Well, the moving van has come and SHS is now ensconced in our new home at First Things. We still have a little unpacking to do. There will be a few bugs for a few days before everything is back to normal. But I am looking forward to an engaging experience.
For new readers: Welcome. The first question I am often asked about this blog is why the name? Secondhand Smoke is a bit of self deprecatory whimsy. I had always thought that if I had a regular column, I would call it SHS because I am full of hot air and emit particulate matter. So, when I started a blog, the name seemed a natural.
So, what is SHS all about? Briefly stated, this blog considers assisted suicide/euthanasia, bioethics, human cloning, biotechnology, radical environmentalism, and the dangers of animal rights/liberation. My views expressed here, as in my books and other writings, reflect my understanding that the philosophy of human exceptionalism is the bedrock of universal human rights. Or, to put it another way: human life matters.
So, for those thousands of readers coming with me from my old hovel to First Things, let’s continue what we have been doing. For those who find SHS through FT, welcome. There’s a lot to talk about.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
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