Missing from most of the commentary on the brief war in Georgia was any mention of the contorted use of language in Western news coverage and opinion writing.  While there have been some reasonable observers discussing the conflict in Georgia, most mainstream reporting and commentary have persistently described the conflict as the “rape” of Georgia in which its capital has been … [Read More]

It is really a shame that Sarah Palin, who reminds me of Donna Reed in “It’s a Wonderful Life”, has already flubbed her first test in standing up to the left. When a walking human embodiment of sheer vileness Representative Robert Wexler (of Florida or Potomac, Maryland, depending on whom Wexler is speaking to) identified Sarah with the “Nazi sympathizer” Pat … [Read More]

One of my favorite living essayists (let’s face it, few of them really measure up to the dead) is Thomas Sowell—who once or twice a year lets himself off the hook and instead of composing a column, pens a series of aphorisms designed at once to goad the reader into thinking, and to let the columnist spend a final summer weekend … [Read More]

Before 85,00 adoring fans, the man of “Hope” and “Change” finally got down to specifics and told us who he really is and what he really plans to do as president. Well, sort of… Energy Independence in 10 years (a timeline politicians typically reserve for impossible tasks) was joined by a pretty conventional grab bag of federal goodies: public school teachers … [Read More]

DENVER—After the phony roll call vote was taken here to formally nominate Barack Obama—a roll call that did not remotely reflect the true delegate strength of Hillary—the media exploded in an orgy of celebration about the historic character of the moment to which they had just been privileged to be witness.         “The first black presidential nominee ever … [Read More]

Not that I need one, but the release of Diane English’s remake of The Women is a good excuse to revisit the George Cukor original.  It dates from 1939, that year when someone—maybe the Communists, although it doesn’t really sound like them—put soluble genius in Southern California’s drinking water and ended up giving us Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of … [Read More]

Austin Bramwell and Gerald Russello have taken different sides on whether American conservatives need a “canon of great books” to guide them. While Bramwell has disputed the value of this project, Russello aided by Dan McCarthy has argued on its behalf. Despite my forty-year involvement as a scholar dealing with the American Right and, more recently, the faux Right, I find … [Read More]

Editor’s note: This is the first installment in a new section at Takimag, Taki TV. Here we’ll feature original videos, by the Southern Avenger and others, as well as interviews and coverage of some the events Taki’s Magazine will be hosting around town in the near future. And, yes, our publisher will make an appearance or two.  [Read More]

As Tom Woods and I demonstrate in our new book, Who Killed the Constitution?  The Fate of American Liberty from World War I to George W. Bush, there is a bipartisan consensus in all three branches of the federal government that the U.S. Government can do whatever it wants. Joe Biden is one of the chief proponents of this view. It … [Read More]

We do not live in Lake Wobegon. In all areas of academic ability, half of the children are below average. This fact has implications for education and public policy, and yet it’s something most politicians and public intellectuals would rather not talk about. It amounts to educational romanticism. At its heart is a glib presumption that every child can be anything … [Read More]