In light of current events, I thought it might be appropriate to visit the concept of taking an oath as one serves in public office. An oath is a sacred promise that has ethical, moral, and legal implications with regard to behaviors that either honor the oath or violate it. There is little ambiguity. As … More The Oath and Public Office
The more time I spend in France, the more I realize how much we as Americans owe the French. While I’m no historian of philosophy, I can’t help but note the ideas of the Enlightenment that bubbled up here…Voltaire acted as the world’s first civil rights activist, challenging injustice in the French courts, and Rousseau’s … More That’s Mr. Marquis To You
The thing I really enjoy about biographies, when they’re well-written, is the context the author provides to the life. Dates, events, accomplishments…these things we can get on Wikipedia. What Jon Meacham does, quite effectively, is wrap the life of Thomas Jefferson around his era, presenting him as a product–not just of his times–but also of … More What I’m Reading Now…