Baseline Essays

The following pieces, which originally appeared at the old, Blogger-based Liberty’s Torch, are considered fundamental to the philosophy and orientation of this site and its Co-Conspirators. Others may be added over time.

  1. “Bring Back Our Country!” What we were, and could be again.
  2. Cause People: Anthropologists and sociologists, take note!
  3. “Compelling Government Interest:” A canard at the base of many others.
  4. If This Goes On: Our racial troubles and one possible outcome.
  5. Sapir-Whorf In The Saddle: the attack on our language is political at heart.
  6. “Too Much Like Work!” Our society “victims” could help themselves…but they won’t.
  7. Wastrels: Concerning the destruction of Americans’ ability to trust one another.
  8. The Conservative-Libertarian Schism: The issues that have united and divided libertarians and “orthodox” conservatives.
  9. From My Cold Dead Hand: Firearms and the American ethic.
  10. Dark Gods: The disembodied – fictional, really – beings that threaten America and its promise.
  11. Dark Gods Part 2: The War on Truth: Exactly that.
  12. Ultra Vires: Quandaries for Catholics and Conservatives: An exposition on baseline authorities for those two communities of conviction.
  13. The “Off the Mishnory Road” trilogy: Important divergences from contemporary habits of thought:
  14. The “Stupid Or Evil” trilogy
  15. Present Enemies, Future Wars: The threat Islam poses to the West.
  16. Tea Leaves By Twilight: A reflection on contemporary race relations.
  17. On Being White: Just what it says.
  18. Pragmatics: A demolition of “social justice.”
  19. Heroes: What they are, what they aren’t and why every society needs them.
  20. The Food Chain: What makes Christianity really different.
  21. King Cash: Money, commerce, and privacy.
  22. Shamans: One route to power over people is power over their language.
  23. “The Good Ship NEWF: The nature of identity.
  24. A Cabal Of Its Enemies: Why a standing diplomatic institution cannot work as intended.
  25. Disparates: Why abortion is no simple matter of “a woman’s right to choose.”
  26. The Desiccated Remains: What is liberty?
  27. Gamblers: The essence of advantage in warfare is the appearance of strength.
  28. The Most Awful Day: When civilized nations abrogated the rules of civilization.
  29. Giantism: The enabling and sustaining conditions for “bigness.”
  30. Egos the Size of Cathedrals: What happens when Christian humility is spurned in favor of overweening pride.
  31. The Helix: Prayer and why it’s a good thing.
  32. Pieties: Every society has them – and to contradict them is an act of daring.
  33. The New Segregationists: Word gets around. Always.
  34. “We The People,” Who? Why a nation’s borders are important and not mere “imaginary lines.”
  35. Damage: A discourse on homosexuality.
  36. A Maxim, The Law, and the State of the Nation: Why is ignorance of the law no excuse?
  37. For the Feast of the Epiphany: The true significance of that celebration.
  38. The New Lunatics: An inmates’ insurgency.
  39. Principles and Politics: Why the former are important to the latter.
  40. Patterns: No, the fox cannot, will not, and must not “guard the henhouse.”
  41. The Manly Virtues: A burden men once knew it was their duty and birthright to shoulder.
  42. Bellwethers Everywhere: The Celebritarian Revolution: Politics by celebrity prescription is the latest attack on our polity.
  43. When It Came: A prognostication.
  44. The Calculus of Freedom: Philosophical underpinnings and discarded remnants.
  45. Licensure: The State’s best scam for taking away your freedom and selling it back to you.
  46. On Privacy: We want it – so why are we making it impossible for ourselves?
  47. Habituations: A discourse on the State’s use of “salami tactics.”
  48. The Forbidden Subject: Thou shalt not mention race…if you’re white, that is.
  49. Strifings: The State’s use of divide et impera to make us more ruleable.
  50. Owners: Who owns you? Defend your thesis.
  51. An Intellectual’s Duty: For the love of God, don’t elect smart people to high office! (No, not me, either!)
  52. Language Corruption Continues: The deliberate distortion of common terms for political purposes.
  53. Exclaves: “Nations within the nation.”
  54. Nightmares Of A Wine Enthusiast: Just read it.
  55. You’re Getting Colder! A debunking of “global warming.”
  56. The Naked Face Of The Enemy: Gaze upon it and shudder.
  57. Demographics and the Medicalization of Human Existence:
    We are becoming reduced to death-and-pain-o-phobiacs.
  58. The Nature of Money and Currency: A vital distinction the State is trying to obscure.
  59. The Nature of Money and Currency Part 2: Bimetallism and Gresham’s Law: What happens when there are “too many monies.”
  60. The Nature of Money and Currency Part 3: The Great Transformation: The devolution of the American money system.
  61. The Nature of Money and Currency Part 4: The Emergence of Banks and Banking: “The System” as we know it had to start somewhere.
  62. The Tirade Of Tirades: FWP’s call for personal, individualized, moral revolution, on which all other social and political improvement depends.
  63. Crisis: The Agar of Leviathan: How aspiring tyrants exploit crises to expand their power.
  64. What Are “National Defense” and “National Security?” Two phrases without firm definitions that have served the political Establishment superbly.
  65. Dictionary of Government Doublespeak: A handy guide to the weird lexicon your elected, appointed, and Civil Service rapists use to tell you that “It’s for your own good!”
  66. Life Stories: A brilliant young woman tells of her beloved’s conversion to the Catholic faith.
  67. Overheads: The critically neglected category of economic goods.
  68. Private Knowledge: Some thoughts about revelations and Christian faith.
  69. Tension And Habitat: Social forces during a time of increasing danger and intertribal hostility.
  70. Reason, Death, And Unholy Desire: When and why deterrence fails.
  71. Valid Argumentation And Expertise: Your guide to the follies of “Anything” and “Nothing” Authorities.