An Ending (Probably) and A New Beginning

Well, what can I say about this blog that isn't immediately evident from its posting history. I'll belabor the obvious anyway: Semper Liberi has been effectively out-of-commission for over a year now, and it probably won't be back.

Along with a few others, I started this blog largely to provide a forum for the members of the Federalist Society chapter at the West Virginia University College of Law. Now, the original bloggers have graduated (yes, including me), and, as far as I can tell, the WVU Federalist Society chapter has pretty much disbanded since we left. Hopefully, the WVU chapter will reform shortly, but there is no prospect (right now) that any group of WV Fed Soc members will make use of this site in the near future. Thus, I'm making what was a de facto ending official: no further posts on this blog are planned.


Why am I posting this now, when it is quite possible that, the former contributors and readers having left long ago, no one else will actually read it? Because, in my view, the work we did here merits some sort of ending. As I read through the postings on this blog, I was first struck by disappointment as I recalled how things ground to a halt in 2006. But as I read on, moving to earlier posts, feelings of pride and memories of meaningful discussions surfaced. There is good work here from a number of people; more than a few things here bear re-reading. And in the typically speak-before-you-think blogosphere I think that's not nothing.

As for me, I'm starting a new, personal blog, tentatively called LPMN ("Law, Politics, and Miscellaneous Nonsense"). Among other things, I'll be discussing my views on current legal news events and starting to offer, tentatively and clumsily, some more systematically put-together thoughts about legal theory in a constitutional system.

As for this blog, it will be dormant until further notice (which will probably never come). But the archive will remain online. Indeed, at LPMN I'm sure that I will freely link back to various posts from here. But it's about time that Semper Liberi got a finish. Thanks to all who contributed, commented, and read (and to anyone who is reading now), and if you've got a few minutes to kill give the archives a scan. I bet you'll find it worth the time.

Best,
Brian Areford