ChroniclesrnA M A G A Z I N E OF A M E R I C A N C U L T U R E PERSPECTIVErnThe Decline and Fall of the Midwestrnby Thomas FlemingrnBooth Tarkington’s Indianapolis.rn10rnVIEWS VITAL SIGNSrnNordic Conquestsrnby Aaron D. Wolfrn”The Song of Life’s Dismay.”rnGhosts of the Midwestrnby Scott P. RichertrnRnssell Kirk’s moral imagination.rnA Geography of SnowrnA ston,’,rnbv Anthony BukoskirnFICTIONrnREVIEWSrnOur Fathers’ Fieldsrnbv Clvde WilsonrnPaul Murphy: The Rebuke of History: The SouthernrnAgrarians and American Conservative ThoughtrnThomas Fleming on Bernard Iddings Bell’s CrowdrnCulture: An Examination of the American Wayrnof Life • • H.A. Scott Trask on Victor DayisrnHanson’s Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battlesrnin the Rise of Western Power ••• John L.ukacsrnon Michael Wreszin’s A Moral Temper: The Lettersrnof Dwight Macdonald ••• Jeremy Lott on JessernWalker’s Rebel on the Air: An Alternative Historyrnof Radio in AmericarnCORRESPONDENCErn14 POLITICS: Non-Partisanshiprnby Sean Scallonrn18rnFOREIGN AFFAIRS: Speak No Evilrnby Dave Kopel, Paul Gallant, and Joanne EisenrnCOLUMNSrn22rn27rnSINS OF OMISSIONrnby Roger D. McGrathrnPRINCIPALITIES & POWERSrnby Samuel FrancisrnTHE ROCKI’ORD FILESrnby Scott P. RichertrnTHE AMERICAN INTERESTrnby Srdja TrifkovicrnIN IHE DARKrnThe Man Who Wasn’t There,rn29 200h A Space Odysseyrnby George McGartneyrnTHE HUNDREDTH MERIDIANrnby Chilton Williamson, Jr.rnDEPARTMENTSrnPOLEMICS & EXCHANGESrnCULTURAL REVOLUTIONSrn43rn45rn13rn35rn37rn41rn47rn49rnLetter From the Countryside: Real Homeland Securityrnb- Man.- Berry SmithrnLetter From Venice: Hot, Cold, and Tepidrnby Andrei Navro/.ovrnLetter From Texas: Mighty Seer, in Days of Oldrnby Wane Allcnswordirn38 POETRYrnFirebrand andrnThief by William Baerrn38rnON THE COVERrn40rnCover by Gregory L. Newbold.rn21rn42rnFEBRUARY 2002/3rnrnrn