The following is a summary of the February 2011 issue of the St. Croix Review:

Barry MacDonald writes in "Peace Isn't Found in the Free Market," that something more, something stronger is needed to bind us together as a community and nation.

Mark Hendrickson in "New Year's Resolution: Stop the Fiscal Insanity," describes the mess government has reached at all levels; in "On Reading Aloud in Congress," he comments on the reading of the Constitution at the opening of the 112th Congress; in "The Tea Party's Uphill Challenge," he writes that the daunting task is breaking the power of bureaucracies such as the Fed and the EPA; in "Fed Up with the Fed," he writes that the Fed has been the cause of boom-bust cycles and, that its only mission should be the integrity of the dollar; in "Dead Man Walking: Dealing with Deflation," he points out that deflation is the inevitable result of governmentally created inflationary bubbles; in "Honoring Bill of Rights Day -- and Responsibility" he focuses on the Founders' view of our "rights."

Allan Brownfeld, in "A Growing and Largely Ignored Crisis: Public Pension Funds are Running Out of Money," shows how public employees are bankrupting states; in "Racial Achievement Gap Is Alarming and Focuses Renewed Attention on the 'Culture of Poverty'," he writes that the problem centers on declining marriages among blacks; in "NPR and Juan Williams: the Peril of Speaking Honestly in an Era of Political Correctness," he relates how speech is becoming less honest and open.

Herbert London, in "Everyone Knows . . ." points out that what "everyone knows" is often not true; in "The Mullen War Strategy," he believes the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff misunderstands radical Islam; in "Why Do Modern Women Convert to Islam?" he believes some women are seeking escape from the cultural degradation of Western Culture; in "German Schools Embrace Islam," he sees Western Europe turning its back on Judeo-Christian culture; in "New York's Traffic Gridlock," he describes the poor planning that has brought a great city to a standstill.

In "On 'Dupes' and the Religious Left," Paul Kengor exposes how left-leaning clergy and intellectuals in America were manipulated by the Soviet Union.

Marvin Folkertsma, in "Dealing with the Debt Monster: A Political Lesson from Millard Fillmore," compares the lack of courage of politicians to address the national debt to the reluctance of Millard Fillmore to address slavery before the Civil War.

In "The Lessons of Japan," Shawn Ritenour debunks the myth of Japan's "deflationary depression," and points to the solutions to our problems.

R. B. A. Di Muccio, in "Will the Real Realists Please Stand Up?" considers President Obama's policies in Iran and Afghanistan; in "How Jimmy Carter and I Were Wrong on North Korea -- and How Carter Is Still Wrong," he says some people never learn.

Thomas Martin, in "What's Wrong with Same-Sex Marriage," believes the family is based on husband and wife, as determined by natural law and the creator.

Jigs Gardner starts a new series, intended as a diversion from politics, titled "Letters from a Conservative Farmer."

Jigs Gardner, in "The Incomparable Dickens," believes that Dickens is the greatest English novelist in part because he created such great characters.

William P. Cheshire eulogizes one of the St. Croix Review's distinguished writers -- "Anthony H. Harrigan."

In "Who Spoke Last in a 1983 Courtroom?" Joseph Fulda writes of his experience as a jury foreman.

Mike Bemis reviews Shimmering Blue Line: The St. Croix River in Pen, Brush and Music, by James Wilcox Dimmers and Don Mitchell