Speak for Yourself: Letters, March 2006 TNI
Sizzling …
Ouch! My fingers are still burning. That’s how hot the Winter 2006 issue of The New Individualist was!
It is no secret to some that I have at times been a harsh critic of The Objectivist Center and its publication, The New Individualist (formerly Navigator). That said, the last couple of issues have seen a marked improvement over the past, and your latest issue was absolutely fantastic! For the first time in quite a while my copy of the magazine didn’t just sit on my coffee table to be read “later.” One look at that cover, and I had to read it, cover to cover—immediately.
The overall layout, illustrations, and photos are wonderfully done, and I especially enjoyed Henry Mark Holzer’s article, “When Does Speech Become Treason,” and Ed Hudgins’s, “The Jihad Against Free Speech.”
But there is something else I would like to say. Your latest issue was special, not only because it was filled with powerful and hard-hitting articles, but also due to the courage on the part of all concerned in reprinting, on the magazine cover, the very cartoon that nearly the entire mainstream media has been too spineless to show the American public.
In doing so, the staff of TOC has demonstrated its dedication and commitment to aggressively participate in the greatest battle of our times: the battle in defense of Western values. The Winter 2006 issue of The New Individualist proves that the folks at TOC are not only willing to “talk the talk,” but are willing to “walk the walk.”
To everyone connected with the issue: thanks for the fantastic job, and keep up the great work.
George Cordero
Palm Beach, Florida
One of the best issues in memory!
Some running comments as I read…
Michelle Kamhi reminds us of Hollywood’s anti-Nazi movies (in production even before Pearl Harbor), and she contrasts that with Hollywood’s current sympathetic portrayals of our seventh-century barbarian enemy. Ed Hudgins’s lengthy discussion on free speech, tolerance, and sensitivity ends with a strong call to be, well, resolute. Henry Mark Holzer’s masterly essay on treason covers principles, history, and policy with the obvious expertise that, quite frankly, is too often missing from an Objectivist publication.
Robert Bidinotto’s controlled fury is directed at the cowardly and hypocritical American press (and American universities), and is best read, rather than summarized, for the full effect. Ilana Mercer’s review of the important book by Paul Sperry was a surprise. She’s tougher on Islam than I am (almost!). It’s good to see her viewpoint complement the publisher’s as we try to nail down our understanding of the threat facing civilization today.
I’m glad to see Objectivists moving away from preaching to the choir, and glad to see others welcomed into the pages of TNI. It respects the judgment and maturity of readers to expose them to kindred voices, and let them decide for themselves who makes the strongest case.
Now, excuse me while I finish reading the rest of the magazine!
Jason Pappas
Publisher, Liberty and Culture
http://libertyandculture.blogspot.com
New York, New York
It was with great pleasure that I read the Winter 2006 issue of The New Individualist. Here are aspects that I particularly enjoyed.
I knew that Ayn Rand was an acquaintance of composer Deems Taylor. I did not know that she had asked him to write an opera based on Anthem. Thank you for that information, Duncan Scott. It has been years since I listened to Taylor’s music. Now I think I will listen to some again. Also, that article was a beautiful tribute to his daughter, Joan Kennedy Taylor.
I enjoyed Ed Hudgins’s “The Jihad Against Free Speech,” since it simplified three crucial principles that impact free speech: free expression, tolerance, and sensitivity. This kind of writing—breaking down the principles underlying current affairs—is highly effective for bringing Objectivist ideas to the awareness of non-Objectivists.
The other articles dealing with Islam also had strong impact by focusing on different aspects of how this culture has become a threat. Ilana Mercer, in her book review, prompted my interest to learn more about Islamic penetration in the government and society (especially lobbies), and Robert Bidinotto gave the American press a well deserved kick in the seat of the pants for its shameful cowardice in refusing to publish the Danish cartoons. Henry Mark Holzer’s article clarifying the issues of free speech and treason also raised a subject that every American needs to understand correctly.
I am grateful to Lou Villadsen for suggesting some popular fiction authors, and I will definitely sample the wares of J. D. Robb (Nora Roberts), Jayne Ann Krentz, Elizabeth Lowell (Ann Maxwell), and Melanie Craft. Also, Michelle Marder Kamhi’s observations on war films are a call for us to rethink some of Hollywood’s recent production.
Human nature and human history are crucial areas for philosophy, but they are not strong points in the Objectivist literature. Thus it was a treat for me that Roger Donway concluded his essay on individualism and human nature with a call to rest philosophical and psychological explanations of modern man “on a foundation of biology and anthropology.”
In short, all of the articles appealed to me as a normal reader, not just as an Objectivist. I believe that the magazine’s approach of wedding broad Objectivist principles to current affairs will bring The New Individualist a wide readership within the generally pro-reason, pro-individual public. I know that for me, an Objectivist, it was one hell of a good read.
Best of luck for a richly deserved and solid success.
Michael Stuart Kelly
www.objectivistliving.com
Merritt Island, Florida
“Intelligence Design”
Has anyone pointed out that the Intelligent Design proposal (“What Are Creationists Afraid Of?,” Fall 2005) commits the stolen concept fallacy? “Intelligence” rests, conceptually, on “living brain”—the only known evidence for the source of intelligence. Yet ID posits that living brains were created by intelligence. But this would leave the concept of intelligence a floating abstraction.
Sincerely,
Tibor R. Machan
R.C. Hoiles Professor of Business Ethics & Free Enterprise
Argyros School of B&E, Chapman University
Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, California