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Paul Weyrich on Politics and Culture said...
"Is the Religious Right Finished?" in Christianity Today (September 6, 1999), pg. 44
09/06/99
The reason, I think, is that politics itself has failed. And politics has failed because of the collapse of the culture. The culture is becoming an ever-wider sewer. We are caught up in a culutrual collapse of historic proportions, a collapse so great that it simply overwhelms politics.
Tags:  Government, Law, Politics
PJ O'Rourke on Conservatism said...
Atlantic Unbound, August 8, 2002 (http://www.theatlantic.com)
08/07/02
In its worse forms, conservatism is a matter of "I hate strangers and anything that's different." But in its better forms, conservatism simply says that the structures of society, both civil and political, religious and so on, are the result of a long series of trial-and-error experiments by millions of human beings, not only all over the world, but through time. And that you should toss out received wisdom only very carefully. Obviously there are some ideas that were around for centuries that were not good (slavery comes to mind). But when people have been doing something for a millennium or two, there is probably a reason. And you better be pretty careful before you just throw it out.
Tags:  Government, Law, Politics
Political Writings: John Locke
John Locke (Hackett Publishing Company), 488 pages.
03/27/03
John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government (c. 1681) is perhaps the key founding liberal text. A Letter Concerning Toleration, written in 1685 (a year when a Catholic monarch came to the throne of England and Louis XVI unleashed a reign of terror against Protestants in France), is a classic defense of religious freedom. Yet many of Locke’s other writings — not least the Constitutions of Carolina, which he helped draft — are almost defiantly anti-liberal in outlook. This comprehensive collection brings together the main published works (excluding polemical attacks on other people’s views) with the most important surviving evidence from among Locke’s papers relating to his political philosophy. David Wootton’s wide-ranging and scholarly Introduction sets the writings in the context of their time, examines Locke’s developing ideas and unorthodox Christianity, and analyzes his main arguments. The result is the first fully rounded picture of Locke’s political thought in his own words. ~ Product Description
Tags:  Books | Government, Law, Politics
Principles of Civility
"The Meaning of Civility", Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess (1997)
04/26/11
In the same vein as our Recipe for Conversation, Guy and Heidi Burgess of the University of Colorado's Conflict Information Consortium offer ten suggestions for constructive and civil engagement between opposing parties. They write: "Clearly, civility has to mean something more than mere politeness. The movement will have accomplished little if all it does is get people to say, 'excuse me please', while they (figuratively) stab you in the back. Civility also cannot mean 'roll over and play dead.' People need to be able to raise tough questions and present their cases when they feel their vital interests are being threatened." Their suggestions include obtaining available technical facts, separating people from the problem, and honoring the legitimate use of legal and political power. The consortium's website is a treasure trove of bibliographies and practical resources. The case for civility has its voices (1, 2, 3), but lamentably it mostly falls on deaf ears.
Tags:  Noted | Civility & Rhetoric
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