Quote of the Month

“Deogolwulf” at his blog The Joy of Curmudgeonry:

It is funny to observe that the watchword that holds the greater authority over people’s minds is not that of authority itself, but that of freedom. Ministers of the popular state, though they have gathered ever more power over people’s lives — more than any aristocracy by its very nature could ever have gathered — , still prefer to couch the whole process in terms of freedom rather than authority; and, to some extent, they are right to do so: the absolutist state works hard to free people from all other authorities, to level and destroy, until it alone is left standing.

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Nepal, History, Tragedy, and Farce

Writes Mr. Maila Baje at Nepali Netbook:

For a nation hurtling toward a nebulous newness, history is becoming an increasingly hard thing to beat. The political discourse is oscillating wildly between Russia’s October Revolution in 1917 and the storming of the Bastille a century and a half earlier.

Mr. Baje is implicitly referring to – in his essay on history, tragedy, and farce in Nepal – the words of Karl Marx:

Hegel remarks somewhere that all great, world-historical facts and personages occur, as it were, twice. He has forgotten to add: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.

Perhaps also Mr. Mark Shea's two phases of history – “what could it hurt?” and “how were we supposed to know?” – are relevant for the Kingdom of Nepal?

Considering that more than two centuries have passed since the French Revolution, we should be in the “how were we supposed to know?” phase by now, but lots of people are apparently still in the first phase.

The Bald Eagle

Supposedly, Benjamin Franklin said of the Bald Eagle:

I wish that the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country, he is a bird of bad moral character, he does not get his living honestly, you may have seen him perched on some dead tree, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labor of the fishing-hawk, and when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to its nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the bald eagle pursues him and takes it from him.

Assuming the said behavior is correct, and considering what has been built up through centuries of Western Civilization and what has been taken credit for on behalf of the “American experiment,” I find this bird quite fitting as a symbol. Quite fitting indeed!

H/T: Anthony Gregory

De Tocqueville, Public Opinion, and Democracy

Wrote Ryan McMaken recently:

I don't dismiss democracy outright as a workable form of government (the Swiss do a pretty good job with it), but Tocqueville would say that there needs to be a healthy number of non-democratic institutions that can balance it out.

RoyaltyMonarchy.com Anniversary

Today is RoyaltyMonarchy.com's 7^th anniversary.

Happy anniversary to Mr. Theodore Harvey!

Mr. Harvey has coined the terms paleomonarchist and neomonarchist.

He is doing a great job providing links on a regular basis – a job which this blogger and writer has benefited greatly from.

Please do keep up the good work. We can only hope that his work will continue for years to come.

Hindenburg Line Broken

On this day in 1918, the Allied Powers broke through the Hindenburg Line.

Bulgaria Withdraws from the Great War

11 years short of a hundred years ago today, the Kingdom of Bulgaria sought to withdraw from the ranks of the Central Powers.

Haakon VII

Half a century ago today, the long reign of His Majesty King Haakon VII came to an end.

First French Republic Proclaimed

215 years ago today, the French First Republic was proclaimed.

Nepalese Republic and Legitimacy

The Economic Times of India believes it would “would lead to a crisis of legitimacy for the nascent constitutional-democratic process” to “have an interim legislature abolish the monarchy.”

Well, the interim legislature has done just about everything but formally proclaim a republic. Not that I endorse any proclamation of a Nepalese republic, as regular readers of this blog should know.

One World Government?

From the Potomac or the East River? I have an article on this at the Intellectual Conservative today.

U.S. Constitution Signed

Eleven score years ago today, the United States Constitution was signed at the Constitutional Convention at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Stuck in the Past?

The Monarchist had a post last week about republicans being stuck in a colonial mentality. I guess this is a generalization of being stuck in a monarchs-are-there-for-wanting-to-lord-it-over-us mentality. In the comments there's an exchange between a Mr. J.J. McCullough and myself.

There are republican replies to the post here and here.

Nepalese Alliance in Support of the Throne

19 newly formed parties make up an alliance in support of the Nepalese monarchy. So AsiaNews reports.

Russian Monarchical Support

Some Russians suggest scrapping the republic after some 90 years. So Interfax-Religion reports.

Democracy Does Actually Work!

And it is effective and good.

That is for certain purposes, which are not necessarily good.

