ESSAYS AND COMMENTARIES | O.T. FORD

UPDATED 2016 DECEMBER 15

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― Newsletters 2008 March 10: Fair play 2008 January 9: The hypnotist 2007 November 22: White man’s burden 2006 February 4: Lend me a sword to break the fall 2006 January 10: Radical opposition 2005 October 4: Phoenix submergent 2005 October 3: Brats 2005 August 6: Fundamentalism 2005 July 19: Someone else’s world 2005 May 14: Uncle Володя’s Revue 2005 April 17: Lord Keaw the Magnificent 2005 March 4: Deck chairs 2005 February 13: Let bygones be bygones 2005 January 23: Instincts of a worse nature 2004 December 18: A story of poles 2004 October 26: You pays your money 2004 September 24: Festival of illusions 2004 September 5: Sore losers 2004 July 17: Random obsolescent thoughts 2004 July 1: Geomythology 2004 June 24: Sunset provision 2004 May 31: Old people 2004 May 6: Folk sayings 2004 April 30: Out of bounds 2004 April 9: Street theater 2004 March 16: Guilt by association 2004 February 29: A hollow confession 2004 February 10: Veil of hypocrisy 2004 January 23: Pep-squad republic 2004 January 7: Parchment façade 2003 December 18: Verdict of ignominy 2003 November 8: The least of these my brethren 2003 October 8: If they will not jump, can they be pushed? 2003 September 10: Climb mountain; erect cross. 2003 August 21: Incitement to riot 2003 August 18: Machinery 2003 August 1: The subtlety of shades 2003 July 17: If an image be washed away 2003 June 26: A continent beneath the sea 2003 June 18: Possession is nine-tenths of lawlessness 2003 May 28: Tyranny on Market Street 2003 May 19: Pageantry as peace 2003 April 26: Reasoning out of a box 2003 April 18: Armistice and convention 2003 March 20: An imperialism of kleptocracy 2003 March 11: A strange and sordid business 2003 February 4: A space folly 2003 January 31: The best defense 2003 January 21: Truth is the first casualty of anti-war 2003 January 13: Random obsolescent thoughts 2003 January 5: No-tomorrow life 2002 December 29: Disputed territory 2002 December 10: Jim Crow: the man and his life 2002 November 21: Skepticism and the secular method 2002 November 8: Down, and for good reason 2002 October 31: A جهاد ĝihād by any other name 2002 October 20: Random obsolescent thoughts 2002 September 9: Champion to the cause 2002 July 4: Stars and Stripes forever, or purgatories to that effect 2002 June 13: The strategy of perseverance 2002 March 17: The will of nations 2002 March 10: Three things worth following at the moment 2002 March 3: Casting the roles in an old drama 2002 February 10: Random obsolescent thoughts 2002 January 20: Class, caste, and transformation 2001 December 9: The “American” طالب Tālib 2001 November 25: A banner of defiance to the warlords of intrigue 2001 November 25: ―― A few footnotes 2001 November 11: Progress, if it can be called that 2001 October 21: Our old friends 2001 September 30: The unconscionable silence of the opposition 2001 September 15: War is Hell, and other reasons to think 2000 December 19: And so it ends 2000 November 15: Hang, if you would, the jury   ― Linguistic theory Semiotic theory: the semiotic component of a comprehensive theory Notes in classical linguistics: ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ and LATINA Basic linguistics of English: primarily for teachers and tutors   ― Collections of past commentaries on issues of the world Past issues: commentaries on various matters 中國 Zhōng Guó: Clinton’s visit, flooding, usual tricks Africa: Congo, eastern Africa, Angola, Lesotho, a Guiné-Bissau Nigeria: Abacha, Abiola, Abdusalam The Balkans: Kosova, Србија, Македонија, Shqipëria Hindustān: Nuclear weapons, Kašmīr Indonesia/Malaysia: Habibie, Mahathir, Megawati العراق ’al-Cirāq: war, sanctions, and weapons of mass destruction Southeast Asia: Mяanmā, Kômpûciĕ       Of The Ford

― Academic essays In defense of self-determination: Crimea and a supposed principle Realities of mêlée and theories of order: an account of government in general Empires of fact and hyperbole: empire as a form of organization within the state Myth, greed, and force: an account of illiberal government Power, politics, and mêlée: social movement theory Totalitarianism in theory: high-repression, high-loyalty régimes in Wintrobe Human rights and the problem of equivalence: false equivalence and non-equivalence The certitude of right and rights: Michael Ignatieff and human rights Prospects for integration and disintegration in the world: a study Nationalism as a political ideology: the territoriality of nations The territorial state: an analysis of Mann’s ‘The autonomous power of the state’ World power and the Heartland: an analysis of Mackinder’s pivot area Regions and the territorial trap: extending John Agnew’s critique Region and place: a comparison of geographical terms Geography and the advancement of science: a discipline’s forgotten role Particularity and the space-place distinction: geographical concepts Geography and the state: a dependent relationship The quantitative revolution in geography: the discipline’s reach towards science Regional versus systematic geography: a contrast and struggle Untouchable: the last military dynasty in Nigeria The mandate of heaven: advising the Chinese empire Taking sides: proposed US policy on Taiwan The way forward and out: the future of China Everyday heroes: the second Ku Klux Klan Plus ça globalize, plus c’est la même monde: globalization Not exactly, thanks for asking: on the clash of civilizations Deus ex machina: Genesis 22 and ‘Fear and trembling’ Again: the story of Rwanda, and the least we can do now Notes on the “ethics” of religion: Short analyses of texts and figures   ― Truth and stewardship Transcendence: cosmology and ethics in the universe Transcendent rationalism: the logical basis of stewardship Aristocracy of the mind: rationalism as a virtue Sable: a thought on symbolism Models of consciousness: metaphors for the mind Self and other: an early discussion of the comprehensive theory Semiotic theory: the semiotic component of a comprehensive theory   ― Specific issues from a stewardship perspective The world envisioned: an ideal described Civil society: charity, government, property, and stewardship World unity: the foundations for a stewardship of Earth Red menace: a rational view of communism Yīn and yàng in the stewardship: the two sides of compassion Standardism, injustice, and caprice: written law and the dominion Sentience and reason: the ethics of animal consciousness Casting the roles in an old drama: the legend of stewardship Current issues: commentaries on various matters   ― Apostasy: essays of unbelief Homeland: origins of apostasy Tyrants and sycophants: cultural relativism and the policy of appeasement Innocents: nationalism and gun control Cults: demonization of unpopularity Superstition: religion as dominion Pomp and pomposity: formality, tradition, and imperiousness Reefer madness: the war on drugs Old glory: freedom and flag burning Nicht anders: the stand of Martin Luther Briefs: “Authoritarianism”, JFK, Robin Hood Class, caste, and transformation: educational élitism The warlords of intrigue: police state in the US The “American” طالب Tālib: apostasy as treason The will of nations: the madness of nationalism Stars and Stripes forever: the Pledge of Allegiance Down, and for good reason: 2002 US elections No, Virginia, now that you mention it: deception and self-deception   ― The Semi-Regular Dogmatic: critical thought from an apostate 1. Sophists: modern academic philosophy 2. Desdicha: dispossession 3. Lenguaje: languages and dialects 4. Bastardy: legitimacy of world states 5. Scenario: coming fascism in the US 6. The Beast: the human body 7. Doctrine: education and indoctrination 8. Weltburg: world integration ― Toadeaters: appeasement of tyranny

 

© O.T. FORD