Articles 356
McCarthy, Nash, and the Story of the American Right
The narrative that the American Right tells about itself springs from the careful, groundbreaking historical work of George H. Nash. Unfortunately, as Dan McCarthy points out in a review of…
Same-Sex Marriage, Abortion, and the Limits of Localism
Kearneysville, WV. Last week I published a piece suggesting ten positions that might serve to constitute a platform for those who are disillusioned by both major political parties and who…
The Romance of Conservatism
Moorpark, CA. This is the main body of a lecture I delivered at the ISI Spring Leadership Conference, Indianapolis, Indiana, April 14, 2007. This conference focused on the work of Russell…
The Agenda: Political or Economic?
Irving, TX. The Front Porch Republic has been graced by two contributions from Mark Mitchell and Caleb Stegall on the political agenda for front-porchers. And while one may quibble with…
Under the Mogollon Rim
Washington Park, Arizona. It used to take seven hours to get here by car, even though the journey was only some 90 miles from Phoenix. R. J. and the family…
Localism with Teeth
“I never saw an instance of one of two disputants convincing one another by argument. I have seen many, on their getting warm, becoming rude, and shooting one another.” --Thomas…
Social Injustice
{This column appears in today's Hoya, Georgetown's student newspaper. My column is published fortnightly.} If there is one thing about which we are certain that we are pursuing at Georgetown,…
Third Party?
Kearneysville, WV. The race for New York’s 23rd Congressional District’s open seat has garnered national attention. The Democratic candidate, Bill Owens, is currently running a few points behind Doug Hoffman,…
The Front Porch Agenda?
With all the talk about "what is to be done," in terms of a decentralizing political agenda, I thought I'd throw some ideas out there, with the intent only of…
Jawboning: A Tale of Two Hardware Stores
Hamilton, Ontario. The other day I was standing in a cavernous mega-chain hardware store looking for gardening supplies. This was not an easy task because the store, which we can…
Empire’s Heir?
As the old saying suggests, be careful what you ask for, because you may get it. The hubristic here in China are well on their way to discovering some uncomfortable…
Who Was the Real Winner in the New York 23rd Race?
There were several. But this biggest, I think, was: The American party process....The New York state GOP by-passed the primary process, and got slammed for it. A third party candidate…
The Stories We Tell…
Philadelphia, PA. If you have read just one of Wendell Berry’s novels or short stories, then you have glimpsed this Kentucky farmer’s love for family, place, and story. In a contemplative…
You’re Probably Looking For Porn
Claremont, CA. If you don’t want to read the new report from Harvard Business School, titled “Understanding Users of Social Networks,” you can just listen to the song from Avenue…
Halloween Reading
"I love Old October so, I can't bear to see her go---" ---James Whitcomb Riley Via The American Conservative: http://www.amconmag.com/article/2009/dec/01/00050/ Subscribe, won't you? And your favorites.....?
What’s Local?
Hillsdale, MI. A Mormon friend of mine once argued that the LDS prohibition of alcohol was right and proper not only because it was revealed, but because he had tried…
Populist Revival?
JEFFERSON COUNTY, KS. In light of Rod Dreher's kind "shout out"---that is, I believe, the proper blog parlance---it seems appropriate to re-run this essay that appeared in Rod's paper three years ago…
Progressive Liberalism Or: How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love Big Government
American Liberalism: An Interpretation for Our Time by John McGowan. (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2007). Moorpark, CA. If the current administration is liberal, it matters what kind…
Obama v. Fox News
Kearneysville, WV. It’s official. The Obama White House has declared that Fox News presents a slanted view of the news, one congenial to the Republicans and antagonistic to the administration.…
The “One Salvation” of Ludwig von Mises
There is no doubt that the Catholic Church supports the idea of a just social order, and has expounded on that order in the great Social Encyclicals. However, and despite…
The Final Word On Cell Phones
Rock Island, IL In the early days of FPR, and then again more recently, I was impertinent enough to write disparaging remarks about cell phones, which as everyone knows are…
Swine Flu’s Real Exposure
Claremont, CA. The most haunting, awful scenes in Thucydides’s history of the Pelopponesian war are those describing the Athenian plague. The plague emerged in the second year of the war,…
John Gardner’s October Night
"I think a writer who leaves his roots leaves any hope of writing importantly"---John Gardner Those so favored by the Good Lord as to be within listening distance of Batavia,…
Basque in It
BURNED-OVER DISTRICT, NY. I have never really given a damn about my own mongrel ethnicity—I care about place, not race—and besides, there are many mysteries to which I don’t particularly…