Stand Up!

Speaking of a civil war, it is helpful to recall that the Republican Party was founded in opposition to "those twin relics of barbarism -- Polygamy, and Slavery." (How judgmental; how extreme!) True to its heritage, the Republican Party now stands as the bulwark against the Democratic Party's totalizing impulse to assert control over American life from birth to death and the residual zones where life and property remain private.

With a twinkle in his eye, Bill Buckley used to characterize a liberal as someone who wanted to reach into your shower and adjust the temperature of the water. He was, as usual, on to something, as we see in this liberal hour.