Read the Federalist Papers. Read the biographies of the Founders. Read McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom and Foote’s The Civil War. Read the philosphers; Burke, Hobbes, etc and Russel Kirk’s works and especially his compilations.

I don’t know how to distill a lifetime into a syllabus, but that’ll give you a start.

The Federalist Papers

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/histdox/fedpapers.html

oh pulllleaze….lol

1. Watch the news. Every day. No exceptions. I like FNC’s Special Report with Bret Baier the best. He has a mixed panel every day of the week. Every once in a while I turn on CNN, just to keep myself honest

2. Read the news. Every day. In all honestly, the best thing in my life (besides REDSTATE…Redstate is my intellectual lover) is www.fark.com . It’s got everything: stupid news, serious news, political news, Hollywood news, geek news, and international news from every possible source. Click away.

3. Peek at Politico or The Hill…it’s good to know what the other side is thinking, and there’s less venom there then you’ll find on the Kos or HuffPo. I like Politico best That being said, ALWAYS listen to the opposing viewpoint. It’s easier to talk about things when you have a good idea of where the other side of the conversation is heading. A debate without information is nothing but a fight.

4. Read the diaries on RedState; but above all, read the threads, and research what you find. I know nothing, but Google knows everything!

5. Read any history you find interesting. I’m a big WW II girl myself. History lends insight to culture, and culture offers unique perspectives.

6. If you need a foreign policy refresher, pick up “Rise to Globalism” by Stephen Ambrose. It’s the least-dry fp book I’ve found, and I’ve read a lot of them.

7. I used the “Taking Sides” series in a few of my classes at Purdue…they aren’t bad. They basically get essays from both sides of an issue, and then pose some questions for you to chew on. The one on world politics was especially helpful.

8. Buy an international law book and read it. “Public International Law–In a Nutshell” was dry but helpful.

9. In light of the recent happenings in Israel, I’d recommend reading everything you can written by Louis Rene Beres. He is a professor at Purdue University, and one of the wisest men I have been privileged to know.
Linkage: http://www.cla.purdue.edu/polsci/facstaff/faculty/beres.html

10. Always know what the Geneva and Hague conventions are. Read the United States Constitution.

* wipe hands on pants *

…. also Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” and “The 5,000 Year Leap” by W. Cleon Skousen

If you’re into things that go bang and boom, a book called “The Founders’ Second Amendment” by Stephen P. Halbrook is about the best there is on how the following words came into being in our country: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

As for me, training is at the range & several variable obstacle courses with an instructor at my side for offense and defense, plus CQC.

—————-

IlliniJon,this is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone ask how to learn. If I were you, I’d be prepared to receive a few snarky answers.

I’ll make some attempt at trying to explain and I hope I don’t sound too condescending……… Learning is something that happens to everyone every waking hour of every day. It’s innate in that it can’t be explained, but you know it when it happens. It’s kind of like the life’s little lesson about to come down like an anvil on all of The One’s supporters within seconds after he says “I do” on Tuesday next…….. Hoping for change and then getting their teeth kicked in when that change makes them lose all hope.

Personally, I always keep myself open to all ideas, but without question, I know exactly where I stand and won’t waver unless proven otherwise.

Cheers !

by Alexis De Tocqueville. Great work. I’ve read little bits & pieces… a lot of it is on the ‘net.

I didn’t know the things I know until I was taught. I found Fark by way of my boyfriend, and I was forced to read most of the books I referenced. I have no excuse for being a history nerd.

I am the snarkiest person I know, and I didn’t even THINK of snarking back at this diary!

by Jonah Goldberg, “The Clash of Orthodoxies’ by Robert P. George,

Thomas Sowell.

Let me toss you o couple of bones here. First, a few notes I palmed from Fred Thompson, a man you should get to know, since he is this generations foremost teacher of basic conservatism. Second, some reading of my own material, since I fancy myself a teacher of the Russell Kirk school of sonservatism (pretty mainstream, leaning gently toward SoCon). Third, a tiny reading list.

[note to the rest of us - it sure seems about say 2 months ago, we had a very lively and informative discussion of good conservative reading, Anybody able to dig that up?]

