http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pauljohnson/ en-us Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:28:29 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007722/posts Current Events Glad Bush Is Still AroundPaul Johnson 05.05.08, 12:00 AM ET I don't regard George W. Bush as a lame-duck president. Between now and next January all sorts of challenging and unexpected events may take place. We can rely on President Bush to react promptly and decisively to them.We saw this on Sept. 11. The President was as surprised as everyone else, as we grasped from the dramatic photograph of him taken as he was given the dreadful news at an elementary school. But he buckled down quickly to this unprecedented attack on America, determined that such a treacherous... Forbes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007722/posts#comment Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:28:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1991511/posts An intellectual is someone who thinks ideas matter more than people. If people get in the way of ideas they must be swept aside and, if necessary, put in concentration camps or killed. To intellectuals, individuals as such are not interesting and do not matter. Indeed individualism is a hindrance to the pursuit of ideals in an absolute sense. The individual, with his quirks and quiddities, his mixture of good and bad, intelligence and stupidity, longing for justice but anxiety to promote his own selfish interests, does not fit into a utopian community. Hence utopians, if they are in earnest,... CERC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1991511/posts#comment Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:34:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1944105/posts Heroes: What Great Statesmen Have to Teach Usby Paul Johnson, Historian   PAUL JOHNSON is the author of several bestselling books, including the classic Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties, A History of the American People, A History of Christianity, Intellectuals: From Marx and Tolstoy to Sartre and Chomsky, A History of the Jews, Creators: From Chaucer and Durer to Picasso and Disney, Art: A New History, George Washington: The Founding Father, and most recently, Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including... Hillsdale College - Imprimis http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1944105/posts#comment Tue, 25 Dec 2007 16:47:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1941751/posts One thing history teaches is the transience and futility of power, and the ultimate impotence of those who exercise it. That is the lesson of the current King Tut exhibition. No group of sovereigns ever enjoyed the illusion of power more than the pharaohs of the New Kingdom, especially those of the 18th and 19th dynasties. Rameses II spent much of his 66 years on the throne having immense images of himself displayed everywhere from Luxor to Abu Simbel, and many remain, chipped and crumbling. Nothing else. The point is admirably made in Shelley's sonnet about him, 'Ozymandias'. I once... Jewish World Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1941751/posts#comment Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:30:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1920579/posts Whatever you may think of President George W. Bush and his record, there's no denying him one character trait: courage. He has never been deterred from doing what he believes to be right by fear or nervousness. And courage, as we constantly need remind ourselves, is indispensable to successful statesmanship. It may be that Mr. Bush will need to display a supreme act of courage before leaving the White House: to decide what the U.S. response will be to Iran's efforts to acquire an aggressive nuclear capability. This should not be left for Mr. Bush's successor to deal with early... Forbes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1920579/posts#comment Sat, 3 Nov 2007 20:41:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1796947/posts America is the reluctant sheriff of a wild world that sometimes seems mired in wrongdoing. The UN has nothing to offer in the way of enforcing laws and dispensing justice, other than spouting pious oratory and initiating feeble missions that usually do more harm than good. NATO plays a limited role, as in Afghanistan, but tends to reflect the timidity (and cowardice) of Continental Europe. Britain and a few other nations such as Australia are willing to follow America's lead but are too weak to act on their own. That leaves the U.S. to shoulder the responsibility. Otherwise — what?... jewishworldreview.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1796947/posts#comment Wed, 7 Mar 2007 20:54:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1761622/posts Contrary to what you learned at college, America from its inception has been a religious country, and was designed to be one. As the greatest foreign observer of America, the Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville, noted in his "Democracy in America," "Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power." Or, as the great British historian Paul Johnson has just written: "In [George] Washington's eyes, at least, America was in no sense a secular state," and "the American Revolution was in essence the political... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1761622/posts#comment Wed, 3 Jan 2007 05:31:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1639463/posts How long will Darwin continue to repose on his high but perilous pedestal? I am beginning to wonder. Few people doubt the principles of evolution. The question at issue is: are all evolutionary advances achieved exclusively by the process of natural selection? That is the position of the Darwinian fundamentalists, and they cling to their absolutist position with all the unyielding certitude with which Southern Baptists assert the literal truth of the Book of Genesis, or Wahabi Muslims proclaim the need for a universal jihad against ‘the Great Satan’. At a revivalist meeting of Darwinians two or three years ago,... Catholic Educators Resource Center http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1639463/posts#comment Sat, 27 May 2006 22:14:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1524518/posts Current Events Prayer in the White House Paul Johnson, 11.28.05, 12:00 AM ET President Bush has recently stated that he prayed to God for advice on his Iraq policy. Should an American President pray before