• Christ and Nietzsche: Toward Reconciliation

    Christ and Nietzsche: Toward Reconciliation

    Christ & Nietzsche: Toward Reconciliation Derek Suszko Derek Suszko is the associate editor for The Read More
  • February 2024 Summary

    February 2024 Summary

    The following is the February 2024 summary of the St. Croix Review: Barry MacDonald, in Read More
  • Letters from a Conservative Farmer: The Simple Life, Continued

    Letters from a Conservative Farmer: The Simple Life, Continued

    Letters from a Conservative Farmer: The Simple Life, Continued Jigs Gardner The late Jigs Gardner Read More
  • Parents and Children Are Cannon Fodder in America

    Parents and Children Are Cannon Fodder in America

    The mission of The St. Croix Review is to end the destruction of America by Read More
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
Barry MacDonald

Barry MacDonald

Editor & Publisher of the St. Croix Review.

Friday, 12 July 2019 10:58

June 2019 Summary

The following is a summary of the June/July issue of The St. Croix Review:

Barry MacDonald, in “The Impetus of Accusation and the Rock of America,” summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of the Left and Right in America.

Allan C. Brownfeld, in “Political Correctness Out of Control: The Strange Assault on Singer Kate Smith Who Introduced “God Bless America,” comments on intolerance dressed up as high-mindedness; in “The Founding Fathers Feared Excessive Executive Power — So Should We,” he reminds Americans that the Framers feared the tyrants, and sought to promote representative democracy; in “Can Congress Reassert Its War-Making Power? Yemen Is Now a Test Case,” he cites the current example of U.S. military involvement in the war in Yemen as a usurpation of Congress’ war-making authority by two Presidents; in “Are Conservatives Becoming Comfortable with Growing Executive Power?” he reminds conservatives of the supreme difficulty involved in preserving liberty from the corrupting effects of centralizing power.

Paul Kengor, in “Joe Biden and the Democrats’ Racist Abortion Position — They Couldn’t Be Prouder of Their Genocidal Commitments,” exposes the cruelty and indifference underlying Joe Biden’s flip-flop on the Hyde Amendment; in “The ‘Today Show’ Celebrates Communist Holiday,” he reveals the history of International Women’s Day, and of Clara Zetkin, who as an active comrade of Lenin and Stalin. She was a German socialist-Marxist who is buried in the wall of the Kremlin, near Vladimir Lenin; in “What ‘Deep Christian Convictions’ of ‘Democratic Socialism’”? he applies his expert knowledge of socialism and Communism to refute a professor who attempts to meld Christianity and socialism.

Mark Hendrickson, in “The Evolving Social Context of Parenting,” provides a historical and comprehensive look at the challenges and joys of parenting; in “Educational Malpractice on a Massive Scale: The Exploitation and Indoctrination of Children,” he writes: “Teaching the green agenda of climate alarmism in schools is child abuse. It’s diabolical, wrong, and un-American. It must be stopped.” In “Was Last Weekend a Portent of Things to Come?” he considers a week’s worth of headlines and sees unrestrained Leftism verging on violence.

Rev. Kenneth L. Beale, the Senior Chaplain at Fort Snelling Memorial Chapel in St. Paul, Minnesota, offers a “Prayer for President Donald J. Trump.”

Alan Duff, in “One Nation, Under God,” writes that our nation’s religious values are founded on proven principles that liberate the “human spirit,” and they have produced our unprecedented prosperity.

William Adair Bonner, in “What Is American Education Focused On?” reports on the direction academic leaders taking when they gather for conferences.

Thomas Martin, in “What Would People Do, if They Could Get Away with It?” asks his students how would they use a ring — a magic ring.

Robert L. Wichterman, in “A Growing Divide in America,” writes about America’s dangerous cultural and political fractures.

Richard Doyle, in “Civilization — Evolution and Devolution,” writes that civilization is precarious, and depends upon marital fidelity and the stability of the family.

Judy S. Appel, in “Garden Gloves,” writes about gardening and the sharing of duties.

Jigs Gardner, in “Letters from a Conservative Farmer: My Vegetable Gardens,” passes on the lessons of a lifetime of raising gardens.              

Jigs Gardner, in “Writers for Conservatives, 77: Thomas Sowell,” reviews Black Redneck and White Liberals, by Thomas Sowell.

Ray Sinneck, in “Where Are We Heading?” comments on the introduction of the wealth tax into political contention — he believes we are heading towards “democratic totalitarianism.”

Tuesday, 04 June 2019 13:44

April 2019 Poems

1.

The apple blossoms were in the puddles

On the pavement after the pelting of

The rain — looking like the confetti on

The street after a parade — but we missed

 

The parade this year as the blooms were just

Starting to appear when an overnight

Downpour broke the connections of petals

With the trees and I feel a little sad

 

That the joyous parade of my driving

By the flowering trees has passed me by

This year because I love seeing the blooms

As a celebration of beauty that

 

Always accompanies the return of

Spring and the resurrection of the trees.

 

But now I see

many of the trees

have yet to reach

their full flowering and

I’m just being gloomy.

 

2.

It is a bubble of a thought that burst

A moment before its proper time or

You could say it’s a hiccup or even

An interruption of a really good

 

Inspiration that led to something quite

A bit better than itself later on

But as it is doesn’t cohere into

A complete package that elicits a

 

Sense of satisfaction — as it looks like

A compendium of nonsensical

Elements that are fine enough if they

Were separate but together they are

 

Ridiculous — so I have to remark

Who could imagine the platypus?

