Author Archive: Ed Driscoll

April 21, 2026

THEODORE DALRYMPLE: We Shall Not Fight on the Beaches.

In 1973, Jean Raspail, who died aged 94 in 2020, published his dystopian novel The Camp of the Saints, for which he is now mostly remembered (certainly outside of France, though he was the author of many other well-considered novels and travelogues, and narrowly missed election to the Académie française). The Camp of the Saints is a book that refuses to lie down, so to speak, despite attempts to render it invisible or make it go away.

* * * * * * * *

Immigrants are not just immigrants. What they bring with them is as important as what they are offered by the host country. If what they bring with them is an evangelizing religion that claims, however fatuously, to be the answer to all of mankind’s little problems, a religion moreover that has a very strong hold over them and that is maintained by an effective system of social ostracism in the event of dissent, they will obviously have more difficulty integrating than if they have no such religion.

Raspail’s flawed novel is an illustration of an elementary political principle. For a liberal democracy to work, there must be a demos; for there to be a demos, there must be something more in common among them than living geographically cheek-by-jowl (without at the same time demanding an absolute uniformity). To import huge numbers of people who do not share, and indeed are resistant to sharing, the minimum that holds a demos together is inimical to liberal democracy.

In this most important sense Jean Raspail was visionary, even if he did not correctly identify the source of the greatest threat. Perhaps the most revealing thing in the book is his account, in the essay that precedes the novel, of how prominent political figures either ignored or repudiated The Camp of the Saints in public, but agreed with it in private. It proved to be a disastrous disjunction.

It’s the good Dr. Dalrymple, so read the whole thing.

UPDATE: Éric Zemmour’s The Suicide of France. The definitive account of France after de Gaulle is now available in English.

UPDATE (4/21/26): The same lefties who rail against banned books everywhere rejoiced yesterday when Amazon banned the paperback edition of Ethan Rundell’s 2025 translation of The Camp of the Saints. Amazon has since made the book available for purchase again: Amazon Didn’t Ban The Camp Of The Saints Because It’s ‘Offensive’ But Because It Resonates.

Posted at 2:22 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 21st, 2026

CHANGE: “Alan Dershowitz … Republican? Yes. Not independent. Not disaffected. The famed appellate attorney and Harvard con-law professor has not just renounced his lifelong political affiliation, but Dersh has signed up for the other team. What happened?”

October 7th and the Corbynization of the Democratic Party spreading like wildfire are what happened. Read the whole thing.

For a contrarian take, Christopher Rufo has you covered:

Posted at 12:30 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 21st, 2026

April 20, 2026

CHRISTIAN TOTO: Logan’s Run at 50: Dystopian Classic Never More Relevant.

When the system turns on Logan, as it does for John Anderton in the similar “Minority Report” (2002), Logan basically takes Anderton’s two-word advice: Everybody Runs.

On the glittery surface, this sci-fi hit is very of its time but, even at its silliest (arguably the snow-crusted scene that bridges the second and third acts), “Logan’s Run” never lacks spectacle and, more importantly, rich ideas.

Anderson’s film is among the many futurist dramas with actors in jumpsuits, obvious special effects and a tendency to be campy. “Logan’s Run” is no different in that respect, as the crowd scenes resemble a ’70s-themed costume party.

However, the third act is so smart and surprising, it elevates everything that came before it and manages to keep this soaring until the end.

Given its underlying themes of overpopulation, famine, and zero population growth to explain why mankind was reduced to people under 30 living in bio-domes, Logan’s Run was the last of the 1970s films were sci-fi is used as a metaphor to explain all the woes that seventies-era doomsday leftists imagined awaited us on the road to the 21st century. While not ecology-oriented, George Lucas also had a leftist theme for Star Wars, but he was smart enough to bury it deep in the film’s subtext, and a result, his movie revolutionized Hollywood. After Star Wars, every major studio had movies with miniature spaceships filmed in front of green-screens for the next six years.

Exit question asked and answered:

Posted at 6:55 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 20th, 2026

KILL ‘EM ALL, LET PALPATINE SORT IT OUT:

On Friday, I finally saw Project Hail Mary. Its efforts at detailed SF worldbuilding and distinct lack of a “Mary Sue” character stand in stark contrast to the Kathleen Kennedy-era Star Wars movies. Speaking of which, I wonder how Solo: A Star Wars Story would have turned out if Kennedy hadn’t fired its co-directors — who went on to make Project Hail Mary. 

