On December 19, 1776, Tom Paine published one of a series of pamphlets in the Pennsylvania Journal titled The American Crisis. Exactly one year later, George Washington’s Continental Army went into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
On December 19, 1828, Vice President of the United States John C. Calhoun penned the South Carolina Exposition and Protest, arguing against the Tariff of 1828, a key moment in what became known as the Nullification Crisis.
Last week in one hour or so: the big stories, the big thoughts, the small hiccoughs.
A man’s taste is formed more by his culture, his profession, and the period in which he is young than by his race or politics.
A.J. Liebling, The Road Back to Paris (1988).
On December 18, 1777, the United States celebrated its first official Thanksgiving, marking the then-recent October victory by the Americans over General John Burgoyne in the Battle of Saratoga.
Paul starts with Mark Twain, moves through Matt Taibbi and Jimmy Dorsey, and ends with an encomium to Jimmy Lai.
Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.
A.J. Liebling, “Do you belong in journalism?,” The New Yorker (May 14, 1960).
On December 17, 1777, France formally recognized the United States of America.
The 17th of December, 1819, was the day Simon Bolivar declared the independence of the Republic of Gran Colombia in Angostura.
Lai went from rags to riches in the city’s free enterprise system, but presently sits in a jail cell already convicted of a ridiculous fraud charge (for which he was sentenced to a whopping 69 months) and awaits trial for violating the totalitarian national security law that criminalizes anti-government speech.
This week, that trial was postponed until next September. A conviction could keep him in jail for the rest of his life.
What can we do?
Well, for Lai and the others: precious little, beyond prayers.
We should focus, instead, on what these freedom-fighters have done for us. Their agitation — culminating in the 2019 protests that brought millions (close to one of every three HK residents) into the streets to demand basic democracy and human rights — woke up the world to the threat posed by the Chinese regime.
Lai could have taken his wealth and left to sip Mai Tais on a sunny beach on the far side of the globe. The student leaders of the protests — the best and the brightest — likewise knew how long their odds were, how dangerous their stand.
Yet, Lai and the protesters stood up to the Chinazis anyway. Why? Because good people must stand up to evil . . . or evil wins.
We must also honor their sacrifice by preparing to protect ourselves, our freedom and all that we hold dear against this tyranny.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
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The real problem Trump represented for elite America had less to do with his political beliefs than the unapproved manner of his rise.
Matt Taibbi, ”Will Twitter Become an Ocean of Suck?,” taibbi.substack.com (November 30, 2021).
On December 16, 1689, England’s Convention Parliament began, not only transferring power from one king to another, but establishing procedures and rights.