Clipmarks | akarra's clips

Emily Dickinson's "Our Share of Night to Bear..."

Fri, 02 May 2008 02:02:17 GMT

clipped by: akarra
clipper's remarks: Poem clipped, commentary at original URL

Clip Source: inrethinking.blogspot.com

Our share of night to bear...

Emily Dickinson

Our share of night to bear,
Our share of morning,
Our blank in bliss to fill,

Our blank in scorning.

Here a star, and there a star
Some lose their way.
Here a mist, and there a mist,

Afterwards—day!

Tags: poetry, dickinson, romance, love

Ann Coulter Speaks, This Conservative is Pissed

Fri, 02 May 2008 01:52:58 GMT

clipped by: akarra
clipper's remarks: Title says it all.

Clip Source: federalistnowandforever.wordpress.com

On October 8, 2007 Ann “I have running mouth disease” Coulter appeared on the Donny Deutsch show, “The Big Idea”. Now typically when Ann speaks there is always trouble to follow, in fact I am certain that Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes” was written about Coulter. Her comments on the show with Mr. Deutsch were plan as day, this country would be better if we were all Christian. Apparently Coulter likes to walk around with both eyes closed because if we were all Christian we would still have the same problems we have today. But these naive words aren’t the ones I wish to relate to you all. Mr. Deutsch, after Coulter said all should become Christian, asked the follow, “Christian — so we should be Christian? It would be better if we were all Christian?”. Coulter replied, “Yes.”

Tags: coulter, politics, deutsch, big idea, christianity, conservative, liberal

Why Is the Gettysburg Address Important?

Thu, 01 May 2008 22:56:02 GMT

clipped by: akarra
clipper's remarks: Addresses two views of how equality should be established as a principle in American life.

Clip Source: inrethinking.blogspot.com

Lincoln & Jefferson are agreed on the universal significance of the American enterprise, but there is divergence. This nation was "conceived in Liberty" & "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." "Conceived" implies that maybe not all governments are conceived such, that maybe Jefferson's notion that all governments derive their right from the consent of the governed is false. "Dedicated to the proposition" again implies a defect in Jefferson's formulation. For Jefferson, that all men are created equal is a matter of knowledge. It is self-evident truth.

But a "proposition" is something that has to be proved true or false. It is not necessarily true. To be dedicated to a proposition is a matter of belief. To be an American is to believe all men are created equal, to work to make that a truth as best one can.

Tags: lincoln, gettysburg, jefferson, politics, democracy, equality, civil war

On Season One of "Greek"

Thu, 01 May 2008 21:18:28 GMT

clipped by: akarra
clipper's remarks: A blogger thinks through the ABC family show "Greek," and wonders aloud about the college experience.

Clip Source: federalistnowandforever.wordpress.com

Using the same logic used on her earlier from Frannie, Casey justifies staying with Evan. She tells her brother that college isn’t black and white like high school, from here on out it is shades of gray. Certainly this might be true, college is more complex than high school is and if you treat high school and college the same then Casey says you’ll become a “social piranha.” This becomes a central theme to the show, whether or not one can still maintain a moral code that there are no shades of gray or if there are indeed situations that are.

Tags: greek, abc, family, cable, television, tv

La Dolce Vita

Thu, 01 May 2008 21:16:10 GMT

clipped by: akarra
clipper's remarks: One blogger's journey to Roma brings about some memorable experiences.

Clip Source: alteringlabyrinth.blogspot.com

I also think I had the best pasta dish at Dino and Toni's, a restaurant in a street north of the Vatican, where the waiter and the chef cook rattle on in Italian at you regardless of your nationality and who seemed more than pleased whenever anybody stammers back in half Latin and half French. I am sure they didn't charge half the stuff we ordered. Their espresso was the best by far, too.

Tags: travel, rome, italy, food, blog

On Wisdom and Moderation

Thu, 01 May 2008 21:14:38 GMT

clipped by: akarra
clipper's remarks: A blogger wonders how these two concepts relate.

