Will Sellers: The Monroe Doctrine turns 200
When James Monroe addressed Congress 200 years ago, many assumed his annual message would be limited to legislative initiatives. Since he had no spin doctors to help him explain his position, clarify its broad impact, or narrate its context, it was left to him to simply announce the Monroe Doctrine and let others decide its ramifications. Two centuries ago, the New World was shedding Old World political connections as new nation-states were emerging after achieving independence. President Monroe clearly understood the general feelings of his fellow countrymen and realized that the unique American experience provided him a forum to declare his nation’s place in the World Order. The Monroe Doctrine is remembered primarily for its bold limitation on European influence and colonization in the Western Hemisphere, but other parts of the doctrine were of equal importance and expressed American sentiments about the rest of the world. Specifically, the doctrine stated that America had no interest in conflicts in Europe but would respect the existing order in the New World. When viewed in hindsight, the doctrine was in many ways a concise statement of how America viewed the world and coupled its role with a tinge of isolationism. President Monroe told the entire world that the Western Hemisphere was off-limits to European powers. It was a bold move for a nation that was not yet 50 years old and had no military to enforce the policy, but the policy was supported by George Washington’s admonition that America not involve itself in foreign wars. The American Revolution changed the dynamics of foreign policy, foreign trade, and foreign investment. Once the revolution ended, wars in Europe waxed and waned with alliances that switched and boundaries that moved so frequently that it was hard to keep an accurate tally. Monroe understood that America had no interest in these changing relationships and was ill-suited to fully appreciate the dynamics of European diplomatic intrigues. Monroe’s main interest was preserving a sphere of influence with America as the dominant power. There was no need to allow this continent to become a proxy for the varied changes in European politics and reconquest of former colonies. Keeping America stable and secure with its energies devoted toward territorial growth and trade was the president’s ultimate goal. He knew from experience that wars were expensive and diverted time and talent away from domestic improvement. Thus, it was easy for him to disclaim any involvement in Europe, its political theories, and various continental wars, but it was another thing to make a bold statement that European powers were not welcome to assert control over liberated ex-colonies. Even bolder was the assertion that any such involvement by another country would be considered a hostile act against the United States. This provision of the doctrine might be viewed as a NATO-like pledge that any attack by a foreign power against a territory in the Western Hemisphere would be met with force of arms from the United States. Since the United States had a very limited navy and no standing army of any measure, this statement had no enforcement mechanism. If a foreign power tried to invade another country, the U.S. would have been helpless to take effective action, but the Monroe Doctrine had a silent guarantor in the form of the British Empire, which had plenty of ships and troops to enforce the policy. The British acquiesced to the Monroe Doctrine because limiting other countries’ involvement in the New World was advantageous to its long-term interest. It is not a stretch to say that the Monroe Doctrine cemented the Anglo-American relationship while ensuring American and British interests would never again be so adversarial as to incubate hostilities. From this point forward, the two nations would be joined together in almost a common enterprise of trade and international stability. Without having to fight wars, the United States could focus on opening and subduing the rest of its territory. For at least some period of time, the expansion of the country created such opportunities that any foreign influence was not occasioned by military invasion, but by swarms of immigrants leaving the old world behind to seek fortune and opportunity in a new place with little historical memory to retard its progress. Rather than being innovative, the Monroe Doctrine sought to express the consensus of American sentiment about its view of its place in the world. The influx of immigrants would also support this idea that once their home country was on the distant horizon, they were liberated from the politics of the Old World that limited freedom and advancement. Immigrants coming to the United States would gladly agree that they, too, had no desire to involve themselves in the politics of a country they had left. So, while Americans wanted limited involvement with the politics and factious belligerence of Europe, they did not want foreign influence in the New World. Americans would be motivated to apply force only if European countries attempted to assert themselves in our sphere of influence. This was true even in the last century. During World War I, most Americans had no desire to send troops to Europe, but sentiment changed only after a secret German diplomatic initiative was uncovered, promising Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico to Mexico if it would ally with the Kaiser. Ending any thought of European influence in our country’s affairs proved a strong motivator. Likewise, in World War II, Franklin Roosevelt was unable to arouse American interest in defeating the Nazis, but once Hitler’s secret plan to divide Latin America into Nazi-controlled vassal states was exposed, the average citizen began to sense the Nazi threat. For 200 years, the Monroe Doctrine has been a centerpiece of American foreign policy. Its broad provisions continue to affirm a commitment to regional independence and put other nations on notice that the Western Hemisphere is a self-determination zone with no tolerance for foreign influence or territorial threat. Perhaps President Xi Jinping needs a refresher course? Will Sellers is a graduate of
