To the Readers of the INDEPENDENT STATESMAN: Western civilization is a tradition whose very nature, as a societal system designed to interfere with the common man as little as needed to fulfill the basic functions of the state, embodies an idea that we must continue to discuss, under the assumption that, since the uncontrollable lust for power can enslave even the kindest and gentlest of men, it will forever be out of our grasp the moment it leaves the focus of our attention: rather than relying on a monarch to use the full strength of their government to compel their subjects

Writing is a profound activity if you reflect on it for long enough. Most of your website’s visitors are likely reading this on a screen, but these words, capturing their attention for a brief moment, started out as ink in my pen. So many of history’s most consequential characters had at one point found themselves at an impasse, carrying the weight of the world in their next decision, and changed their mind after being captivated by a piece of paper. On this paper, the illiterate man would only see a random assortment of lines, loops, and dots that are largely meaningless;

To the Editor: Your readers might be interested in a letter I recently wrote to the late Mr. Benjamin Franklin. He has of course been deceased for over 235 years now, but it was a formidable mental exercise that gave me the chance to connect with a man whose spirit continues to live on to this day. * * * * * * * Dear Mr. Franklin, Pardon me for disrupting your peaceful slumber, sir; if you grant me a brief moment of your eternal time, I’ll inform you of some things and then let you get back to what you were

To the Editor of the INDEPENDENT STATESMAN:             I’ve yet to feel a stronger sense of pride than when I recognize the fact that in the United States, each and every one of us is responsible for building a republic. Our Sacred Fire of Liberty is nothing more than a dim lantern carrying a wisp of soul through the cold, lifeless night: a glimmering beacon of hope for a world all too often fraught with rulers who would rather consolidate power for their own benefit than acknowledge that We the People can handle our own affairs. Independent statesmen are stewards of this

To the Editor of the INDEPENDENT STATESMAN:             Following a long and unfruitful search for a platform where I can express ideas that may go so far as reigniting the American tradition, I’ve developed a most harrowing hypothesis, and I’ve begun to inform my family and friends that I was born in the wrong century: forming a new republic through a rising tide of intellectual discourse in the press has been washed over by an undiscerning, disinterested stream of attention-grabbing sound bites and thoughtless half-sentences dispersed at the speed of electronic transmission. Gutenberg is obsolete. That being said, while the internet is