 

And yet it swims

gracefully and waddles

along on land — and lays

its eggs and deploys

venom and growls.

 

3.

It can’t be seen by only looking at

A person but once the conversation

Begins and honest words are exchanged then

I can see the battered appearance and

 

I can sense the depth of sincerity

In the selection of words and the in

Quiet and measured pace of expression

And then I know here is a kind and a

 

Well meaning person who has suffered and

Has determined to use intelligence

And experience and whatever pride

There might have been is washed away and now

 

There is a poise and a readiness to

Respond with a wealth of humility.

 

There is a sweetness

that only arises

from suffering and

a determination

to be helpful.

 

4.

Michelangelo was fired with a

Conception of God surrounded by his

Angels in heaven reaching out with his

Index finger to touch the finger of

 

Adam on Earth and perhaps in the act

God effected a transference of a

Tinge of divinity and a freedom

Of choice allowing for a growth into

 

The humane or for a dissipation

Into evil and by the Renaissance

In Italy evil was already

Old in the world and people needed their

 

Consolations and inspirations and

We really aren’t much different today.

 

Did Adam feel like

I did when opening

a tin of cat food

and slicing the tip of

my index finger?

 

5.

I don’t begrudge the critical voice its

Imposing place within my awareness

Because I need a check on selfishness

And a sense of justice and decency

 

But it’s easy to belittle myself

And to disparage the things I have done

And nothing is more destructive of my

Peace than persistently negative thought

 

And the daily tenor of my thinking

Has the capacity to destroy my

Chances for happiness if I give my

Punishing monologue too much power

 

But I don’t believe I’m alone in thought —

In the quiet the divine emerges.

 

Without

circumspection

gentleness

patience

love I’m

lost.

Tuesday, 04 June 2019 13:06

America's Challenge

America’s Challenge

Barry MacDonald — Editorial

The following is a brief statement of the editorial vision and principles of the foundation, Religion & Society, and its publication The St. Croix Review.

A political and cultural movement has established itself in the United States that includes politicians, public intellectuals; entertainers; artists; writers; academics; lawyers; news organizations; cartoonists; think tanks; bureaucrats; educators; churches and synagogues; corporations; and the new tech barons consisting of Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Facebook.

This political and cultural movement behaves as an exclusionary ruling class that dominates the United States through the government and bureaucracy centered in Washington, D.C.; the institutions of law; the education of children and adolescents; the selection and matriculation of future leaders through acceptance into the nation’s elite universities; the messages communicated in news and entertainment; the instructions imparted by religious institutions; the presentation of content to be viewed in museums; the enticement, management, and sanctuary given to illegal immigrants.

The presumptuous ruling class has adopted revolutionary means to manipulate mass consciousness; to grasp power for themselves; to maintain a system of domination; and to undermine and overthrow liberty-enhancing traditional American values, using:

  • Unaccountable bureaucracy
  • Cronyism
  • Unsupported accusation
  • Systematic deceit
  • Perverted science
  • Class warfare
  • Gender warfare
  • Identity politics
  • Racial incitement
  • Poisoned news narratives

The ruling class is hostile to:

  • Traditional Christian values
  • The founding principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights
  • A disinterested enforcement of the rule of law
  • A due appreciation of rights in private property and the sanctity of contracts
  • The unhindered operation of the free economy
  • A fair-minded presentation of history that upholds achievement, justice, and goodness
  • The self-reliance of the American individual, family, civic institutions, churches and synagogues, immigrants
  • A health care system based on the free exchange of information and service between patient and care provider
  • The management of an immigration system geared towards liberty, prosperity, and the health and welfare of the American citizen, living under the protections of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights

Religion and Society and The St. Croix Review oppose the ruling class by means of:

  • Editorials and essays
  • Reasoned argumentation
  • Fair-minded presentation of facts
  • Historical essays
  • Inspirational essays
  • Christian values
  • Commentary of current events
  • Poetry
  • Satire

Religion and Society and The St. Croix Review upholds:

  • The Christian faith embodied in the founding documents of the United States of America
  • The principles of laws, justice, and governance embodied in our founding documents
  • Ideals of truth, justice, and goodness
  • The emphasis on the free exercise of liberty in the economy, and in civic institutions
  • The promotion of the virtues of self-reliance of individuals, families, and religious faiths
  • The diminution of the overweening influence of the ruling class, the bureaucracy, and the federal government
  • An immigration system designed for the preservation of liberty, the founding principles of American governance, and the prosperity of American citizens

Our Vision is to reawaken the genuine American spirit of living in a good, great, and growing nation of free individuals.

Our Mission is to uphold American liberty, prosperity, constitutional law, and humble government.     *

Tuesday, 04 June 2019 13:03

April 2019 Summary

The following is a summary of the April/May issue of The St. Croix Review:

Barry MacDonald, in the editorial, “America’s Challenge,” summarizes the editorial and vision and principles of the foundation, Religion & Society, and the publication, The St. Croix Review.

Thomas Martin, in “Who Is an American?” describes the technique he uses in introducing his college students to the Declaration of Independence.