Daniel Sutter: Freedom and the Fourth of July
America celebrates 222 years of independence this July 4th. Our current political polarization makes many question whether Americans are still united in freedom. I think freedom is still widely embraced, just two distinct visions. The leaders of America’s founding generation studied lessons from political theory and history concerning lost freedom. They were rooted in English liberal political thought. Liberals sought freedom for the people against rule by kings, emperors, or pharaohs and had radically altered government in England and Holland. Thomas Jefferson’s words in the Declaration of Independence encapsulated liberalism: “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights … That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Liberalism’s foundation is the moral equality of all. Slavery represented a glaring inconsistency in America’s experiment in freedom. Liberal principles were inconsistent with slavery; many 19th Century liberals were abolitionists. Throughout human history, monarchs ruled nations, and slavery was ubiquitous. Liberalism eventually ended monarchy and slavery, but change took time. Liberty as freedom from being ruled by a king is straightforward. Divergence occurred with further theorizing about freedom. Is the necessity of work a type of repression, as reflected in Karl Marx’s “wage slavery”? Economists think in terms of constraints on our choices, like a household’s budget constraint. Scarcity, the necessity of producing the goals and services we need and want with limited resources, produces constraints. Making the best choice given the constraints we face is the essential economic problem. The divergent views of freedom can be interpreted as two types of constraints people face. Some constraints result from Nature and scarcity, the need to produce food, clothing, and shelter. Some constraints are placed on us by others, like kings, lords, and slave owners. Liberalism addressed human-imposed constraints and viewed freedom as freedom from interference by others. A second vision of freedom addresses the constraints that Nature places on us through scarcity. Economic rights secured by the government provide people with sustenance for survival and liberate them from the necessity of working hundreds (or thousands) of hours each year in a dreary job. The push for economic rights emerged after political rights and the market economy produced prosperity. A society at the subsistence level has no surplus production to redistribute. With the Great Enrichment and modern prosperity, many people produce more than they need to survive or live comfortably. Proponents of the first approach view government efforts to provide economic rights as coercive. Healthcare or housing must be produced before being provided to anyone by right, and the government pays the cost. Taxpayers face forced labor until Tax Freedom Day to provide the economic rights of others. Proponents of the second vision do not consider this coercive. Representative democracy ensures that citizens must give their deliberate consent to taxes and the welfare state. Taxation with representation is not the tyranny of a king’s armed men seizing your possessions. We have two visions of freedom. One minimizes the constraints from other persons and regards Nature’s constraints as natural. The second balances the impositions from Nature and others. Conservatives and libertarians typically embrace the former, progressives the latter. I think that most Americans still care very deeply about one of these visions of freedom. That the meaning of freedom has been elaborated over the last 250 years should surprise no one. Many great thinkers have explored freedom since Jefferson penned the Declaration. Many people believe that freedom is worth fighting for; the accounts of George Washington and his army or Mel Gibson’s speech in Braveheart inspire many of us. Increasingly Americans on the right and left see themselves in an existential battle to defend their freedom. A battle between two groups of freedom fighters is sure to be ugly. We could perhaps ratchet down the acrimony by recognizing that we all value (different shades of) freedom. Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University.
Celebrating Presidents Day
Today is Presidents Day. It is a federal and state holiday, so banks, post offices, government offices, courthouses, schools, and businesses will be closed. This is the annual observance of President George Washington’s birthday. Washington was the first President of the United States, head of the Constitutional Convention, the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, a delegate to the Continental Congress, a hero of the French and Indian War, and one of the most revered Americans in history. Washington’s actual birthday is Wednesday, February 22, but we celebrate it on a Monday to have a three-day weekend. Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is February 12. This holiday has evolved into rather than just celebrating Washington’s memory. All 46 U.S. Presidents are remembered and honored today. George Washington is one of the four Mount Rushmore presidents, along with Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt. Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in the Virginia Colony. Washington was the son of Augustine and Mary Ball Washington. Washington was the oldest of their six children. His father also had three children with his first wife, including Lawrence Washington. His half-brother Lawrence was an inspiration and mentor to the young George Washington after their father died in 1743. Washington inherited land and slaves from his father and inherited Mount Vernon from Lawrence’s widow in 1761. Washington could have enjoyed a life of luxury on his inherited estates. Washington was a very enthusiastic farmer. Washington was an active breeder of mules, and generations of American farmers were influenced by Washington’s advocacy for the animals, which are a sterile hybrid cross between a donkey and a horse. Washington was also a very cutting-edge sheep breeder and agronomist. As much as he loved Mount Vernon and managing his lands, Washington spent much of his life elsewhere. He was an accomplished surveyor and mapmaker. He was one of the top military officers in the Virginia Militia. Washington spent years fighting the Revolutionary War, leading an army that had not existed before and training them to fight as an army. Gen. Washington had to fight smallpox, exposure, and malnutrition, which collectively killed more of his soldiers than the British did. Washington’s victory at Yorktown shocked the world. An entire British Army was trapped – and would have been wiped out if the British had not surrendered. Following the War, Washington resisted calls from some of his troops to seize the government by force and instead went home to his farm. When it became clear that the Articles of Confederation were not working, Washington joined calls for a new Constitution and led the Constitutional Convention that drafted the U.S. Constitution. Washington was elected the first president of the United States and served two terms. He could have easily been elected to a third term but chose to go home to his farm instead. Despite poor health, he came out of retirement during Adams’ presidency to head the U.S. Army for an anticipated war with France. Fortunately, Adams averted that War with diplomacy. Washington died at Mount Vernon in 1799. This Presidents Day celebration is overshadowed by the breaking news that former President Jimmy Carter, age 98, has been sent to hospice. Carter, who was President from 1977 to 1981, and Bill Clinton are the last two living twentieth century Presidents. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Today is Robert E. Lee Day
Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s birthday is on January 19, but it is celebrated by the State of Alabama today. Robert E. Lee Day has been an official state holiday in Alabama since sometime in the late 1800s. Lee was the most renowned general of the Confederacy in the Civil War. Today is an official state holiday. State offices and most schools will be closed in observance of the holiday. Federal offices, post offices, and many businesses will also be closed, but that is because today is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Alabama and Mississippi merged its Lee celebration with MLK Day after President Ronald Reagan signed legislation, making it a national holiday. Some state legislators have advocated for dropping Robert E. Lee Day from the list of official holidays and making the holiday observance for Dr. King alone. That legislation has not advanced in past legislative sessions. Robert Edward Lee was the son of Revolutionary War hero General Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee. Lee was born in Stratford Hall, Virginia, in 1807. His father was a hero, a governor of Virginia, and the dignitary was chosen to write the eulogy for President George Washington. By young Robert’s birth, the Lee’s fortunes had turned sour, and Light Horse Harry served time in debtor’s prison. The older Lee’s health declined, and he passed away in the West Indies without ever getting to know his young son. Robert received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated second in the class of 1829. Lee married Mary Anna Randolph Custis. Lee spent most of his early military career as an engineer, where he supervised and inspected the construction of the nation’s coastal defenses. During the Mexico-American War, Lee served on the staff of General Winfield Scott. Lee distinguished himself in that war and became a colonel. He was the Superintendent of West Point from 1852 to 1855. He then took command of the cavalry. In 1859 he crushed abolitionist John Brown’s attempted insurrection at Harpers Ferry. President Abraham Lincoln offered Lee the command of the Union Army being assembled to invade the South. Lee declined and resigned from the army when Virginia seceded. The Confederacy made Lee a general. His first military engagement in the Civil War was at Cheat Mountain (now West Virginia) on September 11, 1861. On June 1862, he was given command of what he would rename the Army of Northern Virginia when General Joseph E. Johnston was wounded. Lee would become a legend in that command. He won several victories against vastly superior Union forces. Ultimately though, his two attempts to invade the North at Antietam and Gettysburg were failures – costly failures that the outmanned Confederates could not sustain. After the simultaneous Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, Mississippi, Ulysses S. Grant assumed command of Union forces. Rather than making Richmond the aim of his campaign as previous generals had done – with no success – Grant attacked Lee’s Army. By the summer of 1864, the Confederates were forced into waging trench warfare outside of Petersburg. On April 9, 1865, Lee was forced to surrender his depleted army to Grant at Appomattox Court House. Lee returned home from the war and eventually became the president of Washington College in Virginia (now known as Washington and Lee University). He died on October 12, 1870, in Lexington, Virginia. His life and military exploits have been revered by generations of southerners. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Brandon Moseley: Celebrating Thanksgiving
