TOS Weekly - The Inspiring Individualism of Rush's 2112, Why We Must Support Iranian Protestors, and More...
Plus your chance to ask your questions on morality and objectivity, Captain Cook's discovery of Hawaii, and celebrating the lives of Benjamin Franklin, Jacob Bronowski, and Robert Morris.
Welcome to this week’s TOS Weekly!
All of us who have had our lives transformed by Ayn Rand’s ideas have an “origin story” for how we discovered them. For many, that includes a “gateway drug”—something adjacent to or influenced by Objectivism that introduced us to rational philosophy. One of the most common of these is the progressive rock band Rush. Their intricate, philosophically rich, and emotionally resonant music attracts and fuels active minds—especially their epic storytelling masterpiece “2112,” influenced by Ayn Rand’s Anthem. That song, and the album of the same name, turn 50 this year, which is the perfect time to celebrate it and Rush’s firm refusal to compromise on their musical values.
If compromise is rife in music, it’s even more ubiquitous in politics. In recent days, we’ve heard President Trump say that the United States will come to the aid of the Iranian protestors if the regime there starts killing them. It has—and yet Trump is backpedaling, willing to accept the regime’s denial of its vicious rights violations. A principled president would stand firm in his support—verbal or military—for those seeking to overthrow Khamenei’s dictatorship. Craig Biddle’s article on why free countries should support these protestors—written during one of the previous uprisings in 2018—is even more vital today, when freedom-loving Iranians are facing brutal suppression at the hands of the barbarian theocracy under which they struggle to live. Let’s hope they succeed in overthrowing it this time.
I hope you enjoy this week’s articles.
Thomas Walker-Werth
What’s New?
From the Archive
The U.S. Government Must Support the Iranian Protesters
Iranian protesters are again calling for an end to the Islamic regime that oppresses them. And it appears that a sizable portion of the protesters want to replace the regime with a rights-respecting government.
Captain Cook: Explorer of the Enlightenment
On January 18, 1778, Captain James Cook, the greatest navigator and explorer of his age—perhaps of all time—discovered Hawaii. Before meeting his tragic death at Kealakekua Bay, Cook broke all records of previous explorers and set a few that would stand for centuries afterward.
Birthdays
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