Random stuff I find interesting and you may not.
A politically-charged documentary about an unheralded voting bloc is drawing raves on two of the web’s biggest film sites. “Uncle Tom: An Oral History of the American Black Conservative” lets its subjects share why they favor smaller government — and the ridicule they endure for that position. The film profiles famous black Americans like Candace … Read more
Don’t be fooled by universities’ incessant chatter about “diversity.” Most are poster children for ideological conformity and proud of it. The faculty, students, and administrators know it. Indeed, many welcome it since their views are so obviously right and other views so obviously wrong. They believe discordant views are so objectionable that no one should … Read more
Murray Rothbard’s wonderful History of Economic Thought opens with a blast against what he called the Whig theory of intellectual history. It’s a variant of the Victorian-era idea that life is always getting better and better, no matter what. Apply it to the world of ideas, and the impression is that our current ideas are … Read more
City councils across America almost seem intent on proving that the best cure for a bad idea is a good idea, though, they are going about it in a rather interesting new way. The Washington Post reports that a Black Lives Matter street mural – which stood for a month and a half and greeted … Read more
Michael Lind writes, The present system serves the credentialed elite in the large private, public, and nonprofit bureaucracies of the managerial elite quite well. In contrast, the members of the professional bourgeoisie and the small business bourgeoisie live in terror of proletarianization. Many professionals fear they will not be able to secure high-status jobs with … Read more
For that was the dictum of Benito Mussolini: “Everything within the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State.” Everything must be swallowed up in politics. Nothing must be permitted to enjoy a non-political or pre-political or beyond-political existence. Not even language, not even the names of towns and villages could escape the hand … Read more
The situational ethics of filibusters could be seen as evidence that the time-honored tradition is nothing more than a tricky maneuver that members of both major parties praise when it’s convenient and condemn when it’s not. But the relevant question is whether that tricky maneuver, on balance, gives us better or worse government. When you … Read more
Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pointed to a Catholic martyr who gave his life to minister to the least fortunate Hawaiian natives. Probably knowing little or nothing about his life’s story, she held up this saint and hero of Hawaiian history as as the totem of “white supremacy,” apparently because he was an immigrant. That’s the … Read more
Its religious aspects can, however, tell us something about what ails our culture. This summer, those protesting for social justice have torn down statues of saints and national heroes. That checks the iconoclasm box. They’ve chanted, prostrated themselves, and even sung together. That checks the ritual box. They’ve talked about themselves as a movement aimed … Read more
Lithium doesn’t sound like something you’d want to consume, but it’s actually more common in food than you’d think. Moreover, the chemical is proven in helping patients dealing with mental health conditions. Now, a new study finds higher levels of the naturally occurring substance in drinking water show ties to lowering the global suicide rate. … Read more
Because of changing demographics and poorly designed entitlement programs, the burden of government spending in the United States (in the absence of genuine reform) is going to increase dramatically over the next few decades. That bad outlook will get even worse thanks to all the coronavirus-related spending from Washington. This is bad news for America … Read more
Rep. David Schweikert admitted to 11 ethics violations and agreed to a $50,000 fine, likely concluding an investigation that began with reporting by the Washington Examiner’s then-own Phil Wegmann. In October 2017, Wegmann was a writer for the Washington Examiner opinion page, and I was his editor. Former employees of Schweikert, a Republican from Arizona, … Read more
This year’s pandemic has reshaped summer vacation in many ways. The vacation is longer for many, but the opportunities to enjoy it seem fewer. Many people saw their summer travel plans canceled or changed by COVID-19. After months at home, everyone seems to be singing along with Paul Simon, “everybody loves the sound of a … Read more
We are living through a once-in-a-century global pandemic. With no treatments or vaccines for Covid-19, the only way to guarantee our safety has been to separate ourselves from others, to retreat from our communities. As we have left our schools, our offices, and our churches to lead more isolated lives with only our immediate family … Read more
Bed and breakfast Nordic Pineapple in Saint Johns has removed their Norwegian flag after dozens of people confuse it for the Confederate flag. Greg and Kjersten Offbecker moved into the historic mansion two years ago and turned it into a bed and breakfast. As decoration, they hung a Norwegian flag next to the American flag … Read more
Arguably, the American people have a handle on this. Their strategy is to support Biden and the Democrats publicly, to save their jobs, discourage doxing, and avoid vicious attacks from “friends” on Facebook. Then come November, they vote for a Republican supermajority, including a Trump sweep of the Electoral College, and a GOP landslide in … Read more
We learn by paying attention to what others attend to. I speculate that this is why in-class learning works better than watching a lecture on line. When I am in a classroom, others are paying attention to the speaker. This makes my attention to the speaker instinctive. I don’t have to use so much willpower … Read more
Malcolm X once stated that the black community’s greatest enemy was the white liberal. If he were living now, perhaps that perspective would change and narrow to white liberal women. Many of us recognize that white, educated, liberal women are becoming the enemy of any remnants of traditional culture. Over the last few years, these … Read more
I recently speculated whether Seattle should be considered the worst-governed city in the country. Though there’s lots of competition for that honor from places like San Francisco, Detroit, New York City, and Chicago. And John Stossel makes a compelling case for Minneapolis in this new video. Progressive “Paradise” As I’ve previously noted, statist … Read more
Yesterday, my PJ Media colleague Tyler O’Neill presented a convincing case that the Chinese Communists are the closest analog to Hitler and the Nazis in the world today. Tyler’s thesis is that liberals are hysterical about Trump when they should be angry at Chinese Communist President Xi Jinping for being the true fascist dictator. Tyler … Read more
Mayor Bowser broke her contract with residents like me. So we’re leaving. During the last night in my condo in DC, I had to walk my dog an extra lap around the block because a crazy person was outside screaming obscenities. I wasn’t afraid. I just didn’t feel like getting into it with him or … Read more
One of the more hopeful developments in this Batflu Year, has been the closing of North America’s schools and universities. While these have stayed open, or are now reopening in the rest of the world, with the blessings of those medical experts who are moved by evidence-based research, those in “progressive” jurisdictions across this continent … Read more
In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis a debate is underway to amend the city charter which requires a police department of a size commensurate with the city’s population. It’s all part of an effort to defund the police and “reimagine” policing. In the process a consensus seems to have emerged … Read more
Workout culture, cloaked in inspiration while profiting from body shame and self-loathing, is the worst kind of individualism. I’ve recently begun joining my wife occasionally for workout hours. Occasional for me, anyway; her company runs them nearly every day. The workouts themselves—the current set is called “80 Day Obsession”—are bog-standard examples of the genre, and … Read more
New York’s subways are much more dangerous than they were last year. New York’s subways are suffering from an old, familiar plague: broken windows. For the first half of the year, the Daily News reports, the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has recorded 485 smashed windows, costing nearly $300,000—including 47 destroyed on just one July … Read more