Today is Thanksgiving. 401 years ago, the Pilgrims celebrated their first harvest in the New World with their Wampanoag Indian friends with a feast. We remember that celebration each year with a feast of our own. We eat turkey, dressing, ham, macaroni and cheese, butter, rolls, dressing, green bean casserole, corn on the cob, applesauce, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie, apple pie, decorated cakes, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, stewed onions, and other treats. But is this what the Pilgrims ate at the first Thanksgiving? Not quite. Most of us serve turkey on our Thanksgiving Day table. Did the Pilgrims? We don’t know. William Bradford tells us that the Pilgrims found lots of wild turkeys in the area, and the local Indians may have had domesticated turkeys. Turkeys were first domesticated in what is now Mexico as early as 800 B.C. The Anasazi raised domesticated turkeys in the southwestern United States by 200 B.C. The Indians of the Southeastern U.S. of the Mississippian culture were raising turkeys as early as the thirteenth century A.D. The first domesticated turkeys appear to be raised for their feathers which were used for feathered blankets, and headdresses and to improve the accuracy of Native American arrows. The Spanish Conquistadors brought the bird to Europe, where they were a popular Christmas dinner in England by the mid-sixteenth century. Some of the Pilgrim men went hunting prior to the feast, and they collected a large number of “wild fowl.” It is likely that these “wild fowl” included turkeys, but they likely also harvested wild geese, ducks, pigeons, doves, and other wild birds. You can have a roast or prime rib on your Thanksgiving Day table, but the Pilgrims did not have beef at the first Thanksgiving. In fact, the only animals we know for sure that came on the Mayflower were two dogs: an English mastiff and an English spaniel because they are mentioned in the annals of the Pilgrims. We know there was no beef and a major butter shortage as a result of not having cattle. The ship ‘Anne’ arrived in 1623, bringing the first three cows: nicknamed the “Great Black Cow,” the “Lesser Black Cow,” and the “Great White-Backed Cow.” More arrived on the ‘Jacob’ in 1624. Now many of us have ham on our Thanksgiving Day table. It is not known for sure when the first pigs arrived at Plymouth. It appears that they had chickens because Edward Winslow gave chicken broth to Massasoit when he was sick in 1623. That year Emmanual Altham visited Plymouth, and reported there were six goats, fifty pigs, and many chickens. If there were any pigs at the First Thanksgiving (and that’s debatable), they were probably in the growing and multiplying stage, so they likely weren’t on the menu. Now, if you have venison on your Thanksgiving Day table, you are being very historically accurate. We know that the visiting Wampanoag Indians brought five deer to the feast. If you are serving seafood, you are also likely being historically accurate. Bradford tells us that the Pilgrims were able to successfully dig up eels at night from their beds and that mussels were plentiful. Cod would also have been a common foodstuff at the time. If you have corn on your table, you are being accurate to a point. The Pilgrims had corn, wheat, and oats, so they were able to make breads and porridges. Now they did not have sweet corn, so corn on the cob or kernel corn would not have been present. Many of us have mashed potatoes or potatoes au gratin. While potatoes were grown in the Americas since ancient times by the Native Americans – that was in South America, not North America. The first potatoes in North America were gifted by the Governor of the Bahamas to the Governor of Virginia in 1625 – after the Thanksgiving feast. Likewise, there were no sweet potatoes at the first Thanksgiving as they weren’t in North America yet. There also were no apples. The Pilgrims likely had cranberries – they did not have cranberry sauce as there was a major shortage of sugar. Certainly, squash and pumpkins were at the first Thanksgiving, but without butter and sugar, the pies and cakes that we eat in our deserts today would have been impossible then. They also had not had time to build ovens yet so most of the food was cooked in a pot or a spit over an open fire, which further limited what those Pilgrim chefs could do. The Pilgrims had onions, carrots, peas, turnips, beans, and other foods from their home gardens. Many of these were stuffed into the waterfowl or were served boiled, and gravies and broths are also likely historically accurate. The Pilgrims would also have had walnuts, acorns, and chestnuts in quantity as those trees were commonly found in the forests of the day. We love our macaroni and cheese, but it was not invented until the 19th century, so no, the Pilgrims were not eating mac & cheese (they also had no cows – so no cheese). We also like to eat green bean casserole, but it was not invented until the mid-20th century. The Pilgrims brought beer, cider, and wine with them, but they would have run out of any stores in that first year, so there likely were not any such drinks served. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Jim Zeigler: Thanksgiving all year round
Pilgrims and Native Americans in Massachusetts held the first Thanksgiving celebration in the New World in 1621. George Washington issued a proclamation creating the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the federal government in 1789. On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father” to be celebrated on the fourth Thanksgiving in November, and the official holiday of Thanksgiving began. Hopefully, Thanksgiving is more than just a single day of celebration. It is a lifestyle, a way of life. We are told in 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Is this even possible? Yes. Is it easy? Not always. When we give thanks, we acknowledge the goodness of God. We recognize that our joy comes from the Lord, not our circumstances. By giving thanks, we focus on what we have rather than what we wish we had. Our hearts experience joy, and real thanksgiving happens. During this season of Thanksgiving, we should thank God for His provision and His plans for us even when we do not understand all our circumstances. As you count your blessings, you cannot help but be overwhelmed by God’s goodness and grace. There is an old Southern hymn that sings of thanksgiving as a lifestyle. When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed And you are discouraged thinking all is lost. Count your many blessings, name them one by one And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done. Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done. Jim Zeigler is the State Auditor of Alabama.
