thoughts in and out of season
Something I wrote, an analysis of liberalism, libertarianism, and conservatism, was enough to provoke a libertarian blogger (“larryniven”) to murder fantasies. I decided to address his concerns, but our exchange went nowhere. So I decided to reconstruct it, along with a short side exchange with a mainstream social liberal from Australia, into the … More ...
R. R. Reno has a review of my book in the most recent Intercollegiate Review. He titles the review “Resistance Literature,” a phrase intended as high praise.
One interest prompting my return to blogging is some writing I’ve been doing about “inclusiveness.” I’ve written various pieces on the topic, and I touched on the issue in my recent book. Now I’m trying to put my thoughts together in what may turn into a series of articles or book. I’ll be posting … More ...
Inclusiveness tells us that characteristics that traditionally define personal identity have no legitimate social role. If my specific identity as a man or member of a particular people is connected to my position in the world, that’s intolerable and something has to be done about it.
That can’t be the end of the story. We … More ...
Does Obama’s handshake/bow to the Japanese emperor remind anyone else of a high school kid clowning for the camera in a yearbook picture?
A friend sent me something he was writing on the political prospects for protectionist legislation. I sent him the following response, which I’ve edited a bit and relates to much more than protectionism:
… More ...In general, your discussion follows the interest-group, competing political party, voter sovereignty model of political life in a modern democracy.
I sometimes
I’ve decided to return to blogging, and I’ve marked the event with a new slogan and a few other minor changes.
The new slogan reflects the basic weblog situation—one man commenting on whatever comes to mind. I wanted a change, and “tradition and Catholicism” seemed a bit like “truth and logic” as a slogan when … More ...
There’s a longish interview with me at Ignatius Insight, the website of Ignatius Press.
Here is the text of a talk I gave at the H. L. Mencken Club conference.
October 31, 2009
The other speakers have discussed foreign policy by reference to specifically American tendencies. I will discuss something that I think is more general, advanced liberalism—the dominant … More ...
Yet another review, this one by Carl Olson in Catholic World Report. It’s longer than average (two three-column pages) and quite favorable:
… More ...The Tyranny of Liberalism … is the work of an imaginative conservative who offers frank criticism and expresses the truth about authentic values and the permanent things with notable clarity, unusual insight,