Fred Thompson’s First Principles

This is, all by itself, a quick-and-dirty conservative primer:
Individual Liberty . As Jefferson spelled out in the Declaration of Independence, our basic rights come from God, not from government, and that among these inalienable rights is the right to liberty. We must allow individuals to lead their lives with minimal government interference.
Personal Responsibility . The corollary to liberty is responsibility. No society can succeed and thrive for any duration unless free people act in a responsible way. All of us must take responsibility for our actions and strive to improve our own lives and to contribute to building a better society.
Free Markets . Free people are best equipped to order their own affairs, and the common interest benefits from and is improved by the aggregate success of all. We must reform our tax system, encourage investment, support entrepreneurial spirit, open markets abroad to American goods, and minimize burdensome government regulations to continue to expand the economy and bring increased wealth to all Americans.
Limited Government . Government must be strong enough to protect us, competent enough to provide basic government services, but limited by the delineated powers in the Constitution.
Federalism . Our Constitution innovatively guarantees our liberties by spreading power among the three branches of the federal government, and between the federal government and the states. In considering any action by the government, we must always ask two questions: is the government better equipped than the private sector to perform the task and, if so, what level of government (federal or state) ought to do it. Washington is not the seat of all wisdom. (More on Federalism)
Protecting our Country . The first responsibility of the federal government is to protect the nation and the American people. There is no more important task. We must have a strong and effective military, capable intelligence services, and a vigorous law enforcement and homeland security capacity.
Traditional American Values . A healthy society is predicated on belief in God; respect for all life; strong families centered on the institution of marriage—the union of a man and a woman; and self-respect and tolerance of others. While we are all free to live our lives in the pursuit of our own happiness, the government has a responsibility to respect the right of parents to raise their children and to promote the values that produce the strongest society.
The Rule of Law . We protect our liberty, secure our rights, and promote a just and stable society through the rule of law. We owe to ourselves and our fellow citizens our own adherence to the rules, but tough law enforcement and punishment for those who do not. A free and independent judiciary that interprets the law by adhering strictly to legal text and respects its limited role in our system of government is essential to our security and freedom, and we need judges who understand that role if we are to preserve our republic and freedom.
Conserving Our Nation’s Resources . Each of us is put on Earth for a limited period of time. We must always strive to ensure that the resources we use to lead our lives are here for future generations to enjoy and use as well.

EPU – Tooting my own Horn

OK, I am really a student myself – some of the other Front-Pagers can and do carry on some pretty high-brow discussions about conservative theory and the history and development of modern conservative thought. I got my own opinions, though. I study two guys: Edmund Burke (doing his thing from 1770-1800 in the British Parliament), who inspired the Founding Fathers (more than Hume and Locke, and you guys can all just go jump in a creek who say otherwise) and in particular influenced the authors of the Constitution itself. Second, Russell Kirk (writing 1953-1992), who helped kick off the modern conservative movement and is in my mind the greatest teacher we’ll ever know.

So I am writing a series I call Fredheadedness (there is a whole series of inside jokes going on there) , in which I am taking a tour through Russell Kirk’s ’10 Conservative Principles’, a primer a good bit more extensive than that above.

So here is that: The Fredhead Archives links all of them. It ain’t that academic, and it aint that well-written, but there it is. Aaron Gardner gives the same reading an outstanding all-in-one treatment.

Reading List

OK, I’m going to go minimalist here. Find and read Russell Kirk’s “Rights and Duties : Reflections on our Conservative Constitution”. That book, in my opinion, gives the best readable-yet-makes-you-think treatment of the principles that embody conservatism. For a one-book education, that is it. There is one from Thomas Sowell called “Applied Economics” Get it. Another -how-to-think book.

Beyond that, look into the Conservative Book Club. Almost everything there is pretty good. Basically, when you get past these first two books, look us up and ask.

in setting up a lot of blogs into an RSS feed reader like Google Reader. Include lots of blogs, not just big activist groups like RedState. I read lots on health care, libertarianism and general conservatism every day. The RSS reader has made it so I can get to all of that information very quickly.

If you need a starting point, you can use the blog roll that I created here. Add feeds that you like from that list (and if you use Google’s reader it has a capability of suggesting other blogs or feeds you may like.)

Appreciate the rapid response. It’s exactly what I had hoped for.

Anybody have any suggestions for in-person events?

- Jon

American Conservatism….An Encyclopedia and as the title suggests it covers all things A-Z with great details! check it out!

since 1978 and their book reviews are indispensable, they have allowed me to pick and choose the best books to read over the years.

Jonah Goldberg;s Liberal Fascism.

I learned many many things that I did not know from that well researched book.

Paul Johnson’s Modern Times, The world from the twenties to the nineties. If you are lucky you will find a used copy because it’s a bit lengthy.