Paul Kengor, in “The New Socialists — The Green Red Deal,” reveals the stark-raving-mad, socialist underpinnings, of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s environmental program; in “Abortion Racism in Pennsylvania — Where Abortion Wears a White Hood,” he exposes the hypocrisy and sheer meanness of Democratic state representative Brian Sims.

Mark W. Hendrickson, in “The Green New Deal: Welcome to a Command Economy,” is grateful that Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s presentation of The Green New Deal is exposing the Democrats for who they are: totalitarians. In “Open Letter to a Journalist About His Paper’s Position on Climate Change,” he asks probing and comprehensive questions challenging the consensus of journalists on the science of climate change.

Allan C. Brownfeld, in “The Assault on American History Is Growing and Represents a Rejection of Our Common Past,” questions whether we can preserve self-governance and American liberty while American history is being erased; in “Four Hundred Years Ago America’s First Slaves Arrived — Now a Debate Over Reparations for Their Descendants Is Growing,” he shows how the call for reparations by Democratic presidential candidates would be unjust and divisive; in “The Bladensburg Peace Cross and the Meaning of the First Amendment,” he brings historical context to debate whether the cross memorializing fallen veterans of World War I violates the Constitution.

Philip Vander Elst, in “Evil and God: Reflections of a Former Atheist,” makes a reasoned and passionate case for the existence of God and a moral universe.

Francis P. DeStefano, in “The Spanish Inquisition,” brings the light of knowledge to a much-misunderstood portion of Western history.

Ray Sinneck offers another excerpt of his satirical fiction in “Senatorial Pandemonium.”

Judy S. Appel, in “Accidental Gardeners,” describes her family’s history of gardening.

Jigs Gardner, in “Letters from a Conservative Farmer: Romantic Utopianism,” identifies a literary movement that emerged at the end of the 18th century that continues to afflict modern society.

Jigs Gardner, in “Writers for Conservatives, 76: Black Lamb & Gray Falcon,” reviews a novel written by Rebecca West, set in Yugoslavia before World War II. Rebecca West is a skillful and imaginative writer of the Romantic Movement.

The New York State Legislature and Abortion

Barry MacDonald

Barry MacDonald is the Editor of The St. Croix Review and President of Religion & Society.

After watching politics for many years I have adopted of a rule of thumb: However outrageous the forces of the political Left are today, without determined opposition, they will move even further left tomorrow.

In January 2019 we have witnessed the New York state legislature allow the aborting of unborn babies up to moments before a natural birth.

The new law is the Reproductive Health Act (R.H.A.), and it sanctions abortion under three conditions: (1) if it is performed earlier than 24 weeks of pregnancy; (2) in an “absence of fetal viability”; or (3) if necessary to “protect the patient’s life or health.”

The inclusion of the health of the mother, which is not restricted to a physical definition, and includes the mother’s psychological and emotional health, is broad enough to cover any possible late-term abortion.

Also, according to America, The Jesuit Review, the R.H.A. removes protections for infants born alive during abortions. Sam Sawyer, writing for America, writes:

“The R.H.A. repeals section 4164 of New York’s public health law. That section had provided that abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy had to be performed in a hospital, and that for abortions after 20 weeks a separate physician had to be on hand to provide medical care for any infant born alive during the procedure — which is a possibility, even if an unlikely one.”

“The now-repealed section also specified that a child born alive during an abortion procedure immediately enjoyed the protection of New York’s laws, and it required medical records to be kept of the efforts to care for the infant. Without section 4164, the public health law is now silent on the status of an infant born alive during an abortion.”

The new law also stipulates that to perform an abortion a license to practice medicine is no longer required in New York. A “health care practitioner licensed, certified, or authorized” under New York’s medical licensing laws can perform abortions. This means that licensed nurse practitioners, or physician assistants, can perform abortions.

The New York State Senate celebrated their progressive advancement with a standing ovation — they honored themselves. The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, authorized the lighting of the Freedom Tower in Manhattan, with a joyous projection of pink light — in celebration of a woman’s right to end the life of her unborn child.

The Freedom Tower is the site of the 9/11 terrorist attack, where thousands of people died. The tower is, presumably, sacred American ground — at least the location and the building have been consecrated and memorialized.

But for progressives, apparently, there is nothing sacred about life and death anymore. Andrew Cuomo and the Democratic Party in New York are introducing the undisguised diminishment of human life into American culture.

The New York law would have been unthinkable during the presidency of Democrat Bill Clinton. Almost twenty-five years ago, Bill and Hillary Clinton said that though abortion is a “fundamental constitutional right,” abortion should be rare. In her opposition to a proposed ban on partial-birth abortion in 2008, Hillary clarified her position: She wanted abortion to be “safe, legal and rare, and by rare, I mean rare.”

There is a terrible reality behind the euphemisms that politicians use when talking about abortion. The following paragraphs are from my editorial published in June 2011, titled “What the Case of Kermit Gosnell Says about Us.”

*****

Kermit Gosnell, M.D., spent nearly four decades running his clinic, The Women’s Medical Society, in Philadelphia. The grand jury case against him states:

 

“This case is about a doctor who killed babies and endangered women. What we mean is that he regularly and illegally delivered live, viable, babies in the third trimester of pregnancy — and then murdered these newborns by severing their spinal cords with scissors. The medical practice by which he carried out this business was a filthy fraud in which he overdosed his patients with dangerous drugs, spread venereal disease among them with infected instruments, perforated their wombs and bowels — and, on at least two occasions, caused their deaths. Over the years, many people came to know that something was going on here. But no one put a stop to it. . . .

