Friends, my latest interview with the incomparable Brian O'Neil considers in depth the predicament of the Democrats, as they ponder which memory hole to shelve the sitting president and erstwhile leader of the party in, the predicament of the European establishment as it attempts to fend off a "far right" movement gaining in strength, the predicament of Congress as it considers the mental and physical fitness of the Commander-in-Chief, and a bevy of other predicaments, up to and including your predicament in deciding whether to listen to the broadcast once, twice, thrice, or possibly an infinite number of times until your own mental and physiological reserves give out... In short, it's a show that may give your life meaning and purpose that hitherto it has (by all accounts) lacked. Hard to pass up an offer like that, wouldn't you say???
https://rumble.com/v56d38i-wlea-newsmaker-july-10-2024-dr-nick-waddy.html
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Re: "This day in history" in your 7/10 Newsmaker broadcast: The 1925 trial of a Mr. Scopes for allegedly teaching evolution in a Tennessee school contrary to that state's law was an intensely dramatic episode in the intellectual, spiritual and cultural life of the U.S. I know only some bare aspects of it and now I'm very motivated to read at length on it. I tried to view the film Inherit the Wind but I could not stomach Spencer Tracy's characteristic obnoxious self righteousness, which may well have accurately depicted defense attorney Clarence Darrow's mien in attacking that law. Also the film's apparent presumptuous contempt for the fundamentalist beliefs which are so important in our, yes, very religious country was tiresomely bigoted.
ReplyDeleteTennessee was justified in applying the dominant standards of its culture in forbidding the teaching of the controversial (still so BTW, I think) evolution concept to impressionable children. You were right in maintaining that even today evolution is not free of doubt. I believe that
many people harbor plausible views that evolution and the essential Christian faith in intelligent design are compatible.
In the online resource I used Darrow(described as an "agnostic") is quoted as saying to Christian advocate and Prosecutor William Jennings Bryan " we have the purpose of preventing bigots and ignoramuses from controlling the education of the United States" and expectorating about " your fool religion". If he was consistent in this attitude he would fit right in today with antiamericans who have clearly demonstrated their intention to eliminate Christianity from our public and probably in good time our private lives. They know how essential it is to the America they are resolved to destroy
When I was in library school we discussed public efforts to remove materials from or to strongly advocate the inclusion of, information offensive to the liberal biases which dominate the library profession, in public library collections. The consensus in the class was that this was a wrong which librarians are professionally bound to resist. One voice expressed disagreement; " it is presumptuous of librarians to assume they know better than the community which pays them. We believe that well founded reason is to be found in limitless sources but some people even hold that its all in one book! Has anyone ever completely gainsaid the latter?"
Tennessee did not seek to educate the U.S. in enacting that law. That they did not want their children to be told in THEIR schools that the Bible was to be dismissed was very probably a prevalent conviction in the Tennessee of 1925. It certainly brings to mind present day antiamerican left efforts to dictate counterintuitive, very controversial doctrines and "verities" in our schools and the increasing resistance this has brought to the fore, even as far as state law making (eg. in creditably, rationally progressive Florida).
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Again re the broadcast: Why is America so religious? I think: the extreme rigors of the frontier called for it and in those areas of our country where tradition is still respected it has carried on, often in the form favored by rural people who were once the vast majority. It is also because we are a free people and we have freely chosen to embrace religion. Judaeo - Christianity is at the very core of our civilization, including politics and yes, government, because most of us would have it so.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: Some Europeans are amused by our fear of socialism? Does that include Eastern Europeans now blessedly free of the evil to which socialism so often "progresses"?