Obamas return to the White House, unveil official portraits
Former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, returned to the White House Wednesday, unveiling official portraits with a modern vibe in an event that set humor and nostalgia over his presidency against the current harsh political talk about the survival of democracy. While her husband cracked a few jokes about his gray hair, big ears, and clothes in his portrait, Mrs. Obama, a descendant of slaves, said the occasion for her was more about the promise of America for people like herself. “Barack and Michelle, welcome home,” declared President Joe Biden as the gathering cheered. Biden, who was Obama’s vice president, praised his former boss’ leadership on health care, the economy, and immigration and said nothing could have prepared him any better for being president than serving with Obama for those eight years. “It was always about doing what was right,” he said. The portrait of Obama, America’s 44th and first Black president, doesn’t look like any of his predecessors, nor does Michelle Obama’s look like any of the women who filled the role before her. Obama stands expressionless against a white background, wearing a black suit and gray tie in the portrait by Robert McCurdy that looks more like a large photograph than an oil-on-canvas portrait. The former first lady, her lips pursed, is seated on a sofa in the Red Room in a strapless, light blue dress. She chose artist Sharon Sprung for her portrait. Scores of former members of Obama’s administration were on hand for the big reveal. Obama noted that some of them in the East Room audience had started families in the intervening years and feigned disappointment “that I haven’t heard of anyone naming a kid Barack or Michelle.” He thanked McCurdy for his work, joking that the artist, who is known for his paintings of public figures from Nelson Mandela to the Dalai Lama, had ignored his pleas for fewer gray hairs and smaller ears. “He also talked me out of wearing a tan suit, by the way,” Obama quipped, referring to a widely panned appearance as president in the unflattering suit. Obama went on to say his wife was the “best thing about living in the White House,” and he thanked Sprung for “capturing everything I love about Michelle, her grace, her intelligence — and the fact that she’s fine.” Michelle Obama, when it was her turn, laughingly opened by saying she had to thank her husband for “such spicy remarks.” To which he retorted, by way of explanation, “I’m not running again.” Then the former first lady turned serious, drawing a connection between unveiling the portraits and America’s promise for people with backgrounds like her own, a daughter of working-class parents from the South Side of Chicago. “For me, this day is not just about what has happened,” she said. “It’s also about what could happen, because a girl like me, she was never supposed to be up there next to Jacqueline Kennedy and Dolley Madison. She was never supposed to live in this house, and she definitely wasn’t supposed to serve as first lady.” Mrs. Obama said the portraits are a “reminder that there’s a place for everyone in this country.” Tradition holds that the sitting president invites his immediate predecessor back to the White House to unveil his portrait, but Donald Trump broke with that custom and did not host Obama. So, Biden scheduled a ceremony for his former boss. Mrs. Obama said the tradition matters “not just for those of us who hold these positions, but for everyone participating in and watching our democracy.” In remarks that never mentioned Trump but made a point as he continues to challenge his 2020 reelection loss, she added: “You see the people, they make their voices heard with their vote. We hold an inauguration to ensure a peaceful transition of power … and once our time is up, we move on.” McCurdy, meanwhile, said his “stripped down” style of portraiture helps create an “encounter” between the person in the painting and the person looking at it. “They have plain white backgrounds, nobody gestures, nobody — there are no props because we’re not here to tell the story of the person that’s sitting for them,” McCurdy told the White House Historical Association during an interview for its “1600 Sessions” podcast. “We’re here to create an encounter between the viewer and the sitter,” he said. “We’re telling as little about the sitter as possible so that the viewer can project onto them.” He works from a photograph of his subject, selected from about 100 images, and spends at least a year on each portrait. Subjects have no say in how the painting looks. McCurdy said he knows he’s done “when it stops irritating me.” Obama’s portrait went on display in the Grand Foyer, the traditional showcase for paintings of the two most recent presidents. His portrait replaced Bill Clinton’s near the stairway to the residence, the White House tweeted Wednesday night. George W. Bush’s portrait hangs on the wall opposite Obama’s in the foyer. Mrs. Obama’s portrait was hung one floor below on the Ground Floor, joining predecessors Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Laura Bush, according to the tweet. Two spokespeople for Trump did not respond to emailed requests for comment on whether artists have begun work on White House portraits for Trump and former first lady Melania Trump. Work, however, is underway on a separate pair of Trump portraits bound for the collection held by the National Portrait Gallery, a Smithsonian museum. The White House Historical Association, a nonprofit organization founded in 1961 by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy and funded through private donations and sales of books and an annual Christmas ornament, helps manage the White House portrait process. Since the 1960s, the association has paid for most of the portraits in the collection. Congress bought the first painting in the collection, of George Washington. Other portraits of early presidents and first ladies often came to the White House as gifts. Republished with the permission of The
Ketanji Brown Jackson pledges to decide cases ‘without fear or favor’
Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson pledged Monday to decide cases “without fear or favor” if the Senate confirms her historic nomination as the first Black woman on the high court. Jackson, 51, thanked God and professed love for “our country and the Constitution” in a 12-minute statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee at the end of her first day of confirmation hearings, nearly four hours almost entirely consumed by remarks from the panel’s 22 members. Republicans promised pointed questions over the coming two days, with a special focus on her record on criminal matters. Democrats were full of praise for President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee. With her family sitting behind her, her husband in socks bearing George Washington’s likeness, Jackson stressed that she has been independent, deciding cases “from a neutral posture” in her nine years as a judge, and that she is ever mindful of the importance of that role. “I have dedicated my career to ensuring that the words engraved on the front of the Supreme Court building — equal justice under law — are a reality and not just an ideal,” she declared. Barring a significant misstep, Democrats who control the Senate by the slimmest of margins intend to wrap up her confirmation before Easter. She would be the third Black justice, after Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, as well as the first Black woman on the high court. Jackson’s sternest Republican critics, as well as her Democratic defenders, all acknowledged the historic, barrier-breaking nature of her presence. There were frequent reminders that no Black woman had been nominated to the high court before her and repeated references to another unique aspect of her nomination: Jackson is the first former public defender nominated to be a justice. “It’s not easy being the first. Often, you have to be the best, in some ways the bravest,” Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the committee chairman, said in support. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., spoke of the “joy” in the room and acknowledged her family’s pride as Jackson’s parents beamed behind her. Booker repeated a story Jackson has frequently told about a letter her youngest daughter wrote to President Barack Obama several years ago touting her mother’s experience. “We are going to see a new generation of children talking about their mamas and daring to write the president of the United States that my mom should be on the Supreme Court,” Booker said. “I want to tell your daughter right now, that dream of hers is so close to being a reality.” In their opening statements, Democrats sought to preemptively rebut Republican criticism of her record on criminal matters as a judge and before that as a federal public defender and a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Jackson “is not anti-law enforcement” and is not “soft on crime,” Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said, noting that members of Jackson’s family have worked in law enforcement and that she has support from some national law enforcement organizations. ”Judge Jackson is no judicial activist.” The committee’s senior Republican, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, promised Republicans would “ask tough questions about Jackson’s judicial philosophy” without turning the hearings into a ”spectacle.” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., noted that Democrats had opposed some past Republican judicial nominees who were Black or Hispanic, and he said that he and his GOP colleagues wouldn’t be deterred by Jackson’s race from asking probing questions. He said of some criticism from the left: “It’s about, ‘We’re all racist if we ask hard questions.’ That’s not going to fly with us.” Graham was one of three Republicans to support Jackson’s confirmation, 53-44, as an appellate judge last year. But he has indicated over the past several weeks that he is unlikely to vote for her again. While few Republicans are likely to vote for her, most GOP senators did not aggressively criticize Jackson, whose confirmation would not change the court’s 6-3 conservative majority. Several Republicans used their time to denounce Senate Democrats instead of Jackson’s record. The Republicans are trying to use her nomination to brand Democrats as soft on crime, an emerging theme in GOP midterm election campaigns. Biden has chosen several former public defenders for life-tenured judicial posts. In addition, Jackson served on the U.S. Sentencing Commission, an independent agency created by Congress to reduce disparity in federal prison sentences. With Jackson silently taking notes, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said in his opening statement that his research showed that she had a pattern of issuing lower sentences in child pornography cases, repeating comments he wrote in a Twitter thread last week. The Republican National Committee echoed his claims, which Hawley did not raise when he questioned Jackson last year before voting against her appeals court confirmation. The White House, along with several Democrats at the hearing, has rejected Hawley’s criticism as “toxic and weakly presented misinformation.” Former Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, who is guiding Jackson as she navigates the Senate process, told reporters afterward that “she will be the one to counter many of those questions” from Hawley and others on Tuesday and Wednesday. Hawley is one of several committee Republicans, along with Ted Cruz of Texas and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who are potential 2024 presidential candidates, and their aspirations may collide with other Republicans who would prefer not to pursue a scorched-earth approach to Jackson’s nomination. Her testimony will give most Americans, as well as the Senate, their most extensive look yet at the Harvard-trained lawyer with a broader resume than many nominees. She would be the first justice with significant criminal defense experience since Marshall. Jackson appeared before the same committee last year, after Biden chose her to fill an opening on the federal appeals court in Washington, just down the hill from the Supreme Court. The American Bar Association, which evaluates judicial nominees, has given her its highest rating, “well qualified.” Biden chose Jackson in February, fulfilling a campaign pledge to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court for the first time in American history. She would take the seat of Justice