taking important risks? Is a God-fearing and God-consulting President more desirable than an entirely secular one who is guided purely by expert advice and realpolitik? As Sherlock Holmes would say, "These are deep waters, Watson." Most American Presidents have believed in God and prayed accordingly in moments of crisis. Abraham Lincoln, for instance, was not a regular Christian by most standards, but the record suggests... Forbes Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1524518/posts#comment Fri, 18 Nov 2005 14:56:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1514511/posts Current Events Anti-Americanism Is Racist Envy Paul Johnson, 07.21.03, 12:00 AM ET Anti-Americanism is the prevailing disease of intellectuals today. Like other diseases, it doesn't have to be logical or rational. But, like other diseases, it has a syndrome--a concurrent set of underlying symptoms that are also causes. • First, an unadmitted contempt for democracy. The U.S. is the world's most successful democracy. The right of voters to elect more than 80,000 public officials, the length and thoroughness of electoral campaigns, the pervasiveness of the media and the almost daily reports by opinion polls ensure that government and electorate do... Forbes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1514511/posts#comment Thu, 3 Nov 2005 01:14:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1507425/posts WHY should a distinguished classical scholar like Victor Davis Hanson provide us with yet another book about the Peloponnesian War? He is in no doubt: he is writing a tract for the times. "Perhaps never," he insists, "has the Peloponnesian War been more relevant to Americans than to us of the present age." This Greek civil war, between Athens and her allies and Sparta and her allies, lasted 27 years, from 431 to 404 B.C., and ended with the capitulation of Athens and its occupation by Sparta. Its interest for Hanson is in comparing Athens to the United States. At... NYTimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1507425/posts#comment Sat, 22 Oct 2005 22:27:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1478882/posts The Ayatollah of Atheism and Darwin’s Altars By: Paul Johnson The Spectator (UK) August 31, 2005 How long will Darwin continue to repose on his high but perilous pedestal? I am beginning to wonder. Few people doubt the principle of evolution. The question at issue is: are all evolutionary advances achieved exclusively by the process of natural selection? That is the position of the Darwinian fundamentalists, and they cling to their absolutist position with all the unyielding certitude with which Southern Baptists assert the literal truth of the Book of Genesis, or Wahabi Muslims proclaim the need for a universal... The Spectator (UK) via The Discovery Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1478882/posts#comment Wed, 7 Sep 2005 00:53:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1476382/posts Anti-Americanism is a phenomenon which, though common and ubiquitous, is difficult to explain because it is illogical, irrational, contradictory, and mysteriously primitive. A good deal of it is parroting. And, oddly enough, a parrot has recently emerged in England which may cast light on the subject. This bird had been owned by a long-distance truck driver who emigrated, bequeathing it to a bird sanctuary. There it behaved well; but there were exceptions. In succession, a local mayor, wearing his chain of office, a police inspector, and a female vicar — all visitors to the sanctuary — were subjected to four-letter... National Review Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1476382/posts#comment Sat, 3 Sep 2005 14:20:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1427809/posts p.746:The history of the media towards Nixon and his administration, which became more and more intense in 1970-72, mingled with the attacks by the new youth culture toward authority of any kind, gave a misleading impression that Nixon was in trouble. It led the Democrats, in 1972, to permit themselves the indulgence of a candidate who was popular with the students and the liberal media, George McGovern of South Dakota. His platform was an immediate and unconditional withdrawal from Viet Nam and an increase in welfare spending. Nixon was delighted. He told his staff:"Here is a situation where the Eastern... A History of the American People http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1427809/posts#comment Wed, 22 Jun 2005 02:31:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1424675/posts That Europe as an entity is sick and the European Union as an institution is in disorder cannot be denied. But no remedies currently being discussed can possibly remedy matters. What ought to depress partisans of European unity in the aftermath of the rejection of its proposed constitution by France and the Netherlands is not so much the foundering of this ridiculous document as the response of the leadership to the crisis, especially in France and Germany. Jacques Chirac reacted by appointing as prime minister Dominque de Villepin, a frivolous playboy who has never been elected to anything and is... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1424675/posts#comment Fri, 17 Jun 2005 05:24:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1424715/posts The fundamental weaknesses of the EU that must be remedied if it is to survive are threefold. First, it has tried to do too much, too quickly and in too much detail. Jean Monnet, architect of the Coal-Steel Pool, the original blueprint for the EU, always said: "Avoid bureaucracy. Guide, do not dictate. Minimal rules." He had been brought up in, and learned to loathe, the Europe of totalitarianism, in which communism, fascism and Nazism competed to impose regulations on every aspect of human existence. He recognized that the totalitarian instinct lies deep in European philosophy and mentality--in Rousseau and... Opinion Journal.