Editor's Desk
by Robert James BidinottoI confess: I have a secret obsession. Each month, I feel the sharp pang of an inner craving to top the previous issue in style, quality, and content. However, when I put this issue of TNI to bed, that hunger felt sated.
Historically, this magazine hasn’t carried poetry or fiction. However, a few weeks ago, Walter Donway privately shared with me “Empire of Earth”—his extraordinary tribute in verse to the great entrepreneurs of the nineteenth century who built America’s railroads. I was so moved by its haunting imagery and individualist values that I begged Walter for permission to feature his poem here. I think you’ll agree that this wonderful work unquestionably belongs in the pages of a magazine titled The New Individualist.
It also serves as a thematically appropriate lead-in to the update on the Frank Quattrone case by Walter’s brother, senior editor Roger Donway. Quattrone is an innovative capitalist cut of the same cloth as the entrepreneurs that Walter celebrates in his poem. In 2004, Roger reported about Quattrone’s ordeal at the hands of thuggish government bureaucrats and prosecutors. In “The Vindication of Frank Quattrone” he brings the story up to date, reporting on how the outrageous persecution of this innocent businessman has ended with the collapse of the government’s trumped-up legal case.
As another election approaches, it’s time to ask: What has six years of a Republican-run federal government brought us? For those of us committed to individualism and free markets, the one-word answer is: betrayal. Thanks to the rise of social conservatives and neocons within the GOP during the Bush years, not a splinter remains of the old Goldwater-Reagan party platforms of low taxes and limited government. Ed Hudgins chronicles this devolution in “The Battle for the Soul of the Republican Party.” No doubt this essay, which throws down a philosophical gauntlet to conservatives and libertarians alike, will be widely discussed. For our nation’s sake, I hope it will be widely heeded, as well. It at least will be noticed, thanks to another witty, memorable cover by art director David Sims.
Psychologist and education specialist Marsha Enright then assesses the remarkable career of journalist and novelist Tom Wolfe. A fan of Wolfe’s work since college, Marsha has found much value in Wolfe’s keen social observations, and much pleasure in his subtle wit. She certainly convinced me that I should sample the work of a maverick author that I have neglected until now.
Bruce Thornton once again graces our pages with his formidable historical knowledge and brilliant rhetorical gifts, turning them upon the central problem of our time: the challenge of Islam. In his review of a sobering new book, Islamic Imperialism, Professor Thornton confronts the question: Is our real enemy Islamic radicalism, or Islam itself? You’ll find his answer as controversial as I found it persuasive.
Next, Robert L. Jones, our multitalented entertainment editor, takes a look at two recent cinematic “sleepers”: The Lost City and Art School Confidential. The first is a searing portrait of Castro’s Cuba, the second a scathing satire of the world of modern art. I’m sure that Robert’s reviews will send you motoring over to the video store tonight.
I close this stellar issue with a commentary that dovetails with our cover feature: my own look at the philosophical degeneration of the Republican Party—and a warning about one seductive, but misguided approach to its possible reform.
Yes, my inner cravings are satisfied. And I hope that all of this rich food for thought has sated your own cravings, too.