Russell Arben Fox

Russell Arben Fox
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https://inmedias.blogspot.com/
Russell Arben Fox is a Front Porch Republic Contributing Editor. He grew up milking cows and baling hay in Spokane Valley, WA, but now lives in Wichita, KS, where he runs the History & Politics and the Honors programs at Friends University, a small Christian liberal arts college. He aspires to write a book about the theory and practice of democracy, community, and environmental sustainability in small to mid-sized cities, like the one he has made his and his family's home; his scribblings pertaining to that and related subjects are collected at the Substack "Wichita and the Mittelpolitan." He also blogs--irregularly and usually at too-great a length--more broadly about politics, philosophy, religion, socialism, bicycling, books, farming, pop music, and whatever else strikes his fancy, at "In Medias Res."

Recent Essays

The Tea Party and the TSA

The idea that the best way to reform government is to simply say "No!" is probably a bad idea...but for the TSA, I'll make an exception.

As for Myself, I’m Less Than 30% Elitist (How About You?)

There's a deep and revealing purpose to figuring out if you're an elitist or not, though I'm not sure this quiz actually gets at it.

As Goes Reid, So Goes America (Maybe, Unfortunately)

Harry Reid's election in Nevada is all about an argument over the direction of the American system. Would that we could argue about the nature of that system instead.

Why I Hope Westboro Baptist Church, the ACLU, and Dahlia Lithwick Get Their Butts Kicked By the Supreme Court

Free speech is a good thing. Respecting the value of the whole community is a better one.

Hearing Wendell Berry

For Wendell Berry, the environmentalist cause and the localist cause are (or should be) one and the same.

Bicycling and the Simple (Socialist?) Life

Bicycling is fun, and environmentally friendly, but for me at least, it is even more importantly about being as free as possible from the complicated dependencies which the automobile economy forces upon us all.

Citizen-Soldiers, or Warriors?

Whether left or right, the ethical education of those we send to fight should concern us all.

Rod Dreher’s New Venture

Big Questions Online makes its appearance.

Defining Red Toryism (Again)

A scholar suggests that Phillip Blond's Red Toryism is just another word for conventional conservatism. He may be right about Blond, but he's definitely not about the idea.

Get Lost, “Friendship Coach”

Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn? Harry Potter and Ron Weasley? Anne Shirley and Diana Barry? Disruptive elements, all of them.

The Day (Ok, Two Days) When American Federalism Died

You never thought it was all the fault of the railroads, did you? Neither did I.

Wrong Lesson, Senator

Soon-to-be-former United States Senator from Utah, Bob Bennett, gives some advice to the Tea Party activists who helped unseat him at Utah GOP convention:...