What America had was the notion of Liberty derived from limited Government. Not withstanding your ambitious and overly ornate prose, you might consider reading someone who is an infinitely better writer, a French gentleman named De Toqueville who wrote what many consider a scholarly work on the differences between the New World and the Old order.

It’s called “Democracy in America” and I highly recommend it.

Cameron was making a good run, but stalled for a bit there, although now seems to be pulling ahead again. What is looking increasingly likely is hung parliament, where neither Labour nor the Tories have a majority, and therefore have to reach some sort of deal with the Liberal Democrats. Probably not a good thing, but the UK has had these before–1974 most recently. People can’t stand Brown, but Cameron hasn’t yet convinced people that the Tories aren’t still the sleazebuckets that they threw out in 1979. What everyone is supremely glad of is that Blair is no longer around. You should probably expect hi to take up residence in the US soon. Lucky you.

As far as localism in the US goes, it’s hard, but not impossible–see here.

D.W., we just bought half a lamb, grass fed and organic, from the father of a former student. We eat only free-range eggs and have no flouride in our water. God help the person who tries to soak me in toxic waste.

Tell your grandchildren to buy enough land to hold off the centralizers, because the basic point of your essay is that indeed those without a yard cannot be free.

1. Peeing off porches shall be allowed as long as the residential density is less than the hydraulic radii of the mean. (Before anybody asserts this is confusing, of course it is, Zoning Policy is supposed to be confusing.)

I think we need Cheeks to pull the lid off the septic tank come this May Day to see if they are playing Pomp and Circumstance or some Bolshevik Marching Harangue.

Willson,
I think there are a few more than 50 farmers left in this rocky little corrugated State but not many more than that. Just in the 20 years I’ve lived in my Town, I’ve seen 3 dairy farms fly the coop to areas that run feed cooperatives. A small veal operation is the last large livestock farm I think. One new organic vegetable farm sprung up though. The Tobacco Barn Belt up north of Hartford was powered up by the Cheroot Fashion of the 80′s and 90′s but I think that is tapering off quickly now, hence my determined efforts as a loyal citizen to keep those folks going. Horticulture is listed as the top money component of Agriculture in Ct. now. I can at least get raw milk in a 20 minute ride though and grass fed beef in the same time…three times they’ve tried to overturn the legality of raw milk to no avail!

One of our remaining farms is a fine old Apple Orchard run by some great friends and it is an officially designated Bicentennial farm, owned by the same family since they bought the jernt from the local Indian chief in the 1700′s. Now THATS “Local”.

If I may hazard a guess though, I think we will see a few more farming acres actually added in the next 20 years.

Sabinski, I aplogize for taking too much delight in curling your thread…at least we didn’t get the “cat food” crowd charging into the room.

And, about the “Papists” I also apologize for that, though as a Catholo-Methodist and a former alterboy I have every right to critique the collectivists cardinals, bishops, and priests that stagger to the podium to praise anything our nearly documented president says yet adamantly refuses to condemn the feral practices of say, the remnant of the Kennedy clan, or some illegal Mexican (..am I allowed to say that?).

Again, thanks for keeping us all in line, it was all Medaille’s fault…!

Medaille, that old “public sewer” saw don’t work with us rural rustics. The only thing I get for my tax dollars…they don’t even pick up the garbage here…are bad roads, worse schools and a surly little State Trooper that likes to pick on woman hosting tag sales. Well, maybe my school claim is a little untoward, they are ranked as good schools but this is a classification we all know is a little suspect now and based upon my kid’s writing abilities when they first entered college, you’d think they’d never had a single english class.

You know Cheeks, you have the potential to be a fine Bolshy, ready to jump into pogrom at the drop of any bait. You should also know that the bacteria down in the Biocrust of that Soil-Stone interface in your septic system run the joint like a Communist Collective. I can’t really tell you if they consider you as their Sovereign King or Party Boss.

On behalf of my Paternal Grandma and the Black Irish Hurlers barricaded in the dark recesses of my brain, we take umbrage at this “papist” frenzy.

Let us keep it civil here and I would say that the august traditions of porch -pissing is included in my definition of civics. Any border fight over the Collective vs.Liberty DMV is not going to be viewed lightly by the writer and I may have to get ugly with everybody and this would not be prudent.

Yard peeing is the true test of liberty.