Hello 2007

2006 was a difficult year for America. 2007 will be better. People are standing up and pulling together.

Let me close the year by recommending two books that should be of interest to both liberals and conservatives, to be read together. Sandy Levinson's Our Undemocratic Constitution (see sidebar to right) has received much praise. Borrowing a term used after the last election, I would describe the book as a "thumping" of our veneration of the Constitution and of our taken-for-granted belief in the democratic nature of our system. The second book is Bertrand de Jouvenel's On Power (which can be purchased at Liberty Fund). It was written a half century ago by a now forgotten, old-fashioned conservative. The book, to pare it to its core, demonstrates how the modern state utilizes the rhetoric and institutions of "democracy" to consolidate power and to wage wars in which many people are killed in the name of the people. It is a startling argument, given that we are often told that democracies are free and peaceful. Even if you disagree with their respective arguments, in combination, the two books call us all to think critically about the system we have, and about the system we want.

Thank you Jack for allowing me to contribute to Balkinization. Thank you readers for taking the time to read and respond to my posts. Thoughtful responses have many times forced me to rethink my position. I have learned a great deal from all the contributors (those who post and those who comment) to this wonderful blog.

A Happy New Year to all!