Given that coaching seemed to be the rule rather than the exception on quiz shows at the time, it seems to us Van Doren was far too hard on himself. But, as Roy Hobbes (played by Robert Redford, who incidentally directed Quiz Show, the Hollywood dramatization of the scandal) observed in The Natural…
Charles Van Doren’s was one such mistake, though we for one, having had some rather extensive personal experience with game shows, never held it against him.
Speaking of legendary Americans, the subject of Thursday morning’s video from The History Guy was a genuine hero who deserves to be remembered:
Edward Albert Heimberger’s quiet courage reminds us of Dick Winters, another hero whose recollection at the conclusion of Band of Brothers never fails to leave us misty-eyed:
Perhaps because his modesty brings to mind the memories of our beloved Uncle Bobie, who, after enlisting in the Army right out of high school, saw action during both the landings on Leyte and 82 days on Okinawa. Upon hearing his self-effacing stories, had he the option of his actual experience versus Doctor Seuss’ version of the future…
…we’ve no doubtwhich option he’d have chosen.
Which reminds us, regarding Progressive poltroons like Andrew Cuomo and Eric Holder who’ve had the temerity to claim America was never great, we’re with Staff Sergeant Barnes:
Now, here’s The Gouge!
First up, writing at the WSJ, Joshua Muravchik details how, its surging popularity notwithstanding, no matter how many opportunities its supporters provide it to succeed…
“Self-described socialist Bernie Sanders has become a favorite of young voters by posing as an apostle of daring new ideas. Socialism, however, is anything but new. It’s hard to think of another idea that has been tried and failed as many times in as many ways or at a steeper price in human suffering.
The term “socialism” was coined by followers of Robert Owen (1771-1858), whom Karl Marx would label a “utopian socialist.” In 1825 Owen founded New Harmony, an Indiana commune, to demonstrate the superiority of what was first called the “social system.” The same year, Owen explained his experiment to a joint session of Congress attended by Supreme Court justices, President James Monroe and President-elect John Quincy Adams. Although Owen poured his fortune into it, New Harmony collapsed in disarray and recrimination within two years.
Owen’s son Robert Dale Owen salvaged the community by implementing what he called “a policy the very reverse” of socialism: “giving each respectable citizen every facility and encouragement to become (what every adult ought to be) a landed proprietor.”
Undeterred, others founded some 40 to 50 similar communes during the 19th century, and all collapsed quickly. New Harmony’s two years proved to be their median lifespan.
Based on the uniformly dismal results, the idea of socialism might have died a quiet death were it not for Marx (1818-83), who transformed socialism from an experiment—tried, tested and failed—into a prophecy, “the riddle of history solved.” Ironically, he called his vision “scientific socialism.”
Inspired by the dream of proletarian revolution overthrowing capitalist immiseration, socialist parties sprouted across Europe. Yet instead of growing poorer, workers in industrialized countries saw improvement in their living standards; and instead of disappearing, middle classes expanded—all disproving Marx.
It took Vladimir Lenin’s “vanguard” and the horrors of World War I to give socialism new life. In Russia, Lenin pioneered modern communism, which in the 20th century was imposed on 18 countries and one-third of mankind. Repression was justified by socialism’s purported economic benefits, but the actual trade-off entailed economic misery and the snuffing out of as many as 100 million lives.
Today Communist parties rule six countries. Most follow the lead of China, where the party redefined itself to include entrepreneurs. A 2012 Wall Street Journal report identified 160 people with an average net worth of more than $1 billion holding high government or party seats.No Chinese Bernie Sanders rails against them.(Let alone a ChineseAli “Bifurcation” Velshi!)
“Social democrats” and “democratic socialists” rejected Lenin’s methods. But their goalsremained transformational.As British Labour Party leader Clement Attlee, who became prime minister in 1945, explained: “Our policy was not a reformed capitalism but progress toward a democratic socialism.” Labour sought to bring “main factors in the economic system”—including banks, mining and energy—under “public ownership and control.” Nationalization worked so badly, however, that Attlee soon beat a retreat and was voted out in 1951.
