A Couple of Good Reads

From two of the fine ladies at Townhall.com, Rebecca Hagelin and Diana West. I share these same sentiments on the moral slippage of american culture.

"The harsh reality that dreadful day in 1912 is that most of the passengers would die, and they knew it. Yet, amid the panic and impending doom, the accounts of survivors remind us of a time when civility and honor were more important to many than survival itself." R.H.

"The lighthouse itself rises in splendid obsolescence, a reminder of what no longer needs to be done. But does that mean it's time to relax? From point to pointlessness; from isolation to congestion; from natural wonder to developer's paradise; from urgent utility to frenzied leisure. It's enough to make you want to get back to work."D.W.

And at OPJ :

A Silver Lining?

New Orleans had a failing public school system. Its children deserve better.

BY BRENDAN MINITER

Tuesday, September 6, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT

As devastating as Hurricane Katrina has been, it now presents New Orleans officials with an opportunity. The city's 60,000 public school students have been trapped in a failing system for decades. There is no reason why the public education bureaucracy and other obstacles to real reform should now follow them as they move temporarily to Texas and elsewhere.