How Republicans Can Build a Big-Tent Party
As much as I don't like to admit it, conservatives need moderates in the Republican party. However, moderates need to actually follow through on the principles that unite us. If they don't, the whole lot gets labeled as hypocritical. Another reason it's smart to make freedom/smaller government the thrust of the party is this pole. (H.T. http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/) Regardless of who runs for president this next time (conservitive or moderate), Republicans need someone who can eloquently and convincingly explain the conservative values that unite the party (unlike McCain) and then convince their own party to follow those values.

On Small Talk

Catherine Blyth in The Art of Conversation writes,

"The honor of small talk lies in paying others the compliment that their worth talking to, the power in sparking the everyday magic of intimacy."

Old Books

While reading "Reading Between the Lines", I was reminded of Lewis's advice that one out of every four books should be outside of your own time, and since you cannot read future books, you should read ones from the past. My last few books have been from within my time. Currently I am working on Doing Our Own Thing by John McWhorter, Reading Between the Lines by Gene Edward Veith Jr. I have recently read, Culture Making by Andy Crouch, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue by John McWhorter To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. My Grandfather's Son by Clarence Thomas, Assumptions that Affect our Lives by Christian Overman. I think it is time for an older book. While I really want to read Dickens or Dostoevsky, I am leaning toward Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin and it is time for me to read Calvin's Institutes.

Gold Investment

If gold is such a good investment right now, what idiot is selling their gold to all these new people? Can you say B-u-b-b-l-e ?

Expelled: Again

In World Magazine's Human Race section, they report that Ben Stein

withdrew as the University of Vermont's spring commencement speaker after the school received a flood of complaints, including one from evolutionist Richard Dawkins.

Curiously, Stein's main point in "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" was that proponents of Intelligent Design are kicked out of the establishment and marginalized for their views rather than debated in the marketplace of ideas, which is exactly what happened here. He may have spoken on economics, but the dissenters insisted on proving his point.

Economy

I don't think it should be about stimulus so much as about value creation.

Questions for Cultural Artifacts

I have started to read "Culture Making" by Andy Crouch. In the first chapter he mentions five questions to be asked about cultural artifacts that I find to be a revealing and worthy excercise.

1. What does this cultural artifact assume about the way the world is.
2. What does this cultural artifact assume about the way the world should be?
3. What does this crultural artifact make possible?
4. What does this cultural artifact make impossible (or at least very difficult)?
5. What new forms of culture are created in response to this artifact?

New Links

I am updating my links based on the blogs I have been reading that I find helpful.

Popular Mechanics has a lot of helpful tips (especially for men) and even had an article a while back that discredited much of the 911 conspiracy theory. There is an extensive archive of the old issues here.

Works and Days is a social commentary by historian Victor Davis Hanson. He has written quite extensively on classical history and history of war. You might call him a conservative. He has more articles here.

Greg Mankiw wrote my Economics textbook (Mine is an earlier edition). Brilliant man. I am not sure were he leans politically, but he makes a lot of sense and can dumb things down for the rest of us.

Ben Stein. Need I say more? Ok, Ben Stein on economics.

Instapundit being mostly political (with some entertainment mixed in) and leaning conservative. Updated very frequently.

22 Words is Abraham Piper's blog of brevity. He tends to be thoughtful and his topic range is wide.