[Publius]

You bring up an interesting point about essays. I used to be a prolific essayist, and I had a good fan base of FReepers who couldn't wait for my next Publius Essay. Some of that material went into Who is John Galt?, a book by myself and Billthedrill. Every major event created a whole new wave of FReepers, and I found I had to prove myself again and again to new people before I could get respect for my writing.

By 2005, I had gotten tired of the effort, and I stopped.

Then in 2009, in collaboration with Billthedrill, I launched two FReeper Book Clubs, one on Atlas Shrugged and one on the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers. The first led to a successful book, and the other book is in progress.

I've considered a Publius Essay on the history of federalism based on a lecture I gave to a Tea Party group in Georgia three years ago, but with the most recent crop of FReepers, I suspect it would get five comments and be forgotten.

The current typical vanity on this site consists of one line statements that could just as well have been comments on an existing thread.

[combat_boots]

You must do what you are called to do, Publius. There are many here who read but do not post.

[Jim Robinson]

Keep up the great work!

[Tijeras_Slim]

I am re-reading Who is John Galt? for about the 5th time. It is an exceptional contribution to any discussion about Atlas Shrugged.