Aaron Wolf, Kansas, and a Treasonous Meritocrat?

“‘It’s a Groundswell’: The Farmers Fighting to Save the Earth’s Soil.” Matthew Taylor reports for The Guardian on how no-till farming, or “conservation agriculture” can help to improve soil health.

On Easter, Aaron Wolf, the executive editor of Chronicles, died unexpectedly. FPR contributor Rebekah Curtis recommended this recent essay that he wrote, “Diary of a Driftless Conservative,” in which he ponders craft, tradition, and Pieper. At one point Aaron asks, “Am I doing this because I love philosophy, or because I am desperate to hold on to every possible moment with my eldest son? Yes, I conclude.”

“Where Are the Socially Conservative Women in This Fight?” Helen Andrews, writing in the New York Times, calls for a modern-day Phyllis Schlafly, someone who would speak up in defense of family health and one-income households rather than simply seeking to increase labor-force participation rates and GDP.

“Kansas: Now The Abortion State.” Rod Dreher provides a good overview of the recent ruling by the Kansas Supreme Court. Also see John Brungardt’s helpful summary of Stegall’s dissent and the implications of the ruling. But take the time to read Justice Caleb Stegall’s dissent (it begins on page 115).

”Supreme Court: Farmers Don’t Need to Sell Crops to Get Tax Break.” Todd Richmond reports on a Wisconsin case that allows farmers to get their land zoned for agricultural use by growing crops, not selling them. This has important implications for enabling small farmers to hang onto their land. (Recommended by Josh Mabie.)

“Which Way, Pete Buttigieg?” Ross Douthat writes an assessment of Mayor Pete that reads as a sort of follow up to Elias Crim’s FPR essay. Just as Crim later added a “Mea Culpa” to his essay retracting his support of Mayor Pete, so Douthat doesn’t see much evidence that he’d actually be a “meritocrat who can commit real treasons against his class.” But that opportunity remains: who might seize it?

“Shame on Stanford.” Cathy Davidson provides a blistering critique of Stanford’s decision to cut funding to its university press.

“A Christian Hegel in Canada.” Grant Havers has an essay in Modern Age that contrasts two traditions of reading Hegel in Canada. McLuhan’s work in particular demonstrates that Hegel’s legacy is more complicated than a lauding of the march of history.

“Amazon the Sweatshop.” Matthew Walther discusses Amazon’s treatment of its employees, concluding “Amazon is not a triumph of anything except the barbarism of capital. Their warehouses are sweatshops.”

“The Poet and the Mob.” Dan Hitchens mourns the passing of Les Murray and reminds us of the vitality of his poetry.