Tea at Trianon: When They Come for You

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

Monday, July 13, 2020

When They Come for You

From The Stream:

To all the wealthy, liberal elites who are cheering on the protests and riots, a word of warning is in order. The same holds true for the conservative Christians who are lining up to show their support for the BLM movement. To each of you I say: Do not be deceived. The cancel culture will soon be coming for you.

A few weeks ago, I read about a TV sports journalist who tweeted his support for rioters in a nearby city. “Burn that s— down. Burn it all down,” he tweeted with glee. Later that same day, as the mob marched towards his private neighborhood, his tone had changed. He called them animals and — get this — noted how the crowds scattered when the police arrived. How ironic! The cry to defund the police lasts only so long. (Read more.)

We must trust in God alone. Also from The Stream:

I know that some readers will take issue with me here, not because you think Trump is the savior, but because you feel articles like this will help to deflate Trump’s base. In reality, the opposite is true. If we put our trust in the Lord, do everything we know how to do as His followers and then vote our convictions, we have a much better chance of improving the state of our nation.

As we have seen vividly this year, not even a bold leader like Donald Trump can stop a pandemic. Or prevent an economic meltdown. Or unite a fractured nation. He can’t even guarantee that his Supreme Court appointees will live up to his expectations — or ours. So enough with our foolish, over-the-top trust in people, especially political leaders. Passing the Trump test doesn’t mean casting our vote for the best presidential candidate, whoever that may be. It means that, in the midst of our voting and political campaigning, our mantra can never be, “In Trump we trust.” That is a recipe for failure and disappointment. (Read more.)