Death Is Easy

DEATH IS
EASY
by
Russell Madden


Freedom As If It Mattered

FREEDOM, 
As If
It Mattered
by
Russell Madden



Guardian Project

The Guardian
Project
by
Russell Madden




Random

RaNdoM
by
Russell Madden




 
 

 

COMMENTS FROM READERS

 


It has taken me far too long to email you a response to your submission "The Greatest Good." I absolutely loved it... This is going to be one of the best pieces of short fiction I've published yet!
 
You do a fine job of depicting Derek's dilemna of selfishness vs. self-sacrifice. I must say, reading this story had a profound effect on me. When Derek and his wife made love for the last time I was in tears. You expertly grasp the reader into this horrific situation, Russ. I find myself learning a great deal from you from a fellow writer's perspective. I also like how you incorporate a quasi sci-fi aspect into this story.
 
...Your contributions make Final Cause what it is!
 
Patricia Speer, Editor/Publisher, Final Cause.

Thanks for putting the issue to rest--even if some list members will not agree. Excellent posting.
 
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Excellent article in Spintech, Russ.
 
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Your review of DARK RIVERS OF THE HEART is extraordinary. Congratulations.....You are a very fine writer, Russ. Apart from the intelligence of your work, you have mastered what Ayn Rand once told me are the three basic principles of good writing -- something I never forgot -- "Clarity, clarity, and clarity."
 
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I very much like your article [on Ayn Rand]. It's an excellent introduction to Objectivism....I'm very much aware of the difficulty you must have encountered in doing the article. Briefly to present so complex a subject is a mind-boggling task. But you've made every word count.
 
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"The Myth of Gun Violence" is a brilliant article. Congratulations. I especially like your discussion of the relevance of clarity of language to the issue of "gun violence." I've not seen that discussed before, and it's very important -- and important in relation to almost every step "our" government is taking toward totalitarianism.
 
Barbara Branden, author, The Passion of Ayn Rand.

Congratulations!
 
Russell Madden's article on Objectivists and gun politics is one of the clearest and most succinct treatments of the issue I've ever seen. Over the years I've actually argued with individuals (one or two of them rather well known) who claimed that Objectivism mandates total weapons confiscation as a legitimate function of government as an entity with a monopoly on force.
 
Mr. Madden's writing was a breath of fresh air.
 
Thank you,
 
L. Neil Smith
Author, The Probability Broach, Pallas, The Mitzvah, et al.

I just went to your home page and read one of your stories on organ donation which was interesting and well written, are you published? Have you written any novels?
 
MJ Rose - Author of Lip Service coming this August ('99) from PocketBooks and as a Featured Alternate Selection of the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club (Aug/Sept.)

Your writing is superb and your essays are very interesting indeed.
 
D'Arcy Flannery, Editor, West Coast Libertarian.

Nice article on
The Daily Objectivist!
 
Sheldon Richman, Editor, Ideas on Liberty.
I sent your excellent, well-written piece to a number of friends. Keep up the good work.
Best,
 
George H. Smith, author, Atheism: The Case Against God & Atheism, Ayn Rand, and Other Heresies

Thanks, Russ. This a nice article, with some philosophical content, to balance the current-events articles. Bravo!
 
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It [your Rand profile] is a superb profile, especially since you focus on her ideas in relation to history. That's what is important, and frequently overlooked, when it comes to Rand (or other firebrands who were controversial). It will be perfect in SpinTech.
 
Mike Allen, Editor, SpinTech.

Nice piece [your Rand profile]; fair and well-balanced.
 
Chris Matthew Sciabarra, author, Ayn Rand: Russian Radical.

I loved your article on
SpinTech, "Zero Tolerance".... Your writing is so powerful - you condense ideas into their simplest components, extract the essence of what you want to say....An extract from your article was posted on the Legal Professionals message board at aol.com.
 
Diane Reed, Media Arts Foundation

Thank you indeed for encapsulating a big story [in your Rand profile] and doing it well, much better than I could have. Bravo.
 
