Robert Taft

The American way of life certainly does not guarantee equality in mental power or in character or in energy. It has only guaranteed that a man who had the necessary qualities might rise in public life and acquire a greater influence, a greater fame, a greater power than his fellows; that he might rise in material wealth and acquire a greater comfort and luxury, if he desires it, for himself and his family; that he might earn a simple living on which he could base the development of true happiness for himself and his family without either wealth or power.
-quoted in Russell Kirk and James McClellan. The Political Principles of Robert A. Taft. (38)

Irony or, that's the way the world is

I drive past a certain construction site on my way to work. For the past two years, they have had the right lane blocked off to allow trucks access onto the road. Never saw a truck there in two years. This morning the cones blocking off the lane were gone and, of course, I saw my first truck trying to get on the busy road.

More on Tocqueville

Tocqueville's one fundamental purpose: the preservation of human freedom and dignity. (218)
-and-
Tocqueville never swerved from his conviction that one of the greatest dangers to democratie was the trend toward the concentration of power. (220)
-James T. Schliefer. The Making of Tocqueville's Democracy in America.

Alexis de Tocqueville

Give common interests to men, join them in common affairs, facilitate their association, give a practical and simple character to this development, constantly draw them closer together, elevate their spirits and their hearts as much as possible. Govern them honestly and prudently. I can imagine making ourselves guardians to the communes if we want to emancipate them. That the government, if it wishes may treat the local powers like children, I allow; but not like fools. Only fools are kept under supervision throughout their lives.
-excerpt from a note quoted in James T. Schleifer. The Making of Tocqueville's Democracy in America. (217)

Community

Faulkner at a crucial point in midhistory of the southern renaissance as a community-affirming idea, like Allen Tate at the beginning, came upon its impossibility. It would only work if no one thought about it.
-Michael Kreyling. Inventing Southern Literature. (144)

The NBA Championship

It was fun today, basking in the glow of the NBA Championship. First major sports championship in this area for twelve years (the Stars won the Stanley Cup). In fact, of all the major sports franchises in DFW, the Cowboys have gone the longest without an appearance in a championship. Can somebody buy Jerry Jones a clue?
This victory was so satisfying on so many levels. Beating the "chosen one", for starters. All the hype means nothing without the ring. And how the Mavs won. One superstar, and a lot of committed veteran role players.
The turning point of the series may have been the Wade-James show to put them up by fifteen in game 2, but the turning point last night was Stevenson's bump of a Heat player after Miami took the lead in the 2nd. Instead of a quick timeout for the Mavs to settle down, it took fifteen minutes for order to be restored, bu which time the adrenalin of the Miami players and fans was gone.

MAVS Win NBA Championship

To borrow from Muhammad Ali: They shocked the world!

The Quotation

In the previous entry, I mentioned a quotation and I could not remember if it was from Bull Durham or Mr. Baseball. After some intrepid Internet research, here is the quotation:

Baseball is grown men getting paid to play a game.

NBA Finals Part 2

The comeback on Thursday night was certainly one for the ages. I think the Wade-James celebration after the lead was extended to fifteen points was one for the ages. It was like waving a red flag in front of a German bull. A writer in the Star Telegram pointed out that it was also the storyline of this series: old school vs. new school. In an old movie, either Bull Durham or Mr. Baseball, the lead character reminds his teammates that one should treat the game with respect because they are being paid to play a kid's game. It is humility versus arrogance. Certain players act as if they are entitled to all the attention. As my Dad used to say, "if it wasn't for sports, he'd be pumping gas in East Keokuk."

How True

We will never have a nation of cultured and reflective citizens as long as the press keeps printing The Sentence: "Neighbors described the gunman as a quiet person who kept to himself."
-Florence King. Reflections in a Jaundiced Eye.

Mind Your Own Business

A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business.
-Eric Hoffer. The True Believer. (14)

NBA Finals Game 2

Okay, so game 1 was pretty bad. Not that the Mavs were blown out or fell apart, but they lost. To make matters worse, Dirk has a torn tendon in one of the fingers of his left hand. Even so, he still had 27 points. But where was the rest of the team? Dirk can only carry them so far. Tonight's game is critical, yet I believe there is still a lot of pressure on Miami. If they lose, it will be more "LeBron can't win the big one." If the Mavs lose, the media will offer consolation by saying it was to the greatest team ever (a questionable proposition if there ever was one).

The Bombers Were on the Runways

David A. Nichols. Eisenhower 1956. Simon & Schuster. 2011. 346 pp.
In the fall of 1956 my father was the Machine Accounting Officer at Sculthorpe, a US Air Force base in England. This was during the combined crises of Suez and Hungary. The base was on full alert, or as he put it, "the bombers were on the runway, fueled, armed, and ready to go." World War III was a distinct possibility. Yet historians have for years downplayed this incident. Perhaps because the danger did not seem as immediately threatening as did the Missile Crisis six years later. Or, could it be that Eisenhower was a more behind the scenes type of leader?
With the publication of Eisenhower 1956, that oversight has been rectified. Not only does the author restore the Suez Crisis to prominence but in so doing he demonstrates this as the starting point of American full-scale involvement in the Middle East. In tying in the election campaign of 1956, Nichols shows that politics did not end at the water's edge even in 1956 and that game playing and posturing were just as much a part of the scene as they are in 2011.