OBAMA'S NEIGHBORS
Correspondence OBAMA’S NEIGHBORS KUDOS TO ANDREW FERGUSON for capturing the essence of Barack Obama’s Hyde Park in “Mr. Obama’s Neighborhood” (June 16). Settled by abolitionist Paul Cornell in...
...But as a born and raised southsider who grew up in that “suburb without cars,” I feel obliged to point out that there are also those of us who went through the neighborhood’s public school system and not only ended up Republicans, but longtime subscribers to THE WEEKLY STANDARD as well...
...Toward the end of his review of Moment of Truth in Iraq, House to House, and Hard Corps, Owens writes: “[A] liberal democracy faces a dilemma when it comes to the relationship between the military and society at large: The military cannot govern itself in accordance with the liberal principles that it ultimately defends...
...When they are questioned about tasks they have had that seem to us terrifying or actually unreasonable, the standard answer is: “It was my job...
...WHITHER THE PLAYPEN...
...Epstein accurately reveals how political correctness has invaded the nursery, where babies reign and graze as they see fi t, wrecking household valuables and destroying the nervous systems of their parents and other guardians...
...All letters should be addressed: Correspondence Editor THE WEEKLY STANDARD 1150 17th St., NW, Suite 505 Washington, DC 20036...
...ALEC DALE New York, N.Y...
...JOSEPH EPSTEIN’s “The Kindergarchy” (June 9) may be looked upon as an outcry by a jealous old generation, his and mine, which knows best how to mold brats into responsible world leaders...
...NANCY ANN HOLTZ Beverly, Mass...
...The ACLU will get you and hurt you if you buy one and use it...
...One device that Epstein failed to mention always worked well in our generation...
...I GOT A MUCH BIGGER kick out of Andrew Ferguson’s story on Hyde Park than my parents did...
...There is no doubt that the United States has the greatest military force in the world—and will continue to do so only so long as it is the home of warriors such as these...
...Indeed, where else can a confessed terrorist living in the shadow of the world’s Nobel laureate factory endorse for public offi ce a neighbor who bought his home from a convicted felon while said neighbor taught at a prestigious neighborhood law school...
...JOHN HILFERTY Moretown, Vt...
...My exposure to Hyde Park occurred during my high school days there and later at the University of Illinois at Chicago as a colleague of terrorist emeritus, Barack neighbor, and Hyde Park resident, William Ayers...
...But in our day the playpen worked well to free parents from constant policing of their nosy offspring...
...Most of my students were male, and I have often had to remind my antiwar friends that there are many men who love military life...
...It is the playpen, which is indicted by the politically correct crowd as a prison for toddlers, solitary confi nement which inhibits their precious development...
...Letters will be edited for length and clarity and must include the writer’s name, address, and phone number...
...Would that those who have never served understood the relationship half as well...
...THE WEEKLY STANDARD welcomes letters to the editor...
...You may also fax letters: (202) 293-4901 or email: editor@weeklystandard.com...
...WILLIAM O’NEILL Chicago, Ill...
...PAUL J. RYAN Hudsonville, Mich...
...Like Ferguson says, “Hyde Park is different from any neighborhood in Chicago...
...Settled by abolitionist Paul Cornell in the 1850s, Hyde Park remained a suburb of Chicago until 1883, and, as Ferguson aptly describes, the city has been trying to corral it since...
...The overarching fault of raising children in a phony world free of inhibitions is a child who learns how to become a nervous adult by learning from his nerve-wracked parents...
...And rather than inhibit freedom, the playpen gave the child a sense of privacy once he became accustomed to it...
...DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY THERE AREN’T MANY things that are perfect in life, but Mackubin Thomas Owens’s thoughts regarding the relationship between the armed forces and civilian society are as close to perfect as I’ve ever seen or heard (“Americans Under Fire,” May 26...
...This is my world for a couple of hours,” the kid says, free to play with my favorite toy or take a nap without the intrusion of the overbearing parent...
...It must be governed by virtues that many civilians see as brutal, and even barbaric, because the military is one of the few jobs where you may have to tell someone: ‘Go die.’ If we cannot count on members of the military to prepare for such an eventuality, the military will fail, and if it does fail, the liberal society it protects may not survive...
...READING OWENS’s “Americans Under Fire,” I am reminded of what I learned when I taught university courses to our military personnel for almost 12 years...
Vol. 13 • June 2008 • No. 40
