Palmyra, Centurions, and Fighting ISIS from the Bottom Up
The fact that the chattering classes outraged by ISIS’s atrocities would unleash the latter-day centurions of the air so eagerly, while leashing ordinary people so cavalierly, should give pause to those of us suspicious of the modern state and jealous of society’s spaces.
Hanging Out with, and Learning from, Some Thoroughly Material Benedictines
A few weeks ago I was able to, once again, do something that I enjoy doing immensely--take a group of students out on a...
The Trouble with Limits
Modern persons have a problem with limits, three in fact. They want every good thing to be unlimitedly available for their desires, and scarcity...
The Gentlemen from Indiana
Booth Tarkington and Jeremy Beer, that is. From The American Conservative. And what the hell, here's R. Dean Taylor (a Canadian) too.
Alienated Children and Inalienable Rights
We describe the most fundamental principles of American politics in terms of “rights.” According to the Declaration of Independence, which constitutes the philosophical foundation...
Living Pleasantly from the Land
“In the first place, thanks to those who work it, the land bears not only the means for people to live, but also bears...
Apocalypticism for Porchers
If it's your thing -- and it's certainly not everybody's thing -- it's not a bad time to be an apocalypticist.
A few weeks ago,...
Christmas Comes But Once a Year; Or, Books to Buy Next...
Philadelphia, PA
R. J. Snell
A slow thinker and slower writer—some might say the reverse—I’ve been chewing over the Christmas season for the past few days,...
Blasphemers, Terrorists, and Liberals in Your Neighborhood
Would I read Charlie Hebdo? (Assuming I could read French, that is.) Would I want anyone in my family to read it? Would I...