What was the Civil War About?

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Thursday May 03, 2007 · 2:41 PM PDT

2007/05/03 · 14:41

Well, duh, slavery!

Of course, there are an awful lot of people who don't believe that. Just the other day, I saw a teenager in a shirt with a confederate flag on the front and the following on the back: If This Shirt Offends You, You Need a History Lesson.

I'm a liberal, so of course I had to pause and wonder, "Do I need a history lesson?"

A moment’s reflection led me to conclude that I do, in fact, know more about the causes of the Civil War than a redneck teenager in a rebel pride shirt.

It's always nice to have confirmation, though, and that's where a book review I read today on the
American Heritage website comes in.

Poll

92 votes Show Results

What caused the Civil War?

92 votes Vote Now!

What caused the Civil War?

Slavery

54 votes

Not slavery

17 votes

Low, low prices

6 votes

George W. Bush

15 votes

I Live In Blacksburg, And Instapundit Is Pissing Me Off -UPDATED

ignatz1138

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Monday April 16, 2007 · 12:32 PM PDT

2007/04/16 · 12:32

I keep mostly quiet here, but I live in Blacksburg, VA, within sight of Norris Hall, where the bulk of the worst shooting incident in US history took place this morning.

A terrible, terrible, thing happened here today, and it only took three hours for Glenn Reynolds to try to score a cheap political point about gun control.

Instapundit won't take comments, so I'm going to call him out here below the fold.

Poll

2877 votes Show Results

So what about gun control?

2877 votes Vote Now!

So what about gun control?

Guns should be completely illegal (What is this, the OK Corral?)

437 votes

Gun ownershp shouldn't be subject to legal restriction (It's in the Constitution!)

304 votes

Let's use some common sense rules nd enforce them vigorously (Gee, I wonder how I voted?)

2136 votes

Freep this evolution/ID poll

ignatz1138

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Monday July 10, 2006 · 9:51 AM PDT

2006/07/10 · 09:51

American Heritage Magazine has a good FAQ kind of thing up today about the history behind the Scopes Monkey Trial.

There's a poll with the standard sort of question, "Should intelligent design be given equal time with natural selection in public schools today?"

Currently, the results are 65% in favor of ID! Booo! Read More

This day in History

ignatz1138

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Tuesday December 06, 2005 · 8:44 AM PST

2005/12/06 · 08:44

"I think this is the most damnable slush and filth that ever polluted paper in print," read the letter to Margaret Anderson, editor of the monthly literary magazine The Little Review. "There are no words I know to describe, even vaguely, how disgusted I am; not with the mire of his effusion but with all those whose minds are so putrid that they dare allow such muck and sewage of the human mind to besmirch the world by repeating it--and in print, through which medium it may reach young people. Oh my God, the horror of it."

In another part of my continuing effort to get people to support the efforts of my friends at American Heritage Magazine I present This Day in History.

December 6 is Saint Nicholas Day in much of Europe, but here in America, Santa comes on Christmas Eve. Here, December 6 is known for other things:

On December 6, 1877 the first issue of the Washington Post was published.

On December 6, 1865 the Thirteenth Amendment banned slavery.

And, on December 6, the novel Ulysses, the "the most damnable slush and filth that ever polluted paper in print," was officially allowed into the United States. Read More

Rosa Parks' Bus

ignatz1138

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Thursday December 01, 2005 · 10:25 AM PST

2005/12/01 · 10:25

Ever wonder what happened to the not-so-famous bus that Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her seat in? I sure didn't, until I saw an article about it today on the American Heritage website.

It turns out the bus has an interesting history, and one that parallels people's changing feeling about the stuggle for civil rights. Read More

Cool history website takes on the Christmas controversy

ignatz1138

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Wednesday November 30, 2005 · 9:32 AM PST

2005/11/30 · 09:32

Ok, first, I'm biased: my wife is a regular writer over at Americanheritage.com, which just lauched in a new and improved version. They've got daily articles that try use historical events to shed light on current ones. I think it's cool as hell. Although I've heard it said a million itmes, I never realized just how often history repeats itself.

