EVERYDAY FASCISM: Texas legislator shouted down at Texas Southern University law school; speech called off by university president for lack of central campus authorization.
Then when legislators are less willing to open the public purse to higher ed, they’ll be called “anti-intellectual.” Maybe they should call themselves anti-fascist instead. . . .
VERITAS FALLOUT: The New York Times responds, James O’Keefe counters.
RON RADOSH ON PBS’S VIETNAM WAR DOCUMENTARY: How Burns and Novick Fail to Portray Ho Chi Minh Accurately.
Despite their claims, some of which you will hear in the documentary, Ho Chi Minh had not the slightest interest in the Declaration of Independence. His only concern was to use it as a tool to help neutralize the United States and to keep them out of his way in attaining his goal of a unified Communist nation.
Read the whole thing.
TOWARD A UNIFIED THEORY OF CONTEMPORARY INSTITUTIONAL FAILURE: So in ESPN we see an institution that is recklessly alienating its prime customer base, and only now — much too late — beginning to dimly sense that it’s in trouble. And this is a pattern we’ve seen over and over again. Why is that? I think it’s a function of two things. First, the people running most of the insititutions come from a monoculture. As Angelo Codevilla wrote of the Ruling Class:
Today’s ruling class, from Boston to San Diego, was formed by an educational system that exposed them to the same ideas and gave them remarkably uniform guidance, as well as tastes and habits. These amount to a social canon of judgments about good and evil, complete with secular sacred history, sins (against minorities and the environment), and saints. Using the right words and avoiding the wrong ones when referring to such matters — speaking the “in” language — serves as a badge of identity.
Second, their loyalties are essentially tribal. They care more about what their peers think of them than, basically, anything else, including the success or failure of the institutions they manage. Thus, they are prone to suicidal levels of virtue-signaling. And — because they are socially and intellectually isolated from non-ruling-class Flyover America — they often have no idea how badly their actions resonate. Since, as Dana Loesch reminds us, you can’t run a country you’ve never been to, the result is generally poor.
Not everyone is this blind. When Phil Bredesen ran for governor in Tennessee the first time, he was totally out of touch: Basically, a sort of mini Mike Bloomberg. He then spent four years going around the state to chili suppers, VFW posts, and so on, actually talking to people and — more importantly — listening. He won, and became a successful governor for two terms, possibly the last Democrat to do so in my lifetime. But that sort of approach requires a lot of self-awareness, and willingness to work hard, and respect for other people’s opinions. Our ruling class is willing to work hard, but not at this sort of thing. (Bumped).
ANOTHER UPDATE: Kurt Schlichter is gloating.
CNN’S SYMONE SANDERS: White People Aren’t Allowed to Criticize the NFL Kneeling.
21ST CENTURY RELATIONSHIPS:
My eyes fall upon his sleeveless T-shirt. I imagine pouring my drink on it. My friend Jon tells me that these are “intrusive thoughts” and everyone has them. Which gives me permission to also imagine setting the shirt on fire. Ah, peaceful lakes! Birdsong!
I know I’m not a fun first date.
And she wonders why men her age aren’t eager to marry her. It’s got to be because they’re shallow.
LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: FDA approves implantable device to treat sleep apnea.
BUT WE STILL HAVEN’T HEARD FROM OBAMA, RIGHT? Hillary Clinton condemns longtime Democratic donor Harvey Weinstein.
Related: Michelle Obama called Weinstein a ‘good friend,’ now Obamas mum on allegations.
TEST DRIVE: The 2019 Audi A8.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: Five Great Cities To Take Your Kids To Learn American History.
CHRISTIAN TOTO: Guess What’s Missing in Suburbicon’s Press Push?
LIGHTS OUT: S. Korea close to developing ‘blackout bomb.’
South Korea has secured technologies to build a non-lethal graphite bomb which can paralyze the North’s power systems in case of war, military sources said Sunday.
The so-called “blackout bomb” works by spreading chemically treated carbon graphite filaments over electric facilities to short-circuit and disrupt the power grid.
The weapon has been developed by the Agency for Defense Development as key part of South Korea’s pre-emptive strike program called Kill Chain.
“All technologies for the development of a graphite bomb led by the ADD have been secured. It is in the stage where we can build the bombs anytime,” a military official said.
They won’t have to build a very big one.
AT AMAZON, 5.11 Men’s Tactical 74273 TacLite Pro Pant.
I DON’T THINK WE LIVE IN A “MALAISE ERA.” The 2017 F350 Platinum Is a Malaise-Era Luxury Car for the Horse-Trailer Crowd. But as some InstaPundit readers were commenting not long ago, the luxury car of today is an SUV or fancy pickup. “Think about that for a minute. Ford offers three different takes on an ultra-luxury truck above the Lariat trim that was top of the heap just 20 years ago. You can’t say they aren’t paying attention to what buyers want.”
But: “The only real downside is that your neighbors and friends are going to expect you to help them move.”
THE AGE OF LITTLE WARS: Missions Like One in Which Four Green Berets Killed in Niger Expected to Increase.
FIRST WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY CUT THE TAXES: The economy needs Trump’s tax cut, but don’t expect too much.
YOU CAN OFTEN DO THIS TO A DEGREE WITH A MARK ONE EYEBALL IF YOU PAY ATTENTION: Smartphone Cameras Peek Around Corners by Analyzing Patterns of Light.
CAN’T ANYBODY HERE PLAY THIS GAME? North Korean hackers suspected of stealing US-South Korea war plans.
A QUANTUM OF ACCOUNTABILITY: Sheriff, Deputies Indicted After Subjecting Entire High School To Invasive Pat Downs.
IT’S MATTEW DOWD, IN CASE YOU HAD ANY DOUBTS: ABC News Chief Political Analyst Caught Pushing Fake Terrorism Claim.
AT THIS RATE IT’LL NEVER GO PLATINUM: The USA is still outside the top ten in the new Fraser Institute/Cato Institute rankings of economic freedom. The top ten:
The US is ranked joint #11, alongside Canada.
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