"To what purpose are powers limited, and to what purpose is that limitation committed to writing,
if these limits may, at any time, be passed by those intended to be restrained?"
-- Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison, 1803

Historical Integrity

by Lee

Chris over at The Insecure Egotist has an excellent post on the way the National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History has treated the Bellesiles affair by posting the entire text of an article they wrote on the subject.  Here’s a sample of his comments:

When you think about it, the only thing that separates serious scholars from charlatans is the veneer of respectability and trust that basically, we’re not fudging the numbers. Without this respect, thousands of individuals have thus thrown their lives, their money, and the reputations down the drain. Even if you side with the investigating committee, Bellesiles’ carelessness is absolutely despicable and deserves the highest condemnation from his peers, for he has de-legitimized and damaged the historical profession for political ends.

If you’ve been following the Bellesiles affair at all you need to read this.  Great stuff.

Update: Jim over at Right-Thoughts covers this story too.

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