Friday, June 18, 2004

Dear: SJ has just linked to a dubiously partisan (read: in denial) political hack rag, but these revelations about Former Speaker of the House Gringrich are hilarious. Also, the article lead SJ to reminisce about the good ole' of '94. We are so unlucky in the new century. [Ed. SJ doesn't credit Arts Journal for this find].

Thursday, June 03, 2004

Actually, Only One Cheer Alan

Alan Wolfe reviews two books about Americanism, pro and con, on by our dear Mr. Brooks. While Wolfe's outing of the non-revelations of Revel is welcomed (two cheers indeed), he is far too sunny about Brooks. Snap Judgment in particular doesn't think that the grubby strivers are who somehow make this country great. More than not, there are lot of casualties in a gold rush, and we all know (from Sunday School), being lucky does not make you great. It just means that there is more work to do. I am surprised, too, because Wolfe has been discussing about religion can being meaningfully injected into academic and public culture, but he ignores how very materialist--get all the gold you can, animate ambition, etc--Brooks' case for American "greatness" is. Are we really simply about the bottom line? Or having the most toys when we die? If so, SJ utters a gulp for humanity.

Tuesday, June 01, 2004

David Brooks: Out of His League, Again

Here isfurther evidence that Brooks is little better than a mouthpiece for the administration. His bleats about compassion are getting bleatier: wonder what is coming from behind?.
It's Sheep We're Up Against

David Brooks column for the Times reads more and more as simply an apology for the current administration. But then SJ never believed that talk of conservative compassion was any more than a bleat vainly hiding what was beneath.