The Editors
Articles by The Editors
Searching for a Usable Past
JEFFERSON COUNTY, KANSAS. My review of Richard Quinney's Of Time and Place, originally published in the University Bookman: The American experience has always existed in tension with, if not outright…
Brave New Techno Ignorance
I just deleted the following spam from our comment cache. "We have just added your latest post 'Teenagers, Gratitude, and a Culture of Affluence' to our Directory of Car Insurance. [blah…
An Actually Interesting Debate
Most of the debates within the "conservative" wing today are yawners. They pit one brand of worn-out "conservatism" against another (often with the assistance of screeds on talk radio), with…
Play Ball! Tell Stories!
BURNED-OVER DISTRICT, NY---The Muckdogs open tonight against the cursed Auburn Doubledays. It's seventy years now that we've had a professional baseball team in Batavia, and no one knows more about…
Front Porch Politics and Putting a Voice with the Black Hat
An interesting case of local activism. And bonus, hear me discuss the issue on the local KC talk show.
Is the Devil From Paris?
Irving, Texas. Is the devil from Paris? Many people seem to think so. And if not the devil himself, then at least a particular demon, one whose name is not…
So: Are We Hypocrites?
Claremont, CA. A student has confronted me about Front Porch Republic. So now I'm writing the post that I've known I would have to write someday. "It just doesn't seem…
Notes from the Congress for the New Urbanism
DENVER, COLORADO. It seems like only yesterday that the New Urbanism was really new. But this weekend, with its annual meeting here in Denver, the Congress for the New Urbanism…
Speaking of Illich
I neglected to comment on the Illich post when it was timely (funny how the internet compresses time and reduces us all to servants of what Berry called the "absolute…
Communitarianism, Conservatism, Populism and Localism: An Updated Survey
Wichita, KS [Cross-posted to In Medias Res] Michael Sandel's giving of the prestigious Reith Lectures for the BBC (hat tip: the ever-watchful Harry Brighouse at Crooked Timber) has prompted me…
Workaday Morals
Henry County, Ky. Those of us foolish enough to call ourselves “conservative” are forced to admit that culturally and politically at least we live amidst less and less worth conserving. …
Ray Bradbury of Illinois
BURNED-OVER DISTRICT, NY---"Here comes the summer!" as the Undertones rejoiced. The Muckdogs' home opener is next Friday, and two days later the sun makes the season official. In preparation, today I checked…
Necessity and Virtue
A fascinating article in today's Washington Post confirms the old adage that there's always a bull market somewhere: right now, namely, in the seed selling business. The article notes that…
The Big (Organic) Apple
Claremont, CA. The Big Apple dreams of the organic apple. Everywhere you look in The New York Times these days, somebody is talking about organic farming. A few examples -…
John Calvin and the Land of Chocolate
Readers of FPR will be readily forgiven if they have yet to reserve any time this year to celebrate the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth. (If you are tempted,…
The Economics of Distributism V: The Practice of Distributism
Irving, TX. Somewhere, the Sage hath said, Philosophy is easy; plumbing is hard. The Sage is correct; we should be suspicious of systems that exist only in the mind, but…
Front Porch Friendship in the journal of Back Room Business
My (real) friend and sometimes co-conspirator Tony Woodlief of Wichita has penetrated Wall Street with some front porch wisdom this morning: "My 298 Facebook friends aren't the ones who remember…
On the Logic and Nature of Blogging
Phoenix, Arizona. Because of my involvement with this darn site I have been attending to the blogosphere much more than heretofore, and lately have been trying to get a handle…
The Front Porch Cyclist talks Autarchy
I have been remiss in following up on some superb thinking that has been going on, partly prompted by my earlier link to his blog, but mostly prompted by the…
Against the Environment
Alexandria, VA The other night I happened to catch the second half of an ABC special program, "Earth 2100." The program was a "speculative history" of what the world might…
With Malice Toward None (Well, Maybe Toward the Thought Police)
Check out this exceptionally fine speech http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ronald-maxwell/on-the-occasion-of-presid_b_212674.html by film director Ron Maxwell (Gettysburg, Gods and Generals), who refused to allow William ("inherited utility monopoly wealth means never having to say…
“A nation is an extended family.”
Quick quiz ... who said/wrote the above quote this week? No Googling!
The New “Freedom”
Claremont, CA. Becka flew into my office, so excited that she was out of breath. "Professor," she asked, "have you heard about freedom?" I couldn't help laughing. "Why yes, Becka,"…
The Blessings of Pesticides
I learned tonight, courtesy of American Media's Marketplace, that there is a letter-writing campaign currently afoot protesting the organic garden that was planted and is tended by Mrs. Obama. The…