centralization of power

Harassed by the IRS? Don’t be Surprised.

wolf May 13, 2013

Hidden Springs Lane…. Americans have recently learned that certain groups seeking non-profit status were subjected to, ahem, “heightened scrutiny” by the IRS.  It seems that groups that used words like “Tea Party” and “Patriot” were singled out for rougher

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Abbeville Institute Summer School: “Understanding the South and the Southern Tradition.”

April 30, 2013

Many FPR readers may be interested in attending the Abbeville Institute’s Eleventh Annual Summer School: “Understanding the South and the Southern Tradition.” It will be held at St. Christopher Conference Center, Seabrook Island, South Carolina, July 21-26, 2013. Abbeville describes the event…

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Elegy For An Outhouse

OuthouseDrawing April 23, 2013

Wherein the Barn Jester, having stepped in it, encounters an unexpected trial.

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How to Write History and Practice Bourbon Politics

Carson April 17, 2013

But as a gesture of good faith he agreed to limit himself to a quart a day.

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Opportunity in the Ruins

localism December 3, 2012

Hidden Springs Lane.… The dust has hardly settled over the Great Campaign of 2012 and already the same people are arguing about The Fiscal Cliff. In other words, after suffering through what seemed an interminable campaign during which more money

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Memory and the Damming State

shoreline November 12, 2012

The family’s life in this village had come to an end when the lake was dammed in 1958. One wonders who would consider such things worth it.

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Not In My Back Yard (But Pass Me the Good Life, Please)

untitled August 8, 2012

No wonder the cries are muted.

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Culture War No More

shouting guys July 30, 2012

In recent decades we have heard much of the so-called “culture wars.” For many, the idiom of war has come to dominate their thinking in all things cultural and this, of course, spills readily into the political sphere, which is…

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Towards An Appropriate View of the Declaration of Independence

July 4, 2012

In the spirit of Independence Day, Porch readers will enjoy an insightful and accessible article by Lee Cheek and Sean Busick on the true significance of the Declaration of Independence. Much ink has been spilt in the task of persuading…

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Read ARATOR for excellent perspective on Southern thought, history, and culture.

July 1, 2012

Many Porchers will be interested in reading ARATOR, which is a peer-reviewed online journal on Southern thought, history, and culture. The newly released edition includes Jefferson Davis’s letters to his wife from prison, the historical implications of North Carolina’s and Rhode…

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A Lucubration Neither Lugubrious Nor Lubricious; or, A Nocturnal Upon Saint Edward Abbey

Ed-Abbey-The-Journey-Home June 12, 2012

What machine can match a pair of legs?

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Ciceronian Society Conference at UVA, March 29-31

March 19, 2012

FPR readers are invited to attend the coming Ciceronian Society Conference at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, March 29-31. All attendance to observe the panels is free of charge. Featured speakers include John Medaille, Donald Livingston, Jeff Taylor, James…

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Prudential Questions About the Vatican’s Call for New International Authority Over Financial Institutions and Policy

October 24, 2011

FPR readers will be interested in the Vatican’s new call for international authority over the financial institutions and policy. I understand the Pope’s beef with many contemporary capitalists and financial wizards. However, I wonder whether this call for international authority…

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Global Warming, Local Farming, and Naomi Klein: A Trip to the Land Institute

klein October 6, 2011

[Cross-posted to In Medias Res]
Wichita, KS…
A couple of weeks ago some fine intellectuals, political figures, journalists, and activists associated with this blog gathered together to talk about localism, and specifically how one might discover in our local communities

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Pining For the Fleshpots of Reagan?

September 21, 2011

What a country!

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Democratic Discontent, Black Swans, Constitutional Conventions, and Civil or Foreign Wars

imgres August 23, 2011

Could the United States radically change via another constitutional convention, experience a new civil war, split into multiple confederacies, and/or engage in a massive foreign war in order to preserve its cohesion?[i] According to conventional thought, such possibilities are improbable.…

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