Nelson's Rum
Return of the Empire, and of History
Recently, however, movie history has not been the only kind of history holding the public imagination. In fact, as the author of a column whose main thesis is that looking to history is useful to glean ideas for present day problems, I have been pleasantly surprised by the past’s recent resurgence.
Yea, Nay, or Meh?
In Mississippi, the problems started in the Democratic primary, when trucker and political neophyte Robert Gray won his party’s nomination despite not campaigning. Possible explanations for his victory include his “common name” and his gender. As expected, incumbent Republican Phil Bryant—another foe of health reform, despite his state’s self-evident need for it—won easily in the general election. Meanwhile, 61 percent of Houston voters rejected a non-discrimination ordinance because of the specter of transgender bathroom use—an ugly example of demagoguery and trans-phobia carrying the day, and an unwelcome pre-Veterans Day tribute to those service members who also would have had legal recourse under the measure.
The Devil You Know
His death represents a sad reminder of the state of the war against ISIS, and of the situation in Iraq and Syria more broadly. After eight years of American occupation, only three years of disintegration have brought Delta Force operatives back to the country where they first became masters of the night raid. The Pentagon press secretary has suggested that raids like last Thursday’s are not “something that’s going…to happen on a regular basis,” but similar operations have occurred before, most notably in May when a mission in Syria killed ISIS commander Abu Sayyaf. Just Wednesday, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told Congress that raids would become a centerpiece of American strategy in the region.
A Caucus Divided Against Itself
That John Boehner was deemed not conservative enough for the caucus is surprising to say the least. In a 24-year career, his legislative rating from the American Conservative Union has only once dropped below 85 percent, and for last year was 94.3. For today’s Freedom Caucus and the growing GOP right-flank, however, Boehner’s record was simply not good enough.
