A social-media win for history, Putin’s vile civilian attacks and other commentary
Libertarian: A Social-Media Win for History
Just 72 hours after announcing plans to “permanently remove a statue of Pennsylvania founder William Penn and a replica of his home from Philadelphia’s Welcome Park,” the National Park Service relented “due to voluminous outrage voiced primarily on X” (ex-Twitter), cheers Reason’s Nick Gillespie. “Pulling down William Penn was a particularly ill-conceived move,” as “almost alone among colonial founders, he treated Native Americans with precisely the sort of respect, grace, and love that should be celebrated rather than tossed into the dustbin of history.” “At a time when social media is being attacked for causing or contributing to all the ills of the world, this controversy reminds us that technologies that disperse and decentralize communications can help create a more usable past by giving voice to present-day concerns.”
Ukraine war: Putin’s Vile Civilian Attacks
“Russian President Vladimir Putin rang in the New Year in Ukraine” by targeting “Ukrainian civilians — men, women and children,” observe Jonathan Sweet & Mark Toth at The Hill. “Putin’s targeting of apartment blocks, schools and hospitals has no substantive military value” — making the moves “war crimes.” Yet: “By weaponizing Ukraine’s noncombatants, Putin is forcing Kyiv to deploy the bulk of its Patriot and other missile defensive systems in and around its major population centers.” “Washington must change course, and fast.” “Until Ukraine can bring Patriot missile batteries and other U.S. and NATO surface-to-air missile systems close to the front lines, Kyiv’s ability to launch counteroffensives will continue to be severely handicapped.” “Biden and Congress must end Putin’s murderous madness.”
Liberal: The Left’s Delusion on Young Voters
“Actually-existing young voters are in fact quite different from the young people that inhabit the fever dreams of progressive activists,” notes The Liberal Patriot’s Ruy Teixeira. “On immigration, 49 percent of under 30 voters consider Biden more liberal than they are on the issue,” “on transgender issues, 48 percent,” plus 40% on crime and 45% “on oil and gas exploration.” “None of this is to deny that younger age groups/generations are not more left on most issues than older age groups/generations. But there is a difference between being more progressive and progressive as a blanket characterization.” Indeed, only 22% “said they identified with the label ‘progressive.’ Again, the level is higher than among older age groups but hardly hegemonic. In fact, it’s barely higher than identifying with the label ‘Republican.’ ”
Ed desk: Whither the ‘Ivory Tower’?
“The Ivory Tower is often used to dismiss academia, and the metaphor is rarely examined for its virtue,” muses Harvard prof Harvey C. Mansfield at The Wall Street Journal. It’s “a place for the meeting of minds — even if they only argue.” Now “after decades of favoring the left” and “intense devotion to ‘diversity,’ ” Harvard has “encountered opposition that is angry and alert” and “suffered two severe blows to its reputation: the Supreme Court’s decision against affirmative action” and the resignation of Claudine Gay. “Those who lead the Ivory Tower in America today are unworthy of it.” Woke progressives “lead the way with identity politics;” liberals “follow with misgivings but without protest. Though both have suddenly lost a battle, they won’t be ousted by force alone.”
From the right: Behind Red States’ Success
Lower taxes are “the most frequently cited reason” for Americans moving to red states, reports Lewis M. Andrews at Spectator World. Job opportunities and housing prices are also strong lures. Blue states’ defenders counter that red ones skimp on social services, yet “when it comes to services the voters themselves most value” — particularly transit infrastructure — it’s blue ones that “appear to be falling short.” Red states attribute their success to more efficient use of revenue they collect, and a recent WalletHub study backs that up. The “hope” for blue states: The study showed that “what really makes any region prosperous is the determination of its politicians to do the best they can with a modest revenue stream.”
— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