William Haupt III: Christmas Eve 1776 changed the world forever
“We must remember, mankind allows that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community, are equally entitled to the protections of civil government.” – George Washington The greatest Christmas gift the world received was the night of our savior’s birth. And its greatest gift to world freedom came on Christmas Eve, 1776, on the banks of the Delaware River – America. The birthing of America was not easy. Only a third of the colonists supported a Revolution. It pitted neighbors against neighbors. These patriots were not only rebelling against the British. They were fighting other colonists who were loyal to British King George, parliament, and the English church. Often overlooked are the “fence-sitters” who were content living free from monarchical dominance. They enjoyed colonial religious and economic freedoms and tolerated the British as a necessary evil. The patriots needed to earn the support from these neutralists in order to win the Revolution. The patriots humiliated the Loyalists in public and subjected them to violence, intimidation, ridicule, and harassment. They vandalized their property and burned down their businesses. Even families were divided. Ben Franklin’s son William, governor of New Jersey, was loyal to the king. “He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows or judge all he sees.” – Ben Franklin Colonists who did not join the patriots united with the British as obedient subjects. Others thought they could profit from selling arms and war supplies to the British without true allegiance to anyone. Patriots had been building support for the Revolution since the end of the French and Indian War in 1763. In severe debt, the British enacted the 1765 abusive Stamp and the 1767 Townshend Acts. Following the patriots 1773 Tea Party in Boston Harbor, they passed The Coercive Acts in 1774. And that was the final insult the patriots needed to win the war of propaganda against the British! Gifted orators like Patrick Henry and Enlightenment thinkers John Locke and Thomas Paine kept the momentum for revolution growing with colonial statesmen, politicians, and with uneasy patriots. “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, so that my children may have peace.” – Thomas Paine No man in the colonies was more persuasive with the commoners and the peasants in promoting the Revolutionary War than Enlightenment thinker and gifted English writer Thomas Paine. He had led reform movements in Europe and Paine inspired farmers, workers, and commoners to revolt. Paine went from towns, hamlets, and villages distributing copies of his 90-page booklet, “Common Sense.” Paine preached the rewards and the substantiality of independence to patriots who never dreamed it was an option. “The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark.” – Thomas Paine On April 18, 1775, the British marched from Boston to Concord, Massachusetts, to seize stockpiled colonial weapons. Paul Revere rode through the streets of Boston rallying the patriots: “The British are coming, the British are coming!” The next day, when the patriots and the Redcoats clashed at Lexington and Concord, it was “the shot heard round the world.” This signified the beginning of the Revolution and, most importantly, it marked the birthing of America as the guardian of global liberty. When the minutemen fired the first shots of the Revolution, the Redcoats were well prepared. They had superior weapons, ammo, uniforms, and abundant food and medical supplies. They were ready to defend their turf. They were prepared to fight a marathon battle to stop the colonial insurrection. On the other hand, the colonies had a volunteer army with no central government and little money. They sent troops to the Continental Army but kept many behind to protect themselves. Many of the colonies were more concerned for self-survival, while the British were determined to win the war. Late in 1776, the Revolutionary War looked like it was a lost cause. The patriots lacked uniforms, food, ammunition, and weapons and some were even shoeless. There was tremendous suffering from cold and starvation. A series of defeats had depleted morale, and many had already deserted. In the bitter cold on Christmas Eve 1776, dogged by pelting sleet and snow, George Washington knelt in prayer at McKonkey’s Ferry asking the Lord for the right words to inspire his troops to keep going. They needed to cross the Delaware River to Philadelphia for a surprise attack on the British. Historian James Cheetham wrote, “As Washington mounted his horse that night he pulled a draft of Thomas Paine’s ‘American Crisis’ from his saddlebag. As he began reading it, he knew that it was the answer to his prayers. When he returned to camp he ordered it read to his troops immediately.” “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives a thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.” – Thomas Paine The next morning, Christmas Day 1776, Washington’s army crossed the icy Delaware and won two crucial battles. He defeated the British at Trenton and a week later he executed a daring night raid to capture Princeton on January 3. This gave control of New Jersey to America and turned around the morale and unified the colonial army. Washington’s insightful reading of “The American Crisis” on Christmas Eve 1776 turned a humbling defeat into a glorious victory for the American patriots! Shortly after the war, John Adams remarked: “Without the pen of Paine, the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain.” Washington’s men basked in its victory
Gary Palmer: Thanksgiving greetings