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1424715/posts#comment Fri, 17 Jun 2005 07:43:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1415237/posts The intensification of anti-Semitism in the Arab world over the last years and its reappearance in parts of Europe have occasioned a number of thoughtful reflections on the nature and consequences of this phenomenon, but also some misleading analyses based on doubtful premises. It is widely assumed, for example, that anti-Semitism is a form of racism or ethnic xenophobia. This is a legacy of the post-World War II period, when revelations about the horrifying scope of Hitler's "final solution" caused widespread revulsion against all manifestations of group hatred. Since then, racism, in whatever guise it appears, has been identified as... Commentary http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1415237/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jun 2005 18:37:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1413005/posts No need for scientists to be dogmatic about the existence, or not, of God - Paul Johnson It is always a delight when scientists talk sense. The Guardian quotes the gynaecologist Robert Winston saying last week that science and religion are ‘essentially both the same thing’. He denies that science is ‘about certainty, about absolute knowledge, about facts’. The truth, he adds, ‘is that science really is about uncertainty, and I think that religion is also about uncertainty’. This accords with my view. True religion has an element of mystery — greys, shades, shadows and doubts. Absolute religious certitude, of... The Spectator - UK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1413005/posts#comment Mon, 30 May 2005 03:50:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1396082/posts Since we have just finished celebrating Pesach and our exodus from Egypt over 3,300 years ago, I thought it might be interesting to look at our impact on the world through the eyes of those who we have impacted! Here are some thoughts for your consideration: "Some people like the Jews, and some do not. But no thoughtful man can deny the fact that they are, beyond any question, the most formidable and the most remarkable race which has appeared in the world." -- Winston Churchill-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The Jew is that sacred being who has brought down from heaven the everlasting... AISH.COM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1396082/posts#comment Tue, 3 May 2005 21:55:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1390988/posts In both business and politics leadership matters more than does any other personal factor. A country with a first-class leader can punch above its weight class (look at Britain under Margaret Thatcher). Admiration for a company's chairman/ CEO is sure to be reflected in the share price. But what makes a real leader? How can we recognize one? • Moral courage. This matters most. It is the willingness to stick to one's beliefs, to pursue a course of action in the face of overwhelming criticism, great adversity and, not least, the faintheartedness of friends and allies. This kind of courage... Forbes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1390988/posts#comment Tue, 26 Apr 2005 01:40:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1385444/posts While revisiting the history of the French-Algerian war in 1954, I stumbled on an extensive quote -- at second hand -- from Paul Johnson's Modern Times, which though written before 9/11 provided a valuable key to understanding 'terrorism' as it emerged from the chrysalis of anti-colonialism. Colonialism died in part, Johnson argued, because it provided the demographic basis for its own demise. (Hat tip: FreeRepublic) Algeria was the greatest and in many ways the archetype of all anti-colonial wars. In the 19th century the Europeans won colonial wars because the indigenous peoples had lost the will to resist. In the... The Belmont Club http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1385444/posts#comment Sun, 17 Apr 2005 14:54:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1380258/posts London – The death of John Paul II removes from the world a great force for order and rectitude. He was often presented as a conservative, especially by liberal critics within the church. But this was a misreading of his character and indeed of his record. This great pontiff was essentially a defender, promoter, protector and enhancer of life: life in all its forms, as God created them, but especially human life. He sought to limit, almost to vanishing point, the occasions on which the state, let alone individuals, might legitimately extinguish or frustrate life. He had spent his manhood... The Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1380258/posts#comment Sat, 9 Apr 2005 04:35:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1377262/posts I watch with interest the efforts of American liberals to absorb and learn from the reelection of George W. Bush and from the strength of the GOP's grip on Congress. To me this recalls vividly the revolution that occurred in Britain's Labour Party when Margaret Thatcher swept the board in 1979 and won three elections in a row. Labour's response was to abandon socialism completely, accept Thatcher's privatization of nationalized industries and reform of the trade unions and celebrate these changes by renaming itself "New Labour." As a result of its humility and willingness to learn, Labour has now won... Forbes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1377262/posts#comment Mon, 4 Apr 2005 19:49:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1376839/posts The death of John Paul II removes from the world a great force for order and rectitude. He was often presented as a conservative, especially by liberal critics within the church. But this was a misreading of his character and indeed of his record. This great pontiff was essentially a defender, promoter, protector and enhancer of life: life in all its forms, as God created them, but especially human life. He sought to limit, almost to vanishing point, the occasions on which the state, let alone individuals, might legitimately extinguish or frustrate life. He had spent his manhood largely under... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1376839/posts#comment Mon, 4 Apr 2005 04:15:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1351319/posts The chief accusation against the United Nations used to be: "It's just a debating society." Would that it were! There's something to be said for a global forum in which all peoples can have their say and heads can be counted. Unfortunately the UN has expanded its role and now does everything from "peacekeeping" with multinational troops to administering aid programs and disaster relief. And it does almost everything badly. It's impossible to point to a major operation the UN has undertaken that's been brought to a successful conclusion. Its failures have nothing to do with inexperience, bad luck or... Forbes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1351319/posts#comment Sat, 26 Feb 2005 01:44:45 GMT