Conservative Pessimism from Mark Steyn
A beautiful punchline. “As it’s happening, incremental decline is extremely seductive. Great powers aren’t Chad or Rwanda, where you’re sliding…
Commune
Phillip Blond and the small, beautiful polity
Everyone is getting their shot at a Philip Blond point right now: the Brooks column, Deneen and Rod the Bod…
Identifiably evangelical
The rise of a new conservative grass roots fueled by a secular revulsion at government spending is stirring fears among leaders…
On Fences in Need of No Repair Whatsoever
The system is broken. So they all tell us. Obama won an election on it, but McCain’s rhetoric was similar….
Happy Friday Thoughts: Sin and Conservatism
In most cases, I dislike posts that just quote articles without adding additional value. However, I want to make an…
Texas Independence Day
Kevin Vance On this day in 1836, an assembly of Texians at Washington-on-the-Brazos adopted a document that formally declared independence…
The ’10s
Decade Predictions 1. Republicans in general will not take on much less of religious persona in the ‘10s, but Democrats…
Paradox Watch: Mansfield on Political Liberty
In a forthcoming post on rational behavior, I will describe a dilemma in which the right choice may surprise you. …
Film Review: The Baader-Meinhof Complex
The Baader-Meinhof Complex is an investigation into the culture of anti-culture, and the psychologies of disintegration and justification. This…
Fair Trade Is Not
I understand fair trade’s appeal. It’s like buying popcorn from cub scouts, you pay a bit more for something than…
Self-Sufficiency and Conservatism
Politico’s Ben Smith thinks he smells a link between gold and populism, but asks why Glenn Beck’s populism likes gold…
In Praise of Heresy: Updated
I wrote the post below a few days ago. It seems my timing was prescient. Now the Republican Party is…
Ideology and History in American Politics
When traditional conservatives, or Burkean conservatives, or paleoconservatives talk about their conservatism, they like to emphasize its opposition to ideological…
Locke: We Wear Him Proudly, But He Doesn’t Quite Fit
No time at present to comment at length, but Ivan Kenneally has some poignant thoughts on Thanksgiving over at The…
Not an Ounce of Humanity: The Godfather of Totalitarian Architecture
David Parker I recently visited a lovely little square in a very old, a very nice, historical city. My friends…
In Praise of Heresy
Edmund Burke warned that eliminating religion was impossible – the religious impulse was natural to mankind, and if formal religion…
A Referendum on Nothing
Yesterday saw two Republicans win governorships in key states. The first was Virginia, a historically conservative state that has trended…
Narcissism and Loyalty
President Obama was humbled twice this week. First, he sent the resounding message to the International Olympic Committee at Copenhagen…
Some Other Friends Weigh In on Health Care
(This post is inspired by David Brooks’s column yesterday, Bentham v. Hume. I have some other friends who may add…
The Nuclear Option
The President has effected a significant move toward “nuclear disarmament” (we all know the actual meaning is a more vague…