Brian’s Column: Free State Liberty Forum 2012

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Brian Wright

Glimpse the future of freedom in Nashua, 2/23-26
by Brian Wright

It’s possible I’ve laid down more words of review, panegyric, and general documentation of the Free State and the Free State Project from which it sprang than any single person.[1] I mean, of course, the Free State of New Hampshire and the Free State Project conceived by Jason Sorens, who spelled out the basics in a Libertarian Enterprise column of July 2001. A lot of water gone under the bridge since then… and so many people moving hither. Continue reading →

Guest Column: America’s Last Chance

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Brian Wright

Why is Ron Paul America’s last chance?
by Paul Craig Roberts

Editor’s Note: This is a column from Dr. Roberts on Infowars, January 15, 2012. I have personally felt that whether Ron Paul wins or loses in 2012 is as critical a political result as has ever faced our country, if not our planet. I thank the good man for providing grist to my sentiment. Especially the latest on what the various incarnations of the federal police force are up to. Continue reading →

Movie Review: Win Win

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Brian Wright

Subtle morality play w/ HS jock backdrop _ 8/10
Reviewed by Brian Wright

Directed by Thomas McCarthy
Written by Thomas McCarthy

Win Win is a terrific multigenre sleeper. It’s funny, even hilarious; it has mystery and action; and it features brilliant performances by the always-reliable Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan. It’s also not a movie that wallows in treacly messages, and it’s not a movie that uses sports as a crutch for “finding one’s inner strength.” In short, it’s a wonderful, top-notch movie. — from user review, IMDb, Dan Franzen

Exactly. The kudos for this film lie in two general areas: story and acting. So it could easily be a stage play except for the difficulty capturing nuances of dialog of the ‘younger generation,’ mainly from Kyle (Alex Shaffer) the lead character who talks with the modern youth slanguage, in a clipped under-the-breath manner. [Though distinctly and with a moral force that belies his years.] But let’s back up… because this movie is all about making ethical choices. Continue reading →

Brian’s Column: And the winners are…

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Brian Wright

A look forward at Campaign 2012 media coverage
by Brian Wright

And the Republican nomination goes to…

September 3, 2012, Tampa, Florida. Today at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, the assembled delegates of the Republican Party chose their nominees for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States.[1] Reporters from every major news organization were on hand from the dropping of the gavel on August 27, documenting the leading candidates’ activities and would-be policies if they should win back the White House from the Democrats. Continue reading →

Book Review: January 2012 Double Header

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Brian Wright

Red or Blue by Bob Jackson
Enough is Enough by Brendan Kelly
Review by Brian Wright

One of my main objectives with the Coffee Coaster is to encourage discussion and review of salutary (healthful) new ideas coming from the literary world [not much point in reviewing bad books]. As my preference:

These good ideas must always either complement or further the nonaggression principle that I have spent my political life in evangelizing.
As a side benefit, it also helps that the presentation be artful, structured, and imaginative. Continue reading →

Movie Review: Burlesque

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Brian Wright

Holding on to family values ____ 7.5/10
Review by Brian Wright

Ali Rose: Jack, why did you leave Kentucky?
Jack: Well, why did you leave Iowa?
Ali Rose: Because I looked around and realized there wasn’t one person whose life I wanted.
Jack: Exactly.

Right, family values. Song and dance and the suggestion and celebration of sex, which is what, after all, does make families and all those family values that make the world go ’round. In the early scenes, Ali (Christina Aguilera), coming from Iowa to the bright lights of LA, asks Tess (Cher), proprietor of the Lounge, whether the establishment is a ‘strip club.’ Tess does a double-take, exclaiming that burlesque is to strip clubs as a carriage is to the bacteria on the underside of a snake crawling in the ruts of the carriage’s wheels. It puts me back into the memory banks: I suppose if you’re younger than 50 you may not even know what burlesque is… Continue reading →

Book Review: The Medusa and the Snail

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Brian Wright

More notes of a biology watcher
by Lewis Thomas
Review by Brian Wright

The highly scientifically and medically distinguished Dr. Lewis Thomas—attended Princeton University and Harvard Medical School; became Dean of Yale Medical School and New York University School of Medicine, and President of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Institute; his formative years as an independent medical researcher were at Tulane University School of Medicine—writes in the crystal clear, sparsely elegant style of a great master of literature. For one reason or another, in the late 1970s, The Medusa and the Snail came to be a book that the ‘intelligentsia’ simply had to read. Or anyone striving to be well rounded and embracing a life of the mind. I remember the joy of reading this book rather than the content; I thought some day I’d like to be able to write so intelligently about various subjects of philosophic and political interest. Continue reading →