Ben Peltier

A battered, but not beaten, hospital lawyer.

[Greg Lukianoff @glukianoff]

I’ve always found people who bristle at “American exceptionalism” kind of… weird. Not because I lack self-awareness — I’ve spent my career cataloging every way this country fails to live up to its own rules. But that’s exactly why I love it so damn much. We built a system designed to be shamed by its own founding documents, and it still delivered one of the most spectacular, world-altering runs in human history. A genuine force for human flourishing.

I also found the argument against American exceptionalism to be historically illiterate. Here’s a sample of what we were first at:

• The first large-scale democratic republic in human history — not a city-state, not a monarchy with a parliament bolted on, but a bold continental experiment in self-rule, popular sovereignty, and ordered liberty.

• A written Constitution (1789) with separation of powers and checks & balances — still the oldest national constitution in force anywhere.

• The Bill of Rights (1791): the first time a nation wrote “the government cannot touch these” into supreme law and actually meant it. A dare the world copied — from later rights charters to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

• Public land-grant universities and mass higher education (Morrill Act), opening college to ordinary people no aristocracy would have let near the gates. (but don’t get me started about what happened after we started. Massively federally funding it.)

• Kitty Hawk, 1903 — first controlled powered flight.

• The Moon, 1969 — still the only ones who’ve been there.

• The world’s largest economy since ~1890, powering unprecedented prosperity through grit and genius.

• The assembly line, skyscraper, transistor, personal computer, ARPANET — the backbone of the modern world.

• Telephone, phonograph, GPS — connecting and powering daily life.

• Surgical anesthesia, polio vaccine — saving and transforming millions of lives.

• Jazz, blues, rock ‘n’ roll — brand new American art forms that conquered the globe.

• Hollywood’s dreams, blue jeans, bourbon, and a culture so open a kid like me could devour sushi, burritos, stuffed cabbage, and tabouli in the same week and rightfully think of it all as American.

That’s the part that fills me with genuine love and pride: not just the power or the wins, but the appetite for freedom, creativity, and reinvention. The audacity to say “We the People” and keep trying to live up to it.

What do you love most about this truly exceptional country? 🇺🇸

[U.S. Marines @USMC]

Today and every day, we pay tribute to our nation's Gold Star Spouses.

The gold star represents a love that endures and a life given for our nation.

To the Gold Star Spouses who carry this emblem, we offer our deepest respect. We recognize your journey is one of incredible sacrifice and strength, and we honor you and the memory of the hero you love, today and always.

#GoldStarSpousesDay #Marines #NeverForget #SemperFidelis

[Ben Peltier @TedBucklandIAm]

@chadmkolton 37

[Brad Smith @CommishSmith]

Did the Conservative movement flop, as many right-oriented populists claim? Just a few policy examples:

In 1980, 1 state had a "shall issue" concealed carry law. Today "shall issue" (or no permit) is the rule in all 50 states.

In 1980, the top marginal income tax bracket was 70%. Today it is 37%. Rates are lower in all income brackets.

In 1980, there was no indexing of income tax brackets for inflation. Today there is.

In 1980, the Soviets were on the march in the cold war. Today, China may have risen, but the Soviet Union lost the cold war and is badly diminished.

In 1980, no state had legal home schooling. Today, all 50 do.

Between 1966 and 1985, the annual inflation rate never fell below 3%. The average annual rate was over 6%. Between 1973 and 1981, it was 9.2%. But from 1982 until the Biden inflation, the average annualized rate was 2.7%. In those 39 years, only once did it exceed 5%; just 4 other times did it top 4%.

Every generation has it challenges. The challenges facing conservatives today are different than those of 1980. But Reagan conservatism did not fail.

[Ben Peltier @TedBucklandIAm]

@aelfred_D … or barbershop quartets!

[St. Thomas Men’s Basketball @TommieMBBall]

.@AP Story: St. Thomas is rising with rare D3-D1 jump

NCAA postseason ban makes Summit tourney the present peak

#RollToms

https://t.co/1iIkcTOMnk

[Jon Sherman @practicalgolf]

The 5 golf stats you need to track actually to improve your golf game...

(it's not the traditional ones)

🧵

[Henry Olsen @henryolsenEPPC]

While I am sorting out whether I will be able to livestream tonight, here's an Election Night advance thread on what to watch for:

1) GA and VA close at 7pm ET. GA will post its EV by 8pm. Based on the estimate of 5.3 million votes total, the EV will be about 76% of turnout.

1/x

[Chad Kolton @chadmkolton]

We've reached a place as a society where you no longer need headphones to listen to your phone. You need them to avoid having to listen to other people's phones.

[The Culturist @the_culturist_]

The most astonishingly lifelike sculptures ever produced - a thread 🧵

1. “David”, marble - Michelangelo (1504)

[Michael Gruber @michaelgruber]

@tomsherwood We’ve felt the pain for years now as businesses have closed because of violence, theft, dwindling customers and more. When government works against entrepreneurs, they’ll leave the city. This week’s catastrophe is nothing new, just on a larger scale.

[Ben Peltier @TedBucklandIAm]

@johnpelwood @jadler1969

[Ben Peltier @TedBucklandIAm]

@MarkDionDC @chadmkolton Good thing he doesn’t have a heart

[Ben Peltier @TedBucklandIAm]

@APStylebook Use the Oxford Comma

[St. Thomas Women's Hockey @TommieWHockey]

TOMMIE GOAL!!!! Anna Solheim with the goal by Vallario and Clough!

UST 2, UM 3

#RollToms

[Ben Peltier @TedBucklandIAm]

Good job, Blue Shirt/Blue Hat Guy! I appreciate your priorities. #Beer #PutDownThePhonePeople

[Kyle Porter @KylePorterNS]

where's my guy at?

[Mounds View Boys Hockey @MVHSHockey]

Grace keeps the boys in line and does all the things that need to get done.Her smile and “get it done”attitude make her invaluable to the program.Her teammate said it best."My favorite memory with Grace is being in her team Tik Toks. I appreciate Grace, we’d be lost without her!”

[Mounds View Boys Hockey @MVHSHockey]

It's time to celebrate our Seniors! Each day leading up to Senior Night 2/16/23 we will spotlight a Senior Mustang. Thank you, Seniors, for your commitment, leadership, and #mustangmentality

[MVI Girls HS Hockey @GirlsMvi]

The Panino's JV Player of the Game for January 19 is Goaltender Lila Peltier. Lila made 37 saves to backstop a 1-0 victory. #1Team1Dream @Paninos857

[Ben Phillips @benphillips76]

I don’t know who needs to hear this but Neil Diamond, who retired from performing five years ago because of Parkinsons, just had a Broadway show of him open and it at the opening night he did this