The Useless Tree

Politics

  • Things that are not alike…

    The wisdom of Yao and Shun was that they didn't treat all things alike: they devoted themselves to essentials first. Mencius 13.46 I've been noticing how some conservatives are disgusted by Obama's victory.  They seem to suggest the joy being… Continue reading

  • Bush’s Filial Dysfunction

    On Saturday evening I took my daughter to see W, the movie.  It was directed by Oliver Stone.  I was a bit surprised at how Stone decided to paint a rather sympathetic portrait.  Granted, Bush fils came off as a… Continue reading

  • Confucius on Sarah Palin’s Press Conferences

    The Master said: "The ancients spoke little. They were too ashamed when their actions fell short of their words."  Analects, 4.22 Continue reading

  • China Likes Obama

    OK, maybe that's too much of an over-generalization.  China is a big place with a lot of people with innumerable opinions on any given topic.  But there's this: "I am very happy U.S. history was made. I think in a… Continue reading

  • Bush Elected Obama

    I have been remiss in my blogging duties of late.  Too much grading (which is still not completed).  Too much field hockey (my daughter had an all-day tournament rather far away on Saturday.  They came in second!).  Too much stuff… Continue reading

  • More Thoughts on President Obama

    Last week I started to ruminate on remarks I will make tomorrow at a dinner with students.  They asked me to speak about the upcoming elections.  As I mentioned, I am looking past what I take to be a very… Continue reading

  • Honoring a Modern Mencius

    This news was reported today: BEIJING — Hu Jia, a soft-spoken, bespectacled advocate for democracy and human rights in China, was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, Europe’s most prestigious human rights prize, on Thursday. The award was… Continue reading

  • Thoughts on President Obama

    It's been busy of late.  I have a pile of seventy five-page papers that demand my attention.  My department just underwent an external review, which took some time as well.  And then there is the usual class preparation, writing anxiety,… Continue reading

  • Republican Party Maoism

    So Sarah Palin is attempting to mobilize the "pro-American" parts of the US against the rest, presumably the anti-American parts of America (think about that for a moment…). In seeking to clarify precisely what she meant by this distinction, she… Continue reading

  • A Conservative, Christian Confucianism

    I had not seen this before (hat tip: Western Confucian) but here is an intelligent and thoughtful consideration of Confucius from a Western, Catholic, Conservative point of view. Jim Kalb, the author, gets at many of the issues in regard… Continue reading