Under consideration: Michael Pollan, The Omnivor’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, Penguin (2006), 464 pages; and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, Penguin (2008), 256 pages.  A few weeks ago I attended a meeting of Kansas secessionists. The participants were rowdy, complaining of economic gigantism squashing them flat and bureaucratic thugs hounding their every move. They were all … [Read More]

In 1890, the brand-new Kansas People’s Party (later to become the national Populist Party) routed the Republican state establishment in the fall elections, winning control of both the state government and the state’s congressional delegation.  The race that best typified the mood of the day was the U.S. House contest pitting People’s Party candidate Jerry Simpson, the marshal of Medicine Lodge … [Read More]

Under consideration: Michael Pollan, The Omnivor’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, Penguin (2006), 464 pages; and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, Penguin (2008), 256 pages.  A few weeks ago I attended a meeting of Kansas secessionists. The participants were rowdy, complaining of economic gigantism squashing them flat and bureaucratic thugs hounding their every move. They were all … [Read More]

Yesterday, in an already much remarked upon column, David Brooks reviewed the state of the kulturkampf  between “assertive atheists” and “defenders of faith” by way of a discussion of developments in neurobiology.  Brooks’ central insight is that the “cognitive revolution is not going to end up undermining faith in God, it’s going to end up challenging faith in the Bible” by … [Read More]

Obama has taken a beating from gleeful conservatives over his comments about bitter working class Pennsylvanians clinging to God and guns.  Today David Brooks says people resent the comments because it shows Obama does not share their values and life experiences.  Rod Dreher notes that many working class whites who were leaning towards Obama may not be able to get over … [Read More]