According to former Secretary of State Colin Powell in a statement on November 29, the situation in Iraq is now severe enough to qualify as a civil war. Thomas Jefferson hated war of all kinds, but he considered civil war the worst. He wrote to Edmund Randolph in 1783:
“I know no danger so dreadful and [...]
Monthly Archives: November 2006
On civil war:
Thursday, November 30, 2006
On good coming out of evil:
Monday, November 27, 2006
Although Saddam Hussein has already been sentenced to hang, his genocide trial continues, and as it goes on, more and more details about the terrible crimes committed under Saddam’s leadership are coming to light. In court on Monday, November 27, 2006, witnesses offered testimony about watching their relatives being killed by firing squads or about [...]
On Thanksgiving:
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
On Thanksgiving, Americans take a short break from our hectic schedules to stop and recognize the many blessings in our lives. Although the official celebration of a national Thanksgiving Day did not begin until Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, Thomas Jefferson was no stranger to the idea of giving thanks. When he was governor of Virginia in [...]
On the right to bear arms:
Friday, November 17, 2006
On Tuesday, November 14, 2006, the town of Greenleaf, Idaho, passed an unusual ordinance asking all residents with no moral or religious objection to keep guns in their homes. The reason that Greenleaf leaders cited for arming their town was the increase in crime that may occur if the town receives an influx of refugees [...]
On the violence in Iraq:
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
In recent days, Iraq has become even more unstable than usual as members of different political factions have attacked and killed each other and committed other crimes, such as the kidnapping of dozens of people at a Baghdad higher education office on Tuesday, November 14. As the Iraqis try to form a new government, the [...]
On elections that are close and controversial:
Monday, November 13, 2006
Virtually every election in recent memory—particularly the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, and even last week’s midterm elections—has been hotly contested, often being decided by little more than a handful of votes in key states. Because the results of some of these elections have been quite controversial, it often seems as if Republicans and Democrats [...]
On politics and friendship:
Friday, November 10, 2006
In the wake of the November 7 elections, in which the Democrats wrested control of Congress from the Republicans, there is bound to be some tension between people who support the different parties. Rather than let politics get in the middle of friendships, we might want to take Thomas Jefferson’s advice and find other things [...]
On good government:
Thursday, November 9, 2006
On Tuesday, November 7, Democrats won control of Congress in midterm elections. With so many new representatives about to take office, let’s hope our newly elected leaders will remember Thomas Jefferson’s admonition:
“The whole art of government consists in the art of being honest.”