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From the Commonplace Book

"There are two types of realists: the one who offers a good deal of dirt with his potato to show that it is a real one, and the one who is satisfied with the potato brushed clean. I'm inclined to be the second kind. To me, the thing that art does for life is to clean it, to strip it to form." -- Robert Frost

My Capitol Hill briefing about economic liberty

The video of the Capitol Hill Briefing that I and Cato's Ilya Shapiro participated in last week is now online. I discuss the history of economic liberty and why America needs a new civil rights act to protect economic liberty.

Reason TV interview

Reason TV has posted their interview with me about The Right to Earn A Living.

The Oresteia

On Friday, I was in San Jose to see Aeschylus’ Oresteia, performed by the company of Leonidas Loizidis. It was a small traveling production—the group has been performing the trilogy at the Kirk Theater in New York for a while, and is traveling for some selected dates now—with Philip Constantine as Agamemnon, Aegisthus, and Orestes, and Eftychia Papadopoulou as Elecra and Cassandra.

Having never seen ancient theater performed, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect—let alone the fact that the play was performed in Greek (modern), which I don’t know, with English subtitles that weren’t always kept in sync with the actors. That said, I was very surprised by how very much I enjoyed it, and the glimpse, however minor and imprecise, of what ancient theatrical performances must have been like. The acting, of course, was much more romanticized than ancient theater probably would have been, and was done without masks. But I was surprised that Loizidis worked in elements of singing and dance that were present, at least in some degree, in ancient Athens. Also, although I couldn’t tell if the modernized Greek was in verse, the English was, and I suspect the Greek was at stylized to at least some degree. (The only modernization that was a little too much was that Orestes kills Clytemnestra on stage—when, of course, in ancient Greek theater, nothing interesting ever happens on stage; you’re just told about it.)

Two things stood out. The first was Eftychia Papadopoulou’s performance, especially as Cassandra, in Agamemnon. After Agamemnon enters the castle, Cassandra remains outside, bewailing her fate and psychically envisioning the murder taking place inside. If this sounds a little boring, well, it reads that way too. But in performance, Papadopoulou was riveting. Her long, beautiful monologue was performed with such charismatic energy that one could instantly see how serious this performance really was going to be. The tension and terror evoked, even in words I could not comprehend, were so genuine—almost tangible—that I could immediately understand why Aristotle considered tragedy “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude...through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions,” and why ancient drama had so much in common with music. Papadopoulou’s performance in this scene was particularly operatic in its density and seriousness. She is simply a fantastic actress.

That scene seemed to me the highlight of the evening, but it was by no means the only one; the entire trilogy was performed with an intensity of purpose that made one forget the scenery, the props, and the fact that all the male roles were performed by only two men. (Philip Constantine was outstanding in the three or four roles he played—for each, he developed an entirely different body language and tone of voice appropriate to the character, so that one hardly noticed the limits on the production.) The use of the chorus was not intrusive or awkward, as it is in some performances (rendering unwatchable, for example, the famous Tyrone Guthrie version of Oedipus; same with the Don Taylor version) but was evocative and powerful—their creepy dance around the blood-spattered Clytemnestra, for instance, winding themselves in the red streamers attached to her robe, or the way they orbited characters like electrons as if symbolizing their threatening emotions.

I went expecting it to be an interesting and instructive experiment, but not a particularly entertaining evening. Instead, I got a taste of the emotional intensity that authentic ancient Greek theater must have brought with it. Trilogies like the Oresteia were usually capped off by a comedic play at the end, and now it’s clear why—they really do generate a power that must be dissipated in some way—a purgation of the emotions of pity and terror.

But if you don’t speak the language I would very much recommend reading a translation before going.

The reconstituted Red Molly

While in D.C. last week, I was able to attend a concert by one of my favorite music groups, Red Molly. I went to see them earlier this year in San Francisco and Fresno, but they've recently changed their lineup with the retirement if Carolann Sobello and the addition of Molly Venter. They're still working a few kinks out, but they remain really superb. I was worried that the change might affect their beautiful vocal harmonies, but Venter blends in beautifully with Laurie MacAllister and Abbie Gardner. And I really enjoyed the new songs, particularly Venter's song "I Am Happier Now," one of the most beautifully positive songs I've ever heard. Her solo version is very nice, but nothing like the moving way the three of them sang it in Alexandria.

Venter's music is much more in the pop tradition than in the bluegrass style that Red Molly seems to fit into--but even that categorization isn't quite right. They have a little country twang, but even urbanite fans of Simon & Garfunkel will enjoy their music a lot.

Washington Times reviews The Right to Earn A Living

A very kind review from The Washington Times' Roger Lott.

Frederick Douglass’ Cedar Hill home

While in D.C. this weekend, I managed to get to see the Frederick Douglass house, which is about a fifteen minute walk from the Anacostia Metro station.

Douglass bought this house after being appointed Marshal for the District of Columbia by President Hayes, and lived here for the rest of his life, with his first wife Anna Murray Douglass and his second wife, Helen Pitts Douglass.

Helen was a white woman, and Douglass’ children were so opposed to the marriage that when Douglass died, they had the will in which he left her the house declared invalid, and she was then forced to buy it from them, hoping that the home would be preserved as a monument like Mount Vernon. The fortunate consequence is that most of the belongings in the house, including the books in Douglass’ office, are authentic.

Here’s me (wearing my Ayn Rand t-shirt) standing in Douglass’ office, where he wrote, among other things, The Life And Times of Frederick Douglass.

(This photostream has some better pictures of the house.) Douglass had a little shed in the back that he called his “Growlery,” where he’d retire when he was in a nasty mood or wanted to be left alone. It seems likely to me that he actually wrote that book here. (This is a reconstruction.)

Also in D.C.—behind the capitol building—is another Douglass house, where he lived for three years prior to moving to Cedar Hill. That one also has a museum, but it wasn’t open while I was there; tours are available only by appointment.

Podcast on the right to earn a living

The Cato Daily Podcast today features a brief discussion about economic liberty and my book The Right to Earn A Living. 

Incidentally, in the podcast, I mention the California Professional & Business License Handbook, that lists all the professions for which a license is required in California, and I mention it's about 300 pages long. You can read it online here.

Cross-posted on PLF Liberty Blog.

How lack of clear property rights is stifling Haiti relief

A tragic, but old story.

My Sept. 1 Portland talk on the right to earn a living

You can watch the video of my September 1st talk to the Executive Club here.