“You may all go to Hell; I will go to Texas,” said David Crockett to the voters before departing for San Antonio and the Alamo, where he, Jim Bowie, Buck Travis, and 186 other brave Americans gave their lives for liberty. As the entire United States seems bent on following Davy’s instructions, a few brave spirits are going to make their way, once again, to San Antonio to express their love of liberty, though this time the worst risk they will run will be to dine too well and drink too deep.

The John Randolph Club is going back to Texas to celebrate our 20th anniversary. But this is no exercise in nostalgia. Our speakers—Peter Brimelow, Tom Fleming, David Hartman, John Lukacs, Roger McGrath, Bill Murchison, James Patrick, Justin Raimondo, Taki Theodoracopulos, and Aaron Wolf, among others—will look ahead, beyond the current conservative traps (neocons and theocons and all the rest) to see how best to apply our enduring principles to a rapidly changing national and international scene that looks more and more like socialism without a human face. Where better to argue for liberty than in Texas, where men and women have always fiercely defended their property, their families, and independence? Please join us in San Antonio for

The 20th Annual Meeting of the John Randolph Club
“The Future of America: Hell or Texas”
November 13-14, 2009
The Saint Anthony Hotel

The meeting will open with a reception at 5:00 P.M. on Friday, November 13, followed by the opening address at 6:00 P.M.Saturday will feature two morning and two afternoon panels, each followed by spirited Q&A. An ample break for lunch will give you a chance to enjoy one of San Antonio’s many fine restaurants. We’ll wrap things up Saturday night with the traditional black-tie-optional banquet and debate. This year’s topic: “Resolved: Reagan conservatism is the model for the future of the conservative movement.”

I hope you will come early for a special pre-JRC cultural program, “Texas Grit.” You’ve been to the Alamo; now visit some of San Antonio’s other jewels. On Thursday, November 12, at 3:00 P.M., we’ll take a walking tour of downtown San Antonio to visit the Governor’s Palace, the Casa Navarro, and the magnificently restored San Fernando Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in the United States and the oldest continuously functioning church in Texas. A reception and dinner will feature a talk by Texas historian T.R. Fehrenbach, author of Lone Star, simply the best one-volume history of Texas ever written. On Friday, November 13, in the morning we will take a motorcoach excursion to the San Antonio missions to celebrate the courageous Spaniards who brought Christendom to the New World. Lunch and a talk on the Texas Rangers (the lawmen, not the baseball players) by Roger McGrath will follow.

The Saint Anthony Hotel has been beautifully restored, and the brand new lobby bar seems custom made for Randolphians. A limited number of rooms are available at the Saint Anthony at the special rate of $139.00, single or double occupancy, breakfast included. Reservations must be made no later than Monday, October 12, 2009. Call (210) 227-4392 and mention The Rockford Institute or The John Randolph Club to get the special rate.

You do not need to be a member of the John Randolph Club to attend. (In fact, if you want to become a member, you need to attend at least one meeting.)

We encourage tuxedos for the Saturday evening banquet (it is one way we strike a blow for civility and tradition), but if you do not have one, a suit is fine.

All prices increase $50.00 after September 15, 2009.

We always have full-time students seeking scholarships to the meeting. Please consider making a gift to our scholarship fund so that the next generation can continue to speak truth to power long after we have all gone to our rewards. If you make a gift of $500.00 or more to our scholarship fund, I’ll send you CD recordings of this year’s lectures. If you are, or know, a student interested in a scholarship, contact Adrienne Majewski at (815) 964-5811 to apply.

I hope you will join us for both the JRC meeting and the preceding cultural program. Rockford Institute conferences stand apart. The talks are intelligent and lively. The gatherings are convivial. Indeed, the Randolph Club is like a family reunion: So many come back year after year. If you are looking for an inspiring and educating getaway, in a lovely setting surrounded by good people who share your principles and interests, you cannot do better than this annual event. In the more than a decade of organizing this conference, I have never received a letter from someone who did not have a great time.

P.S. Our dear friends Ray and Clark Welder are holding two very special events following the Randolph Club. The Welder Brothers and their lovely wives are hosting a fundraising garden party and a dinner for Chronicles on Sunday, November 15. If you are interested in lingering an extra day in San Antonio with Taki, Peter Brimelow, and the Chronicles editors to help support your favorite magazine, contact Adrienne Majewski at (815) 964-5811 for more information.

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