In 1981 Socialist François Mitterrand was elected president of France promising a clean “rupture” with capitalism. The results of his spending and nationalizations were so alarming that in 1982 Mitterrand reversed course and implemented austerity measures, which he dubbed “socialist rigor” to save face. “The aim is to bring about a real reconciliation between the left and the economy,” explained Socialist Party chief Lionel Jospin.
American socialists like Mr. Sanders, while often defending the likes of Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega, Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, prefer to point to Scandinavia as a model. But Scandinavian social democrats learned to settle for dense social safety nets underwritten by remarkably free, capitalist economies. On the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business scale, Denmark ranks third of 190 countries, Norway seventh and Sweden 12th.
Still other forms of socialism arose in the Third World. Encouraged by United Nations development experts, virtually all newly decolonized states adopted “African Socialism,” “Arab Socialism” or other variants. The result was years of economic stagnation until the successful models of East Asia began to reverse their thinking.
Successful socialism has been created in only one place on earth, the kibbutzim of Israel. They were democratic and egalitarian; sharing possessions, meals, even child rearing. But once the Jewish state was securely on its feet, kibbutzniks chose to switch to private enterprise.Socialism, they learned to their surprise, was not a happy way to live.
Socialism has failed everywhere it’s been tried—even where it succeeded. Surely today’s young people can create their own ideas and make their own mistakes rather than repeat those that darkened the times of their parents, grandparents and the generations before.“
Don’t count on it. But hey, what’s a hundred million or so souls compared to the triumph of Progressive policies and perpetual power?!?
After all, that figure doesn’t count the 40,000,000 in the Third World sacrificed to Rachel Carson’s birthing of the modern EnviroNazi movement, let alone the 61,000,000+ offered up on the altar of Roe v. Wade in the United States alone!!!
“Intellectuals”; which is another term for “educated idiots”:
You know…
Meanwhile, at the same time the WSJ informs us one Dimocratic Socialist is focused on ways he can accumulate and spend more of other peoples’ money (the effects on the economy be damned)…
“During a guided tour of Mount Vernon last April with French president Emmanuel Macron, Trump learned that Washington was one of the major real-estate speculators of his era. So, he couldn’t understand why America’s first president didn’t name his historic Virginia compound or any of the other property he acquired after himself.
“If he was smart, he would’ve put his name on it,” Trump said, according to three sources briefed on the exchange. “You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.”
…The president’s disinterest in Washington made it tough for tour guide Bradburn to sustain Trump’s interest during a deluxe 45-minute tour of the property which he later described to associates as “truly bizarre.” The Macrons, Bradburn has told several people, were far more knowledgeable about the history of the property than the president…”
“Mount Vernon has a firm, long-standing policyof not commenting on the details of high-profile visits to the home of George Washington. However, we believe in the importance of ensuring that reports about events that take place at Mount Vernon are accurate. As such, we are concerned that the third-party accounts of the Trump-Macron visit released by several media outlets today do not correctly reflect the events that transpired nearly a year ago.
Mount Vernon President Doug Bradburn and Regent Sarah Coulson escorted the presidents and first ladies on a tour of the Mansion on April 23, 2018. During the tour, all parties were interested and engaged in the story of George Washington and his beloved home.Conversations touched on topics like business dealings, real estate, and related matters that were of relevance and interest to the touring parties, and questions were asked by both leaders with curiosity and respect. Comments pulled from sources who were not present for the tour do not properly convey the tone and context in which they were delivered.“
There you have it: either the Mount Vernon authorities…who by their own admission receive NO FEDERAL FUNDING…are deliberately lying, or Politico, a year after the event, doesn’t have its story straight.