In 1789, President George Washington issued one of the first presidential proclamations for a national “day of thanks.” Such days of recognition and celebration were fairly common throughout the early states, but President Washington issued this announcement in order to highlight the newly established U.S. Constitution. In his proclamation, he focused on the many blessings Americans had to be thankful for in light of their recently won freedom from British rule and the formation of their new constitutional government. He reflected on how God had brought their young nation through many hardships to achieve its official beginning, and even at that early stage of the country, encouraged his fellow countrymen to recognize the gift they had in the American ideals of liberty and peace. He wrote that he recommended this national day of thanksgiving so that, “…we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks – for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation – for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war – for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed – for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted – for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us….” More than 200 years after this proclamation, though our national circumstances are now quite different, I’m struck by how many of President Washington’s words still ring true today, especially as we celebrate Thanksgiving. Then, Americans were figuring out how to carry on after a costly and tiring war, how to govern themselves, and how to live together peaceably. Today, many of us are exhausted from a pandemic and wondering how to recover from the losses wrought by COVID or economic hardship. And though we have now been the United States of America for a long time, we are still working out how to best govern ourselves and live together. Divisions and tensions may even feel insurmountable right now. But consider George Washington’s position when he made that proclamation of thanksgiving in 1789. The American colonies were not yet too far away from the Revolution and still felt the effects of it. Their concept of governance was new, and people disagreed passionately about how it should look. The Constitution was brand new and still needed work, and those in authority had major disagreements about it. As a recently formed nation, America certainly still faced the threat of disunity. Yet, Washington emphasized thankfulness and pointed out the many blessings to be had in America. Though tensions abounded and the country faced serious work to move forward in unity, it had won independence against incredible odds. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution offered a remarkable foundation, despite the work that still needed to be done to ensure the survival of self-governance. Today, as many of us still reel from the pandemic and its effects or feel exhausted by the news cycle and tense politics, I think President Washington’s 1789 proclamation for that day of thanks remains an example for us. Just as George Washington encouraged his fellow citizens in 1789 to give thanks for how God had guided and preserved the country so far, for the establishment of the Constitution, and for the civil and religious liberties enjoyed in America, we too can give thanks for these things. The foundation that the colonies had then is still the same foundation we have now and can continue to build upon, and few countries in the world can boast a better starting point than the U.S. Constitution. As we debate how to run our country, we can take comfort in the fact that our predecessors wrestled with many of the same questions. Despite the struggles of carrying our nation forward into the future, and despite these fraught times, we are still blessed to be Americans and blessed to still enjoy those ideals of liberty President Washington talked about. I hope reading his words from this proclamation offers not only another reminder of the Thanksgiving holiday but a challenge to reflect on how much we have to be truly grateful for as Americans, no matter how tense the disagreements may sometimes feel. I also hope they motivate us to commit afresh to fighting for our founding ideals, as they seem to come under attack in new forms every year. As President Washington gave thanks for the preservation and favor of God that allowed America to form as a nation, let’s give thanks now for how we have continued to be preserved to grow into that “more perfect union” the Constitution speaks of and determine to keep working to become an even more perfect one in the years ahead. Gary Palmer is a congressman for the 6th District of Alabama.
Jim Zeigler: Thanksgiving All Year Round
Pilgrims and Native Americans in Massachusetts held the first Thanksgiving celebration in the New World in 1621. George Washington issued a proclamation creating the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the federal government in 1789. On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father” to be celebrated on the fourth Thanksgiving in November, and the official holiday of Thanksgiving began. Hopefully, for Christians, Thanksgiving is more than a single day of celebration. It is a lifestyle, a way of life. We are told in I Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Is this even possible? Yes. Is it easy? Not always. When we give thanks, we acknowledge the goodness of God. We recognize that our joy comes from the Lord, not our circumstances. By giving thanks, we focus on what we have rather than what we wish we had. Our hearts experience joy, and real thanksgiving happens. During this season of Thanksgiving, we should thank God for His provision and His plans for us even when we do not understand all our circumstances. As you count your blessings, you cannot help but be overwhelmed by God’s goodness and grace. There is an old Southern hymn that sings of thanksgiving as a lifestyle. When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed And you are discouraged thinking all is lost. Count your many blessings, name them one by one And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done. Count your blessings. Name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done. Jim Zeigler is the State Auditor of Alabama.
Jeff Sessions: Religious freedom and the promise of Easter
Jeff Sessions discusses the religious liberties we enjoy and the importance of celebrating Easter.
