Tea at Trianon: Not an Outrage

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

Friday, August 16, 2019

Not an Outrage

From Townhall:

Earlier this week, ICE conducted a sweep of illegal immigrants in Mississippi, arresting nearly 700 individuals. This development has been covered as a tragic, outrageous, anguish-causing, "secretive" affront by many in the press -- with images of tearful children, who were temporarily separated from their parents, driving much of the coverage. This appeal to emotion sidesteps any serious discussion of whether the "textbook" raid was appropriate or not. Some thoughts:

(1) I believe that interior immigration enforcement should (and generally does) prioritize detaining and removing illegal immigrants who have also committed violent crimes, and those who have been deported previously. I also believe that ICE and CPB should (and generally do) attempt to execute their duties with an eye toward compassion and humanity, particularly when children are affected. Nobody likes seeing frightened kids crying. That being said, enforcing the law against people whose "only" crime involves breaking our immigration statutes is not out-of-bounds. Adults who knowingly violate US sovereignty do not get a free pass to live and work openly in America, entirely without fear of deportation. The federal government must -- at least occasionally -- signal that yes, they will enforce the laws on the books. This includes enforcement against people who are "merely" living and working illegally in the United States. To cease this type of enforcement altogether would be irresponsible, and would serve as yet another incentive for increased illegal immigration (in addition to radical Democratic proposals). This, in turn, would encourage more people to put themselves, and often children, at risk in order to make the extremely treacherous journey to America. How is that humane? (Read more.)

From Aleteia:

At the 137th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus, which concluded August 8 in Minneapolis, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson announced new initiatives and gave updates on the hundreds of projects the Knights are involved in, both nationally and internationally.

One initiative he announced is the Knights’ plan to support refugees at the US-Mexico border. “As Catholic men and family men, we are all deeply concerned for the plight of the refugees who have fled their homelands into ours. Their need is great — but the compassion of our Brother Knights is greater still,” Anderson said. While recognizing that individual councils close to the border have already responded with food, water, clothing and other needs, Anderson said that the organization as a whole will begin supporting these efforts.

“We are prepared to commit at least $250,000 immediately in humanitarian aid for refugees to the Southern Border,” he said. “We are prepared to expand it, with additional resources, to help those in refugee camps in every border state — including Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.” (Read more.)