Ask not for Whom the Bell Tolls

It tolls for thee.

Not John Donne's exact words, but the phrase, by now cliche, encapsulates the divergence of Liberalism and Conservatism.

When John Donne put down his version in 1624 he defined the Liberal mind.

"No man is an Island, entire of it self; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a Clod be washed away by the Sea, Europe is the lesser, as well as if a Promontorie were, as well as if a Mannor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee."

—from "Meditation XVII" of Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions

With that in mind, my New Year's resolution is to try to include more international topics. I also intend to present other topics, (art, literature, travel,) allowing red state / blue state politics to be a part of this blog rather than its focus.