---

Activists Taking Action: Unified Patriots

American Spectator magazine
P.J. O’Rourke’s books: All the Trouble in the World and Parliament of Whores in particular
Bernard Goldberg’s first
David Horowitz Radical Son
Bernard Lewis The Crisis of Islam
Mark Twain Huckleberry Finn
Ulysses Grant’s Memoirs
King Solomon The Book of Ecclesiastes

but most important of all

the stub from your pay check

In other words, listen to Rush. If you work during the day, you can get his show in mp3 format on his website (subscription required but well worth it).

If you have the time, or when driving, tune around the dial for folks like Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, Mike Reagan, G. Gordon Liddy.

I had my conservative awakening in 1997 so I’m still fairly wet behind the ears. The above posts have been helpful to me as well. I’ve got my reading list for the next decade or so!

…this class is a must.

Free People, Free Markets: The Foundations of Liberty

This course makes the moral and philosophic case for free-market capitalism. One of the most important concepts of Western Civilization is the acquisition of property as an unalienable right. The course develops the relationship between economic liberty and political liberty. Participants learn the principles behind wealth-creation. They are introduced to the philosophy of the Austrian School of economics and its connection to the founding ideas of the American experiment. Participants are awakened to their heritage of economic liberty.

I’d focus on the old fashioned sources

Elementary Catechism on the Constitution of the United States

78 pages of Q&A written in simple language on the Constitution.

Declaration of Independence

Defining the rights of the people of the United States against an oppressive government. People who say this is not a legal document have an agenda, and it is not a pro-liberty agenda.

Articles of Confederation

The first, imperfect charter forming a nation out of the colonies. The flaws in this document almost led to the US losing the Revolutionary War and eventually forced a new charter to be written in 1787.

The Constitution of the United States

Defining the government of the US. Note the government powers enumerated herein are supposed to be the only powers the federal government can claim, and that the general welfare clause is supposed to restrict federal control to things that help every citizen at once, not to grant favors to certain groups or classes of people.

Bill of Rights and other Amendments

Given the lack of rights enumerated in the Constitution and inherited from the Declaration, the English Bill of Rights and other earlier sources of American law, it was thought proper to enumerate some rights.

Federalist Papers

arguments for the centralized government proposed in the Constitution

Anti-Federalist Papers

point-by-point arguments against the Federalist Papers

Common Sense, by Thomas Paine

Before the Declaration of Independence was written, George Washington liked this brief pamphlet so much he ordered enough copies to give to every American Revolutionary soldier so they would understand and by able to articulate why we were fighting.

The Law of Nations

Referenced in the Constitution and elsewhere, this is the mutual understanding between civilized nations that held at the time of the founding fathers.

That’s a good start. Other than the Law of Nations, which is a reference, and the Federalist/Anti-Federalist Papers which is likewise, the other items are all fairly brief.

“A nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one.” –Alexander Hamilton

Study at Redstate University

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,
http://plato.stanford.edu/contents.html

is a good basic resource, try the articles on the political philosophy of John Locke, John S. Mill, Marx and Hegel and the article on federalism.

The road I took is a lot more fun and easier to follow. We weren’t all raised on these writers and, simply, they are very difficult reads. Jumping right into them isn’t going to do you any good. In fact, it’ll most likely just frustrate you and turn you away from this idea.

In his Redhot, Moe already mentioned another author in this other path. There are many more. Tolkien, Frank Herbert, Lloyd Alexander, Heinlein, Poe, Card, Eddings, Weber.
Most especially Weber and Asimov.

And never forget Machiavelli. He’s not as hard a read as you’d expect considering the age of his book. Of course, that may just be because of the need to translate it to English…

Here.

It’s $10.00, it’s huge, and it’s invaluable. The sources are provided with as little editing and commentary as possible. I was required to purchase this book for a law school class with Frohnen, and still refer to it two years later.

you have both the time and inclination, I would also recommend the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers.

Adam Smith, Say, Gresham, Ricardo and Basiat are worth reading. Michaevelli’s “Prince” and “The Discourses” are instructive.

Also, I recommend John Ringo’s new book “The Last Centurion” to stimulate thought.

However, the reading will not help unless you spend the necessary time in reflection. You should identify a concept and then gnaw at the idea until it becomes throughly clear and a part of your thought processes.

Good Luck, I have been studying politics and political philosophy for more than 60 years and still consider myself a trainee.