“The clinic reeked of animal urine, courtesy of the cats that were allowed to roam (and defecate) freely. Furniture and blankets were stained with blood. Instruments were not properly sterilized. Disposable medical supplies were not disposed of; they were reused, over and over again. Medical equipment — such as the defibrillator, the EKG, the pulse oximeter, the blood pressure cuff — was generally broken; even when it worked, it wasn’t used. The emergency exit was padlocked shut. And scattered throughout, in cabinets, in the basement, in a freezer, in jars and bags and plastic jugs, were fetal remains. It was a baby charnel house. [The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the prosecutors cited dozens of jars of severed baby feet.]”

James Johnson is the common-law husband of Gosnell’s wife’s sister. He worked as a janitor, maintenance man, and plumber at the clinic. He testified at trial how he threatened to quit work, because when the staff flushed remains down the toilets (into Philadelphia’s sewage system) the toilets would back up once or twice a week. He would open the outside clean-out pipe to see babies’ arms and other parts come spilling out. With a shovel he scooped up the baby parts, put them in bags, and took them to the basement.

 

“The people who ran this sham medical practice included no doctors other than Gosnell himself, and not even a single nurse. Two of his employees had been to medical school, but neither of them were licensed physicians. They just pretended to be. Everyone called them “doctor,” even though they, and Gosnell, knew they weren’t. Among the rest of the staff, there was no one with any medical licensing or relevant certification at all. But that didn’t stop them from making diagnoses, performing procedures, administering drugs.

 

“. . . the real business of the ‘Women’s Medical Society’ was not health; it was profit. There were two primary parts to the operation. By day it was a prescription mill; by night an abortion mill. A constant stream of ‘patients’ came through during business hours and, for the proper payment, left with scripts. . . . The fake prescriptions brought in hundreds of thousand of dollars a year.

 

“. . . As with abortion, as with prescriptions, Gosnell’s approach was simple: keep volume high, expenses low — and break the law. That was his competitive edge.

 

“. . . Gosnell catered to the women who couldn’t get abortions elsewhere — because they were too pregnant. Most doctors won’t perform late second-trimester abortions, from approximately the 20th week of pregnancy, because of the risks involved. And late-term abortions after the 24th week of pregnancy are flatly illegal. But for Dr. Gosnell, they were an opportunity. The bigger the baby, the more he charged.

 

“. . . Babies that big are hard to get out. Gosnell’s approach . . . was to force full labor and delivery of premature infants on ill-informed women. The women would check in during the day, make payments, and take labor-inducing drugs. The doctor wouldn’t appear until evening. . . . Many of them gave birth before he even got there. By maximizing the pain and danger for his patients, he minimized the work, and cost, for himself and his staff. The policy, in effect, was labor without labor.

 

“There remained, however, a final difficulty. When you perform late-term ‘abortions’ by inducing labor, you get babies. Live, breathing, squirming babies. Most babies born prematurely will survive if they receive appropriate medical care. . . . Gosnell had a simple solution . . . he killed them. . . . He called it ‘ensuring fetal demise.’ . . . by sticking scissors into the back of the baby’s neck and cutting the spinal cord. He called that ‘snipping.’”

 

On May 13 Kermit Gosnell was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder of infants born alive, and one count of involuntary manslaughter of a woman, Karnamaya Mongar, who died of an overdose of anesthesia given by an unqualified assistant. He was also found guilty of conspiracy, of performing abortions beyond the legal limit in Pennsylvania, and over two hundred violations of the state’s informed consent law. On May 14 Gosnell was sentenced to life in prison.

 

Also four former clinic employees have pleaded guilty to murder, and four more to other charges. They include Gosnell’s wife, Pearl, who helped perform abortions.

 

As bad as Gosnell’s conduct was, the evil goes beyond him. The grand jury reported several agencies responsible for oversight should have stopped Gosnell years ago. Gosnell was caught when police raided the clinic to stop the selling of illegal prescriptions. Police saw the revolting conditions, dazed patients, and baby parts.

 

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (PDH) examined the Women’s Medical Society when it opened in 1979. It didn’t conduct a review again until 1989, ten years later. Violations were apparent in 1989 but Gosnell promised to fix them. The PDH did reviews in 1992 and 1993, and again recorded violations, but failed, again, to enforce the law. After 1993 the clinic wasn’t examined for 20 years. The grand jury found that:

 

“. . . the Pennsylvania Department of Health abruptly decided, for political reasons, to stop inspecting abortion clinics at all. The politics in question were not anti-abortion, but pro. With the change of administration from Governor Casey [a pro-life Democrat] to Governor Ridge, [a pro-choice Republican], officials concluded that inspections would be ‘putting a barrier up to women’ seeking abortions. Better to leave clinics to do as they pleased, even though, as Gosnell proved, that meant both women and babies would pay.”

*****

Kermit Gosnell’s business model was clearly outside of the law in 2011. Governor Cuomo, the New York state legislature, and the Reproductive Health Act have given Kermit Gosnell’s practice a claim of legality.     *

Monday, 18 March 2019 13:17

February 2019 Summary

The following is a summary of the February/March issue of The St. Croix Review:

Robert Russell, in “The Great Freedom Robbery — American Immigration 2019,” exhorts Americans to reevaluate and promote the high value of American citizenship.

