The following is the December 23/January 2024 summary of the St. Croix Review:
Angus MacDonald, in “An Old-fashioned Christmas,” depicts a Christmas celebration as it used to be, in the country with “proximity to the soil.”
Philip Vander Elst, in “The Lie About Israel Threatens the Free World,” writes that the Israeli/Palestinian war should be viewed as “a refusal of most of the Arab/Islamic world to accept the very idea of Jewish Statehood — a refusal rooted in Muslim religious anti-Semitism.” He cites little-known facts, and makes a compelling case.
Allan Brownfeld, in “Why Are We Not Keeping Violent Criminals Off the Street?” cites lenient progressive policies that endanger public safety in major American cities, and he reports on a growing awareness among mayors and prosecuting attorneys that a return to vigorous prosecution and incarceration is needed; in “U.S. Must Avoid Involvement in Middle East War,” he questions why 900 U.S. troops are stationed in Syria, and calls for a public explanation for their presence; in “Not Transmitting Our History Threatens the Future of the World’s Oldest Democracy,” he quotes historians and scholars who point to the importance of our heritage: No people of the world live under the same form of governance as they did 250 years ago — except the United States.
Paul Kengor, in “It’s a Wonderful Film — Yes, the Best Ever,” makes the case that Frank Capra’s movie is the best — in spite of the contempt of the elite American critics of the time; in “Sandra Day O’Connor: The Story Behind Her Appointment and Decisive Abortion Vote,” he provides inside information on both Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony Kennedy.
Mark Hendrickson, in “The Existential Crisis of the Big Three Automakers,” writes that the federal government is forcing American automakers to manufacture electric vehicles that American consumers do not want, and he predicts socialist misery, unless voters change course; in “The Supreme Court’s Principled Position on Carbon Dioxide Policy,” he writes about the Court’s reluctance to rule on matters that should rightfully be decided by Congress, and he comments on the multiple harmful effects of the government’s classification of CO2 as a pollutant.
Timothy S. Goeglein, in “Better Parents Equals Healthier Teens,” shows that married parents who have a good relationship with their spouses and their children are the best predictors of healthy teenagers.
Derek Suszko, in The Fall of the Roman Republic: A Narrative and Analytical Comparison with the Contemporary Conditions of the United States of America (Part 7 of a Series),” discusses, among other issues, the escalatory effects caused by the exercise of arbitrary power, and the difficulty an insurgent faction has in overcoming the dominate narrative of the elite minority faction.
Tyler Scott, in “Everlasting Music,” describes the magical combination of Christian missionary work with music — which is a practice at her church.
Francis DeStefano, in “Tokyo Stories,” reviews four charming Japanese films from the post-World War II period; in “More Film Noir Favorites,” he reviews 10 films.
Jigs Gardner, in “Country Things — Invitation to the Simple Life,” begins his series on his, and his family’s, venture into farming in Vermont.
Jigs Gardner, in “Writers for Conservatives: 9 — Realism and Reality,” characterizes leftist literary style as sour, nasty, negative — he points the way toward a conservative literary renaissance.
