Mailbag

Whitelisting

I found this column by Brad Littlejohn compelling. Was it not ironic that this column was placed in the magazine shortly after the one about generative AI? People do not know how to interact with their fellow humans anymore. One cannot go anywhere without everyone around them being engrossed on their screens. I visited a national park and spent some time watching people. Many of them wandered around the trails, not enjoying the natural beauty or sharing the experience with those they traveled with, but focused on their screens. We are missing out on so much when we make our phones the center of our universes.

Technology has wonderful benefits. But phones and technology were introduced as conveniences to make our lives better. Now they control us. I find it particularly concerning in relation to children. A generation ago children would play outside, running around the neighborhood with friends, inventing fantasy worlds to explore. Now streets tend to be quiet as children are stuffed inside on a phone or tablet, losing their ability to create and problem-solve.

In talking to young people and even adults these days the biggest argument for being constantly connected is that we “need it.” How do we need it? A few short years ago we didn’t need it. All generations before us survived without what we today take for granted. To make a phone call one had to go home and use the phone that was attached to the wall. If you were not home and someone called, you missed it and they would call back later.

What are we missing out on if we put the phone down and engage in conversation with an actual person? The latest video from some celebrity? An off-color joke? A statement from some political leader who is certainly not going to make our lives better?

Instead, I challenge all of us to build those relationships with loved ones. Which will you regret the most in the end? Missing out on a stranger’s social media update or missing out on precious time with a family member or friend who needs a hug?

For being so “connected” as a society we are much less connected as humans.
     —Nathan Vieth / Lincoln, Neb.

Cracks in the foundation

Immanuel Kant was right when he said that moral law flowed out of human reason. However, he failed to mention that “immoral” law flowed out of sinful human reason as well. And so, can classical liberalism be saved? I believe it can, but only if nations and people reject “immoral” civil liberties and “immoral” human rights, as well as the organizations and individuals promoting them.
     —Eugene Pomiak / Hemet, Calif.

As I read the piece on classical liberalism, I thought of Galatians 5:13, where Paul says, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” I also thought of John Adams’ statement: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Freedom without self-restraint leads only to anarchy.
     —David Winkler / Austin, Texas

Diagnosing the disease

This article did an amazing job of summarizing what we have had a hard time putting into words—the ­current state of our culture, and how abandoning objective moral truth has resulted in embracing the abuse of ­language and the seemingly ever-­increasing struggle for power. Mark Mitchell’s article gives a succinct wake-up call to firmly maintain and pass on our convictions to objective moral truth as a key part of the foundation of the blessing we Americans have been given.
     —Michael & Rachel Samuelson / Bixby, Okla.

Just light enough

Collin Garbarino recommends Anthony Horowitz’s Marble Hall Murders, with the mild caveat that the series doesn’t “contain much objectionable language.” This may be true, but would-be readers should be aware that the second novel in the series, Moonflower Murders, includes sordid depictions of homosexual prostitution. I loved the first book of the series but couldn’t finish the second, due to this revolting content. Reader beware!
     —Susan Anderson / Stow, Ohio

Fourth Reich?

I was surprised Grace Snell did not seem to have an understanding of the populist movement across Europe. Almost every Western European country has a political party/movement that is populist in nature. Due to lack of creativity and argument, many of these groups are called “far right” and in Germany’s case “Nazis.” This is lazy on the part of the progressive left. They do not want a populist rise so they resort to name-­calling. Almost all of these movements, including the AfD, simply want their country back. They are tired of immigration changing everything about the country they grew up in. They are tired of paying for people who don’t work. They are tired of excessive government and censorship. It’s insulting that a group that believes in sovereignty, among other noble values, is labeled something as horrible as “Nazi” and that people fall for it.
     —Kathy Connors / Medina, Wash.

I could not help but notice the small paragraph mentioning “sexual assaults” perpetrated by large numbers of Middle Eastern migrants. This blip does not do justice to the actual grotesque phenomenon called taharrush gamea that has exploded in Europe since the Cologne attacks. The censorship by German authorities of these mass rapes (what they really were) and suppression of local outrage is sinful cruelty.
     —M. DiGrandi /  Richmond, Ky.

Ring of ire

I can’t easily think of a more obvious example of Sabbath-breaking than the practice of bullfighting—for my conscience, anyhow.
     —Barb Zerbe / Wilmington, Del.

Making government work

President Trump attacked the government waste, abuse, and fraud problem with a head-on, aggressive move. Now it is time for the adults to take over and solve the problem. I suggest that Mr. Philip K. Howard sounds as though he should apply for a position in DOGE. This is just a starting point, and our country needs people like Mr. Howard to make the right changes.
     —Bill Russell / Brighton, Mich.

Timeless books for the whole family

I was surprised and pleased to see a review of A Lantern in Her Hand. I first read it when I was about 14 and author Bess Streeter Aldrich was living in Lincoln, Neb. Because my ancestors were homesteaders in Nebraska, the story of these courageous pioneers riveted my attention, and they will still do so for folks today. Later, I was fortunate to know Bess’ granddaughter and to live near Elmwood, the small town east of Lincoln where most of her stories were written. Her home there is open for tours, and the locals are happy to tell you about this famous writer and how she was just their neighbor.
     —Pat Meierhenry / Lincoln, Neb.

Courthouse crackdown

The article fails to explain the enormous immigration challenge the Trump administration faces. According to the Department of Homeland Security, between 12 million and 20 million immigrants entered the United States illegally during the previous four years. At the low end, that’s about the same as the population of Pennsylvania. The 2030 U.S. Census looms ahead in just five years. It will count every resident, including all illegal immigrants! The census results will determine the allotment of seats per state in the House of Representatives for the next decade. Republicans have just four years to undo the Biden administration’s attempt to skew the House seat allotment in favor of Democratic-controlled states.
     —Howard R. Killion / Oceanside, Calif.

A man and his movement

Thanks for a well-written review of the Bill Buckley biography. In 1966 my high school civics teacher required her students to subscribe to a “political” magazine. Most of my classmates opted for Time or Newsweek. Some of the more adventurous got U.S. News & World Report. At home, I asked my dad for suggestions. He said, “Why don’t you try National Review; Buckley’s magazine. You won’t understand it, but maybe it’ll grow on you.” I’m immeasurably grateful to my dad. Over the last 60 years or so NR has been my North Star for political and related thought.
     —Bruce McKechnie / Honey Brook, Pa.

Correction

Lyndon B. Johnson was a U.S. senator in 1954 (Departures, August).

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