Thanks

In these pretty depressing times, where we’re seemingly under assault from all sides (from attacks on freedom of speech, to government-mandated servitude, to the socialization of many of our financial institutions and perhaps of medicine, to the abandonment of the rule of law, to the further encroachment of environmentalism and the man-haters, to the continued rise of religion, etc.), I wanted to take a moment to thank all those who have really stepped up to oppose these attacks. Foremost I’d like to publicly thank Paul Hsieh whose tireless work is an inspiration. I’d also like to thank the staff, scholars and financial supporters of ARI and Anthem; the volunteers at the Undercurrent; bloggers such as Gus Van Horn, Doug Reich, and Diana Hsieh; active members of the OActivist list; and anyone who speaks up for the right ideas in any form.

Given the number of people who are working hard to right the wrongs we see all around us, and given that they’re growing in every aspect (number, quality and organization), I’m cautiously optimistic that better days lie ahead.

For my own part, I’ll say that the commitment I made to myself after 9/11—to learning and then trying to present a systematic defense of proper principles and values—has been much more interesting and rewarding than I ever would have expected (special thanks here to Onk and the OAC). More and more I find myself focusing my time on interacting with, and supporting, those who are also learning and fighting—not out of any sense of duty, but out of common values and the intellectual challenge and stimulus it provides. Looked at that way, even though the “macro” climate is much worse than it was 5 or 10 years ago, my personal “micro” climate is substantially better. So for that too, I’d like to thank all those who have not resigned themselves to their fates, but who are actively working towards something much better.