I might suggest that some books on your list, such as “Democracy in America”, as well as some books on Blackwell’s list (i.e. Richard Weaver’s “Ideas Have Consequences”) may be great books but simply won’t be read by many people.

Goldberg’s “Liberal Fascism”, while long, is written in a plain enough style for most people to be willing to tackle in their spare time. Levin’s “Liberty and Tyranny” is quite possibly the most tightly written piece of conservative political thought since Goldwater’s “Conscience of a Conservative”.

I would suggest that you stay away from “pundit” books for future additions. While great books to read, authors such as Coulter, Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, Malkin, etc. are not really “idea” books, despite the protestations of their fans and the authors themselves.

I would also suggest Mickey Edwards’s book “Reclaiming Conservatism”. While Edwards (a former Congressman, former chair of the ACU, and one of the true leaders of the conservative movement from Goldwater through Reagan) took a great deal of heat for this book, I find it ironic that many who criticized him now have volumes out expressing many of the same ideas. It’s not overly long and fairly well written.

It also provides a learned segue into post-modern deconstructionism and the susequent assault on our Founding Fathers, not to mention the very tenets of freedom and individual responsibilty, among others, which is so prevelant in today’s neo-socialist academy. It is just such attacks which the left uses to undermine American exceptionalism and makes us, especially our children, suseptible to the cult of personality, i.e. Prez mmmmm Obeyme.

Besides, his contention (in “On Liberty”) that truth can never fully be known (moral absolutes aside for the nonce) is contradictory to the most basic conservative beliefs. Indeed, it was Mill’s father who believed that “moral action could be reduced to a mathematical formula.”

It was only after reading Wordsworth and Coleridge (and after having an existential crisis in the form of a nervous breakdown at age 20) that Mill Jr. attempted to “render radical individualism the most social of creeds and utilitarianism the most individualistic.” He thereby reconciled “the romantic cult of the individual with the puritanical utilitarianism of his father,” basically for his (Mill Jr’s) own sake.

Although rhetorically powerful and therefore highly appealing to the intelligentisia, according to Dalrymple, even a cursory glance at such a contention renders it foolish in the utmost. It revealed a quite “unrealistic view of both human beings and the society in which they lived.”

Philosophical quandaries resolved by handy, yet flawed, rhetorical expedients taken to their logical conclusion are maniacally dangerous to all concerned (think national socialism, communist socialism, etc.) Can you imagine a more “radical individualist” than Obama or a more “moral[ly] utilitarian[istic] policy than the provision of healthcare based on who has the most productive (useful to society) years left?

Unfortunately, most Western social policy can find its roots in Mill, which is the very thing we now strive mightily against. As you point out, without the context of 19th century Christianity, it can easily be, and indeed has been, twisted into a convenient philosophical excuse for license.

I’ve been out of town, thus the delay in my response. Sorry for the inconvenience. (And yes, I was out in the woods with no cell reception, much less internet.)

I’ve been assuming that when you say ‘clear the history’ you mean clearing the local disk cache. I know at least through version 7 IE tended to default to 10% of the disk which these days is way too big. I tend to set it down around 70M. If it is the actual History that you are clearing you should be able to reduce that too.

I do like the idea of a separate section of the page for the Book Notes comments, though. A separate section would make it much easier to find the posts/comments than trying to search for a tag. Also, the idea of using tags is a little faulty, since some will invariably forget to add the tag (indicting myself here as well).

The Revolt of the Masses by Jose’ Ortega y Gasset

The Naked Communist by W. Cleon Skousen

Patriots by James Wesley, Rawles

I know you can get the first 2 @Barnes and Noble, but the others you have to buy on Amazon