Letters From an American, a "Soldier" in the Butterfly Garden and Two More Felons

Richardson

Each day Heather Cox Richardson, Professor of History at Boston College (which really is a university but prefers the designation of “college”), publishes a commentary on what is going on in American politics.  The postings are called “Letters from an American,” a play on the title of a series of letters written in the late eighteenth century, entitled “Letters from an American Farmer,” by French-American writer J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur.   First published in 1782, the considerably longer title under which the letters were originally published is “Letters from an American Farmer; Describing Certain Provincial Situations, Manners, and Customs not Generally Known; and Conveying Some Idea of the Late and Present Interior Circumstances of the British Colonies in North America.”

The twelve letters cover a wide range of topics, from the emergence of an American identity to the slave trade.  Some of it is even pertinent today.  They provided much information to Europeans about what was emerging on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean as the Eighteenth century drew to a close.  Professor Richardson tries to provide a similar amount of information on what is happening, right now, today, on our side of the Atlantic.  She touches every base on what is happening in American politics each day, imparting a sense of immediacy to the news yet maintaining the empiricism of a historian.

You can subscribe to “Letters from an American” by CLICKING RIGHT HERE.   Once you do, you will receive an Email each morning, discussing the previous day’s events in depth.  There is no charge to sign on to receive these postings, although for a modest monthly payment, one can become part of the site’s ‘community’ and post comments on it.  Every item discussed in “Letters from an American” is footnoted with its source.

Today’s Email (posted late on 8/23) from Professor Richardson, if you can’t wait to subscribe, can be found by CLICKING RIGHT HERE.  (There’s also an opportunity to subscribe there, too.)

JL

Two More Felons

In preparing the prior posting about “Corruption-Central,” I neglected to include two additional low-life Trump supporters, both convicted felons, lawyer Michael Cohen and General Michael Flynn.  Add their reservations for beachfront villas at Guantanamo Bay to those of Paul Manafort, Rick Gates and Roger Stone.  (I am really jesting about Guantanamo.  I am sure the Russian government would be glad to arrange for comfortable dachas for each of the aforementioned felons somewhere far from Moscow.)

A Visit from a Soldier

I am tending to the Butterfly Garden on a daily basis, due to more time being available because of restrictions brought about by Covid19.  A recent visitor to the garden, whom I believe has bred there, is a "Soldier" butterfly.  It looks something like the Monarchs, but is a bit darker as are the Queens and Viceroys which I believe also are visiting the garden occasionally.  Here is the "Soldier," as photographed yesterday enjoying a milkweed snack. 

Danaus eresimus tethys (Soldier Butterfly)

JL

Bonus:  Some Thoughts from George Will

And George Will, dean of conservative pundits, who was never for one minute fooled by Donald Trump, included this in one of his columns last week.  It is worth thinking about, as is most of what Will writes.

“Victoria Nuland, former assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, recalls George Kennan’s 1946 *“Long Telegram” in which he said that in opposing the then-emerging Soviet threat “much depends on the health and vigor of our own society.”  Nuland adds, “The first order of business is to restore the unity and confidence of U.S. alliances in Europe and Asia.” 

Voters’ principal consideration this year should be which presidential candidate is most apt to accomplish Nuland’s recommendations.  Although life is full of close calls, this is not one.”

Do you agree with George Will?

*The “Long Telegram” outlined what we had to do to contain the Soviet threat and included establishing and maintaining alliances.

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