It was only a matter of time before someone tried to harness the vituperation for profit.

FORBES: The Whiners

Yet Rand's appeal has been undimmed by either the vituperation of her critics or the peculiarity of her admirers.

ECONOMIST: The life and views of Ayn Rand

And Second Amendment fans have poured out their vituperation online, some floridly warning of a power grab by the Obama administration.

CNN: Obama-backed gun bills considered a long shot in Congress

Looking back over six years of good intentions, tragic errors, generosity, arrogance, partisan vituperation, painful deaths and ultimate vindication, two things strike me: the ever-resisted lesson that human affairs are more complex than academic theories claim, and the simple truth that most human beings prefer a measure of freedom to immeasurable repression.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Bye-bye, Babylon