ReplyDeleteI think the Old World still regards Americans as powerful but bumptious relative newcomers who can yet be "had" by the cynical and the worldly. Western Europe hornswoggled us into protecting them from commie "socialist" benevolence imposed from the limitless reaches of the Eurasian interior. They didn't have to fully ante up and take on themselves the demanding resolve to stay free. Consequently they enjoyed somewhat bemused detachment from dreadful possibilities and apparently felt free to giggle at us about it. Their fear that DJT may call them to account for it is justified.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: You noted a rise in patriotism coinciding with the empowerment of DJT. I think one of his most redeeming features, and a key to the appeal of Maga, is his unapologetic endorsement of , well, common sense instead of (eg.): " now I don't want to be 'judgemental' but perhaps these demonstrators could be a little more courteous; if so we can break together in our common cause . . . "
ReplyDeleteGOP Presidents, even rinos ,do tend to show gratitude for American citizenship, despite our country's egregious, unparalleled and unendurable imperfections. Now dems? Well now recently they gave us a draft dodger and his consort whose life's purpose is to punish 1/2 of the population for being born ( a double offense in antiamerican leftist eyes). Then there is one who rose from 'community organizer" (whatever the dickens that is) charmed in his youth by a commie know it all and who once did resolve to "fundamentally transform" our country whether we need it or not. But lucky for us the perks of office blunted his purpose.
It is common sense to recognize that the good fortune of having been born in the prosperous, yet free and painfully pursuant of justice U.S. is incalculable and for most of humanity, unimaginable. That does rate a realism chastened by knowledge of the world's terribly painful history. But in an antiamerican left which richly deserves a bitter taste of the totalitarianism from which the U.S. saved humanity , it manifests only dismissive hate and haughty perfectionist intent. We enjoy a level of almost fantastic well being completely unexpected within even living memory of so many but the sour minded far left cannot abide it!
". . . break bread together. . . " Jack
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: In having above referred to Western Europe having "hornswoggled" us into protecting it against the Rus I was not referring to the immediate post war period when Europe was prostrate. Stalin would certainly have ingested it had we not warned him off.
ReplyDeleteHmm. I'm not so sure I fully understand why religion has been so much more durable in America than in Europe. Yes, we seem to value it, but why??? All the intrinsic reasons to gravitate towards a higher power apply equally well on the Continent, after all. You suggest that adversity fosters religiosity. Well, maybe, but if so this should be the least religious country in history!
ReplyDeleteJack, you're right that Europeans often look down their noses at us ignorant Americans, and their media encourages the practice. Of course, our own popular culture, distributed globally, doesn't necessarily improve anyone's opinion of us!
Jack, I would say we were, in fact, "hornswoggled" to a point during the Cold War. Strictly speaking, Europe DID NOT NEED US to save them from Mother Russia. As Hitler's armies made abundantly plain, Western Europe is more than a match for the Soviet Union, if it mobilizes its strength fully. No, the Europeans espied an opportunity to dupe the Yanks into saving Western Civilization for them, and we walked right into it. This is the ongoing "special(ly abusive) relationship" that so irks DJT.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: You present plausible arguments against my view on American religious devotion. Hmmm. . . The frontier put Europeans in a position for which Europe had not prepared them. The radical freedom and the harrowing challenge of the land (well depicted in the film The Revenant) may have generated in them resort to the religious consolation said to be often the lot of those in combat.
ReplyDeleteThat a significant portion of America takes our astonishing well being for granted now is understandable; how could they know otherwise, since most of them are busy living positive and materially comfortable lives. They perhaps cannot be blamed for rejecting the effort and sometimes demanding perception it takes to retain religious faith.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: I'm going to reread Richard Hofstader's Antiintellectualism in America. As I remember he dwelt at length on Fundamentalism. I think those facing extreme danger typically address very simple plea, that of physical deliverance, directly to God. The unrelenting hazard the frontier posed together with the endless physical labor it necessitated, may have fostered a need for easily practiced beliefs and standards with which to comply in order to garner God's favor. Too, no physically magnificent and impressive established religious entities such as cathedrals obtained in the wilderness as they did in Europe
ReplyDeleteYes, Jack -- the one thing that almost always fosters faith is fear of death...and Americans have precious little of that, not because they never die, of course, but because they refuse to acknowledge death as a legitimate or imminent prospect.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, if fear of death is the key to faith, then shouldn't the two world wars have led to a great religious awakening? They may have, in the trenches, but not more broadly, and not in a lasting sense.