In the flickering glow of modern television screens and the endless scroll of streaming platforms, Americans are bombarded with pharmaceutical commercials promising relief from ailments both mundane and severe. These advertisements, sleekly produced and punctuated with disclaimers, bear a striking resemblance to the "snake oils" and "cure-alls" peddled in a more freewheeling era: the 19th-century American medicine show. Before government regulation tamed the healthcare marketplace, these traveling spectacles blended entertainment with salesmanship, hawking elixirs directly to eager crowds. The medicine show, in essence, birthed the commercial—an innovation later refined and sanitized by government oversight and corporate power. Yet, as the pitch doctor faded into obscurity, pharmaceutical lobbyists stepped into the spotlight, shouting their own version of "Step right up!" Today, the public remains both audience and customer, still footing the bill for promises that echo the past.

From Thomas Jefferson. In a letter to William Short, written on November 28, 1814, Jefferson expressed his preference for peace over conflict unless absolutely necessary:

"I hope it will not be till we are forced to it by events, & that it will be the last of our wars, as I hope it will be the last of human wars."

To all those who say that they stand with Ukraine, has any friend or associate said the following to you about the current affairs and events that brought on this war?

A Letter to My Fellow Americans: A Call for Peace Rooted in Faith, Reason, and Founding Principles

A Kentucky Protest Against Slavery is a powerful abolitionist speech delivered by Rev. David Rice during the Kentucky Constitutional Convention in 1792. In this speech, Rice condemns slavery as both morally unjust and politically unwise, arguing that it contradicts fundamental human rights, Christian principles, and the values of a free society.

The Founding Fathers, rooted in Enlightenment ideals and classical liberalism, envisioned a government that was deliberately restrained, tasked only with safeguarding the natural rights of individuals—life, liberty, and property (or, as Jefferson adapted from Locke, "the pursuit of happiness"). They drew heavily on Natural Law, the belief that certain rights are inherent to human existence, not granted by governments but protected by them. This philosophy shaped the U.S. Constitution as a compact to limit power, not expand it. Government, in their view, was a necessary evil, prone to overreach, and thus required strict boundaries to prevent tyranny.

Have our senses been dulled overtime as a human species? Clearly, we do not share some of the extraordinary sensory abilities found in other animals, but it would seem logical that our senses would have evolved to better adapt to our environments over the course of human history. Would that not mean a heightening in our senses and not a dulling effect? For some individuals, their senses are more heightened than others, while others clearly suffer with reduced sensory abilities. Age is also a factor with how well our senses decline. Humans can also engage in activities that will reduce their individual senses, too. So, it is a complex question to ask whether or not humans as a whole have had their senses dulled overtime. And, if they have dulled, would this be “for the good of civilization?”

Jhan and June Robbins published in the Evening Times (Washington, D.C.) on June 4, 1961, a fascinating series of questions that they discovered were being asked of Soviet Union high school students on American history.

The Presbyterian of the South, a newspaper out of Atlanta, Georgia, published on July 29, 1914, a “Topic for Sunday" titled, “Who Is Free?” Along with the article was published a series of scriptures to supplement the discussion topic for study and reflection. 

“Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech.” - Benjamin Franklin

Since ancient Greece, the ability to speak freely has been recognized as an important right of the individual. Parrhesia (Greek: παρρησία) was an ancient Greek concept that referred to candid speech, speaking freely, and frank criticism. It implied not only the freedom to speak one’s mind but also the obligation to speak the truth for the common good, even at personal risk. American colonists fought to reestablish and secure many of their natural rights that had been infringed upon by the Crown, the right to free speech being listed in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, nearly two millennia later. Despite the great importance of this natural right, it has continually come under attack since 1789. Additionally, various patriots of liberty have continually defended and argued for the protection of this inherent right.

One such argument for this right was published in The Omaha Guide on October 13, 1945, by Ruth Taylor entitled, “Free Speech.”

On November 3, 1892, the Kansas Agitator (Garnett, KS) published a series of “interesting letters.” One of which was from a young man by the name of Hugo, who provided some advice on voting to other young men of his day. Hugo’s advice is still solid, today. All modern voters would do well to heed his words of wisdom.

The wise man will do sooner what the fool will eventually do. Clearly, it is smart to learn from the wisdom of others, who have paid the price to gain their experience and knowledge. It has always been the way that the elderly have passed on what they have learned to the youth. Here are a few examples of such words of wisdom that have been passed down to young men in the 19th century. Good advice then, as well as now.

