The following is a summary of the June, 2011, issue of The St. Croix Review.
Barry MacDonald, in "The Point," describes Stillwater, Minnesota, and the St. Croix River, and explains how he keeps a balanced view of politicians.
Mark Hendrickson, in "Inflation: Food, Fuel, and the Fed," shows how the federal government is responsible for rising prices; in "How 'Radical' Is the Ryan Plan?" he says that Ryan's plan doesn't question the legitimacy of government redistribution of wealth, and thus is not a "cure"; in "Christian Conservatives and Randians," he urges a tactical alliance between atheists and Christians, with the shared goal of "prying government's grip off our nation's economic windpipe"; in "Budget Tightening in Pennsylvania - and Around the Nation" he details ex-Governor Ed Rendell's profligate spending, and what is necessary to change direction; in "A Tale of Two Union Disputes: the NFL vs. Wisconsin Teachers" he shows how it's not the NFL players who practice extortion; in "Imperfect Justice in Snyder v. Phelps" he takes issue with eight Supreme Court justices over the "right" of a hateful pastor and his flock to protest a Marine's funeral with signs saying "God hates you."
Herbert London, in "The Horror of Killing One's Own," sees an emerging barbarity throughout the globe and wonders what America can do; in "Libya and the Loss of American Sovereignty" he says waning American predominance will embolden the Chinese, Russians, and Iranians; in "Rediscovering Alexander Hamilton" he reviews a recent documentary film of America's "man for all seasons"; in "Marxism Redux" he defends capitalism as the most adaptable economic system the world has known; in "The Divinity Dupes at Yale" he describes a recent discussion at which an Imam asks Jewish students to appreciate Islam, while he himself does not show appreciation for the West's Judeo-Christian traditions.
Allan Brownfeld, in "One Reason for Our Educational Decline May Be Bad Students, Not Bad Schools," considers whether our entire approach to education in America is in need of reassessment; in "The Focus of Attention on the Role of Public Sector Unions in Leading Cities and States to Fiscal Crisis Is Long Overdue," he details an impending explosion in cost of the pensions and healthcare benefits of government workers; in "Horrors Continue in Zimbabwe, but the World Largely Looks Away," he reminds us of the brutality thriving outside of America; in "American Colleges and Universities Are Failing to Transmit Our History and Culture," he marks the 1960s, when a decision was made that history was starting over.
Paul Kengor, in "Bush, Obama, and Osama: America's Hour of Choosing," recalls a speech made by President George W. Bush immediately after the 9/11 attack; in "When Winston Warned America: Churchill's Iron Curtain at 65" he recounts the outrage and dismay Churchill received from Western opinion-makers - before he was proved right; in "The Ted Kennedy Chronicles: A Look at the Latest Declassified FBI Files" he says that the memos raise questions about his connections to Communist sympathizers; in "Death of the Pro-Life Democrat?" he remarks on the long process of polarization on abortion between the parties.
John A. Howard, in "Some Reflections on Choosing a College," writes about the need to transmit the virtues necessary for self-governance to the young, and he explains how well our universities are doing (not well).
In "The Great Lisbon Earthquake: Thinking Theology and Natural Disasters," John Van Til ponders an event in 1755, and the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and asks why God would permit such suffering.
In "A Memoir of World War II," William Barr relates the story of the bombing of the Nazi oil fields in Ploesti, Romania, by B-24 Liberators, the shooting down and capture of American airmen, their humane treatment by ladies of the Romanian royalty, and the later reunion of the of the former airmen and the "Queen of Hearts" after she fled Communist oppression during the Cold War.
Fayette Durlin and Peter Jenkin, in "A Continuing Survey of Conservative Periodicals," consider National Review, Israel News, The Weekly Standard, The Washington Times, New Criterion, Range, The Claremont Review of Books, and First Things.
Jigs Gardner, in "Letters from a Conservative Farmer - The Land of Cockaigne," writes about the absurd collection of defunct ideas and leftist ideology current in his region among yuppie farmers.
Jigs Gardner, in "Memoirs of a Fox Hunting Man," reviews the magic of Siegfried Sassoon's writing that draws readers in to savor the genteel life of prewar England.
