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Piercing Hawkeye

"I love Old October so/I can't bear to see her go," sang the Hoosier Poet of this most resplendent and melancholy month. Among the gifts this October brings is the…
October 14, 2013

Beauty is the Answer

In ISI's on-going series titled "Conservatism: What's Wrong with it and How Can we Make it Right?" Gerald Russello argues that conservatives have pursued power but neglected beauty. He writes:…
Mark T. Mitchell
October 14, 2013

Paranoia Will Destroy Ya

From The American Conservative, my review of Jesse Walker's terrific new book The United States of Paranoia.
October 11, 2013

Moyers Interviews Berry

At the Berry Center's celebration of the 35th anniversary of The Unsettling of America, held last April, Bill Moyers interviewed Wendell Berry before the assembled conference participants. That interview will be…
Jeff Polet
September 24, 2013

Chipotle ads Promote Humane Animal Husbandry

A couple years ago Chipotle came out with an ad promoting their commitment to using only humanely raised meat products. The Willie Nelson cover of the Cold Play tune The…
Mark T. Mitchell
September 17, 2013

FPR Conference. Plus Bookstore

It's still not too late to register for the upcoming FPR conference this Friday and Saturday in Claremont, CA. To whet your appetite, here is a link to books written…
Mark T. Mitchell
September 16, 2013

It’s Up to You Not to Heed the Call Up

During the First World War, the Kansas Socialist Kate Richards O'Hare was thrown into prison for violating Woodrow Wilson's Espionage Act. Her crime? Telling a North Dakota audience that their…
September 11, 2013

What Do Americans Want?

Quite a bit, actually. From the venerable news source The Onion: In a new report released Wednesday by the Pew Research center, Americans indicated that when it comes to what…
Mark T. Mitchell
September 9, 2013

Crunchy Judge: Stegall Confirmed

Congratulations to Caleb Stegall who was confirmed last week to a seat on the Kansas Court of Appeals. Excerpt from an article from a Kansas Newspaper: Legislators discussed his views…
Mark T. Mitchell
September 9, 2013

Saving Fish in Montana

Here's an article about a farmer in Montana who has worked tirelessly for years to effect changes to a dam that allows fish to swim up stream to spawn. Here's…
Mark T. Mitchell
September 8, 2013

Syria and the MIC

In my judgment, military action against Syria would be both a moral and political failing - which means, of course, it is likely to happen. I'll be surprised if we…
Jeff Polet
September 6, 2013

Caleb Stegall Nominated to Appeals Court

Caleb Stegall has been nominated for a seat on the Kansas Court of Appeals.  The Kansas City Star calls Stegall "conservative and crunchy." Excerpts: Conservation, a commitment to local communities…
Mark T. Mitchell
September 4, 2013

Swerving Off

My review of Stephen Greenblatt's The Swerve: How the World Became Modern, is now available at Humanitas. In case you're interested.  
Jeff Polet
September 3, 2013

FPR Conference Program. Register Now.

Here is the program for our upcoming conference titled "City People, Country People: Being a Localist in the Megalopolis." It will be held at Pomona College in Claremont, California. We'll start…
Mark T. Mitchell
August 26, 2013

Look At Me!!!

Now a company called Mindflash has a new technology to make sure you pay attention to your computer screen. It is marketed to companies who have on-line training programs. The…
Mark T. Mitchell
August 23, 2013

Big Philanthropy

When St. Thomas reflected on charity, and in particular alms-giving, he stressed the immediacy and locality of it: charity requires intimate knowledge of its recipient, the proper selection of means,…
Jeff Polet
August 20, 2013

Water Cooler Republic?

Hillsdale, Michigan. Sports is not one of the topics that regularly comes up on the Front Porch. Human flourishing, whatever that possibly could be this side of the Garden of…
August 18, 2013

Saying “No” to the NSA

Here's a piece encouraging people and companies to resist encroachments by the NSA. Consider these examples: Already companies are taking their data and communications out of the US. The extreme…
Mark T. Mitchell
August 13, 2013

Living Together at the Office

Wendell Berry has written about the salutary effects of living and working in the same place, but I'm not sure this is what he had in mind.... The Wall Street…
Mark T. Mitchell
August 9, 2013

Money Grab

Three principles. The first is Stein's Law: if something can't go on forever, it won't. The second is that governing is ruled by the law of unintended consequences. The third…
Jeff Polet
August 8, 2013

Rent a Goat

I recently heard of a guy who was getting nasty letters from his HOA because he was, shall we say, less than dutiful in keeping his large lawn mowed. Rather…
Mark T. Mitchell
August 7, 2013

Farewell to Port Clinton

Apropos this year's FPR Conference comes this Times story from Robert Putnam, who laments the decline of his hometown of Port Clinton, OH. The weakening of unions, vacating of the manufacturing…
Jeff Polet
August 7, 2013

Frankenmeat Coming Soon

Now scientists are working to create meat in a laboratory. To produce the patty, researchers will mix lab-grown beef muscle cells with salt, egg powder and bread crumbs. Beet juice…
Mark T. Mitchell
August 5, 2013

Death by Democracy

George Will argues that Detriot was killed by democracy. Detroit, which boomed during World War II when industrial America was “the arsenal of democracy,” died of democracy. Today, among the…
Mark T. Mitchell
August 2, 2013