance of following their dreams. And right on cue Hillary Clinton arrived to deliver the commencement address at Wellesley College. … Continue reading →

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Somebody is Lying

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Joe Benning

One of the most pernicious notions that has taken hold in modern pop culture is the Nietzschean claim, echoed by the post-modernists, that there are no facts, only interpretations. And since there is no such thing as truth, there is … Continue reading →

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Conservatives Have Some Explaining to Do

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Joe Benning

  Going on 4 months since the Inauguration, self-professed conservatives who backed Trump for the Presidency have a lot of explaining to do. To say that Hillary Clinton was and is a menace to liberty (not to mention decency) while … Continue reading →

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The Resistance Continues

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Joe Benning

For lots of very good reasons, not the least of which is that he is—let us face it—an ignoramus, an awful lot of people find Donald Trump’s election to be simply unpalatable. Within this group are two distinct camps. There … Continue reading →

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Devin Nunes Weighs In

Posted on March 22, 2017 by Joe Benning

Devin Nunes, a Republican, a Trump supporter and Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee previously said (and continues to say) that he doesn’t see any evidence that Trump Tower was wiretapped by the Obama Administration. There appears to be unanimity … Continue reading →

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