Moreover, we’re curious about Politico‘s characterization of Trump as “The 45th president – no student of history”. As compared to whom: Barack Hussein Obama…George W. Bush…William Jefferson Clinton?!? Clinton was familiar with one subject, and one subjectonly:
Then there’s George W. Bush, who Politico suddenly seeks to turn from the MSM’s favorite dunce into a well-read history buff by virtue of him reportedly reading three presidential biographies while occupying the White House. Wow, three books in eight years: he’s a regular Sir Isaac Einstein!!!
As for Barack Hussein Obama, while we’ll be happy to reconsider our opinion of Obama’s knowledge of history once we’ve seen his scholastic transcripts, until then, it’s our assessment if he learned any history, it was a hopelessly inaccurate, politically-correct revisionist version, hence his return of the Churchill bust.
Might we add, Politico‘s “reporting” of Trump’s supposed ignorance of the history of the Resolute desk notwithstanding, history has recorded the respect The Obamao accorded it:
Not to forget James Earl Carter…
…the second-worst President in U.S. history.
Next, we take a slightly different tack. Perusing the news earlier in the week, we were struck by how many idiots inhabit the earth; so many in fact we had a tough time deciding which of their acts of idiocy deserved dissemination. But since we report and you decide, here are five accounts of asininity which staggered our mind. Once you’ve skimmed them, if you’d be so kind as to determine which one amazed you the most and record your vote in our latest poll at the right hand side near the top of the page, we’d be most obliged.
People’s Exhibit 1, courtesy of Jimmy Crilley and Bethesda Magazine:
“…Beckwitt, a 27-year-old millionaire stock trader, began digging the tunnels to build a bunker out of fear of an attack by North Korea, according to prosecutors and files in the case. He was indicted in May 2018 on charges of second-degree “depraved heart” murder and involuntary manslaughter. During opening statements to 12 jurors and four alternates, defense attorney Robert Bonsib said, “This case is about an accident … An accident plain and simple.”
…[Prosecutor] Ayres said Khafra was hired online by Beckwitt and would be picked up in the early morning from his Silver Spring home and driven in circles while wearing blackout glasses so he wouldn’t know the location of the house, just north of the National Institutes of Health Bethesda campus.
“Secrecy was his priority,” Ayres said. “The theme of this case is secrecy over safety at all costs.”…”
“A 28-year-old woman who claims she forked over $3,500 for a breast implant procedure and all-inclusive stay abroad said she has been left with a lopsided chest and feels “like a total freak” after her care was allegedly mismanaged.Holly McCulloch claims that at one point, a 7-centimeter hole along her surgical wound started smelling “like rotten meat,” and then she noticed her implant had started poking through the skin.
“Had a doctor told me that what I wanted was crazy, I’d have been fine and just gone for the largest possible for my body,” Holly McCulloch, of Manchester, told SWNS of her initial implant size. “It was the doctor’s and nurses’ jobs to make sure I was fit and well after the second surgery, and they should have never let me go home in such a state.”
McCulloch, who traveled from her home to Turkey in August 2018 for the first surgery, told SWNS that she booked her trip after seeing an ad on Instagram. She said the ad featured celebrities and high-profile clients which boosted her confidence in booking.
When she arrived, she told the news outlet that she began getting suspicious about the clinic’s practices, but that her nerves prevented her from questioning anything. She claims she was sedated in an elevator, and that she communicated with a number of nurses through a translation app…”
Hey, a breast augmentation procedure in Turkey; what could go wrong?!?
People’s Exhibit 3, and another headline from FOX:
“A trio of nude women who told police they were “air drying” in public after showering at a Florida rest stop reportedly were arrested following a wild chase that included the use of a metal bat, tasers and spike strips, reports say. Oasis Mcleod, 18, Jeniyah Mcleod, 19, and Cecilia Young, 19, are now facing charges — such as fleeing to elude, aggravated assault and lewd behavior stemming from the alleged chaos that is said to have unfolded yesterday in Pasco County.
“There’s three women standing in the nude putting on suntan lotion,” a Florida Highway Patrol trooper was first heard saying to dispatchers while at a rest stop on northbound I-75, according to WTSP. The cop reportedly was told by the women that they were “air drying” in the 80-degree weather after showering, but when the trooper tried to get more information, they got into a car and sped off.
