History

Wonder which side will be the most freaked out about this?

A writer at The Nation Review's blog, The Corner, takes up the cause of congressional meddling in TV volume and lumps it in with the congressional ban of the incandescent light bulb and the federal government banning all-caps street signs and even dictating the font:

You know what nostalgia is -- fond memories of things you hated or were indifferent about at the time. Today's passing-into-history moment is devoted to that staple of boot camp, bayonet training. I know why they're getting rid of it -- the last U.S. bayonet charge was in 1951 and, as the story notes, new soldiers "already need to learn far more skills than the 10 weeks of basic training allows." And I remember the training as both irritating and challenging.

Did I fall asleep in the Twilight Zone and wake up in 1996? Bill Clinton is currently the most popular politician in America, and Kiss isn't being considered for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, again.

A little good news is always welcome on a Friday:

When retiring University of Illinois at Chicago professor Bill Ayers co-wrote a book in 1973, it was dedicated in part to Sirhan Sirhan, the assassin of Robert F. Kennedy.

That came back to haunt Ayers when the U. of I. board, now chaired by Kennedy's son, considered his request for emeritus status Thursday. It was denied in a unanimous vote.

[. . .]

We're winning! There is a major announcement of a reduction in the size of government and a strong commitment to the private sector!

Oh, wait:

(Via an IU news release) The September 2010 issue of the Indiana Magazine of History examines Indiana's unfortunate role in the eugenics movement of the early 20th century. One article by Jennifer Burek Pierce examines John H. Hurty, a Hoosier health pioneer and leading eugenics proponent. He left a positive legacy of improved public sanitation and health practices. But:

Best idea of the week month year:

Happy Constitution Day! Our national blueprint is 223 years old today. Here are some interesting facts about the document, including:

John Adams referred to the Constitution as “the greatest single effort of national deliberation that the world has ever seen” and George Washington wrote to the Marquis de Lafayette that “It (the Constitution) appears to me, then, little short of a miracle.”

Amen.

So Fort Wayne may soon have an 1,883-acre "park and boulevard" district added to the National Register of Historic places. Fine. It might get us recognition and some funding. Dandy. But this is the part I was looking for:

Most of the affected property is publicly owned but, unlike local historic districts, the designation would not affect private owners' ability to use their property as they choose.