Clip Source: inrethinking.blogspot.com

I always thought wisdom was intimately tied to gratitude, for to ask questions about something in order to probe its depths is to treat that something with the utmost respect. That's probably the underlying reason why wisdom and moderation are linked: the questions have to "be fitting" for the object of inquiry. To ask too much too soon is to destroy the object, and that can only be done if one is certain there is something higher.

- Maybe I'm asking too much too soon. Maybe I'm destroying the possibility of the higher objects. -

Tags: wisdom, moderation, love, blog

A Generation of Free Thinkers?

Thu, 01 May 2008 21:12:36 GMT

clipped by: akarra
clipper's remarks: A blogger wonders about his generation, and whether they are trapped between the liberalism and conservatism of 2 other generations.

Clip Source: orderdisorder.blogspot.com

If we are free thinkers, why such trouble now? The trouble arises from having two very contradictory value sets from which to act. Our teachers made sure that we learned the lessons of liberal and leftist ideology well. We had to you see, it was part of the curriculum and we were raised to work hard and succeed. We were also raised to respect authority, and what is the biggest authority figure in a young child and young adults life than the education system? So these liberal lessons were ingrained into our minds and took up residency next to the values of our parents. At the time it seemed benign, we weren't really old enough to think for ourselves yet, and no one else seemed to be bothered by the blatant brainwashing that was taking place. We were a young and eager captive audience to the demagoguery that is liberal education.

Tags: politics, generation, freedom, thinkers, conservative, liberal

Emily Dickinson's "My Triumph lasted till the Drums..."

Thu, 01 May 2008 08:24:30 GMT

clipped by: akarra
clipper's remarks: Poem complete with commentary, if you follow the link: Is there any redemption to be had from war?

Clip Source: inrethinking.blogspot.com

"My Triumph lasted till the Drums..." (1227)

Emily Dickinson

My Triumph lasted till the Drums
Had left the Dead alone
And then I dropped my Victory
And chastened stole along
To where the finished Faces
Conclusion turned on me
And then I hated Glory

And wished myself were They.

What is to be is best descried
When it has also been —
Could Prospect taste of Retrospect
The tyrannies of Men
Were Tenderer — diviner
The transitive toward.
A Bayonet's contrition

Is nothing to the Dead.

Tags: poetry, dickinson, war, redemption, glory

Why Should America Go To War?

Thu, 01 May 2008 08:22:09 GMT

clipped by: akarra
clipper's remarks: A blogger explains American involvement in other countries' affairs via the Declaration of Independence. Interesting reading.

Clip Source: federalistnowandforever.wordpress.com

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

These words, which some might suggest are the most important words in the Declaration of Independence suggest that when a people are being overtly oppressed and placed “under absolute Despotism” that they ought to throw off that government and institute a new one. Whether or not these lines apply simply to the American people or to the people of the world is a difficult question to answer. However, history has shown that Americans have applied these passages to various other countries as a means of world empire. Even today we justify our reasons for going to war on account that the opposing regime is despotic and that the people should be freed to choose their own regime.

Tags: war, america, usa, declaration, peace, equality

On Josh's "A Fallen Generation"

Thu, 01 May 2008 08:19:14 GMT

clipped by: akarra
clipper's remarks: One take on a blogger who discusses why his generation feels and is oppressed.

Clip Source: inrethinking.blogspot.com

Josh puts the problem facing all of us rather bluntly in his post "A Fallen Generation" - the best and brightest of our generation seem to be completely excluded from honors or even meaningful work. What I like best about his analysis is the logic underlying it. That logic goes "Since this seems to be a generational problem, let us see how our generation interacts with other generations." What Josh finds is that we've been raised with a more conservative set of values that makes us submit to liberals in authority merely because they have authority.

Tags: generation, politics, liberal, conservative