One can say a lot about democracy, but it is hard to argue that it does not work.

We live with democracy in our declined Western civilization. With modern democracy the government charges a whole lot of taxes from a whole lot of people all the time. It is stable. It is hardly challenged. It's not about to break down.

So it works. It is good and effective, e.g., at maintaining and expanding a quite sizeable, far-reaching, and pervasive government.

Democracy does actually work!

Presidential Visit This Week

This morning I had an appointment down town. So I walked along the avenue leading up to the royal palace this morning, and I saw Royal Guards standing at attention to Brazilian and Norwegian flags. Aftenposten reports on the state visit of the President of Brazil.

“Lula” is reportedly “deeply impressed” by our provider state – also known as the so-called “welfare state.” Well, I am deeply depressed by it.

I do not think very highly of “Lula” representing the Realm of Dom Pedro.

Viva Sua Majestade o Imperador do Brasil!

Viva a Casa de Bragança!

Viva a Casa Imperial do Brasil!

H.L. Mencken 127

H.L. Mencken, known for not having a very high opinion of democracy, was born on this day in 1880.

A few quotes:

Democracy is also a form of worship. It is the worship of Jackals by Jackasses.

And:

Democracy is the art of running the circus from the monkey cage.

And:

Democracy is the pathetic belief in the wisdom of collective ignorance.

The Battle of Vienna

Fifteen score and two dozen years ago today, the Battle of Vienna commenced.

Austrian Dissolution

A dozen years short of a century ago today, the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye was signed.

The Guillotine Falls Silent

30 years ago today, the French Fifth Republic retired the Guillotine.

How about retiring the legacy of the French Revolution as well?

Poll Results: Best Monarch of the 20th Century

The results for the poll ending on September 1 are as follows:

Total votes: 45.

• Karl of Austria-Hungary: 18 (40 %)
• Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary: 8 (17 %)
• Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein: 5 (11 %)
• Rainer III of Monaco: 5 (11 %)
• Wilhelm II of Germany: 4 (8 %)
• Oscar II of Sweden and Norway: 3 (6 %)
• Nicholas II of Russia: 2 (4 %)

A new poll will be up shortly.

More News from the Top of the World

At Nepal News, Keshab Poudel says the revolution in the Kingdom of Nepal is not bringing progress.

Sujata Koirala of the Nepali Congress Friday said that she no longer supports the monarchy. So Kantipur Online reports. It was only this week she came out in support of monarchy. Am I the only one suspecting that there's something fishy going on?

More Nepal news from Google.

"Let Them Eat Cake"

Tea at Trianon has a post this week on a well-known myth from the times of the French Revolution.

Blair Chronicled

Peter Oborne chronicles the Blair regime's disrespect for Her Britannic Majesty.

See extract from Peter Oborne's book at the Daily Mail.

News from the Top of the World

Ms. Sujata Koirala-Jost favors constitutional monarchy. So the Telegraph Nepal reports.

The Maoists will leave the Cabinet if Nepal is not declared a republic. So the Press Trust of India reports. Please do walk out. Please do!

Coins are now issued without any trace of His Majesty. So AFP reports.

Let the Fed Go!

One of the legacies of the Persona Non Grata of this blog is the Federal Reserve System.

Now there is a petition up to have it abolished.

By all means, please do feel free to sign.

De Lorean Returns

For those of us with a certain affection for certain aspects of the past, a travel back in time would perhaps not be such a bad idea – not to speak of the opportunity to change the turn of history.

According to ABC News, De Lorean production will be returning next year.

Now, all that's missing is a flux capacitor!

Treaty of Paris Signed

Eleven score and four years ago today, His Britannic Majesty recognized each single of the 13 American colonies.

J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien (January 3, 1892 - September 2, 1973)

My political beliefs lean more and more to Anarchy (philosophically understood, meaning abolition of control not whiskered men with bombs) – or to 'unconstitutional' Monarchy ... Give me a king whose chief interest in life is stamps, railways, or race-horses; and who has the power to sack his Vizier (or whatever you care to call him) if he does not like the cut of his trousers.

Mr. Theodore Harvey has a collection of links and I did a piece a few years ago; The Return of the King.

Olive Branch Petition Refused

Eleven score and a dozen years ago today, His Britannic Majesty refused the Olive Branch Petition.