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...Russ Madden -- one of the finest new voices in the Objectivist tradition -- .... Russell has won a richly-deserved berth at Laissez Faire City Times.
 
#
 
Russ Madden is (or is about to become) the best Objectivist writer of the 21st century, of this I am quite certain and indeed grateful.
 
Wolf de Voon, writer, Laissez Faire City Times
That was compelling as hell! If that doesn't end the debate about the morality of suicide, I don't know what will.
 
Rick Gerkin

I will keep an eye on your research as I find it very fascinating.
 
Kathy Hill

Read your piece on subject [review of "Colossus"]; magnificent.---Saw the movie when it first came out, and six times since (ages me, no?), yet never saw the metaphors there that you pointed out. (..not even the scene with 'Lenin' written in the background). .....Thank YOU!
 
John Dailey

Enjoyed your review of "Colossus".
 
Jerry Furland

I've bookmarked your page, and I very much look forward to reading your work.
 
Casey Fahy

I enjoyed going through your site. It was nice to see some interpretations of the Bill of Rights that I had thought were true.... You have an excellent web page, and I enjoyed reading it. Keep up the good work.
 
Casey Miller

I liked your piece at TDO....Good point and an important point.
 
David Brown

I am almost embarrassed to keep leaning on you for spiritual support but WOW, do your posts charge my spiritual batteries.
 
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I hope you don't get tired of me saying "Attaboy" but I have to tell you once again how much I enjoy your posts.
 
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[Y]ou have such a great talent for making the difficult understandable.
 
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I would encourage you once again to start a subscription on line newsletter on the application of Objectivist principals to everyday life driven by current events. You are the first person I have deemed qualified to do so since AR [Ayn Rand] died.
 
Jim Varnon

This was a really excellent post! I just hope it isn't ignored!
 
Kernon Kibes

...inform me of any applicable fees due you from me ( as a trader ) for the use of this article - I intend to send it to everyone I care about, i.e. those who constitute a metaphysical part of my existence, chiefly because it is the most well-rounded, readable intro to Objectivism I've seen, including the novels of Ms. Rand and a limited number of tapes by Kelley, Piekoff, etc.
 
Chuck Smith

Enjoyed your article on ethics in
SpinTech!
 
Stephen Cooper

I looked up your web page and read your essay on modern physics and objectivism. For the most part it was right on. I must say you seem to display a technical competency and descriptive ability far beyond other objectivists I tend to discuss this problem with, so for that you have earned a one man standing ovation....Bravo.
 
Overall Russ you seem to have a great sense of science and physics, much more so that the average Oist. Once again you have my admiration for that. Bravo.
 
Steve Hreczkosij

I was impressed by your article and have forwarded the link to my aunt who's a lobbyist in DE and is currently working to make it legal for women to use midwives in their homes....Anyway, thanks for sharing.
 
Dagny Berdahl

Please thank Mr. Madden for his wonderful essay "The Compassion Con". His is the best work I've seen on this touchy subject. This is great material for Libertarians.
 
Tom Howe

Thanks for the kind encouragement you gave me regarding my first mailing list response. I've been pretty busy since then and it was quite a while ago and you probably don't even remember, but I followed a link in your note and have been a fan of yours ever since.  Thanks also for your persistent efforts at enlightening others.  After scanning a few of the mailing list notes, yours are among the few I always open and read.
 
As I get bits of time, I intend to read all your articles and would like to be added to any mailing lists you might have that would appeal to students of Objectivism.
 
Mary Bachmann

Thank you, very good essay. Good points....beautiful work.
 
Ellen Lewit
Hey, I just wanted to say that I enjoyed your "Balloons" short story immensely. It was so...vivid.
 
Sean M. McDermott

I have to say, I took more time than just to read some of your work. In fact, I downloaded all of your articles and reviews and some from the fictional section of your web page to read offline. I imagine that I will take more time in the very near future to finish reading them and I definitely will check back on your site often for more articles that you write in the future.
 
