Articles Archive

[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] Last Friday, Tom Hayden, co-founder of the Students for a Democratic Society, principal author of 1962's Port Huron Statement (or, if you Big Lebowski fans…

Hidden Springs Lane. As the Fiscal Cliff looms, as Red States and Blues States stand more divided than ever, as the gap between the wealthiest Americans and the rest continues…

I woke up early last Friday morning, still in a slump from my post-Thanksgiving food-coma. Not too keen on the idea of braving an icy north wind just yet, I…

The splendid university where I’ve been privileged to spend the past semester proudly proclaims its commitment to “God, Country, Notre Dame” and means what it says.  If not identical, God’s…

From an address calling for a renewal of agricultural work by Pope Benedict in November, 2010: "To this end, it is essential to cultivate and spread a clear ethic that…

An address to the Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, June 22, 2012 It is puzzling to note that somewhere between 4 million and 8 million Romanians have left the country.…

In which I attend a Glen Campbell concert. As a Christmas bonus, two tunes from the displaced Arkansan's haunting valedictory album: here and here.

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…

Berwyn, PA.  In the first weeks of FPR, when we authors dared commit to writing one essay a week, as if we could all be either as drunk or logorheic…

When he was governor of Maine, Angus King made sure that there was a computer on the desk of every middle-school child in the state.  As I write these words,…

Yesterday I ambled towards my cottage, returning from putting the cattle out to pasture for the evening. The sun was sinking low in the Texas sky, turning the clouds to…

Back in 2007, Republicans were smarting over a mid-term defeat. Paul Weyrich and Gary S. Lind offered an analysis that sounds like it could have been written today: The only…

Yes, yes. I know the election is over and, as a third-party voter myself, I don’t believe I’ll smell like sour grapes here regarding the results, but still there’s something…

Here is an excerpt from my recently published book: The Politics of Gratitude: Scale, Place and Community in a Global Age. American politics is broken. One of the few things…

This article first appeared in Ethika Politika, the Journal of the Center for Morality in Public Life.  To all appearances, nothing happened. On Monday, we had a Democratic President, a Democratic…

An ill-fitting presidential nominee led to an election loss. A better nominee might win next time--but is winning enough?

In the NYT this morning, David Brooks has a column titled "The Conservative Future."  While many on the main-stream right are despairing over the dismal results of the election, there…

Hidden Springs Lane. It’s been a long political season. Some Americans are excited about the prospect of an Obama second term. Others are despondent. Many on both sides are exhausted.…

A few pieces which may be of interest.

This is Part IV of a series of essays. For previous installments of "Life Under Compulsion," see Part I, Part II, and Part III. “Good morning, Mr. Jones,” says the man…

Dear Readers, In the coming months, Front Porch Republic will be investing more resources in our website, events, and other ventures. The site will feature more writers (including some that…

Harper's has an interesting history of the game "Monopoly." If the story is correct, it indicates an interesting form/content relationship inasmuch as the owners (who collect the fees) had nothing,…

The View from My Front Porch, or Why We Bought the Farm               by Andrea Kirk Assaf Remus, Michigan. The view from my gray…

These remarks were delivered before the Notre Dame College Republicans at a panel devoted to discussing the future of the Republican Party.  As an independent, I am not especially interested…