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I've probably made this comment here before, but I just want to add to fortify Chris' argument, with my only qualification being that my wife is a writer in the NYC/LA Blue Bubble and we know many of the Blue Checkerati:

We are experiencing some sort of fundamentalist moral panic and the only image that comes to mind is a herd of deranged sheep rushing together in a mad rage off the same cliff. There will be no off-ramp or off-switch here, no Joseph Welch moment, no abating of the fervor at least till the Orange Man is dead or exiled to Mar-A-Elba.

The people who write our articles, academic studies, political platforms, as well as movies and TV shows, are simply convinced that they have acheived the One True Morality, that they are better than us because of 1) their academic and professional credentials; and 2) because of their kind pure hearts that bleed Tolerance and Representation, so in their minds there's simply no legitimate way anyone could disagree with them, they would have to be stupid or evil or a bigot (or some combo of the 3).

And so it's very simplified and simple-minded: lash yourself to the mast of the Daily Dogma (aka the Social Justice commandments which also somehow became adherence to Coronamania), never take a step mentally or rhetorically ahead of the pack, be a loyal tribalist first and foremost by displaying constant obedience and constant hatred of opponents and dissenters.

So, yes, a herd of fundamentalist moralists have seized control of the upper reaches of our society, esp our supposed intellectual and culture institutions. All of these spheres (which include academia, corporate media, and art and culture) are lost for at least a generation and will have to be ignored or worked around until they eventually collapse.

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And their work is shit. Everyone I know in LA is embedded in Blue Checkerati cultural industries, and the people with good judgment are REALLY depressed about it. A lot of discussions about early retirement and houses in Tennessee.

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Luckily my wife is a novelist so her income comes from mostly books and while she's had books optioned and scripts bought, she hasn't done a writers' room or been on set, so we've only been watching Hollywood from an outside perch.

But I do have a friend in NYC whose wife is/was a successful NYC theater producer who just retired when she realized that she would have to spend the rest of her career as a racial bean-counter while always looking over her shoulder for the next bigotry accusation that could destroy her for being a person of pallor.

I told him we'll all just have to go full samizdat, and the next great books will be published independently and the next great plays will have to be performed in basements and attics far from they eyes of the ideological enforcers.

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That last paragraph is both accurate and horrifying. I re-read Milan Kundera's novels, a few months ago, and found them remarkably relevant.

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so did I, The Joke was excellent and sadly very relevant.

Also, his nonfiction Testaments Betrayed is an excellent defense of intellectual and creative freedom.

Cheers!

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Today's American art world is reminiscent of 19th century Italy, with all of its censorship. But there was a Verdi. We ain't got a Verdi. We don't have a Tolstoy or a Shostakovich, who had the power to provide counterpoint even in the most dogmatic society. We should be on the lookout for that person who can draw the sword from the stone of American art and wield it.

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Wait, are we saying that Lena Dunham isn't that person?

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"Fundamentalist" indeed. This regressive mode of thinking seems to permeate our culture these days, an exceedingly illiberal mindset arising in what purports to be a liberal culture. At this point in time Western liberalism seems to be an essentially fundamentalist project.

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"so in their minds there's simply no legitimate way anyone could disagree with them, they would have to be stupid or evil or a bigot (or some combo of the 3)"

Exactly. The one and only discernible leftist silly-gism goes like this: "I am a good person. And all good people think alike. Ergo, anyone who disagrees with me is a bad person."

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This is much simpler than we make it out to be. It's good vs. evil. And one tried & true tactic evil uses is to accuse good of doing the very thing that evil is doing at the present or intends to do in the future.

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It's like the thought experiment Socrates responds to in Plato's Republic: if a just man has a reputation for being unjust, while an unjust man has a reputation for being just, is the just man still better off than the unjust man? (Socrates, of course, argues that the just man is better off still.) But that's the dilemma today: be a person of honesty and integrity and principle, and be smeared relentlessly as a liar and grifter, or be a liar and grifter by parroting the evil regime's propaganda and be celebrated as a virtuous truth-teller...but the Truth will be acknowledged. Hopefully it happens sooner rather than later, and hopefully enough people care about Truth for the regime's shills to face real consequences and loss of reputation, but at this point I'm too cynical to expect that will happen in our lifetime.

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Bankruptcy has a tendency to force immediate change.

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Yes and evil has convinced both sides that the other is evil.

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Aug 19, 2022·edited Aug 19, 2022Liked by Chris Bray

For sure. Anyone complicit in mass genocide, mutilation & sexualization of children, the destruction of private property rights, the destruction of US industry & jobs, the pushing of phony climate hysteria and the weaponization of federal government for any purpose is on the evil side of the ledger. Doesn't matter which political party they are affiliated with. That's why controlled opposition Republicans are getting their heads handed to them at the moment.

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This is probably one of the best descriptions I've seen: "We don’t have two parties that compete; we have a court uniparty and a country opposition, two fragmented parties with increasingly irresolvable factional disputes. The stabilizing forces are gone."