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Everything is starting to make sense and it is becoming easier for me to decide where I stand on political issues. I owe a great deal of that to the articles of yours I have read and the e-mails you have sent me.
 
John F. Brainard Jr.

I am a Psych major at CSULB (senior yr). While researching topics on the Internet for my next Psychology class 'Issues re: Personality.' I was fortunate enough to stumble on your article "Rejecting Responsibility." I just had to send you this message: Your article Rules! And it pretty much says exactly how I feel....So I wanted to say "Thanks" for having it out there in Internet-land -- it's going to help me think of some great ideas to probably irritate my more liberal teachers and "rival" fellow-students.
 
Samantha L. Stevens
 
P.S. I would like to see some more of your articles 'cause I like your style. Do you have any others anywhere else?

Thank You for your site!
 
Debe VandenBoom, A student of Ayn Rand

You are a great writer with a lot of intriguing thoughts. Thanks for your additional feedback. Good luck in your endeavors.
 
R. A. Renza

I do want to thank you for creating your website - it's one of my bookmarks. It has given me many hours of intellectual enjoyment.
 
Harvey Morrell

This is simply brilliant writing. ["The Myth of Gun Violence"]
 
Celeste

Thanks for your fine article on success / failure / Tarzan in the latest '[Laissez Faire] City Times.' I enjoyed it on the first scan, (in fact I couldn't stop reading it) and and will return to it later for a deeper dig.... There's something about your writing style, or subject matter, that has me cookin' GREAT News!!!
 
Thanks for this well written and timely 'nugget of truth'.
 
Jake North, author of Jake North FACT Guides
I like your articles in that they deal with the core of the issue at hand, looking beyond present effects of a situation to analyze both historical precedent and future effects. Your element of bringing to bear human experience as vital to the equation is a breath of fresh air.
 
Chris Williams, Evergreen Enterprises.com

[Re:] your commentary regarding the "Forbin Project"...
 
... I thought it was a great piece of work and a brilliant effort towards arousing "societal consciousness" towards our uses of computers.......
 
Jon Johnson
Excellent piece of writing! ["Rats and Rights" aka "The Myth of Animal Rights."] ... Again, good article. Please continue your excellent work.
 
Brian Hughes
Excellent as always, Mr Madden. Your articles are of the highest quality. Keep up the good work.
 
Magnus Andersen
Many thanks for your excellent article ["The Real Terrorists"].
 
Trini Isabel Eiche
I LOVED YOUR ARTICLE. ("You Are a Criminal.")... Thanks again for a good piece.
 
Greg Jefford
I enjoyed reading your article. ["'I Don't Know How'," aka "Must Big Mama Do Your Homework?"] Thanks for the wonderful insights.
 
Richard

Your article ["Learning Helplessness"] is truly a breathe of fresh air.
 
Best
 
Robin Adair

I always enjoy your writing.
 
Michael Geer

I just read "The Greatest Good". I thought it was great.
 
Carolyn Ray, Ph. D.

I enjoy reading your articles, especially the ones on Objectivism.
 
Joseph Rowlands

A very good article. ["Castles No More."] Keep up the good work.
 
ChuckFran1

That ["The Arrogance of Ignorance."] was simply an outstanding, well written and powerful essay. I could not agree with you more...
 
Regards,
 
Paul Boyce, Ph.D.
I read your brilliant article ["Shakedown"] regarding the above subject [slave reparations]...I intend to read more of your material.
 
Walter Lee
I have read your article on smoking ["Smoking (Out) Fascists"] with interest and I agree fully with your reasoning on this subject.....I must compliment you on your very thought provoking writings.
 
Hendrik Minnaar

I really enjoy reading your work.
 
Ron Liebermann
Thank you for your many Laissez-faire articles. I send them all over the world after I have read them myself....continued success...
 
Karolyn Martin
As usual, your recent article "Don't Thank the NRA" was excellent....keep fighting the good fight. Warriors for freedom are always too few.
 
Mike Michaels
 


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