Donald Lee, in “Immigration and Self-Governance,” calls on Americans to cherish America’s foundational ideals.

Al Shane, in “Strangers in Our House,” writes that American citizenship should be earned.

Barry MacDonald, in “The New York State Legislature and Abortion,” writes about the denigration of human life that the New York state government his introduced into America.

Allan Brownfeld, in “Promoting Infanticide: An Indication of Indifference to Human Life,” he comments on the passage of a law in New York, and on proposed laws, in Virginia, Rhode Island, and New Mexico, that allow abortion up to the moment of (and even after) the birth of babies; in “Identity Politics: A Threat to the Unity a Diverse Society Requires,” he sounds a warning over the poisonous nature of identity politics, and reminds us of our multi-ethnic and unique American heritage; in “Republicans Used to Oppose Huge Budget Deficits — What Happened?” he laments the Republican Party’s abandonment of central principles.

Paul Kengor, in “Marching for Life: Countering Rove v. Wade’s Escorts,” reveals the daily encounters outside Planned Parenthood clinics — pro-abortion activists “escort” pregnant women past the pro-life activists who attempt to dissuade the women from having the abortions.

Michael S. Swisher, in “Bugaboos of the Chattering Class — Anti-Americanism,” present evidence of virulent animus directed at Middle America by the “soi-disant intelligentsia.”

Gary Welton, in “Eugenics Is Alive and Flourishing in Modern America,” points out the origin of eugenics, it implementation in America, by Margaret Sanger, who founded Planned Parenthood, and its continuation today — minority fetuses are twice as likely to be aborted than white fetuses.

Mark Hendrickson, in Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: A Force to Be Reckoned With,” spots a media-savvy talent for power in her, and he hopes she is naïve and not fanatical; in “‘Justice’ Is the Word of the Year, and ‘Social Justice’ Is Its Orwellian Opposite,” he demonstrates how “social justice” is unjust; in “Understanding ‘Democratic Socialism,’” he reveals how our brazen new crop of American socialists take guidance from Marx and Lenin, seeking expropriation and domination; in “Bill of Rights Day 2018: A Time to Reflect,” he illustrates the Founders’ intention to uphold the primacy of individual rights with the Bill of Rights, and he points out their modern-day erosion.  

Earl Tilford, in “Angela Davis and the Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award,” notes that the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute has declined to honor Angela Davis — he recounts Angela Davis’ long history of campus radicalism and violent entanglements.

Richard D. Kocur, in “Healthcare Spending and the National Debt,” demonstrates the folly and impossibility of the latest leftist promise: “Medicare for All.”

Thomas Martin, in “Desiring to Know and Choose and Harmonize,” deploys Aristotle to show students how to bring out the best of themselves.

Judy Appel, in “I Love the Person I Became When I Was with Her,” writes about her daughter, and her daughter’s friends, who spent a year living together and working for the Lutheran Volunteer Corps in Baltimore.

Jigs Gardner, in “Letters from a Conservative Farmer: A Bizarre Episode,” relates his and Jo Ann’s brief stint teaching at a queer and abusive boarding school in the Berkshires.

Jigs Gardner, in “Writers for Conservatives 75: The Riddle of the Sands,” reviews a novel, The Riddle of the Sands, which is a sailing adventure, written by Erskine Childers in 1903.

Saturday, 19 January 2019 14:02

December 2018 Poems

1.

The African elephants have floppy

Ears while Asian elephants have tiny

Ears but both the African and Asian

Elephants can detect the lumbering

 

Presence of far away elephants by

“Listening” to the plodding of thudding

Elephant feet emanating in the

Waves from every elephant foot that stomps

 

On the earth — but the elephant doesn’t

Hear elephants thumping with its ears but

It measures the distance of its plopping

Cousins through the bottom of its feet as

 

It stands in place tickled by vibrations

Stimulating its marvelous flatness.

 

The wrinkles around

an elephant’s eyes suggest

wisdom but with its

wrapping and grasping trunk it

behaves mischievously.

 

2.

I was watching a video on my

Phone of a juvenile elephant in

A creek with muddy and slippery banks —

The youngster wanted out and came to a

 

Spot not so high and sloping — and thrusting

Upwards and flopping sideways onto the

Bank the elephant reached a tipping point

Several times but just couldn’t get over —

 

Looking like a chubby kid struggling

Up the wall on an obstacle course and

Failing — in befuddlement and distress

The adolescent wavered in the creek

 

Until an adult ambling over

And stepping into the creek helped him out.

 

The elephant

used his massive

head to push

from behind and

they escaped.

 

3.

It’s perplexing that in the transition

Into winter there is a blooming of

Vibrancy when the white and grey of a

Cloud rapidly blowing in the blue of

 

The sky makes a stunning contrast — when just

Moments ago the finest flakes of snow

Were descending — and I question why when

The leaves of each tree are revealing the

 

Brightest yellows oranges and reds they

Are capable of that the spirit in

Me responds with joyful celebration

As if today were a festival of

 

Natural beauty — while my bare hands are

Chilled to the bone by a persisting wind.

 

It happens that the

severity of winter

is proceeded by

a reverberation of

exuberant piquancy.

 

 4.

