Tea at Trianon: A Response to Mr. Bruce

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, April 13, 2024

A Response to Mr. Bruce

From The Easton Gazette:

In the Star Democrat (April 7, 2024) the op-ed of Jim Bruce entitled “Second Trump presidency could cause chaos” is so full of errors it demands a response, if not to all of his points then at least to some. First of all, Mr. Bruce’s accusations of what Trump might do if elected again do not mirror Trump’s actual record as 45th President of the United States, in which there were no wars and we had a booming economy, especially compared to what is going on now.

Mr. Bruce appears to believe that Talbot County is rapidly sinking into the Bay and that four years of Trump will sink it for good. Based upon that logic, then four years of Biden should have caused the waters to recede. Has that happened? Is Talbot County safer from sinking like Atlantis based upon Biden’s efforts? Some of us would like to know. I keep walking out to our pier and it looks pretty much the same but what do I know. But if we are going to founder beneath the waves if Trump becomes President again then I guess we all need to leave.

To quote Mr. Bruce: “Talbot County women will lose the right to manage their reproductive health care decisions.” I assume that means the ability to abort one’s inconvenient offspring. I thought that abortion was legal in Maryland, and that only the elected officials of the people of the State of Maryland or our judiciary could outlaw it once more. Could Trump really ban abortion nationwide? If so, then my prayers are answered. But it’s not going to happen, as Trump himself just announced. So rest assured, Mr. Bruce, there will remain places all over America and all over Maryland where unborn babies may be put to death, in some places right up to the point of birth. Why are unwanted pregnancies the fault of Trump and not of the adults whose behavior resulted in conception?

To quote Mr. Bruce: “He now campaigns on tax cuts for the working class, but the Washington Post reports he is privately discussing further corporate tax cuts.” I think the corporate tax cuts are meant to help American businesses thrive, which means more jobs for our citizens. And Trump is not going to cut Social Security or Medicare. If taxes are cut, the cuts should come from the billions of dollars Democrats are giving to illegal aliens in the form of housing, healthcare, food, and jobs. We give liberally to other countries but neglect needy Americans, especially veterans. (Read more.)