Of particualr interest today, though, is the AH blog. There are two AH bloggers who regularly go at it, conservative John Steele Gordon, and liberal(ish) Joshua Zeitz. They've got a couple of post up over the past couple of days dealing with the Christmas controversy. Read More

Doonesbury Dean poll

ignatz1138

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Wednesday June 22, 2005 · 10:10 AM PDT

2005/06/22 · 10:10

Over on Slate Doonesbury has thrown up a straw poll to see how Dean is doing. No, it's not the least bit rigorous, and it makes some silly assumptions (like that Dean is exaggerating when he calls out the right), but the results are interesting, and are in line with what I've been thinking about Dean's leadership for a while.

I haven't seen this mentioned in the diaries, but I really didn't look too hard... Read More

Anti-abortion activist admits bestiality

ignatz1138

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Monday May 16, 2005 · 10:12 AM PDT

2005/05/16 · 10:12

I really CAN'T believe this is true. Newshounds is reporting that anti-abortion activist appeared on Fox radio's Alan Colmes show on May 6 and admitted to having, get this, sex with a mule.

The show was a while back, and the report was echoed in Salon's War Room on the 13th.

This may have been diaried before, but I didn't see it.

Some excerpts in the extended entry. Read More

Message to any winger trolls

ignatz1138

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Tuesday April 12, 2005 · 8:07 AM PDT

2005/04/12 · 08:07

It seems like any time any one I know writes a letter to the editor, calls in to a radio show, posts a diary here, or really expresses their self in any way politically, they get some sort of email, letter or call back, from republican "patriot", calling them names and accusing them of hating America.

I just read Mike Stark's recent diary, which he updated to include a little bit of badgering he's received, and I want to say something, just to get it out there, just in case anyone with a shred of decency or half a brain in their head still wonders. For all the other folks, the wingnuts who want to intimidate us, I have a message too.
Read More

Need advice/feedback

ignatz1138

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Thursday March 31, 2005 · 7:17 AM PST

2005/03/31 · 07:17

I'm redesigning the website of a county democratic comittee, and I want to get some input.

We're going to aim for a couple of audiences, but we're primarily interested in serving the needs of local progressives.

The question is, what are those needs? Read More

Bush was right? Ten reasons I still don't like him.

ignatz1138

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Wednesday March 09, 2005 · 7:44 AM PST

2005/03/09 · 07:44

Sorry if this has been discussed before, yada yada, I haven't seen it. There's been a lot of hand wringing in the past few weeks about the "Bush Doctrine" (Do what I say, or ELSE!) and it's apparent responsibility for pro-democratic moves and movements across the Middle East.

In typical two party fashion, we liberals have been taking some heat, and some of us are feeling some self-doubt. If democracy is truly "on the march", the logic goes, then Bush must have been right. And if Bush was right, then liberals are wrong. And if liberals are wrong, then what do we do with all our reality-based thinking? Should we be cranky about the anti-Syria demonstrations in Lebanon? Should we be cranky about the Iraqi elections? The promise of actual elections in Egypt? Libya's recent trip in form the cold?

Hell no. We can be happy about the good stuff that happens, fault Bush for the very real failings of his administration and policy, and not have our heads explode.

After the jump, I give you ten reasons George W Bush's presidency is still a huge pile of steaming turds.
Read More

Hateful VA license plate

ignatz1138

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Thursday January 06, 2005 · 6:39 PM PST

2005/01/06 · 18:39

Sorry if this has already shown up, but I didn't see it in the recent diaries. I just read Maura in VA's excellent diary on the proposed Virginia law that would punish women who don't report miscarraiges to the police with up to a year in jail (go read it now!), and it gave me the idea to post on another example of hateful Virginia legislators.

Acording to the website 365gay.com Virginia Delegate Scott Limgamfelter (R-Prince William) has authored a bill that would create an anti gay marraige license plate for Virginia motorists. That's right folks, a f*@%ing license plate for gay haters.

I'm excerpting the whole thing below the jump, but you should really go read it in it's original home. Read More

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