The river keeps flowing in the winter

Under five feet of ice on the surface

And water is moving consistently

And doesn’t dawdle and doesn’t hurry

 

And snow falling in the hollows and on

The limestone bluffs of the river valley

And on the streets and the homes of the town

Of Stillwater is snow for a season

 

But eventually the snow becomes

The river and then the river becomes

The ocean and then the ocean becomes

The clouds collecting and dispersing in

 

The sky until eventually the

Water drops and touches the earth again.

 

As I am drinking

water I am absorbing

the clouds the rain the

snow and the ice the river

and even every ocean.

 

5.

What is the red of the cardinal for?

What purpose does the scarlet serve beyond

The attraction of its mate? Does it live

Only for itself and its progeny?

 

Because I remember from my childhood

Taking such joy from the sight of the bird

As if its brilliant color transformed the

Drab gray skies the bare branches and the snow

 

On the ground into an enchanted land —

I would as well ask what is the winter

Solstice for that marks the passing of the

Longest nights and the turning to brighter

 

Days even though there are many dark days

Ahead when only the cardinal shines.

 

Childhood joy

and wonderment

from the sight of a

cardinal in winter is

unexplainable.

 

6.

Words of remembrance on the passing of

A friend are surprising gifts that we give

Each other and I knew Herbert as a

Writer in New York City and could not

 

Have known a lot about him and the list

Of his accomplishments was welcome but

It took a day for a story to emerge

From the bulk of information and to

 

Resonate that Herbert was scoring at

A pace surpassing the high school and league

Record when the basketball coach removed

Him and Herbert was outraged for many

 

Years until he absorbed the lesson of

Humility the coach had given him.

 

I learned

accomplishment

was founded upon

humility.

Saturday, 19 January 2019 13:18

Farewell Herbert London

Our vision is to reawaken the genuine American spirit of living in a good, great, and growing nation of free individuals.

Our Mission is to uphold American liberty, prosperity, constitutional law, and humble government.

Farewell, Herbert London

Barry MacDonald

Barry MacDonald is the editor of The St. Croix Review, and President of Religion and Society.

We lost a warm, generous, modest, brilliant, moral, and patriotic American on Saturday, November 10. Herbert I. London died of heart disease. He was a husband to Vicky and a father to Stacy, Nancy, and Jaclyn.

Herbert London’s essays have appeared regularly in the St. Croix Review since 1995. Ten years ago he came to Stillwater to speak at our annual meeting in November. I met him at the airport. He was a towering fellow of six feet, five inches, tall. He, my father Angus, and I, had a lively two days together. Herbert was engaging and easy to talk to.

On a trip to New York, my son and I visited Herbert in his office in New York City in 2006. He was welcoming and gracious. He didn’t go into detail but he touched on the experience of living through the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. He expressed his appreciation for the valor of his fellow New Yorkers.

I will always be grateful to Herbert because he recognized the worthy intellectual caliber and the patriotism of The St. Croix Review, whose operation arose in Middle America. I do regret not having had the opportunity to know him better.

He graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, and earned a doctorate in history from New York University. As a founding dean of the Gallatin School for Individualized Study at New York University, he taught the Great Books of Western Civilization from 1972 to 1992. Herbert was the President of the Hudson Institute from 1997 to 2011; was a senior fellow at the Center for the American University at the Manhattan Institute; and was chairman of the National Association of Scholars and a member of the Council of Foreign Relations. Herbert founded The London Center for Policy Research in 2013, and directed the center until his death.

Herbert London ran for mayor of New York City in 1989, and for Governor of New York in 1994, and afterwards for comptroller of New York. Running as a Republican in New York was daunting, and he did not win. While New Yorkers lost the possibility of enlightened governance, right-thinking intellectuals gained a powerful and determined leader.

Herbert wrote thirty books, most recently, Leading from Behind: The Obama Doctrine and the U.S. Retreat from International Affairs. He also wrote three plays and countless essays. His commentary was featured in National Review, The Washington Times, Commentary, Fortune, Newsmax, and numerous other publications.

For a year Herbert was a host on CNN’s “Crossfire,” and he co-hosted the series “Myths that Rule America” on NBC, and “The American Character” on CBS. He was often heard on talk radio in New York.

Herbert was multi-talented. If not for an injury he might have made his living in the NBA — he was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals. He was also a musician who sang a hit rock and roll song called “Sorry We’re Not Going Steady” in 1959!

“Herb was a Renaissance man’s Renaissance man,” said The London Center’s Vice President, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer: “In all aspects, he was a peerless scholar and a visionary leader who knowledgeably and comfortably could discuss history, philosophy, art, science, and the latest baseball scores.”

“Herb was not only a spectacular leader, he was a good man,” said Laddyma Thompson, his long-time secretary and treasurer: “An amazing father to his three daughters, Stacy, Nancy, and Jaclyn; an effective instructor to young people; a brilliant mentor to professionals, both fledgling and venerated; and a devoted husband to his wife, Vicki.”

Deroy Murdock describes Herbert:

“The three of us met at a now-kaput restaurant called Bayamo on Broadway near NYU. Herb and I became instant friends and subsequently enjoyed countless lunches, dinners, and conversations. We often ground our molars marveling at the idiocy of Big Government.

