A Threefer Today

I like to write and comment about politics, but most of that is my hot takes over on X and FB. Here, I prefer things to be a bit more seasoned, cured, smoked, and served up as a dish.

In other words, all the he-said-she-said yak-yak and memes, and dumbass media takes on things under the same collapsing narrative in retreat is entertaining for about 5 minutes.

Most especially, the stuff that’s about what someone said or did 20 fucking years ago somewhere, someplace, sometime, some circumstance, in spite of anything in the current day…so it means THEY ARE A VERY BAD PERSON!!!…and that goes both ways…is the stupidest shit possible and bores me to fucken tears.

If changes of heart and mind don’t matter, then what of the democrats on Trump’s “sub-ticket,” RFJ Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard? Or Elon Musk? What of the democrats and Kamala voters all over social media saying, ‘I voted for her but I’m relieved she lost?’

Can we not have a little patience, a little humility-humanity, a little grace? We’re all fuckups at times. Rethinking, changing of mind (and heart), and redemption are not just valuable things, they’re arguably the only things.

But for God’s grace, there go I.

In a matter of a day, I was converted from an ashamed to a proud American. It’s that can-do attitude thingy that’s distinctly American, and I’m a sucker who falls for it every time.

Catharsis and Relief, Baby!

… So. What I want to focus on here are wide swaths that promise or have a chance in making a difference, and when I say “difference,” I’m not talking about stupid shit like turning boys into girls and vice versa.

I’m not talking about DEI hires as your “this is your captain,” speaking from the cockpit.

I’m talking about, first, halting the long slide of Western Civilization all the way down the slippery slope (referencing my “slippery-slope-fallacy fallacy” because it happens). Second, if halted enough, the potential for reversal is possible and there is nothing America does better than lead the way to brighter futures for those willing to put in the time and effort.

I’ll start with the widest swath of American / NATO hegemonic geopolitics that is adequately laid out by Jeffrey Sachs in 4 minutes.

Now, instead of telling me that Putin is a perma-president who was once KGB for the millionth fucking time (boring as shit), how about think about what he’s been saying for years and repeats and reiterates? He fucking knows it’s in his best interest to be friends with America. But that’s bad for business, according to American “defense” contractors, and how dare a resources-rich country gets to see to its own resources? I’ll not digress further. Get it, or don’t. But the longer you refuse to fucking get it is the longer you’re fucktarded.

… The next big swath is Mark 1, Mod A…Freedom of Speech. This is the most important 6 1/2 minutes that Donald Trump has ever uttered, and I’ll tell you why.

It’s because the 2nd Amendment is the back-up-plan to the 1st Amendment. Way back, the Russian-American logistician-philosopher-novelist Ayn Rand was asked numerous times when it was appropriate to take up arms. She replied that it was inappropriate, so long as there is freedom of speech.

Logically and philosophically, that means: what’s the point, if you can still use concepts, knowledge, honesty, and facts as targeted and heat-seeking weapons of mass destruction of fucktardedness? And if you can’t—because people are beyond persuasion—then what’s the point?

It’s only if people can be persuaded and recognizing this, an authority prevents that, then it’s time to go to arms.

Well, perhaps we’ll been pulled back from the abyss-brink, Audacity of Hope, style.

So important, this calls for a transcript.

It’s so good I won’t even quibble with any imperfections, of which there are a few.

Babies and bathwater, baby.

And how about this?

You know, I’m a libertarian-anarchist at heart, but libertarians need brains first and anarchy begins at home, which means: conduct your own affairs as though you need no authority telling you what to do.

One thing libertarians are known for is their philosophical advocacy of open borders. I’m sympathetic because a human born on earth ought to ideally have complete freedom of migration to wherever on the planet suits him best. But we don’t live in the idyllic. We live on a planet with nation states, and there’s logic to that, too.

Culture is important. Competing culture is even more important. Humans come up with interesting and tantalizing things when they enculturate, and that’s an enormous part of the human experience that makes life worth giving it a shot.

Culture requires common language, and borders. France is for the French, I like to say—and as a French-speaker and former resident, I’m a big fan. But that’s just one part, and it calls for limited immigration, not open borders. Quibble about property rights and who owns what all you want, I don’t really fucken care. I know all the arguments like the back of my hand.

But, the idea of open borders for Welfare States—like America and the entire Western world is right now—is just fucking insane and incompatible. For welfare states (where you can apply for and receive unearned assistance and compensation), the limits on immigration must be even more severe.

The allowance for parasites motivated by getting on the public dole and creating dependent offspring must be zero.

So, now watch the new Border Czar, Tom Homan (not necessarily a politician, LOL), deal with an unfuckable cunt, U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal.

… More good news. Eliminating the Department of Education, which is a euphemism for flushing money down the toilet.

It’s an idea that has been around for decades—just like the idea of dumping the stupid Roe vs. Wade silliness—when the states are perfectly well suited to managing whatever shit arises. Perhaps it comes to pass, now, with precedent along such lines.

… On the personal front, and from here on is usually for members (check it out), but I’m having too good of a time to deny, for now. I’ve got so much joy to relate in the coming days and weeks. I’ve got two things, and here is my last entry in this vein if you’re just popping in.

A couple of days ago, the great litigator Jeff Childers (@jchilders98 on X) recommended the 2022 film Vengeance (now on Netflix) in his Monday newsletter on the subject of exacting revenge.

Consider 2022’s “Vengeance.” The underrecognized film was B.J. Novak’s directorial debut. (Novak is best known for playing intern Ryan Howard in the hit comedy series “The Office.”) Novak chose a revenge plot for his first movie; it’s right in the title. (It’s good, too—Novak neatly twists the genre while staying true to its roots, which gracefully echoed the plot’s minor themes. Four stars.)

I watched it. From hilarious to insightful…to shades of dark. And for my money—which is a Netflix subscription denominated in Thai baht—Ashton Kutcher puts in the best performance (in a supporting role).

For me, it was easy to see why it didn’t get much notoriety and I think it’s for largely the same reasons the [now] documentary, Idiocracy, was a sleeper.

The artsy-fartsy left doesn’t like the clear implications of either film.

Check out Coffee & Covid, Jeff’s great newsletter.

… Now onto my Road Trip. I’ve got a vid for you, about 8 minutes. The last vid was mostly about rice farming for the family, not to sell.

This one starts off with “walking the buffalo,” and that’s part of my joy in being with Far, all 100 pounds of her. I’ve known her for almost exactly a year and in that time she has never said a cross, bitchy, or cunty word to me. Not one, which is high contrast to my life experience.

I keep waiting for it to fall. It just doesn’t happen.

She just seems to understand me on such a fundamental plane that never seeks to find fault for the purpose of finding fault because maybe she’s feeling shitty, or whatever.

She never casts doubt or blame on me, ever. And she’s no pushover. I’ve seen her cutoff friends who do her wrong, and in spite of her being very patient. The gal, the former “#1” who introduced her to me is the prime example. We both ended up having the same problems and issues with “Na.”

So, without a lot of more yak-yak, the vid is her walking the buffalo, like you’d walk the dogs. Then we go to the market and she cooks for me. First, pork belly, which is your “bacon & eggs.” Later, a big fish that cost a couple of bucks. Also, you’ll see the 3-year-old Kegan, her nephew. He speaks mostly English, and I’ll save that story for another time.

I hope you enjoyed that and, most especially, that you feel my joy.

It’s a special kind of joy where lots of, let’s say, “competing desires and aspirations,” seem to be melting away.

(Very clever buffalo whisperer?)