Tea at Trianon: To Protect and Defend

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, October 20, 2018

To Protect and Defend

From Live Action News:

In recognition of October as Down Syndrome Awareness Month, President Donald Trump released a statement affirming the right to life of people with Down syndrome. He said the month was a time for “celebrating the lives of the more than 250,000 Americans with Down syndrome and those around the world with this condition.”

In the statement, Trump stressed the need for “deepening our understanding of Down syndrome and learning more about how we can ensure the beautiful people with Down syndrome are able to fully participate in society.” He acknowledged that advancements in therapies and interventions have contributed to more children with Down’s being “able to live fulfilling, independent, and productive lives.” He stressed there is a need for ongoing education and acceptance to counter the “persistent myths and stigmas” surrounding the condition.

Trump affirmed his administration’s commitment to honoring the sanctity of life of people with Down syndrome at every stage. In the United States and other developed nations, prenatal screening and testing have resulted in significantly more prenatal diagnoses of Trisomy 21. These prenatal diagnoses lead many parents to end the lives of their children through abortion. In some countries, the percentage of parents with this prenatal diagnosis opting for abortion is approaching 100 percent. Preborn babies are marked for death simply because of a disability, which many rightly recognize as a form of lethal discrimination. (Read more.)