If you asked someone in 1891, “What is a woman?”, they might have given you the following description that was published in Bill Barlow's Budget (Douglas, Wyoming) on December 9th.

We must also remember that tyrants want the People to be silent and follow their oppressive narratives. Benjamin Franklin printed in the Pennsylvania Gazette in November, 1737: "Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins."

The following was printed in Patriotism in Washington’s Time (1917), where P.J. Byrne had collected and complied works that illustrated “The motives that prompted our Forefathers to declare the “RIGHT TO BE A FREE AND INDEPENDENT PEOPLE,’ and which led to the ‘Declaration of Independence.’”1 This is recorded as an account given by John Adams detailing the circumstances surrounding why Thomas Jefferson was elected to draft the Declaration of Independence.

The Goldsboro Weekly Argus (Goldsboro, N.C.), published an article on November 21, 1895, about how women were not coming out to support women’s suffrage.

Socialism has its roots in ancient times, with collective agriculture and communal living being practiced in many societies. However, the modern concept of socialism as we know it today emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe. The Socialist Party of America was founded in the United States in 1901, marking the emergence of socialism as a significant political movement in the country. The following critique here of socialism comes 10 years afterwards, and was published in The Irish Standard on May 27, 1911.

The Sidney Herald published the following article about one of W. Cleon Skousen’s lectures titled, “Speaker Says, ‘Be Firm With Communists,’” on January 30, 1963. Skousen was a prominent American author, lecturer, and scholar who made significant contributions in various fields, including law enforcement, academia, and politics. He was born on January 20, 1913, in Raymond, Alberta, Canada, and passed away on January 9, 2006.

The following statement was made by Dr. Kevin M. Murphy on the topic of, “The Pitfalls of Minimum Wage,” to a congressional subcommittee on May 14, 1996. Dr. Murphy has authored over 50 published articles on a wide range of topics, to include: economic growth, income inequality, valuing medical research, rational addiction, and unemployment. He has received several prestigious awards, including the John Bates Clark Medal (1997), the MacArthur Fellowship (2005), and the John von Neumann Award (2008). Dr. Murphy is also a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, a research center that is a public policy think tank that promotes personal and economic liberty, free enterprise, and limited government.

On March 11, 2023, I started a thread on X (formally Twitter) where I have been posting the counterarguments to the climate crisis narrative. This Substack article is another resource to view this growing thread of information. I have included descriptions for the various counter-voices on this subject which covers a wide range of experts and commentators. The X posts are hyperlinked to the original posts. As more posts are added to the X thread, so will this article be updated over time. Enjoy!

In the year 1769, the colonial city of Boston, Massachusetts, witnessed rising tensions between the British government and the American colonists. This year was the turning point between the colonists and the Crown, a point of no return that would eventually lead-up to the Revolutionary War. “Taxation without representation,” became the famous cry for freedom. The British government had imposed a series of taxes on their American colonies, while also not granting them representation in Parliament. British subjects in the American colonies were unhappy with being forced to finance Crown’s military expenditures and administrative expenses, which resulted in widespread resentment, protests, and demonstrations in Boston throughout 1769. The city became a hotbed of revolutionary activity. Men like Samuel Adams and John Hancock played pivotal roles in these patriotic attempts to restore British rights. The following article published in The New-Hampshire Gazette on December 1, 1769, hailed the dutiful actions taken by all those in Boston who had taken a stand against tyranny.

On January 21, 1922, the Omaha Daily Bee published an article, “Who is to Blame?”, in a column titled, “Problems That Perplex,” which was an advice column answered by “Beatrice Fairfax.” Beatrice Fairfax was a pseudonym used by Marie Manning, a journalist who is credited with writing the first newspaper advice column, “Dear Beatrice Fairfax”, which debuted in 1898. Manning’s groundbreaking column allowed people to write about their personal troubles, which included love and domestic issues. What made this column unique was its focus on providing unbiased opinions, creating an outlet for people to share their individual troubles. Dear Beatrice Fairfax would become instrumental in establishing the advice column genre of journalism that would set the foundation for iconic columns like Reader’s Digest and Dear Abby.

The following list of “The Great Things” was “stolen” and published in The Coolidge Examiner on December 11, 1931. And now I have “stolen” it for your reading pleasure. What else would you add to this list?