Covering the spreads

Reason, Oct, 1998 by Michael W. Lynch

P.S. Charles Murray gave a well-received luncheon address in which he maintained the thesis that the American government is on the cusp of a crisis of legitimacy. According to Murray, Americans have, by and large, become alienated from the federal government since the 1960s, the very point at which the feds began taking sides in moral disputes. Many Americans who aren't averse to government have contempt for it, and the dynamics of popular democracy in the information age are destabilizing at any rate. Murray said more and more Americans are yelling "That's none of the government's business" at their TV sets. I know I am.

Murray ended his talk with a list of do's for libertarians: Do make common cause with others, Murray counseled. Do emphasize libertarians' gregarious nature, family, and community, Murray continued. Speak openly about virtue. Seeing eye-to-eye with Claremont's Kesler, Murray urged the assembled L.P. members to emphasize the ideals of America's founding. He ended his speech to a standing ovation.

Other important news: The food served at the Murray lunch - steamed chicken, zucchini and squash, and some sort of cabbage concoction (I think) - was so bad I considered giving up eating for the entire weekend. When I returned to my office a phone call from Drudge's producer awaited me. The L.P. had been bumped from the agenda to make room for the Time/CNN retraction of their poison gas story and Linda Tripp's testimony. "Unless you saw Lewinsky at the convention," I recall the message stating, "we can't use you." There's always next week.

Hope you all had a happy Fourth of July.