Monthly Archives: July 2016

Mr. Lawler writes about redefining conservatism in light of the Trump phenomenon:

What too many Republicans have missed, in fact, is that lots of Americans have experienced this “progress” as loss of the secure safety nets that have cushioned them from being merely part of a meritocracy based on productivity.  On the Republican side, the name given to these Americans is “Reagan Democrats.” That means those who vote Republican but aren’t particularly libertarian or all that defined by “religious identity politics.” For them, being conservative means conserving what they now have and maybe regaining what they’ve lost. That means being for unions, the existing entitlements, the bonds of citizenship (that have been eroded by “the coming apart” of middle-class America into two classes isolated in every way from … Continue reading →

You may get some fails or delays or something.  Going to update some stuff so I can upgrade other stuff.

Here’s my new essay on Heinlein & it’s secretively saying all sorts of things about American freedom!

America was supposed to be a land of philosophy or a race of philosophers. American government was founded as a government of philosophers: It is the only government that prohibited tying a man’s legal standing to his confession of faith. American courts & all other public institutions are forbidden from requiring an oath by God. This is done on the assumption that God does not enforce those oaths. American government is no more guaranteed by God than the truth of the official speeches of any American citizen–or the good or bad that might come by that truth. Instead, a man speaks merely because is it natural to him to speak. Whether … Continue reading →

Reflecting on the Dallas terrorist attack on civil order, I am hopeful of the response yet wary of the outcome.

Everyone will be very restrained for at least 48 hours.

Then the cries will come against white racism and the need to disarm as if nothing had happened that was extraordinary.

It was extraordinary. The politics of victimhood are not free. The politics of division are not free. Multiculturalism is a disaster.

Do we want one nation or tribes?

The ante on the 2016 election just went up.

Folks, this is something about populism I posted on Ricochet–I started thinking about what some of the members were saying there–what’s at stake seems to me to concern the Reagan coalition, how it is falling apart, & what may be done & expected to happen in future. The discussion brought out two important lines of inquiry. (1) The discussion of the electorate, which concentrated on what’s changed such that the party & a crucial part of the electorate are now enemies. (2) The discussion of the principles of the Reagan coalition, which turned on whether the old fiscal conservatism-social conservatism-national security conservatism can bring together constituencies & connect voters to politicians any more.

This distinction between talking about the electorate & talking about the ideology could also be looked … Continue reading →

I write from a Starbucks in Japan, on a tiny little Amazon Kindle Fire 7 tablet.  I purchased a ZAGG auto-fit keyboard, which works great.  I am connecting through my iPhone, so that I don’t teach my Fire a bunch of bad habits on wi-fi hotspots.
I will add pictures to this post.
I now have a magnificent mini-office set-up; a peripheral office made up entirely of peripherals.
I husked an old Case Logic CD carrier by taking the CD-page insert out of it.  That was easy — just hinge the “book covers” backwards and wiggle the plastic page roots out of the covers.  Try it, and you’ll know exactly what I mean.
This CD case has a medium pocket on front, which was … Continue reading →

For years we have had the liberal/conservative, red state/blue state party/independent, mushy middle and the fabulous group of utter precious folk, the celebrated ‘undecided voters’ , who after being bombarded for a year with information, propaganda and screaming just cannot decide until they walk into the voting booth.

We used to have a word for that last group…. Oh yes. Idiots.

All this allowed the media, people with small intellect but perfect hair and teeth who could read teleprompters to act as if they had political experience.

I believe this world is fragmenting, and may never have really existed.

I wonder if the group here at BDB sees a similar change?

My experience tells me we are entering a world of left behinds versus elites and elite servants.

… Continue reading →

I mentioned in the recent joke thread that I’d love to see sharks with lasers in space.

Here’s RealClearSomethingorother publishing a Hudson Institute–I recommend it!–report. The style is ridiculous. This is how serious people talk… But the point is, there are people saying, we need space-based interceptors & lasers! Here, here!

Let’s do this for Teddy Kennedy!

I’ve a few questions: Does anyone think it’s ever going to be possible to create a new department in the Pentagon, for space war? Why not?

What do you folks know or suspect about the departments? I’ve a Marine friend who tells me Navy sees it as their job to strangle the Marines bureaucratically.

Does anyone have any idea what the military classes of America think about war in … Continue reading →