Tea at Trianon: Meanwhile, in Montgomery County....

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

Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Meanwhile, in Montgomery County....

From Direct Line:

We’re living in a place where graffiti that says “Kill the Jews” is normalized, but if you say “illegal immigration is a problem,” you’re the extremist. If you believe in border enforcement, you’re a bigot. If you worry about violent crime from undocumented gangs, you’re the one being investigated. Somehow, we’ve reached a point where those who call for the destruction of an entire nation get a pass, while those who want to uphold our nation’s borders are publicly shamed.
To the officials of Montgomery County: If you think this will just blow over, think again. The poison is spreading. And history tells us exactly how this ends if we ignore it.
To my Jewish neighbors and friends: I see you. I hear you. And even though I am not Jewish, I refuse to be one of those silent Germans in the 1930s who “didn’t want to get involved.” I will speak up. I will call out hate when I see it, even if it makes me unpopular. Especially then.
To those who think spray-painting “From the river to the sea” is brave or edgy: you’re not part of some noble resistance. You’re repeating the first chapter of a very old story. One that has never ended well.
And to the rest of Montgomery County: ask yourself what kind of place we are becoming. If we can’t stand up against anti-Semitism—real, ugly, old-fashioned Jew hatred—then all the yard signs, slogans, and speeches about tolerance mean nothing. (Read more.)

Which companies will leave Maryland next? From Baltimore City Republican Party:

Maryland has long leaned on its proximity to Washington, D.C., and federal employment. But that well is running dry. As remote work becomes the norm and federal job opportunities stagnate or shift elsewhere, one big question remains: what incentive do businesses have to stay?

Wes Moore’s administration seems to be betting that high taxes and big promises are a good business model. Unfortunately, private enterprise doesn’t operate on press conferences and poetry.

Instead, Maryland is becoming a warning label for companies. High corporate taxes. Skyrocketing energy costs. Environmental regulations that shut down major power plants like Brandon Shores. And now, a new digital tax aimed at the very sector that was poised to lead Maryland into a competitive 21st-century economy. (Read more.)