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Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Unschooled, Easily Fooled

Victor Davis Hanson nails it again in this article. It is a cogent explanation of how our current political troubles are more easily understood if we realize that there are a lot of ignorant people running the show these days.

I've listened to morning talk shows hosts, college graduates, who said they had never heard of such historical realities as the Bataan Death March or poet John Donne. This lack in their education didn't seem to perturb them, either. (I had to stop listening to that show, it was bad for my blood pressure.)

Celebrities hold concerts to preserve the planet's ecology, yet expend mind-boggling amounts of gas to fly there in private jets and more to fuel the lights and sound systems. I don't know about the sea levels, but critical thinking certainly is at a low ebb.

Today, Sen. Joe Biden stated in all seriousness that "epiphanies" are "Christian things," not an experience a Muslim would have. Biden is happily clueless that the word has other meanings besides the Christmas time holiday celebrating the Magi's visit to the Christ child.

Epiphany, with a lower case "e," is derived from the Greek word meaning "appearance." It means a showing or a manifestation, especially of divinity. Any human being, regardless of religious persuasion, can have an epiphany. Even Joe Biden.

I wonder if there's anyone on Capitol Hill who might be able to explain that to him?