Thought for Today

"If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans."

~~~~~ James Herriot

Thought for Today

"My kind of loyalty was loyalty to one's country, not to its institutions or its officeholders. The country is the real thing, the substantial thing, the eternal thing; it is the thing to watch over, and care for, and be loyal to; institutions are extraneous."

~~~~~ Mark Twain

Thought for Today

"A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle; and patriotism is loyalty to that principle."

~~~~~ George William Curtis

Thought for Today

"Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to."

~~~~~ Alfred A. Montapert

Thought for Today

"My kind of loyalty was loyalty to one's country, not to its institutions or its officeholders. The country is the real thing, the substantial thing, the eternal thing; it is the thing to watch over, and care for, and be loyal to; institutions are extraneous."

~~~~~ Mark Twain

"It's a Wonderful Life" Redux

In case you haven't already seen it elsewhere, here's the must-watch video of CNN reporter Don Lemon interviewing three of Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Sgt. Michael Crowley's fellow officers. While Sgt. Crowley, choked with emotion, watches mutely, the CNN reporter speaks in turn with Sgt. Leon Lashley, an unidentified policeman, and Officer Kelly King. The reporter, Sgt. Lashley (who was on the scene at the Henry Louis Gates incident), and Officer King all happen to be black.

The interview brings to mind the climactic scene from It's a Wonderful Life, when George stands there speechless as his friends and family stream in with piles of money to save Bailey Building and Loan from the clutches of the venal Mr. Potter – it's actually that heartwarming. Sgt. Crowley, who, like George, seems like an idealistic individual who has always tried to treat others as he himself would like to be treated, stands there with tears welling up in his eyes as one after another, his fellow officers vouch for his character.

Officer Kelly King is particularly noteworthy. Most of us have never heard of her before. Undoubtedly, this is the first time in her life that she has ever addressed millions of people. She speaks straight from the heart, with no prepared script – and no teleprompter, yet she displays not a trace of nervousness. On the contrary, her eloquence and sincerity cause her words to have a far greater impact than those of any "hired gun" professional speechwriter. She even speaks in whole paragraphs, with nary an "umm" or an "uhh."

The eminent Henry Louis Gates would undoubtedly be Mr. Potter. However, we can take the "It's a Wonderful Life" parallel only so far. Despite his premeditated effort to inject himself into the controversy, there does not appear to be a meaningful role in this plot for our rookie President. His ill-considered remarks at his infamous press conference have boomeranged. The mud he aimed at Sgt. Crowley has somehow flown right back and splattered all over him. Now, in an attempt to extricate himself from his self-made mess as gracefully as possible, he has grasped gratefully at a lifeline thrown to him by the gentlemanly Sgt. Crowley. We are given to understand that the scheduled White House tête-à-tête over beers with His Eminence, Professor Henry Louis Gates, to be moderated (refereed?) by President Obama, was Sgt. Crowley's idea.

Watch – and be thankful that once in a while, just as in the movies, the good guys win at the end.

Middle Tennessee Liberty Rally

A huge Tea Party rally on the Legislative Plaza in Nashville, Tennessee is coming soon. It's called the Middle Tennessee Liberty Rally, and it will be held at high noon on Monday, June 29th. If you live anywhere within driving distance and you can get away from work for a couple of hours, come join us. So far, the scheduled speakers are Nashville talk show hosts Phil Valentine, Ralph Bristol, and Steve Gill, along with Ben Cunningham of Tennessee Tax Revolt and Ken Marrero, the Blue Collar Muse. By the time of the rally, there may be one or two more.

Here's a brochure (click to enlarge):

For the most current information, and to sign up for the mailing list, go to the Tennessee Tea Party website.

See you there!

Don Feder: An American Credo

Don Feder has written an outstanding Memorial Day column, An American Credo. Here's how it begins:

On the day when we memorialize those who gave their lives so America would endure, we should ask what it means to be a citizen of this republic. Here are the thoughts of one American, a credo for the coming millennia.

I am an American. I was conceived at Plymouth, born in Lexington and Concord, and reached maturity at Philadelphia.

I went through the fires of Shiloh, Gualdacanal, the Chosin Resovoir, Khe Sanh and a thousand other battlefields, and emerged rededicated to the ideals on which America was founded.

I am an American. Ever ready to defend my liberty and independence, to make any sacrifice and bear any burden – still, I seek no quarrel.

To read the rest of this stirring tribute to American exceptionalism, click here.

Hat tip: Jewish World Review

Thought for Today

We cannot but be astonished at the ease with which men resign themselves to ignorance about what is most important for them to know; and we may be certain that they are determined to remain invincibly ignorant if they once come to consider it as axiomatic that there are no absolute principles.

~~~~~ Frederic Bastiat

John McCain – A Personal Glimpse

Ann Landers wrote, "The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." Here's an almost forgotten story illustrating how John McCain lives by that creed: The Great McCain Story You've Probably Forgotten

What an old anecdote about Mo Udall in the hospital reveals about McCain's character.
By Michael Lewis

Back in 1996 and 1997, before John McCain was a presidential candidate or object of media fascination, Michael Lewis followed the Arizona senator around as he campaigned for Bob Dole and worked to reform campaign-finance laws. Lewis' pieces for the New Republic and the New York Times Magazine portrayed McCain as a passionate, cantankerous, astonishingly honest political character who frequently acted in ways that brought him no political gain. In the recent back-and-forth over whether McCain is a regular politician or a true outlier, we remembered a wonderful moment from Lewis' 1997 New York Times Magazine profile of McCain, "The Subversive." The passage below comes at the very end of Lewis' article.

Read it and learn about a man who doesn't need to fake good character because he personifies it.

Hat tip: Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit, who in turn got it from one of his readers.