 

“Under the aegis of the delightfully unspecific Center for the Study of Society, Herb organized lunchtime meetings of the New York Discussion Group. This usually involved an author or thinker who presented a topic for about ten minutes at a local club, restaurant, or high-rise conference room. Then, about fifteen to twenty of us journalists, academics, attorneys, and entrepreneurs would pepper the speaker with challenges and grill him with questions. This was like a doctoral defense, but with better food. At one such gathering, we pondered “teleological vs. ontological cosmology.””

 

“ ‘Deroy, it’s time for one of our Cassandra Brothers lunches,’ Herb occasionally told me by phone. We sat down in a local steakhouse or Italian spot (he was a confirmed Italophile) and, like the princess whose ignored prophecies sealed the doom of Troy, we feasted on the topic of how much better things would be if our many warnings to leaders in Gotham City, Albany, and Washington had not gone unheeded.

 

“Like many polymaths, Herb had his eccentricities.

 

“He never lacked for words in person. He could address any subject with facts, figures, perspective, and historical context, often going on at considerable but enjoyable length.

. . . .

“Since childhood, Herb was fascinated with hippopotami. His credenzas, bookshelves, and coffee tables overflowed with glass, stone, and ceramic hippos. A bartender once served me a beer bottle whose label showcased such an African amphibian. I proudly presented it to Herb who received it with a smile as wide as a hippo’s.

 

“Herb also had a stunning facility with names and faces. At his 75th birthday party, he stood inside a friend’s living room. He spent about twenty minutes methodically introducing his fifty or sixty well-wishers — not just those he knew well, but also the friends and even dates of his guests. He greeted and welcomed everyone by name, adding a humorous anecdote, intriguing detail, or quote about a recent column or TV interview by each of us there. This was the height of graciousness and a mentalist feat worthy of the Amazing Kreskin.

 

“Herb was dapper, too. His suits, sport coats, crisply folded pocket squares, and colorful ties were reliably exquisite.”

 

Herbert’s friends and colleagues, Bruce Abramson and Jeff Ballabon write of him:

 

“. . . We prefer to focus on something more important, something often forgotten.

 

“For above all else — above Herb’s prowess as a thinker, a teacher, and an institution builder — Herb London was a mensch. In an era of bitter divisiveness, of ever coarsening discourse, of scorched earth politics, Herb was always gracious, always open, always decent.

 

“Herb would certainly have been forgiven had he been taken with himself. He was enormously gifted, accomplished in so many arenas, imposing, dashing, elegant, and urbane.

 

“But Herb’s accomplishments never overpowered his modesty.

 

“In Judaism — and Herb was very proud of his Jewish heritage — Moses represents the pinnacle of human achievement. The Torah testifies that there will never arise another prophet who will attain Moses’ greatness in communing with G-d.

 

“The Torah also tells us that Moses was unmatched in one character trait: Moses was the humblest of all men. Humility — not a quality generally associated with leadership in our culture. And of all the titles Moses earned: prophet, leader, lawgiver, and more, the one by which Moses is known best is ‘Rabbeinu’ — our teacher.

 

“Herb London's greatness was inextricably linked to his modesty.”

 

Sam Roberts, in an Obituary for The New York Times writes of Herbert:

 

“Herbert Ira London was born in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, on March 6, 1939, a grandson of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. His father, Jack, a lapsed socialist, sold fabric, leather, and vinyl for upholstery. His mother, Esta (Epstein) London, was a homemaker. He once described his upbringing as ‘Jewish Calvinist.’

“‘I always think about my dad because I think there are a lot of people like my father who could never understand why there were a growing number of people in our society who were feeding out of the public trough,’ he told The New York Times in 1994. ‘He paid his taxes and never derived any benefits from government. That’s why I refer to him as the quintessential forgotten New Yorker.’

 

“Dr. London was raised in Forest Hills, Queens, and graduated from Jamaica High School, where a teacher instilled in him a lifelong habit of writing at least one page a day. He helped lead the school’s basketball team to a city championship in 1955. Years later, he recalled a game in which he had scored 19 points by the end of the first quarter, with his team leading by 20.

 

“‘I felt confident of breaking the school scoring record and perhaps the city record as well, but to my dismay the coach took me out of the game,’ Dr. London wrote in 2012 on mindingthecampus.org. ‘I was furious. Yet in retrospect, he was right. Had I broken the school record, it would have come at the expense of a marginal team. Moreover, it would have embarrassed the other players. My coach understood what I did not.’

 

“He went on to Columbia College, where he played on the basketball team. There, originally enrolled in a pre-med curriculum, he was transformed by a course in contemporary civilization and humanities. Influenced by the professors Jacques Barzun, Samuel Huntington, and Daniel Bell, he pivoted toward an academic career.”

 

We readers and writers of the St. Croix Review will miss you Herbert London!     *

Saturday, 19 January 2019 13:15

Summary December 2018

The following is a summary of the December/January 2018/9 issue of The St. Croix Review:

Barry MacDonald, in “Farewell, Herbert London,” memorializes the life of Herbert Ira London.

Mark Hendrickson, in “Ready for Some Good News?” cuts through the depressing news and offers genuine reasons for optimism — hint — optimism is founded on the free economy; in “Good News, Bad News about Divorce,” he shows that marriage leads to prosperity; in “Spending More on Debt Than Defense,” he postulates on the baleful results of the endless deficit spending by the federal government; in “One Judge’s Role in Sabotaging the Keystone XL Pipeline Project,” he deplores the usurpation and injustice of a federal judge intervening where he has no business; in “The Politics of E15,” he shows how the politics of ethanol-supplemented gasoline are negative for the environment and prosperity; in “Remembering Soviet Dissidents and the Weaponization of Psychiatry,” he reveals the perverse and evil essence of Marxism.

