Ted Widmer, Director of the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University, has written a new book to be released on July 4th. (As an aside, the Library is a wonderful place with an amazing map collection…if you’re in Providence and wish a tour, let me know.) Entitled ” Ark of the Liberties: America and the World”, I read an early review of it this morning and there were two things that caught my eye.
First, the reviewer talks of the author’s belief in the value of the American experiment with liberty (the reviewer, by the way, is not equally enthusiastic). He quotes the author that “the ark of liberties has shown a consistent ability to right its course.” My experience with the idea and feeling of liberty parallels the author’s quote. There is something about the concept of liberty and human nature that is self-correcting and self-governing. One cannot want liberty for oneself without confronting the implications of that idea to all other relationships…you cannot want personal liberty and neglect the liberty of others without dire consequences.
Secondly, the books is evidently full of historical anecdotes….Calvin Coolidge allowed only one Democrat on Mount Rushmore. Barack Obama, by the way, has already begged off the possibility of his addition….he said his ears would be too big.
Filed under: Politics
