Robert James Bidinotto (born 1949) is a novelist, journalist, editor, and lecturer. He is best known for his critiques of leniency within the

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...

system, and for criticisms of the

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

movement and philosophy. Bidinotto is influenced by the philosophy and writings of

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...

, and from July 2005 until October 2008 he was editor-in-chief of ''The New Individualist'', the monthly magazine published by

The Atlas Society The Atlas Society (TAS) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand. It is part of the Objectivist movement that split off from the Ayn Rand Institute in 1990 due to disagreements over whether Objectiv ...

. In 2011, he turned his focus to writing

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

Background

In the mid-1980s, Bidinotto was a contributing editor for the

Objectivist Objectivism is a philosophical system developed by Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand. She described it as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement ...

political newsletter ''On Principle''; then, in 1987, for its brief-lived successor, ''Oasis'' magazine. Also during the mid-1980s, he self-published several papers and lectures on

libertarianism Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's en ...

, styles of thinking, and problems of practicing the philosophy of

individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-reli ...

within the context of ideological organizations. During the late 1980s and until 1995, Bidinotto was a staff writer for ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

'', for which he authored 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 William R. ("Willie") Horton and prison furloughs among the decisive issues in the defeat of candidate

Michael Dukakis Michael Stanley Dukakis (; born November 3, 1933) is an American retired lawyer and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history a ...

. He also wrote in the magazine about environmental issues, such as the Alar scare and

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. Subsequently, he worked for several years for The Objectivist Center in a number of writing, speaking, and fundraising capacities, and later for The Capital Research Center in Washington, D.C., where he edited two monthly periodicals: ''Organization Trends'' and ''Foundation Watch.'' He left CRC in July 2005 to return to The Objectivist Center, now called

, where he served as editor-in-chief of their monthly magazine of politics and culture, ''The New Individualist,'' until October 2008. Bidinotto's work as a writer and editor has won a number of awards. 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. 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." Bidinotto currently resides with his wife on the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

, where he is working on sequels in his "Dylan Hunter" vigilante thriller series.

Selected bibliography

* * "Terrorism and Unilateral Moral Disarmament" in * "Prison Furloughs Allow Criminals to Commit More Crimes" in * "What Is Freedom For?" in * "What Is the Truth about Global Warming?" in * "Global Warming" in * "Environmentalism: Freedom's Foe for the '90's" in * Editor. *

References

External links

The Vigilante Author blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bidinotto, Robert 1949 births 21st-century American novelists American magazine journalists American mystery novelists American male novelists American male journalists American political writers Living people Objectivists 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American male writers