Posts by Christopher Kelly

James Scott’s 2018 Rampage: MacArthur, Yamashita, and the Battle of Manila (www.amzn.com/0393357562) is an important book for anyone with a serious interest in WW2 history.  World War II in the Pacific does not get as much attention as the war in the Pacific.  The atrocities committed by the Empire of Japan get far less attention than the…

The caveman who knocks two rocks together just makes noise.  But the caveman who knocks two rocks together in order to impress a cavegirl is the Ursprung of Music.  Longing begets melody.  Music is, per Schopenhauer, the crystallization of the human Will.  Music is, per Shakespeare, the food of love.  Music provides the background and…

Commander K “Invades” the Dominican Republic What is it that Christopher Columbus, President Johnson (LBJ), the US Marine Corps and actress Kim Novak all had in common?  They all have a strong connection to the Dominican Republic. Columbus, LBJ and the US Marines all invaded The Dominican Republic.  And as for Kim Novak’s surprising connection…

President Trump defied conventional wisdom in many ways.  He famously refused to host a dog at the White House despite the long history of Presidential dogs from FDR’s Scottish Terrier (Fala) to Obama’s Portuguese Water Dog (Bo).  Dogs are very popular among Americans and this decision could conceivably have cost Trump thousands of votes in…

  Patriotism seems currently out of fashion.  For many, pride itself seems to be associated with right wing extremism and violence (Proud Boys, etc.).  Why should we care about the lives of long dead white males?  To many of the “Woke,” the Founding Fathers were an over-rated pack of slave-holding racists, right?  How are these…

  Those of us who enjoy History and are stuck at home during this wretched pandemic would do well to check out the British miniseries Foyle’s War (www.amzn.com/B011T0C7DW).  This detective series ran for nine seasons from 2002 until 2015 on ITV.  The series was created by the husband and wife team of Anthony Horowitz (Writer) and…

Xi Jinping Xi Fallin’ Xi’s a good man, Loves his Mao Loves Confucius  And China too Xi’s a good man Crazy ‘bout the navy Loves Apples  And Karl Marx too Chinese Aircraft Carrier Liaoning It’s a long day Livin’ in Wuhan There’s a disease  Runnin’ right through And I’m a bad virus Infecting the world…

Americans may be destroying statues left and right and erasing their history but Queen Boudicca continues to ride her chariot with her daughters by her side along Westminster near the Houses of Parliament in London.  Long may it be so!  Boudicca Statue, Westminster Bridge, London Boudicca   Queen, rebel, warrior, you resisted Rome, your name…

Washita Battlefield National Historic Site I really enjoyed my recent trip to Oklahoma.  Our book America Invaded (www.americainvaded.com) discussed Invasions of Oklahoma from the first arrival of the Europeans to the present day… “The Wichita tribe, far less nomadic than other Native Americans, were farming in Oklahoma long before the arrival of Europeans. De Soto C…

Rare Moral Clarity We read that a statue of Winston Churchill in London’s Parliament Square was recently attacked and defaced with Black Lives Matter graffiti (https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-london-52972531/black-lives-matter-protest-why-was-churchill-s-statue-defaced).  About a month ago my own personal book van was defaced with red paint by protesters in Austin Texas! Uncle Sam sees Red! But Erik Larson’s latest book offers…