Police then tracked the vehicle to a convenience store parking lot, where it was found empty. They spotted all three females leaving the store and a trooper attempted to arrest one who wasn’t able to get back inside the vehicle, FOX13 reported. But while trying to make that arrest, the suspect behind the wheel of the car “purposely drove directly” at the trooper and then its passenger got out and started swinging around a metal bat, the station added.
Another officer on-scene reportedly rammed the suspects’ car before it took off a second time. A short while later though, the car came to a halt with the help of spike strips deployed by the Dade City Police Department, according to FOX13.
Once stopped, the women are said to have interlocked their arms together inside of the vehicle, refusing to come out.Officers at the scene then tasered the trio and took them into custody, suffering only minor injuries throughout the entire episode.“
Sorry, but which Florida rest stop has a shower?!?
Then there’s People’s Exhibit 4, again from Fox News, which makes us wonder what’s in the water in the Sunshine State?!?
“A man who had just bought an $8 million island off of Key West was arrested Saturday for participating in what police described as a scheme to steal $300 in household items from Kmart.
Officials at Kmart called Key West police April 5 after they say Andrew Francis Lippi, 59, had purchased several items, including a Keurig coffeemaker and light bulbs, and returned the original boxes for a refund. But police say the boxes were stuffed with other items. For example, store officials said a basketball was inside the Keurig box.
The store’s loss prevention officer provided detectives with video of Lippi buying and returning all of the items between March 30 and April 5, according to an arrest report.
…Lippi told detectives he did not change out any of the items before returning them. According to the arrest report, Lippi also told detectives the clerk should have known there was no coffee maker inside the box because of its weight. He also told officers he returned the light bulbs because they cost too much and he did not realize they’d been switched. (After paying $8M for a house, it’s the lightbulbs that cost too much!)
Lippi was charged with grand theft and booked into jail. He was also issued a trespass warning to stay away from Kmart.
Lippi told the Herald the theft allegation is “complicated” and he’d rather not talk about it.“
We don’t know about you, but after spending $8M on a private island, we’d be a might skosh on cash! Besides…
Lastly, People’s Exhibit 5, and this complete departure from reason catalogued by NRO‘s Kat Timpf:
“…According to Reason, parents had to stand in line for up to half an hour to hand in the waiver before their kids could attend the 25th Annual Easter Egg Hunt Learning Festival. The waiver, which was obtained by Reason, listed risks including “minor injuries, such as scratches, bruises, and sprains,” “major injuries such as eye injury or loss of sight, joint or back injuries, heart attacks, and concussions,” and even “catastrophic injuries including paralysis or death.”
Yes — death. Truly, reading this waiver would give you the impression that these parents were about ready to send their children off to a swordfight to the death, and notan Easter-egg hunt.
What’s more, it’s not even like the hunt took place on any kind of dangerous terrain. Robert Strand, executive director and lecturer at the Center for Responsible Business at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, told Reason that he was at the event with his wife and two kids. He said the hunt took place in “three different roped-off areas for kids of different ages and literally it was a flat grass surface where they would just place the eggs,” rather than, say, an area that was heavily occupied by ISIS.He added that each child was allowed to pick up only five eggs, which meant that the whole thing “was completed within a minute, because they were just placed there.”
Up to 30 minutes in line for one minute of walking around on the grass?Seriously?…”
“Seriously” is right! After all, it’s not like UCBerkeley is Memphis:
UC Berkeley feeling it’s even remotely necessary to have parents sign a waiver which includes the possibility of death for an Easter egg hunt is yet another reason we view a busload of lawyers driving off a cliff as only a start.
So now, pick your favorite of the five and record your vote at our poll, found on the right near the top of the page.
And now we turn, appropriately enough, to The Lighter Side:
Finally, we’ll call it a wrap with these memorable memes courtesy of Mark Foster…
…George Lawlor…
…and this little slice of reality from Pastor Mark:
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