Posted at 2:35 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 20th, 2026

GONNA CRY! Elise Stefanik Turns Jake Tapper Into a Simpering Mess Over Trump/Iran and It’s GLORIOUS (Vid).

Rep. Elise Stefanik took Jake Tapper to the cleaners… just one look at his pouty, cranky, smug little face while she was going off about his claims that Trump had called for genocide against Iran, and you know she had him where she wanted him.

And where he did not want to be.

Watch this:

As Stefanik tells Jake, “President Trump effectively brought the Iranians to the table. He effectively delivered a ceasefire.”

Would that be a bad thing from CNN’s leftist point of view? CNN’s Man in Iran Tacitly Admits He Had a ‘Minder’ Who Informed Regime.

To answer that question, it’s worth noting:

 

Posted at 2:22 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 20th, 2026

NEWS YOU CAN USE? Skunk Works Is Looking for a U-2 Pilot.

When I was a kid, I never thought so many of the Air Force planes of my youth — the C-130, the U-2, the Warthog, and of course the B-52, would still be flying well into the 21st century.

Posted at 1:35 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 20th, 2026

THE CORBYNIZATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONTINUES APACE: Michigan Dems Nominate Lawyer Who Praised Hezbollah, Called Israelis ‘Demons’ for Powerful University Post.

Michigan Democrats nominated Amir Makled, a radical Dearborn-based lawyer, for the University of Michigan Board of Regents over incumbent Jordan Acker, a Jewish board member who has faced intense backlash for his support of Israel.

Makled secured the nomination for one of the board’s two open seats at the Democrat’s convention on Sunday and will appear on the general election ballot in November. The eight-person board governs the University of Michigan, the state’s largest university and flagship public school.

Throughout his campaign, Makled argued that the university should divest from Israel. In recent years the left-wing lawyer has taken to praising the U.S.-designated terror group Hezbollah and attacking Israel in antisemitic terms on social media. In one since-deleted tweet, surfaced by the Detroit News, Makled described Hezbollah official Abu Ali Khalil, who was killed in a June 2025 Israeli airstrike, as “a martyr on the road to Jerusalem.” In another post, Makled referred to Hezbollah’s former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, as a “martyr.”

Makled also reposted and then deleted a message on X praising Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in June 2020. Makled used the honorific “Haj” ahead of Soleimani’s name, a title of respect given to a Muslim person who successfully completes the Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca. As commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, Soleimani directed terror operations that claimed thousands of lives across the Middle East and around the world.

Makled also reposted social media posts from far-right influencer Candace Owens, including one post in which Owens referred to Israelis as “demons.”

The 21st century isn’t turning out as I had hoped, to coin an Insta-phrase:

 

Posted at 1:22 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 20th, 2026

DECLINE IS A CHOICE.

How It Started: The real SAS Rogue Heroes: the true stories behind the WW2 drama.

How It’s Going:

Posted at 12:30 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 20th, 2026

GOODER AND HARDER, FUN CITY: New York City Isn’t Prepared for a Recession.

In mid-February, just seven weeks into office, New York City Mayor Zohran K. Mamdani delivered somber news to state legislators: the city faces a $5.4 billion deficit for the fiscal year beginning July 1, the result, he said, “of budgetary failures of the past.” Even after spending cuts, he argued, the state should raise income and business taxes and transfer the proceeds to the city immediately—“the most direct route out of this budget crisis.” Thankfully for New Yorkers, the mayor was mostly bluffing: this year’s budget gap is manageable, and the city faces no acute emergency.

But Mamdani’s push unwittingly raised a graver point: If things are this strained when the global, state, and local economies are nominally doing all right, and when city tax revenues are therefore rising, what would happen if the city entered a recession—historically, a matter not of if but when?

No modern New York mayor, save for Mamdani’s one-term predecessor, Eric L. Adams, has avoided a downturn, and the economy is overdue for one. Aside from the sharp unemployment spike caused by the Covid-19 lockdowns in the spring of 2020, the U.S. economy has not experienced a normal cyclical recession since 2008, nearly two decades ago. And no modern mayor is less equipped than Mamdani to grapple with an economic and fiscal crisis.

After attacking him during the mayoral race, Mamdani has wisely attempted to buddy-up to Trump. Will that be enough to prevent the “TRUMP TO CITY: DROP DEAD” headlines that are sure to follow from New York’s tabloids?

Posted at 12:00 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 20th, 2026

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

Posted at 10:35 am by Ed Driscoll on Apr 20th, 2026

April 19, 2026

CHANGE:

In 2017, Mark Hemingway wrote at the Federalist, “We All Need To Admit That America Has A Tattoo Problem.”

