Come one, come all!  Readers of Taki’s Top Drawer have a rare opportunity to meet the great man in the flesh this Friday and Saturday (September 21-22), at the 18th Annual Meeting of the John Randolph Club in Washington, D.C.  Sponsored by The Rockford Institute, the publisher of Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture, the JRC was first established as a discussion club for the two wings of the paleo movement—paleoconservatives and paleolibertarians.  The death of cofounder Murray Rothbard (the other cofounder was Thomas Fleming, editor of Chronicles and president of The Rockford Institute) led to the departure of the paleolibertarians, with the notable exception of Justin Raimondo.

If you’ve ever wanted to hear Taki or Justin speak, now’s your chance!  There are still a few spaces left for this year’s hard-hitting program, which we’re calling “Speaking Truth to Power.”  In addition to Taki’s opening address on Friday evening on “The Dishonesty of Public Discourse” and Justin’s talk on Saturday on “The Wall of Silence: America’s Foreign Policy Discourse,” you’ll have the opportunity to hear a variety of panelists on Saturday.  Tom Fleming will address the question, “Is Freedom of Religion a False God?”, while Tom Landess discusses “The Devil and the Religious Right.”  Peter Brimelow will provide the answer to “Must Multinationals Favor Immigration?”, while Rockford Institute board chairman David Hartman will tell us what’s wrong with “Crony Capitalism.”  Chronicles’ foreign-affairs editor Srdja Trifkovic and Leon Hadar will explain why we shouldn’t go abroad, looking for monsters to destroy; Chronicles’ film editor George McCartney will ask whether censorship might be praiseworthy; and special non-paleo guest Kirkpatrick Sale will discuss “The Intolerant Left.”

Saturday evening features a black-tie banquet followed by a debate on the Iraq War: “Wrong From the Start, But Now What?  Stand and Fight or Cut and Run.”  Srdja Trifkovic and Chronicles writers Bill Hawkins and R. Cort Kirkwood have the unenviable task of defending the “Stand and Fight” side against the team of Peter Brimelow, Justin Raimondo, and Kirkpatrick Sale.  (I smell blood in the water . . . )

How much would you pay for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?  $995?  $495?  How about a mere $305 for Taki’s opening address and reception on Friday, the Saturday panels, and the black-tie banquet and reception?

But wait!  There’s more!  On Thursday, September 20, we’re sponsoring a special pre-JRC program, “Washington: Heroes and Villains” (we’re still working on finding a hero).  The program features a walking tour of Washington on Thursday afternoon, followed by a reception and a dinner with Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC), the originator of “Freedom Fries,” who later repented of his support for the Iraq War and has led the Republican opposition.  A second walking tour on Friday morning will be followed by a luncheon talk by R. Cort Kirkwood on—what else?—corruption in our nation’s capital.  All for the low, low, price of $180.

If you act now, however, you can get a special combined rate for the two events!  A paltry $460 buys you access to the heaviest hitters of the paleoconservative universe for three full days.  It’s a bargain at twice the price!

All of the events will take place at the Hotel Washington (515 Fifteenth Street, N.W.).  “Washington: Heroes and Villains” begins at 3 P.M. on Thursday, while the JRC program begins at 5 P.M. on Friday.  Saturday, the panels begin at the ungodly hour of 8:30 A.M., while the banquet starts at 7 P.M.

If you’d like to attend any or all of the festivities, please contact Chris Check or myself at (815) 964-5811.  But you have to hurry—we’re down to our last few spots, and we’ll have to close registration on “Washington: Heroes and Villains” at 5 P.M. on Wednesday, and on the JRC at 5 P.M. on Thursday.  No one will be let in without a reservation.

Operators are standing by . . .