Allan C. Brownfeld, in “Thanksgiving: A Time for Americans to Come Together,” shows that America is a nation where every race and ethnicity has found a home; in “Remembering George H. W. Bush,” he shares insights into our gracious and sincere former president; in “Making a Place for Christmas in a Chaotic World,” he reminds us of the genuine Christian spirit, and points out that our society is far from the mark; in “As Political Passions Rise, Knowledge of American History and Government Declines,” he demonstrates that most Americans are ignorant of our history, and could not pass the U.S. Citizenship Test immigrants are given; in “Do Those Who Promote ‘Socialism’ Have Any Idea of What It Means?” he cast doubt on whether those promoting socialism know what socialism is, and he shows that our elected politicians are not supporters of a free economy either; in The Green Book — The Travails of Traveling While Black During the Years of Segregation,” he reveals how Black Americans adapted to difficult circumstances.

Paul G. Kengor, in “A Point of Light: A Tribute of George H. W. Bush,” reveals the deep religious faith that pervaded our forty-first president’s entire life; in “George H. W. Bush’s Final Words,” he relates touching personal stories of the Bush family; in “George H. W. Bush and the Call That Surrendered the Soviet Union,” he recalls President Bush’s greatest moment; in “Death at the Tree of Life Synagogue,” he relates the experience of having his daughters at the scene of the massacre; in “Teaching God at Thanksgiving,” he laments that American publishers for children are forgetting to promote gratefulness to God on Thanksgiving Day.

Michael S. Swisher, in “Bugaboos of the Chattering Class — Egalitarianism,” places the words from the Declaration of Independence “all men are created equal” within their proper historical and philosophical context.

Earl Tilford, in “Losing Sight of the Great War in American History,” lists the many profound effects or World War I on America.

Richard Doyle, in “Our Devastating Welfare System,” identifies broken homes and fatherlessness as the origin of social malaise in America — and welfare is part of the problem.

David L. Cawthon, in “Leadership and the Love of God,” describes St. Augustine’s division of humanity into the “City of Man” and the “City of God,” in a continuation of Cawthon’s series of essays about the meaning of “leadership” to the philosophers of Western culture.

Judy Appel, in “Christmas Bird Count,” writes about living the good life and birdwatching.

Jigs Gardner, in “Letters from a Conservative Farmer: My Rocky Scholastic Trail,” writes about the high jinks that made him who he is.

Jigs Gardner, in “Writers for Conservatives, 74: The First Western,” relates the thrust of The Virginian, by Owen Wister.

Friday, 09 November 2018 13:36

October 2018 Poems

1.

The light on the leaves in the morning is

Golden in September and the air is

Crisp and if there were a time within the

Seasons that I would like to extend it

 

Would be September because the sun is

Not glaring and the afternoon heat is

Gentle — there are a few trees in town that

Are turning yellow and red but green is

 

Predominate and throughout the day when

A breeze is in the trees the light on the

Turning leaves is golden — that serves as a

Signal that now is the culmination

 

Of growth and a harvest is approaching

And then the days will become desolate.

 

I remember how

wind tosses leaves

in spring — there is a

boisterous joy.

 

 2.

The season for roses has passed this year

But when thinking about you roses come

To mind — because you are blooming in the

Sunny springtime of your life and you do

 

Approximate the velvet folds within

Folds that constitute a rose — and the moon

Has a mysterious allure because

Of its various shapes and colors and

 

Its movements — and the sun is marvelous

Because it is the resplendent source of

Breath and life — but you as you are now are

The epitome of beauty and love

 

Forcefully drawing me to you as if

I were under a spell and mesmerized.

 

Passion for

possession

is consuming

and thorns are

a warning.

 

3.

The cherry in September is just such

A humble little tree surrounded by

The taller and broader trees reaching up

And outspreading their leaves — taking so much

 

More sunlight — and here is the maple in

Pioneer Park beginning to show the

Touches of orange that will become so

Brilliant in October — and Pioneer

 

Park is just a tiny area of

Stillwater on a bluff overlooking

The valley with a southward view of the

Turning river with the Crossing Bridge in

 

The distance — and Stillwater is just a

Modest town in a boisterous nation.

 

But when the cherry

is blooming in spring

its beauty is just

unsurpassable.

Page 7 of 13

Calendar of Events

Annual Dinner 2023
Thu Oct 19, 2023 @ 6:00PM - 08:00PM
Annual Seminar 2023
Thu Oct 19, 2023 @ 2:30PM - 05:00PM
Annual Dinner 2022
Thu Oct 13, 2022 @ 6:00PM - 08:00PM
Annual Seminar 2022
Thu Oct 13, 2022 @ 2:30PM - 05:00PM
Annual Dinner 2021
Thu Oct 14, 2021 @ 6:00PM - 08:00PM
Annual Seminar 2021
Thu Oct 14, 2021 @ 2:30PM - 05:00PM
Annual Dinner 2020
Thu Oct 22, 2020 @ 5:00PM - 08:00PM
St Croix Review Seminar
Thu Oct 22, 2020 @ 2:00PM - 04:30PM

Words of Wisdom