Sooner or later, it was obvious that the most visible members of pop culture would shift in the other direction, leaving everyday people who got inked up following their lead begin to look silly. Especially: New evidence undercuts Senate candidate Platner’s claims that he didn’t know tattoo was Nazi-linked.

Deleted social media comments and an interview with an acquaintance undercut Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s claims this week that he only recently learned that a tattoo on his chest had Nazi origins.

A KFile investigation has uncovered mounting evidence that Platner — a Marine veteran— was aware of and defended the use of Nazi symbolism that had come to be embraced by some members of the military.

In one thread from 2019, Platner weighed in on a conversation about the “Totenkopf” — the skull-and-crossbones emblem worn by Nazi SS units that his own tattoo would later draw scrutiny for resembling — to note that many US service members had adopted similar imagery, such as the Punisher skull used by some Navy SEALs.

Using his longtime Reddit handle P-Hustle, the former Marine infantryman and future Democratic Senate hopeful also argued in a 2020 online discussion that “SS” lightning-bolt tattoos were a “culture” marker within Marine Scout Sniper units, not an expression of White supremacist ideology.

Earlier: Far Left Maine Senate Candidate Compares U.S. Marines to Nazi Party.

UPDATE:

Posted at 7:45 am by Ed Driscoll on Apr 19th, 2026

April 18, 2026

LEFTY LOVE BOAT: Greta Thunberg’s freedom flotilla rocked by sexual misconduct allegations.

They’re going to need a bigger boat!

Greta Thunberg’s freedom flotilla, which set sail from Barcelona Sunday for another anti-Israel voyage to Gaza, has been rocked by scandal after one of its woke leaders was accused of “sexual misconduct” with at least three volunteers.

“A senior leader within the flotilla — a member of the steering committee, the highest governing body of the organization — engaged in sexual relations with multiple activists while on the boat heading to Gaza. Not one person. Not two. Three different individuals,” claimed Palestinian group Heart of Falastin in a social media post earlier this week.

“To do it on the boat, while heading to a nation undergoing genocide, with volunteers who are under your authority . . . is a clear violation of ethics and power.”

One Brazilian group named the alleged horndog as activist Thiago Avila.

“On a ship carrying humanitarian aid, a Brazilian shows up with his d–k swinging and the only thing he manages to do is f–k and get arrested,” Anti Esquerda Esquerda Club, a group that describes itself as criticizing the left from the left, wrote on X Tuesday, pointing the finger at Avila — and referring to the Israeli Navy intercepting the flotilla and taking activists into custody.

It’s a shame that Saturday Night Live is no longer a comedy/satire show — a parody of the Love Boat with Greta Thunberg as “your cruise director,” alongside extras shouting “death to America” would be loads of fun.

Posted at 5:44 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 18th, 2026

THIS IS CNN: CNN’s Christiane Amanpour issues crazed response to Hegseth criticism of the media.

Posted at 10:22 am by Ed Driscoll on Apr 18th, 2026

April 17, 2026

WHY DID SESAME STREET GET THE WORKS? THAT’S NOBODY’S BUSINESS BUT THE TURKS:

Elmo has apparently been halal for a while now. From February: Elmo Wishes Ramadan Mubarak to All of His Friends.

As you’ve undoubtedly seen, it’s that time of year when politicians wish a blessed Ramadan to their constituents. As Twitchy reported, Rep. Sharice Davids copied and pasted her Ramadan Mubarak post, sending her best wishes to all of her Muslim neighbors in Nassau County … which doesn’t exist in Kansas. A lot of time and care go into these things.

A lot of people noted that Ash Wednesday sort of flew under the radar in favor of Ramadan. Louisville, Kentucky, Mayor Craig Greenberg lit up the Big Four Bridge in honor of Ramadan.

* * * * * * * *

Now, Elmo wishes a blessed Ramadan to all of his friends. Yes, we searched his timeline, too, and came up empty.

To be fair, it was a pretty schizophrenic February for the furry little bugger: No Bueno! Elmo Has Some ‘Splainin’ to Do After Creepy Reaction to Bad Bunny’s Very Adult Super Bowl Set.

Posted at 4:14 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 17th, 2026

April 16, 2026

“IT WAS ALWAYS THE WOMEN, AND ABOVE ALL THE YOUNG ONES, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies and nosers-out of unorthodoxy:” “Young women are trying to conserve an ideology they see as the stable bedrock of society, even if it’s actually an acidic collection of delusions that will inevitably destroy society itself. And they’re upset that young men aren’t doing what they see as their role to uphold that order as well. In short, women are natural conservatives. They’re trying to conserve progressivism because it’s the reigning social order and theological governing system of Western civilization. And they’re upset and confused as to why young men aren’t stepping up to uphold it as well.”

