The following is a summary of the April, 2004 issue of the St. Croix Review:

      In the editorial Angus MacDonald describes the spoils system the federal government has become, under the stewardship of both parties, in “Politicians.”

      Frank Boreham observers the action of the waves on the beach, and therein he sees a contest between the land and water. This commonplace scene inspires extraordinary insight in “Holiday on a Battlefield.”

      Herbert London relies on established views to predict the future in “Five Trends That Will Shape the World”; he considers the consequences of increasing longevity in “Old Wine in New Bottles: The Elderly in America”; he hazards an economic forecast in “Reading the Market Tea Leaves in 2004”; he contrasts the behaviors and attitudes of differing generations in “Old Money and New”; he recounts the strategic advantages gained by the war in Iraq, and marvels at the inability at Democrats to understand, in “The Democrats and a Strategic Vision”; and he looks at likely policy changes if we had “Kerry as President.”            

      In “Government Spending Is Out of Control and Few in Washington Seem to Notice or Care” and “Needed: An Immigration Policy for the 21th Century” Allan C. Brownfeld is critical of both Democrats and Republicans for shirking the public trust and tending instead to their narrow self-interest.

      In “George Washington: A Leader Beyond Comparison” John Howard reviews the severe problems facing the new nation, and the decisions Washington made to put things right.

      In “Wind Turbines in Kansas” John D’Aloia Jr. goes over the practical aspects of using turbines for energy.

      Arnold Beichman poses some questions about morals and law in “The Bondage of a Good Society.” 

      In “A Culture of Marriage, Two Tales: Rebuilding One in America,” Allan Carlson defends marriage, using economics, history, and literature. He believes marriage has played an instrumental role throughout American history.

      Clifford Thies writes about a pivotal case of judicial activism in 1857 in “‘Full Faith and Credit’—The Dred Scott Decision.”

      In “Two Different Cases, Same Mistake,” Craig Payne applies natural law to two current issues: gay marriage and the propriety of displaying the Ten Commandments on public property. 

      Philip Vander Elst probes the holes in logic within Libertarian theory—a system of thought which prides itself on its rationality.  In “What Is Wrong with Libertarianism? Part III” he shows that it is reasonable to believe in moral standards, objective truth, and God.

      In the Book Review section Elizabeth Wright reviews Authentically Black: Essays for the Black Silent Majority, by John McWorther, Arnold Beichman reviews The Unknown Stalin: His Life, Death, and Legacy, by Roy and Zhores Medvedev, and Michael Swisher reviews Midnight in Sicily (Vintage Departures), by Peter Robb.