Freespace

Varley's "The Phantom of Kansas"

My favorite writer, John Varley, has posted one of his best stories, "The Phantom of Kansas," online--along with a draft screenplay version that he prepared some years ago. He's hoping someone in Hollywood might take in interest. It's a great story and would make a great movie, in the hands of someone who took it seriously.

Heritage event cancelled

Sorry to say, tomorrow's Cornerstone of Liberty event at the Heritage Foundation has been cancelled--we were unable to get to DC due to the storms. Very disappointing, but hope we can do t some other time.

The Greeks and The Founding Fathers

Yesterday, I delivered (live) the third and final talk in my three-part series for the Politismos Museum of Greek History on the influence of the Greeks on America's Founding Fathers. If you missed it, hold on--they'll be posting the finished video in a while. But if you'd rather listen to them, you can download all three talks in mp3 format here:

1. The Greek Frame - Why did Thomas Jefferson call himself an "Epicurean"?

2. Learning What Not To Do - How the authors of the Constitution learned from the Greeks how not to do democracy.

3. The Two Freedoms - How the Romantic Age revived the tension between ancient and modern values, giving rise to the Greek Revolution and the U.S. Civil War.

Tim the Lawyer on "Lexi" case

If you missed it Friday, I was talking with Armstrong and Getty about the case of the Choctaw girl, "Lexi," that was argued that morning in the California Court of Appeal. More on the Indian Child Welfare Act here.

New review of Conscience of The Constitution

David D'Amato has published a review of my book, The Conscience of The Constitution. Obviously he and I disagree ("exceedingly difficult to find a nineteenth-century libertarian of any importance or prominence who saw the Constitution of the United States as an even somewhat libertarian document"? Um, Frederick Douglass? Joel Tiffany? Samuel Chase? John Quincy Adams? Joshua Giddings? Charles Sumner? Lysander Spooner? Gerrit Smith? even the pro-secessionst Lord Acton? but I guess they aren't "real" libertarians?) and those interested in my views regarding the Civil War and the abolitionists should consult my paper, "How Libertarians Ought to Think About The Civil War." But I appreciate his thorough and considered review.