Russellarbenfox

LATEST ARTICLES ( 630 )

• The Mormon-American Boy Scout, 1913-2019. RIP.

  

  [Cross-posted to on By Common Consent]Today, the Mormon church officially ends its formal involvement with Boy Scouts of America. Read more

  Posted on 31 December 2019 SOCIETY

• Christmastime, Still (Sometimes) in the Dark

  

  [Cross-posted to By Common Consent]I woke up this morning early, the day following last night's arrival of the Winter Solstice, of Midwinter, giving us the... Read more

  Posted on 22 December 2019 SOCIETY

• Listening to Macca #12: New and Egypt Station

  

  Here I am, at the end of 2019 and the end of this 12-month journey through pretty nearly everything Sir Paul McCartney has recorded and released since the... Read more

  Posted on 18 December 2019 SOCIETY

• It's Time for Wichita (and Its Government) to Get Strong

  

  [Cross-posted to Wichita Story]A short while ago, The Wichita Eagle ran a column of mine on the brouhaha over whether the Wichita City Council ought to... Read more

  Posted on 18 December 2019 SOCIETY

• Listening to Macca #11: Memory Almost Full, Electric Arguments, Etc.

  

  I'm coming towards the end of this journey through Sir Paul McCartney's oeuvre, and this month I had the strong feeling that Macca himself had come to an end... Read more

  Posted on 30 November 2019 SOCIETY

• Taking Our Time with Century II

  

  [Cross-posted to Wichita Story]The argument over what to do with Century II has quite arguably been a subtext to just about every major debate which has been... Read more

  Posted on 27 November 2019 SOCIETY

• Listening to Macca #10: Driving Rain, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, and...

  

  I'm at the point chronologically where Sir Paul turns 60 years old, and I'm finding that I really kind of like the man. I've never disliked him, of course--for... Read more

  Posted on 31 October 2019 SOCIETY

• The Localist Theory of Charles Marohn's Wonderfully Practical Strong Towns

  

  [Cross-posted to Front Porch Republic]This past weekend, I took a group of students up to the annual Prairie Festival at The Land Institute in Salina, KS. Read more

  Posted on 30 September 2019 SOCIETY

• Listening to Macca #9: Flaming Pie, Etc.

  

  This month is the Paul McCartney of the mid- to late-1990s, Macca moving through his fifth decade, Sir Paul reuniting (sort of) with George Harrison and Ringo... Read more

  Posted on 30 September 2019 SOCIETY

• A Socialist on the Porch

  

  There wasn't a prayer at the beginning of the Front Porch Republic's recent conference in honor of Wendell Berry in Louisville, which is a fact that probably... Read more

  Posted on 16 September 2019 SOCIETY

• Some Notes on the First Mayoral Debate

  

  [Cross-posted to Wichita Story]The story of Tuesday night's debate is one of offense and defense. For better or worse, Mayor Jeff Longwell--at least at this... Read more

  Posted on 11 September 2019 SOCIETY

• Climate Change, Dirty Hands, and the Grace (and Hope) of Limits

  

  [Cross-posted to Front Porch Republic]Paul Schrader, the famed screenwriter and director, does not make subtle films. His latest movie, First Reformed--the stor... Read more

  Posted on 10 September 2019 SOCIETY

• Listening to Macca #8: Flowers in the Dirt, Off the Ground, and Much, Much More

  

  This month, I had to admit to myself that one of the things I'm doing with this series is spinning a narrative about Paul McCartney's work and career, one that... Read more

  Posted on 31 August 2019 SOCIETY

• Why the Partisanship of Wichita's Mayoral Race is a Good Thing

  

  [Cross-posted to Wichita Story]Four years ago, as Jeff Longwell ran against Sam Williams in the 2015 mayoral race, I mourned that the primary had been such a... Read more

  Posted on 20 August 2019 SOCIETY

• 26th on the 13th

  

  26 years married, 13 years in Wichita, all beginning on August 13, 1993, and August 13 (or pretty close to that), 2006. I like the look of those numbers. Read more

  Posted on 13 August 2019 SOCIETY

• Local Socialism and Civil Society

  

  [Cross-posted to DSA's Religious Socialism blog; parts of this post were previous published here.]When The New Republic ran its package of articles on "The... Read more

  Posted on 13 August 2019 SOCIETY

• The Wichita Mayoral Race: Winners and Losers

  

  [For anyone interested, here is the original and somewhat more detailed version of my editorial on Tuesday's primary, which appeared in The Wichita Eagle this... Read more

  Posted on 08 August 2019 SOCIETY

• Listening to Macca #7: Press to Play

  

  Mid- to late-1980s McCartney was, I suspect, trying really hard, and just getting frustrated with what he likely thought were paltry results. Read more

  Posted on 31 July 2019 SOCIETY

• Listening to Macca #6: Pipes of Peace and Give My Regards to Broad Street...

  

  After multiple re-listenings, I can't help but feel that these two albums give us a McCartney that is fully of the 1980s; that's just the best way to put it. Read more

  Posted on 30 June 2019 SOCIETY

• Where Does "Restoration Christian" Authority End, and "Mormon Christian"...

  

  [I recently was invited to speak about Mormonism and authority at local ecumenical Christian conference here in Wichita, sponsored by the Eighth Day Institute... Read more

  Posted on 28 June 2019 SOCIETY