Reflecting on the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and the accession of King Charles III, consider the words of C.S. Lewis on monarchy: “Monarchy can easily be ‘debunked,’ but watch the faces, mark well the accents of the debunkers. These are the men whose taproot in Eden has been cut—whom no rumor of the polyphony,…
Time to hear from Abraham Lincoln on reverence for law: “Let every man remember that to violate the law is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the charter of his own and his children’s liberty. Let reverence for the laws be breathed by every American mother to the lisping babe…
At the Independent Institute, we believe that individual liberty—in the context of constitutionally limited government and free markets—produces great results. Our defense of individual liberty does not arise out of a philosophy that says to the world, “Leave me alone.” Rather, we defend liberty from a philosophy that says specifically to the government, “Leave us…
Carved into his memorial in Washington, D.C., are these words of Thomas Jefferson: “God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?” Turning then…
The Electoral College was conceived for just the kind of national leadership crisis we now face. Originally published October 24, 2016, Public Discourse (www.thepublicdiscourse.com) In ordinary times, members of the Electoral College have a boring, honorific task. They’re the ones we’ll actually select when we vote on November 8th. There are 538 of them;…
Independent-minded Republicans failed to dethrone Trump in Cleveland. Many Democrats in Philadelphia only grudgingly reconciled themselves to Clinton. Is there any way to save the country from the evil-of-two-lessers choice between Donald and Hillary? Yes, but to explain how we have to dust off the hoary old Twelfth Amendment. Ratified in 1804, the Twelfth Amendment…
Ideas move men and nations. Sound ideas foster a prosperous, free and morally responsible society; flawed ideas corrode it. Americans have enjoyed unparalleled liberty and prosperity under a Constitution of unprecedented longevity. Such an experience is historically rare. What made it possible? I propose that it was the distinctive American conjunction of civil liberty and…
“In God We Trust” on our coins and bills. “One nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. The Ten Commandments posted on schoolroom walls, in courthouses, and in the U.S. Supreme Court building. Prayers by student leaders at high school graduations and football games. The “Mount Soledad Cross” erected on public land above San…
In the past, law and society formed a fixed background for business operations. A business simply conformed to legal requirements and established social practices, while providing its distinct product or service to the marketplace. That time is past. Now both law and society are in flux, and whether they like it or not, business organizations…
Baccalaureate Address by Graham Walker at Patrick Henry College, Purcellville, Virginia, May 2011 Those who are preoccupied with cultural impact will undermine the very cultural impact they seek to exercise. The only foundation for life, work, and advocacy is a conviction of truth, independent of any calculation of its effect. Watch the video: Walker Baccalaureate…
