realized; others might be “organized,” but only with inhumanrnefforts and sacrifices, which render them unreasonable; othersrnagain are desirable and feasible. Today, we certainly have to reflectrnon an order to be established after the demise of the democraticrnexperiment whose hypocritical traits are evident, especiallyrnto the psychologically oriented philosopher of history.rn(There is no “American Experiment,” but only a democraticrnexperiment in America, which the United States will outlive.)rnAllan Bloom remarked that all great European thinkers arernmen of the right, but I would say the same about America, unlessrnyou rank Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, JohnrnDewey, and B.F. Skinner among the “Great Thinkers.” 1 dedicatedrnmy little German book on democracy (1996) to thernSwiss and American authors who have influenced me in myrnpolitical writing, though only those who have gone to their reward.rnThe list of Americans starts alphabetically with John andrnHenry Adams and ends with Richard M. Weaver. Not all ofrnthem would have called themselves “conser’atives,” but nonernof them “liberals” in the present debased American verbiage.rnAs a Gatholic, I have to think “globally.” I want the ideas andrnideals of the right to triumph (at least in our civilization), andrntherefore, I view and review all terms critically. The area wherernthe word “conservative” has a magnetic attraction is ratherrnsmall: North America and Northern and Western Europe.rnGonservative parties and movements hae not offered or producedrnreal alternatives and have not done much else but bemoanrnand stem a bit the leftward drift of state and societ)’. Inrnthis, thev have had more failures than successes, partly becausernthe left appeals more to the “flesh” than to the spirit, and partiyrnbecause man is an ideological animal and “conser’atism” hasrnprovided us with neither an ideology nor even a passablernUtopia. To act solely as a brake to an evil evolutionary or revolutionaryrnprocess is not an inspiring program. Many “conservatisms”rnbearing that label are merely castrated forms of leftism.rnWe must face the fact that the term “conservative” has arnmust}’ smell in the nostrils of modern man, who is looking forrn”Instant Paradise.” “Gonservatism,” moreover, does not tell usrnwhat we want to conserve. We certainly do not desire to preservernthe status quo, but rather the “permanent things,” whichrnare the right things. And “right,” as I have said before, has in allrnlanguages a positive meaning, while left has a negative one —rneven in Arabic, Hebrew, Sanskrit, and Japanese. It has deeperrnpsychological and more universal roots than “conservative.”rnAnd this is the reason I often start or terminate my lectures onrnall continents with the simple statement: Ladies and gentiemen,rnright is right, and left is wrong! crn± r-i —, -I ‘! J_rnHELP CHRONICLES… CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS… HURT THE IRSrnIMAGINE BEING ABLE TO DO THREE GOOD THINGSrnALL AT T H E SAME TIME.rnTIrn’here are many ways to make year-end, tax-deductible gifts tornChronicles: A Magazine of American Culture. The simplest ofrnthese is a cash gift, but often there is a tax advantage in makingrna gift of appreciated stocks or bonds. When you do, there are twornwinners: you and Chronicles. The only loser is the wicked and greedyrntax collector.rnHere’s how it works:rnWhen you sell appreciated securities, you are taxed on the capitalrngains. However, if you contribute appreciated stocks or bonds tornChronicles, you will not have to pay any tax on the gains. In fact, yournwill receive a charitable deduction for the full, fair-market value of thernsecurities as of the date of the gift. To qualify, you only have to havernheld the stocks or bonds for more than one year.rnGiven the dramatic gains in the stock market in recent years, it makesrngood sense to review your investments with an eye toward making arnyear-end gift of long-temi securities to Chronicles. Your securitiesrnbroker can even wire the shares directly to Chronicles’ investmentrnaccount.rnFor more information, please write or call:rnChristopher CheckrnExecutive Vice PresidentrnThe Rockford Institutern928 North Main StreetrnRockford, Illinois 61103 (815)964-5811rnHELP CHRONICLES… CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS… HURT THE IRSrnJANUARY 1999/17rnrnrn