Robert Bidinotto
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Robert James Bidinotto is a contemporary freelance writer, editor, thinker, and lecturer. He is perhaps best known for his published criticisms of the criminal justice system, and of the environmentalist movement and philosophy. Bidinotto advocates the philosophy and writings of Ayn Rand, and from July 2005 until October 2008, he was editor-in-chief of The New Individualist, the monthly magazine published by The Atlas Society.
Bidinotto has written for many different publications. He also hosts his own website dedicated to criticism of the environmental movement, has published a blog (now defunct), and lectures at colleges and universities.
Background
In the mid-1980s, Bidinotto was a contributing editor for the Objectivist political newsletter On Principle; then, in 1987, for its brief-lived successor, Oasis magazine. Also during the mid-1980s he self-published several research papers and lectures on libertarianism, styles of thinking, and the philosophy and practice of individualism as mediated or foiled by organizational influences. During the late 1980s and until 1995, Bidinotto was a staff writer for Reader's Digest, for which he authored many high-profile pieces dealing with failings in the United States criminal justice system. The most well-known of these was "Getting Away with Murder" (July 1988), which, during the 1988 presidential campaign, helped make murderer Willie Horton and prison furloughs among the decisive issues in the defeat of Michael Dukakis. He also wrote about environmental issues, such as the Alar scare and Global Warming. Bidinotto later edited a book, Criminal Justice? The Legal System Vs. Individual Responsibility, and wrote Freed to Kill, a compendium of horror stories about the justice system.
Subsequently, he worked for several years for The Objectivist Center, and later for The Capital Research Center where he edited two monthly periodicals: Organization Trends and Foundation Watch. He left CRT in July 2005 to return to The Objectivist Center, now called The Atlas Society, where he served as the editor-in-chief of their monthly magazine of politics and culture, The New Individualist, until October 2008.
Bidinotto wrote a blog in which he addressed political and cultural issues, including his opposition to the philosophical foundations of environmentalism, appreciation for the literature of Ayn Rand, and criticisms of the philosophy of Anarcho-Capitalism. He maintains a website called "ecoNOT" which deals specifically with environmental issues, and another site promoting his freelance writing and editing work. Politically, he supported the 2002 American military intervention in Iraq, backed George W. Bush in the 2004 election, and was in favor of removing Terri Schiavo's feeding tube.
In September 2007, The New Individualist was honored with Folio magazine's prestigious Gold "Eddie" Award for Bidinotto's article "Up from Conservatism," which appeared in the magazine's March 2007 issue.[1] The American Society of Magazine Editors recognized Bidinotto's prison-furlough article in the July 1988 Reader's Digest as one of five national finalists for "Best Magazine Article of the Year in the Public Interest Category." He also was honored with the Free Press Association's Mencken Award for "Best Feature Story" and the annual journalism award from the National Victim Center, "for sensitivity and fairness in reporting victim issues." Bidinotto has appeared as a guest on numerous radio and television programs, including CBS radio's Crosstalk, CNN's Sonya Live, Geraldo, The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Bob Grant Show, CNBC's Rivera Live, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
He currently resides with his wife on the Chesapeake Bay and is at work on nonfiction and fiction book projects.
Quotes
- "Problems loom large when men don't." (Quoted in Reader's Digest)
- It's time that we define and defend a new vision: an inspiring individualist vision of human potential, in which each human being is honored as an end in himself, with reason as his guide to action, and his own life, well-being, and happiness as his ultimate reward. From his manifesto, "Environmentalism or Individualism?"
Selected bibliography
- "Terrorism and Unilateral Moral Disarmament" in Greaves, Bettina Bien, ed. (1985). Terrorism and the Media. Irvington, New York: The Foundation for Economic Education.
- "Prison Furloughs Allow Criminals to Commit More Crimes" in Dudley, William, ed. (1989). Crime and Criminals: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press. ISBN 0-89908-416-8.
- "What Is Freedom For?" in Robbins, John W.; Spangler, Mark, eds. (1992). A Man of Principle: Essays in Honor of Hans F. Sennholz. Grove City, Pennsylvania: Grove City College Press. ISBN 0-9631818-0-7.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|lastauthoramp=ignored (|name-list-style=suggested) (help) - "What Is the Truth about Global Warming?" in Miller, Robert K., ed. (1992). The Informed Argument: A Multidisciplinary Reader and Guide (3rd ed.). Fort Worth, Texas: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 0-15-541456-9.
- "Global Warming" in Lavdis, D. C.; Santoro, J.; Wasowski, J., eds. (1993). Contemporary Issues. Rocky River, Ohio: The Center for Learning.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|lastauthoramp=ignored (|name-list-style=suggested) (help) - "Environmentalism: Freedom's Foe for the '90's" in Sennholz, Hans F., ed. (1993). Man and Nature. Irvington, New York: Foundation for Economic Education. ISBN 0-910614-88-1.
- Editor. Criminal Justice? The Legal System Versus Individual Responsibility (2nd ed.). Irvington, New York: The Foundation for Economic Education. 1995. ISBN 1-57246-016-4.
- Freed to Kill: How America's "Revolving Door" of Justice Fails to Protect the Innocent. Washington, DC: Safe Streets Coalition. 1996. ISBN 0-9644719-0-6.