Bill Kauffman

Ask writer Bill Kauffman to describe his political beliefs, and he's liable to tell you that he's "an old-fashioned decentralist antiwar patriot." Or he might tell you that he's a "place-ist" — someone who encourages people to put down roots, buy locally, and appreciate the uniqueness of their chosen hometown. But underneath those labels beats the heart of a libertarian. Kauffman's support for liberty is obvious from his writing and ... resume; he was an assistant editor at Reason, wrote for the Cato Institute, and contributed to Liberty magazine. He also wrote essays for The Independent (U.K.), CounterPunch, and The Wall Street Journal.

It is hard to place Bill Kauffman on the political spectrum. In addition to the quote above about him being a patriot, a decentralist, a localist, and an anarchist, Kauffman states:

My wanderings had taken me from the populist flank of liberalism to the agrarian wing of Don't Tread on Me Libertarianism to the peace-and-love left wing of paleoconservatism ... When asked, I was simply an Independent. A Jeffersonian. An anarchist. A (cheerful!) enemy of the state, a reactionary Friend of the Library, a peace-loving football fan. And here, as Gerry and the Pacemakers once sang, is where I'll stay.

Over the river and through the wood, to Grandfather's house we go...Ah, Thanksgiving, our loveliest secular holiday. Even the Masters of War can't dislodge it – though FDR tried his damndest. George Washington issued the first National Thanksgiving Proclamation on November 26, 1789 ... As we gather together this Thanksgiving let us push from our minds the Imperial Presidents FDR and George W. Bush – wastrel sons of pinchbeck-aristocrat families – and instead say a silent thanks to Sarah Josepha Hale for this lovely holiday. And save a drumstick for the resisters – then and now.