It was a shock a few years ago when I read that the FBI (or a few of its offices) had targeted conservative Catholics who prefer the Latin mass. Apparently, they were seen as potential, what? Terrorists? Conservative voters? Who knows? When it comes to political violence, columnist and former presidential speechwriter Barton Swaim notes an important difference between left-wing and right-wing violence. (I’ve unlocked the article at The Wall Street Journal.)
Conservative writer Chrisopher Rufo would likely agree with Swaim’s position. On his blog, he explains how the “Left-Wing Terror Memeplex” works now. (I’ve got Facebook friends who toss “memeplex” language around like it was trinkets thrown at a Mardi Gras parade, words like “Nazi,” “fascist,” and “dictator.” They would be shocked to be told their language helps to normalize political violence.)
On the subject of violence, he’s speaking about Britain, but there’s equal application across the Atlantic. Chris Bayliss at The Critic Magazine reminds readers that, no, it’s not 1933 all over again.
I have a considerable number of poetry and literature links below, likely because poetry and fiction offer a refuge from the constant barrage of the political and culture wars.
More Good Reads
America 250
Ben Franklin in Paris: How He Won France’s Support for the Revolutionary War – Dave Roos at History.
What was Charlestown like before it was burned down by the British? Boston is digging to find out – Nik DeCosta-Klipa at WBUR.
The Enlightened Scot Who Inspired America’s Founders – Samuel Gregg at The Coolidge Review.
Faith
Voddie Baucham’s Departure and the Changing of the Guard – Robb Brunansky at The Cripplegate.
Is Textual Criticism…Cool? – Michael Kruger at The Gospel Coalition.
Saint Francis: A Man from Far Away – Volker Leppin at Church Life Journal.
Life and Culture
The Christian school revival – Liv Hagye at The Spectator.
Illiteracy is a policy choice – Kelsey Piper at The Argument.
A Very Short History of Secularist Violence in Modern History – Thomas Albert Howard at Church Life Journal.
British Stuff
How England misplaced its first king – Martha Henriques at BBC.
Do Jews have a future in Britain? – Josh Kaplan at The Spectator.
Poetry
“Going for Water,” poem by Robert Frost – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song.
“An Unexpected Pleasure,” poem by Anonymous – Sally Thomas at Poems Ancient and Modern.
Three Metamorphoses – poem by Amit Majmudar at New Verse Review.
“Musée des Beaux Arts,” poem by W.H. Auden – Andrew Roycroft at New Grub Street.
Ælfstan the Illuminator Begins a Work – Marly Youmans at The Brazen Head.
“The Old Cumberland Beggar” and the Sweetness of Being Human – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song on William Wordsworth.
“The Gods of the Copybook Headings,” poem by Rudyard Kipling – Joseph Bottum at Poems Ancient and Modern.
Writing and Literature
Two Years After Cormac McCarthy’s Death, Rare Access to His Personal Library Reveals the Man Behind the Myth – Richard Grant at Smithsonian Magazine.
Talking Tolkien, Pt. 2: Words for Waking – Andrew Roycroft at New Grub Street.
Reconciling Art and Nature: Wendell Berry’s New Novel – Ethan Mannon at Front Porch Republic.
You Can Read Shakespeare. Here’s How – Henry Oliver at The Common Reader.
Clyde Kilby: Chronicler of J.R.R. Tolkien – Bradley Birzer.
News Media
I Founded Wikipedia. Here’s How to Fix It – Larry Sanger at The Free Press.
Ghost – The Piano Guys
Painting: Portrait of a Man Writing in His Study, oil on canvas (1885) by Gustav Caillebotte (1848-1894).
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