The Quest for “The Unreachable Star” in Bourbon

To call someone a dreamer is the equivalent of saying “get your head out of the clouds.” Those guilty of such treatment deny an essential aspect of human nature: all men have a tendency to dream. This propensity encompasses every aspect of our daily lives and is ultimately a desire for a world that is … Read more

The Economic Depression of the Renaissance

Historians like to point out that the Renaissance was a period of great growth and development. It was a “rebirth” that took Europe out of the backward darkness of the Middle Ages. Such a vision of the Middle Ages does not correspond to reality – at least from an economic perspective. The Middle Ages was … Read more

What Makes a Product “Local?”

Return to Order What Makes a Product “Local?” 1

How many times have you seen products being promoted as “local” and yet it seems just as industrial as any other product? The label “local” has become just another marketing tool to sell you more. Some people define local rather arbitrarily as products within a fifty or sixty-mile radius from where they live. What really … Read more

The Demise of Buttermilk

Return to Order The Demise of Buttermilk 2

The book, Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go, criticizes the mass standardization of products by claiming it tends to sacrifice quality and taste for a rough equivalent. This leads to mass markets and bland products. Sometimes a … Read more

Manias, Panics, Crashes and…

Return to Order A Textbook Example of Frenetic Intemperance 2

Throughout the history of modern economy from the late eighteenth century onward, we find the mad rush to throw off legitimate restraints and gratify passions which we call frenetic intemperance. This frenetic intemperance is so prevalent that a whole literature arose which describes this “irrational exuberance” in all sorts of dramatic words and expressions. Charles … Read more

Why a Rule of Honor?

Return to Order Why a Rule of Honor? 2

By Prince Bertrand of Orleans-Braganza The following article was taken from the keynote speech delivered by Prince Bertrand of Orleans-Braganza on October 27 at the American TFP’s 2013 National Conference in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania. The theme of the event was centered around the book, Return to Order. The book, Return to Order, tells us that … Read more

Medieval Inventions that Enriched Our Lives

Return to Order Medieval Inventions that Enriched Our Lives 2

So many of the things we take for granted had their origins not only in the Middle Ages but from the early Middle Ages. One of the most important developments was the development of protections against cold and inclement weather. Joel Mokyr reports that, “European society learned gradually to protect itself better from cold temperatures, … Read more

TFP National Conference 2013: Bringing America to Honor

Return to Order TFP National Conference 2013: Bringing America to Honor 1

On the last weekend of October, more than 200 supporters, members and friends of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) gathered for their annual national conference at the TFP headquarter in Spring Grove, Penn. The theme of conference was “Return to Order: Returning America to Honor.” John Horvat’s new … Read more