On behalf of my colleague Jon Rowe, I bid everyone at the League farewell. The merger between The One Best Way and the League of Ordinary Gentlemen has not worked as well as we all hoped, and so we have collectively and amicably decided to dissolve it. The styles just seem not to mesh well, which is no criticism of any of the participants. We appreciate the League extending us the invitation to join them, and it is with regret that make this decision.
It is, at present, unclear what the blogging future holds for those of use leaving. Jon will still be writing for his group blog, American Creation (http://americancreation.blogspot.com/) and posting everything he writes there and elsewhere at his archive site, http://jonrowe.blogspot.com. He is also pondering the possibility of reviving The One Best Way or developing a new group blog focusing on public affairs. I am beginning a new solo blog, The Bawdy House Provisions, which, despite its delicious title, will have little general public appeal. The One Best Way still exists, and while the smart money is probably against it’s resurrection, it’s not beyond the realm of the possible. If anyone wants to revive a blog with a name that none of its principals really liked, you know where to find me.
Speaking entirely for myself now, my decision to return to a solo blog is done with much trepidation. I’ve made some good virtual friends in the past couple of years, and it was a pleasure to me when they found us at The One Best Way after the demise of Positive Liberty, and a pleasure to see them here as well. I know I will lose contact with some of you with this move, and that imposes a very high cost on this decision. As much as I intend not to be commercial on my new blog, I do hope you will stop by now and then. I’ve come to realize I don’t relish a large audience, but I do enjoy a good conversation with a few friends, over beers at the virtual bar, so to speak. If we’ve had good conversation, you’re always welcome at my table. There are obviously good people here at the League as well, and I don’t mean to insult them by exclusion; feel free to stop by and share a glass.
Our best to all the ordinary gentlemen and women, both authors and commenters.
I know I’ll certainly continue to read you. Best wishes on your new direction.Report
It’s sad that you’re going, I hope you’ll at least consider commenting here on occasion!Report
I’ll certainly miss you, Jim. I always thought of you as one of the most educational bloggers I read with any regularity. Checking out your Bawdy House site, it looks interesting, and I’m not sure why you say it will have little general public appeal, unless you mean, not much appeal beyond the usual audience libertarian-related blogs like PosLib, One Best Way, and this site have.Report
James- I am really sorry to hear about your decision. For what it’s worth, I really enjoyed your contributions here; the ones these past week ( about manufacturing) have been especially informative for me. And you’re a Duck. I’m going to miss you, and hope that you’ll fined some way to stop by.
But I suspect I’ll continue to follow you over at Bawdy House.Report
James, this kinda sucks, because I was happy to see that you (and Jason, though he transitioned earlier, and DAT, and Jon) were going to be exposed to a larger audience by moving here. One of my favorite things about the blogging you guys do is that the vast majority of your posts, regardless of whether they’re educational, or I agree or disagree, or really what my opinion of any particular post is at all, are incredibly conducive to discussion. The number of comments you guys got once you came here is evidence of that, as is the fact that, even with significantly fewer commenters over at Positive Liberty and The One Best Way (No, That Name Really Sucks), discussions often went into the hundreds of comments and lasted days, even a week or more, which is virtually unheard of in the blogging world. I liked having you guys all collected in one place, but that was simply because it made my life easier. But at least you’ll still be blogging.Report
Sorry to see you go, but I knew you would skip out on our wager. I understand, Auburn is frightening.Report
Nah, you know where to find me to pay what you’ll owe!Report
I hope your new digs will give you guys the comments you hoped you’d get when you came here.Report
James, I’m mortally shocked and saddened that the Anschluss of One Best Way and The League of Ordinary Gentlemen has irrevocably ruptured. Which is just a shame. (If only you could have, ahem, gotten rid of that mentally defective crackpot, things could have turned out differently.) The folks at the League seem to be quite a diverse group of very bright, gifted, interesting, humorous, people. Maybe you and Tom van Dyke can start your own, Point/Counterpoint blog. Now THAT would be funny! Or maybe, One Best Way can be resurrected. Hey, just thought of a new name for One Best Way—“Nothing Comes From Nothing.” Perfect. Multi-layers of meanings–even has a quantum mechanical dimension. A verbal optical illusion that has eight different meanings occurring simultaneously but only one can be seen at any particular time. Can even be infuriating AND embraceable by both Atheists and Theists. You’ll be missed. All the best of luck on our new voyage.
