Where was author Andrew Horning when I needed him in college and law school? (I think he was in college at the time.) His book Relighting the Torch would have been the perfect compliment to my government and legal education. His book, which includes an analysis of the U.S. Constitution, should be read by every American political science student.
Relighting the Torch is both substantive and well written. Horning makes great points and gives plenty of examples. The book reads with great élan and knowledge. It is also full of relevant quotations, not just memorable Horning prose.
The book is also intellectually honest. It shows that despite the goodness of the U.S. Constitution, i.e. that it is "the best social covenant ever written," both it and the nation's founders were compromised from the start. This impediment has helped obscure that our constitutions exist "to restrain politicians, not citizens," which is to restrain governments' use of force and deceit.
Which leads to my favorite part of this book - Horning's discussion of non-aggression, which is the idea to never initiate force or fraud to achieve one's political or social goals. He shows that this libertarian principle is inherent in the U.S. Constitution, which strictly limits government's use of force to only those powers which are constitutionally enumerated. This is to put "politicians on a leash."
The book's biggest insight for me was Horning's discussion of the unconstitutionality of the two-party system. He shows that the nation's founders were against political parties or sects, and that our present two-party system (and the public's neo-religious if not neurotic belief in it) is the result of deliberate acts by the major parties to exclude alternative voices from State ballots. Horning makes good arguments to end the Federal Reserve, also.
All-in-all, this relatively short and easy to read book should comprise at least part of the consciousness of everyone interested in law and politics. Its discussion is broad, full of substance and non-offensive. It is a breadth of free air, calling us to know and achieve our highest political selves.
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A fascinating commentary! Highly recommend!
Relighting the Torch is excellent! His insights on the Declaration of Independence and the U. S. Constitution are the product of thirty years of careful study, and they are both realistic and refreshing. Andy is running for the U.S. Congress this year in central Indiana, and I highly recommend this book. These are dark times, and we need this vigorous defense of our nation’s best principles, his frank analysis of where we have gone wrong, and his suggestions on how we can make things better. I love the cover, too!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2022
A fascinating commentary! Highly recommend!
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2022
Relighting the Torch is excellent! His insights on the Declaration of Independence and the U. S. Constitution are the product of thirty years of careful study, and they are both realistic and refreshing. Andy is running for the U.S. Congress this year in central Indiana, and I highly recommend this book. These are dark times, and we need this vigorous defense of our nation’s best principles, his frank analysis of where we have gone wrong, and his suggestions on how we can make things better. I love the cover, too!
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2022
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Claire Jin
A true patriot, a thinker, a warrior!
Reviewed in Canada on December 14, 2022