2011- Annus Horribilis or Mirabilis?

Posted on December 31, 2011December 31, 2011 by bfaure Leave a comment

The end of the year leads defenders of the Ramparts to reflect as to whether the year preceding advanced the ideals of western civilization, or damaged them. The year 2011 had its positive moments that suggested some slivers of hope as to the ultimate triumph of man’s battle with himself to secure […]... Read More

White Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2011 by bfaure 1 Comment

From my vantage point on the ramparts in Wisconsin, a white Christmas is a distinctly unlikely possibility. The strange fact regarding Christmas in the northern climes is that most everybody hopes they will experience Christmas under a heavy blanket of the whitestuff, and then insist that for the rest of the forlorn winter they […]... Read More

People We Should Know #19 – Vaclav Havel

Posted on December 18, 2011 by bfaure Leave a comment

This weekend of December, 2011, continues to experience the loss of some of the true giants defending the ramparts of western civilization. The dissident playwright who became his country’s founding father, Vaclav Havel, passed away today at the age of 75. Mssr. Havel would be pleased to be recognized as a defender of the Ramparts […]... Read More

A War Comes To An ‘End’

Posted on December 18, 2011December 18, 2011 by bfaure Leave a comment

The Associated Press reports today on the final withdrawal of American forces from the territory of Iraq, ending an 8 year ordeal that strained the fabric of American society and cost an estimated 800 billion in resources and over 4000 American lives. The withdrawal of the forces was successfully navigated by a President and […]... Read More

Eulogy For A Thought Warrior

Posted on December 16, 2011December 17, 2011 by bfaure Leave a comment

Christopher Hitchens died today of esophageal cancer at age 62. With his death, an ancient tradition of debate and discourse suffered a retrenchment, and intellectual freedom lost a true champion. With his death, Christopher Hitchens achieved something that no opinionated writer has managed to do for decades, perhaps since the Age of the French […]... Read More

The Gingrich Dilemma

Posted on December 4, 2011 by bfaure Leave a comment

The presidential political landscape is beginning to clarify itself as 2012 approaches, and several observations are becoming apparent on the republican party side. The first is the power of the Mitt versus the Non-Mitt. Governor Romney has struggled to convince a party increasingly principled in its views as to what the country needs, […]... Read More

Ramparts of Civilization

Come Defend The Ramparts!

Month: December 2011