You're so right! (Both about it being timely and about so much of this founding dialogue being all but forgotten.) It was a fascinating discussion - all the more so since Reason Magazine had just put out its issue covering various world secession movements mere days before the conference. Interesting stuff.

It's too bad that Calhoun's "Madison 2.0-ism" gets lost beneath some of his more unsavory personal politics. Some of his ideas about concurrent majorities seem (to me) more workable in today's age of technology than they did originally.

Thank you! It was an absolutely fascinating and energizing event. The hotel was directly across from the most beautiful old art deco facade (the original building was gone, but the facade was preserved); it turned out Kurt Vonnegut's father had designed it! So I had a totally unexpected science fiction geek-out moment, to boot. ;)

Thanks so much! It was indeed absolutely fascinating and a very good time indeed.

I loved that photo! And dog. :) I love your icon, too! <3

Oooh! Oooh! Oooh! Oooh! *points and makes incoherent sounds of excitement*

As always, you have your finger on the pulse of all that's cool. I bow to your awesomeness. Thanks for the heads up!

FTW indeed! :D

Oh, I'm so glad you find it interesting, too! And relevant - I agree wholeheartedly that it's as timely a subject now (or more so, even) than it ever was. The conference was an interdisciplinary thing, so even though it's a political science topic, I got to be involved in the roundtable talk (my field is intellectual history, or the history of ideas).

It was particularly interesting that Reason Magazine had just put out articles on several secession/separatist movements worldwide (Australia, Spain, U.S., etc.), thus bringing up the whole idea of whether the compact theory of government means that the contract can be dissolved if it's not working for some of its parties. But most of the conversation went back to ways in which the checks-and-balances system has failed, and why, and what (if anything) might be done to correct these failures or adjust for them in the future. Fascinating stuff.

That Boston terrier knows he looks good. :D

Oooh! *eyes light up* Thank you for asking! I'll make a plan to do just that... it may be a few weeks, as I gear up for that section of the class, but I will come back to it. I'll try to come back here and link to it, too.

I'm so happy that you liked The Hunger Games!