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Aug 19, 2022Liked by Chris Bray

I've often expressed - publicly, loudly, and to the chagrin of my dear loved ones - my belief that we'd be in a much better place if congress went back to regularly beating each other half to death with canes.

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Send them some canes and hope for the best.

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Better yet - let them be caned …

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Lose the 'half' and I'm on board.

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This line owns the Internet for today.

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Pay per view.

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Aug 19, 2022Liked by Chris Bray

For the past 5-10 years, I've just assumed that every breaking news story in the MSM is a lie, or at the very best willfully misreported. So far I don't really think I've gone wrong with this policy.

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I was listening to Minnesota Public Radio yesterday (I know, it is unlistenable, I lasted five minutes) about journalism regaining the respect of the people. The takeaway was, we have to be more positive and talk more about progress and the good things that people are doing. I felt like I heard the EXACT same program on NPR 25 years ago. Totally oblivious to their ceaseless misrepresentation of any truth, their pandering to race and gender postmodernism, or their pathological treatment of everything from Trump to Covid Policy. Hopeless.

BTW, what did you think about the Gascon thing, speaking of lawlessness of the elite and a total lack of accountability?

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The Gascon thing means ongoing misery for lots of people. Really disturbing.

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That they found just enough "invalid" signatures aka about 30% of them to invalidate the proceedings, seems like what I would expect from a one party government in central Africa.

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100% a "fuck you" to the peasants.

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"what'r you going to do about it?" Meanwhile a lot of Dem party intelligentsia have actively been seeding the idea among their partisans that the only way they can possibly lose the midterms is if Republicans steal it. Which I take the Gascon thing as a sign that Democrats see such as their duty to save and preserve democracy.

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But magically, less than 1% of signatures on 2020 mail-in ballots were invalid. I'm sure there's no reason at all for that discrepancy. None at all.

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They voted for the misery.

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Aug 19, 2022Liked by Chris Bray

I honestly think a lot of the problems in this country/world are because most people have never been punched in the face before for saying or doing something stupid. Bring back those consequences and a lot of issues sort themselves out.

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There are no consequences! Ever. For anything. (If you check the right boxes.) If, on the other hand you voted for, or might have voted for the "wrong" candidate, you're f*d!

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I deeply admire Dr. Ryan Cole. I saw him speak in person in Indianapolis December 2021 at a Global Covid Summit meeting. He is desperately trying to save lives. He will prevail.

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Aug 19, 2022Liked by Chris Bray

This is an attack on our republic by globalist in all parties allied with Wall street and the silicone valley elites. Hollywood being their court jesters. They need the the two parties in constant conflict as a distraction. Most of us regardless party truly share the same values. Donald Trump, right or wrong, threatened to upend their great reset. It is time for Americans of all political persuasions to stop arguing with each other. Stop blaming the other side for all our problems. Stop listening to the globalist spin doctors. If not I fear for our country and the future for our children. Our free republic is under assault because it is the primary force that stands between the corrupt globalist’s new world order. This threat is much greater than traditional party politics. We must unite as a country and defeat the true evil before we wake up and no longer recognize or country.

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I don’t think our Republic has been truly free for about 100+ years. When I really digested this reality, I was thinking, where have I been living?

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This should be compulsory reading ! No-one has articulated our local and national situations as well as Chris Bray!! What the hell happened to reason, truth and civil discourse?? Thank you Chris!

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Aug 19, 2022·edited Aug 19, 2022Liked by Chris Bray

Truth. As of this moment. But like the Berlin wall, change happens quickly when the people see a better way of life in their reach. It's up to us on Team Reality to make that vision appear in reach.

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Uh. Team Reality.

The strongest force for reform in the East was the KGB. They knew the truth, they saw the West, Gorbachev was hand picked by Andropov (KGB).

Reform just worked too well and unlike China they didn’t shoot (this is the core difference in 1989 outcomes).

Team Berlin Wall had FRG and Kohl to catch them. Reagan, Thatcher, Solidarity, The Pope, Casey’s CIA, MI6 sapping and undermining the Wall- we have all those forces working AGAINST us, finally other than Internet chats there’s no “us.”

There’s no team.

This is simple repression. Bizarre but so far light repression. Why go further? But they certainly can and probably will. There’s nothing and no one in their way.

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When I served my nation I knew I never wanted to share my foxhole with those who would say something like that. They'd get me killed giving away my position to the enemy running away from the fight, screaming, "all is lost, all is lost." But, hey, you do you. Not around me.

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Lolz, the linguistically challenged - must've been in duh-Army. Sorry, I don't usually speak to unibrows. As a USAF guy we speak more intelligently and use terms like, "foxhole" metaphorically, as in not wanting to be around people who've already lost the battle in their own mind and are ready to surrender to their foes without a fight. I could've gone with "Debbie Downer" for you, but you'd probably have said your name isn't Debbie so you couldn't be a downer. But since I'm Freedom Fox "foxhole" was more appropriate. Lost on you? Fed?

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I’m certain your eyebrows are better groomed than mine, this I’ll concede. But- Slagging other services are we?

