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.
#
Excellent article in Spintech, Russ.
#
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."
#
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.
#
"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!
#
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.
#
...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.
#
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.
#
[Y]ou have such a great talent for making
the difficult understandable.
#
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.
#
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.