Auf Wiedersehen mein Freund!
p.s. As to the subject at hand, check out this illuminating video. One of the greatest violinists in the world, Joshua Bell–Indiana born, bred and educated (Indiana University) playing a twenty million dollar Stradivarius to subway passengers coming and going at the Metro in D.C. It’s flyover vs. coastal. Out of about 1800 passengers, only 7 stopped and only 1 recognized him. A heartbreakingly sad day for Mr. Bach and Mr. Bell. So much for the cultural elites recognizing transcendent beauty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myq8upzJDJc&feature=relatedReport
We are going to continue the conversation with TVD and the American Founding over at American Creation, as noted.
What I’m working on now is, I sometimes DO blog about other things, but I’ve purposefully directed comments away from my jonrowe archive blog. I probably should give up on the idea of a “public affairs” group blog because I’m so eccentric in my interests that it befits a personal blog.
If I did do another public affairs group blog, it would be a “free for all” with the caveat, don’t get nasty.Report
I’m disappointed to see you guys go. I really enjoyed reading you here and wish things had worked out better for you.Report
Well, I don’t get it..I thought everything was hunky dory. You modernist- progressivists ideologies reveal a really serious problem inherent in modernity.Report
Do check in American Creation every once in a while because we occasionally explore the Strauss-Voegelin conversation.Report
I’m thinking about starting a blog discussing the three points of triangular thought-positions in a post-square combination of dionysian sync-sheeping (old country style), partial time-transitions and Begium love-making techniques.
You guys can join that if you like.Report
I’m in like Flynn.Report
Hey, we have a group blog!Report
Mike F, are chronic, histrionic, mental misfits (Dionysian and Apollonian) allowed?Report
I’m sorry to see you go, James. I thought we had achieved a relatively stable equilibrium after L’Affaire Barrett blew over.Report
Cosign.
I am sad to see you go, and wish you the best of luck in your new blog, James.Report
To clarify my own position, it’s not about dislike for anyone. Part of it is that I’m just not a good group person in a lot of ways, and part of it is an uncontrollable compulsion to respond too much, so that it was eating increasing amounts of time I really need to devote to some long-overdue papers for publication.
Thank you all for the nice comments and well wishes. I know I was a bit cantankerous and snarky at times (see part 1 of this comment), but I think you’re all generally good people, maybe even the conservatives. 😉Report
There are conservatives here? Send me a list and I will lobby to fix that.Report
I’ll be sorry to see you go as well. (Though if you were going to make a habit of referring to Lawrence Welk songs ….)Report
Lawrence Welk? Perish the thought.
Rodgers and Hammerstein, on the other hand…Report
Well, now I have to visit 3 sites instead of 1. Pity.
What about DAR?Report
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.
Looked like a good mesh from this end.
I understand about the time constraints.
We’re a wolf pack down in the comments section here.
Can’t turn your back on us for one minute.Report
Goddamnit, JH! I just find you here and now you’re off again.
In truth, I wish you luck. Where will you be blogging going forward? Or is that private? If not, I’d love to check it out. Otherwise, best of luck and maybe I’ll catch you around the interwebs some time.Report
BSK,
You can click my name to travel to my new home. You’re always welcome.Report
From your personal blog to Positive Liberty to The One Best Way to here and now back to your personal blog? I can’t help but feel we’ve come full circle, you and I.Report
Perhaps so, but I especially hope for you and AMW to stop by sometimes and make sure I don’t get too sloppy with my economic arguments.Report
Seriously?!! Right after your awesome post on manufacturing? I was never inclined to comment all that much on your posts, but I always read them and often thought about them.
I am a serious small-c conservative on this site. Every time there’s a new batch of writers here I look on them with a great deal of suspicion. But before long I am sorry to see them go. And so it is with you. It’s important, though, that you feel free to write what you want at the pace you want. Not that I am accusing the main guys here of clipping your wings, just that you have a style that you seem to need to moderate for the overall tone here to fit the local culture (or maybe I’m imagining things).
Regardless, I wish you well and may stop by your digs from time to time.Report