The Stump 340
Peter Viereck: American Conservatism’s Road Not Traveled
Examining conservative dissenters such as Viereck can enrich our portrait of the conservative movement and shed light on its most recent Trumpian variant.
Spiritual Dangers in the Trump Era
One of the spiritual dangers of Trump is that he can come to be seen as the only danger. Such “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” logic then…
Where Are Conservatives?
When enough people recognize their emasculated state and demand change through the political process, then authority and resources will be given back to the local community so that people can…
Not Throwing Away My Shot: Alexander Hamilton and the Militarization of the American Police
Like the “good men” that Lincoln noted will give up on free government in the wake of mob rule, Hamilton warns that those who fear their rights are threatened will…
Civic Muscle: A Political Physiology
Civic muscle describes a citizen-centered democracy, where citizens themselves, viewed as agents of change and not mere voters, assume much of the responsibility for the quality of our public life.
The Meaning of Houellebecq
Houellebecq describe those aspects of our world that swarm us now, beleaguer us, pen us in. They are the products of a world suffused with technology, and of the attendant…
Baldwin, Buckley, and Berry on Racism and the World Order
Drawing from both Baldwin and Berry allows us to see that the racist and imperial policies of the past continue to do immense social, economic, cultural, and ecological damage around…
John Deere and the Ox-Cart Man
How might we recognize and adopt a vision for the future of agriculture inspired by the beauty and goodness of the ox-cart man?
Teddy Roosevelt’s Prophetic Speech: The Perpetual Relevance of “The Man in the Arena”
Roosevelt delivered an oration he entitled “Citizenship in a Republic,” but which the world would soon come to call “The Man in the Arena.” Every fresh reading of the speech…
Coming to Ourselves in 2020
Of course, Amash may well not win, but that really is not the point. The prodigal son had limited hopes when he said goodbye to the pigs, but he had…
In Our Memory Lock’d: Memorial Day and the Need to Remember
One of the arts of statesmanship is the use of language, of rhetoric, to reshape the architecture of people’s souls and orient them towards political truths.
Clearing Ground
The romantic impulse toward wholeness, or the longing for when things were better—take a few bad turns in that mood, and you find yourself chanting hymns to blood-and-soil. People can…
What He Saw in America: G.K. Chesterton’s View of the United States
Front Royal, VA. “Who is the American, this new man?” Crevecoeur famously asked. Since the discovery and settlement of the continent across the Atlantic, European intellectuals have expended much energy…
The Diseases that Kill Republics: Insights from Ancient Rome’s Epidemics
Italy’s tragic status as one of the worst-hit nations is a reminder of its predecessor, the Roman Republic, which endured dozens of epidemics in a history that lasted from 509…
Forget Karen, Think Lisa
It was the reaction I had seen so often in public school classrooms from teacher's pets: Conformity is always the right course. Rocking the boat is disruptive. Teachers and principals…
Common Good or Common Fear
In times of crisis a common fear can elicit behavior that appears similar to actions born of a commitment to the common good.
Coming Home, COVID-19 Style: A Moment to Reconsider the Natural Family
The lengthy drift from family to individual as the primary social unit carries an alluring promise of autonomy and individualism which sounds so good, so freeing, but it comes up…
“And the Word Was Made Flesh”: Placing Ethnicity in the Gospels and Making Conservative Politics Humane
It is a recognition of the beauty and goodness of ethnic diversity combined with a message of universal love and mercy that should be at the heart of a true…
Remembering After Coronavirus
Shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks, Wendell Berry wrote, “The time will soon come when we will not be able to remember the horrors of September 11 without remembering also…
COVID-19: Crisis and Opportunity
Perhaps this crisis, while revealing the fragility of many aspects of American society, can at the same time provide opportunities for a recovery.
Call Me Lucifer
Alexa is no doubt low-hanging fruit for the readers of Front Porch Republic. It is a place-contaminating, unlimited tyrant. If you've purchased one, watch out. When the lights start pulsing…
Why Love Belongs in Politics
Lubbock, TX. One month ago, the Senate concluded the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. The process was almost purely partisan: Republicans, who control the Senate, stymied Democrats’ attempts to…
The Road Back from Impeachment: Are We There Yet?
So why am I against all these impeachments, investigations and inquiries? It is because in every one of these instances, the ultimate goal, far outweighing any truly high-minded purpose, is…
Liberty or Empire? Reconsidering the Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation undoubtedly had their problems. But the spirit of concurrence they embodied is worth celebrating. To revitalize American public life, we should revisit this period in our…