My daughter and I were reading Patrick Henry’s famous March 25, 1775 speech that concludes, “Give me liberty or give me death!” We were both struck by the contemporary relevance of his second paragraph:
Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes [...]
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Shlomo Avineri writes a letter to a Serbian friend, advising Serbia to acquiesce in Kosovo independence. He points out that 90% of the population of Kosovo is ethnically Albanian, and says:
Yet one cannot draw 21st century borders according to historical links which overlook the wishes of the present population. The question is not territory, [...]
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Posted in Equality, History, liberty, tagged slavery on January 1, 2008 | 3 Comments »
Two hundred years ago today, the United States banned the importation of slaves. And, 145 years ago today, the Emancipation Proclamation took effect. (HT: Instapundit.) It’s worth remembering not only all those who suffered under the unjust and “peculiar” institution of slavery, but also all those who had the moral vision, courage, and [...]
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Andrew Bostom gives a detailed account of why Maimonides fled Spain, to settle ultimately in Cairo, despite the supposed harmony of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity in medieval Spain. It’s a helpful correction to the impression left by Maria Rosa Menocal’s book, The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture [...]
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