Clipping blog

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Wise Words about Freedom from a Cartoon Character Posted: 23 Dec 2012 07:19 PM PST Thank you, Gabe and Tycho. Thank you for this. As Moe Lane said, the amendments in the Bill of Rights are interlocking and, combined, they seek to achieve two particular goals that aren’t always compatible with each other: maximum freedom for individuals and a cohesive and strong civil society. You can not have an effective First Amendment without the Second, but neither can the Second exist without the First. Together, they provide the means by which an assortment of rugged individualists can form safe communities and govern themselves competently, if not always wisely. Oddly, few who make specious and self-righteous arguments to hack away at gun rights are willing to apply those same arguments to free speech. Okay, perhaps not so odd, really. But that cuts the other way, too. Nothing good happens when we all whip out our scalpels and commence to carving on the Constitution, even if we think our cuts are needed to protect other parts of the document.

The Music of Christmas — Nat King Cole’s “A Cradle in Bethlehem” Posted: 23 Dec 2012 06:34 PM PST If you know me even a little bit, you know I love Christmas music, especially the classics done by old-school musicians who know the value of a simple melody sung well. Nat King Cole, who for my money is one of the three finest male pop singers ever (along with Sam Cooke and Frank Sinatra), recorded a song called “A Cradle in Bethlehem” for his 1960 Christmas album The Magic of Christmas. It was outshone by his renditions of “The Christmas Song” and “Adeste Fidelis” but it shouldn’t have been. The song is heart-breakingly lovely. Listen for yourself and tell me what you think. Merry Christmas.

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