Posted at 9:14 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 16th, 2026

MISSISSIPPI BURNING (PAST ENGLAND): Britain Would Be Poorest State In U.S., Mississippi Governor Responds With Vicious One-Liner.

* * * * * * * *

And for those of you who failed geography, there are only 50 states in the Union.

That means if we somehow forgot about Alberta, Canada for a minute and instead annexed Britain to be our 51st state, they would be dead last in terms of income per person.

And let me tell you, there are some pretty poor states in America.

Like Mississippi, for example.

The Magnolia State is in last place on this list, and their governor (who is known for mixing it up on social media), decided to rib our friends across the pond with a good old-fashioned immigration reform joke.

Exit question: “Do you need some air conditioning for that burn?”

More from John Hinderaker of Power Line: Our Poor Relations. “Decline is a choice. Sadly, that is the choice the United Kingdom has made, and there is no sign on the horizon of a reversal.”

Incidentally, note that Mississippi as an economic powerhouse compared to Europe isn’t all that new a development: As Glenn noted in 2002, “More Bad News for Sweden: They’re poorer than the United States — heck, they’re poorer than Mississippi according to a Swedish study — but they also have more crime!”

UPDATE:

Posted at 8:30 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 16th, 2026

LEE SMITH: The Return of the Echo Chamber.

The Trump administration set four clear goals: to eliminate Iran’s navy, most of which is now at the bottom of the sea; further degrade its nuclear and ballistic missiles facilities, much of which have been either destroyed or severely damaged; and end the regime’s support for regional proxies, like Hezbollah, now being rolled up by Israel’s Lebanon campaign.

Trump says he’s ready to end the war, save for one last thing: a thousand pounds of highly enriched uranium (HEU), which the Iranians could conceivably turn into a bomb. The administration knows where it is, buried under the rubble left by a B-2 bomber attack during the June strikes. The Iranians can either hand it over or the U.S. will take it. But, as Vance told the media after returning from Pakistan, the HEU and no enrichment are Trump’s two redlines.

Vance isn’t an Obama mole but as leader of the GOP’s so-called “restraintist”—i.e., isolationist—camp he shares many of the Obama faction’s ambitions and anxieties, especially regarding Israel, its place in our foreign policy and how pro-Israel voters shape our domestic politics. While Obama and his circle are fixated on the Jews, restraintists like Tucker Carlson, Vance’s friend and the man usually credited with the vice president’s meteoric political career, are determined to marginalize evangelical voters.

The Obama faction and Vance’s restraintists are therefore structurally aligned, and the former are confident they have a shot at forcing Trump to accommodate Iran because they’ve got a man on the inside pushing things their way. As Carlson put it: “There are people in the White House … working really hard, really late, trying to fix this, to get a peace, even one that diminishes us.”

In yesterday’s Commentary newsletter, Abe Greenwald wrote of “Trump as the Guardrail:”

While Vance works to ingratiate himself with the delusional right, Trump has cut them off decisively. Theo Von is just about the only one of them whom Trump hasn’t gotten around to attacking. In essence, Trump left Vance with one Israel-basher to endorse, and Vance took the opportunity to endorse him.

Trump, for all his outlandishness, retains some longstanding bedrock presumptions about the world and America’s place in it. He possesses a certain clarity that’s nearly gone extinct in everyone else. Trump knows who’s right and who’s wrong in the Middle East. He knows who our friends and enemies are. He knows that sometimes there’s no substitute for American hard power. And he knows when to cut ties.

Compare that to the next generation of so-called conservatives, with their death threats to a widow, conspiracy theories, Jew-hatred, and a calm institutional voice to legitimize it all.

And don’t even mention the left. The liberal media and the Democratic Party are embracing socialists, Islamists, and those who combine both. Yesterday, their darling of the moment, Hasan Piker, was at Yale defending an “End the American Empire” resolution.

All of which is why Donald Trump looks more and more, however improbable, like the last sane man standing.

Speaking of Tucker:

UPDATE:

Posted at 8:14 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 16th, 2026

THIS WILL END WELL: Hennepin County Attorney Issues Nationwide Arrest Warrant for ICE Agent for Assault.

Related:

UPDATE:

MORE:

Posted at 6:55 pm by Ed Driscoll on Apr 16th, 2026
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