Russell Arben Fox

Russell Arben Fox
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https://mmfraf.webs.com/
Russell Arben Fox grew up milking cows and bailing hay in Spokane Valley, WA, but now lives in Wichita, KS, where he runs the History & Politics and the Honors programs at Friends University, a small Christian liberal arts college. He aspires to write a book about the theory and practice of democracy, community, and environmental sustainability in small to mid-sized cities, like the one he has made his and his family's home; his scribblings pertaining to that and related subjects are collected at the Substack "Wichita and the Mittelpolitan." He also blogs--irregularly and usually at too-great a length--more broadly about politics, philosophy, religion, socialism, bicycling, books, farming, pop music, and whatever else strikes his fancy, at "In Medias Res."

Recent Essays

Walking to School, Slackerdom, and Other Revolutionary Acts

Wichita, KS I was born in 1968, and my childhood was the 1970s. My family lived, during those years, in five different homes (all in...

Why Conservatives Should Care About Transit

Via a friendly reader, comes a link to this fine and wise comment about the important role which public transportation ought to play in...

Modernity, Fecundity, and Being a Competent Geek

Wichita, KS. Not too long ago, I asked my readers at my main blog just what sort of geek I should be. (The answer,...

Money Talks, But It Can’t Sing and Dance and It Can’t Walk

George Will, who once upon a time long ago was capable of making truly thoughtful and important contributions to discussions over liberalism and conservatism...

The Real History of Carter’s “Malaise” Speech

A couple of young, progressive liberals (Kevin Mattson and Ezra Klein) note what too many mainstream American politicians and pundits have conveniently forgotten: that...

Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do, or Do Without

Wichita, Kansas. I have a blogging (and occasional real world, actual face-to-face) friend by the name of Laura McKenna. She is funny, smart, occasionally...

The Populist Farmer, Revisited

Via John Schwenkler, I see that Norman Borlaug has just celebrated his 95th birthday. Borlaug, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, is one...

Men, Boys, and Guns

  This past weekend, I was pulled away from the computer, from a sprinkler system that needs to be fixed, from a garden wall that...

A Partially Localist Defense of Public Schooling

Wichita, KS President Obama's speech last week on the various hopes and goals his administration has in mind as they address the issue of...