Hmm. Provocative, but...

I’m still not buying it.

And you’re coming across as *never been tested * hence the cockiness. Even as act.

Your profile reads either several people working shifts ⬅️⬅️,

or schizo, or a dreamer of great glories, no dirt involved.

Or you’re high.

It can actually be a combination of course.

> The part of the Air Force that faces danger in the air or on the ground doesn’t look down on the Army BTW. But I’m still not buying it. They’re called Fighting Positions kid, log that and pass it on to the next shift.

For any humans still reading, there must be organization to accomplish anything other than drawing retaliation from the powers that be - this is our downfall.

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Short Version. Get F--- D 👁Fed.

Nobody calls them Foxholes IRL.

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That’s quite a counter to the above list of unpleasant hard facts. So - I’m a coward because I’m not cheerleading a Berlin wall fantasy. Do I lose my red Checkmark?

I served too , thanks.

As far as not being blunt around you-

I’m not actually around you.

None of us are around each other.

There’s no we, which is the problem and my point.

We’re not in a foxhole, we’re bullshitting on the internet.

Neither one of us has a position to give away.

You are welcome to do you...I shall continue giving accurate analysis.

by the way...”foxhole”? Why I’ve never heard them called that except in old movies.

You must have served before Desert Storm.

WW2 ? Wow.

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Aug 19, 2022Liked by Chris Bray

Another example is in energy, a field I know well working in the O&G business. Those pushing renewables at all costs will be proven wrong (catastrophically), and those of us trying to push back will continue to be ignored.

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But, ya know, what do we really need energy for anyway?

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Aug 19, 2022Liked by Chris Bray

The Europeans are about to find out this winter!

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Aug 20, 2022Liked by Chris Bray

I'm looking forward to watching that play out. It will be very instructive on a number of levels.

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Aug 19, 2022·edited Aug 20, 2022Liked by Chris Bray

Pat Caddell said it before Trump, and he was right: The corrupt media are enemies of the state and will be the downfall of the US. Sadly, the MSM are worse now than when Caddell was still with us, and if he hadn't already passed, the state of "journalism" today would probably kill him: https://youtu.be/IBR4g6cBYeA?t=148

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Dueling being banned was a mistake at every level.

See Drive by’s.

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Aug 19, 2022Liked by Chris Bray

Inevitable? Lighten up Chris - it's Friday.

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Aug 20, 2022Liked by Chris Bray

Let's begin at the end. You concluded, "Until collapse, which becomes inevitable..."

That collapse is well underway. We have thrown out our constitution, substituting rule by bureaucratic fiat for rule of law. And, adhering to the historically very successful "divide and conquer methodology, we have racialized pretty much everything! I fear we are in the process of doing away with meaningful elections. We have totally destroyed a formerly decent education system, and done away with affordable health care, (for many, if not most). We are in the process of emasculating our military, which only makes sense - as the enemy is now us. You and I. Which is no doubt why we have chosen to militarize so many government departments.

Local police forces, all over the world, are being replaced by well armed para militaries. The US has transferred tens of billions, that's Billions, with a "B", worth of military equipment to police forces in the last couple of decades. My cousin, who spent just under two decades as a policeman, was horrified that his department acquired military hardware including armored vehicles, armed helicopters, heavy weapons, and "way too many things that go bang". And, in his opinion, far, far too little training in, how, OR WHEN, to deploy all that firepower.

It probably makes sense for the IRS to create an army. Every totalitarian state in history has armed it's tax collectors. AND authorized them to employ lethal force. It may even make sense to arm and train the folks who patrol our National Parks. But what about the thousands of semi-trained armed “agents”, with stockpiles of millions of rounds of ammunition, who work for the departments of Education, and Interior, the US Postal Service, the EPA, and by far the most difficult to understand, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The folks who forecast the bloody weather!

But, as my grandfather often said, "this too will pass". There is a future. We don't know exactly how it will look, but there will be a future. Will our current lords and masters be in the driver's seat? Will "the West" still enjoy the highest standard of living the world has ever known? (Rueful chuckle - not very f'ing likely!) But there will be a future.

There is still hope for humanity. Maybe *not* for our current bureaucratic, over medicated, under educated, over sexualized, over credentialed, kleptocratic, mentally ill society - but humanity. People.

There is hope in rural America. And among the peasantry around the world. Country folk, people in rural communities remember the skills taught by our parents and grandparents. We tend our gardens, and put up our harvests in the fall. We kill and cure a hog or two every year. And stock our freezers with beef, or game.

We are not afraid to socialize, after church. We still teach our kids how to make things, and fix things, and to hunt and fish. And to tolerate the "not us".

Yes, there are tough times coming. Yes, many people are going to see a reduction in their standard of living. Many are experiencing them now! But the heartland is still strong. In the words of one of our modern-day poets, "Country folk will survive!"

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Yes to all that, but there've also been a lot of opioid deaths in rural areas. It's like there's a race between the strength and resiliency of rural areas on one hand and the despair induced from the political center on the other. There's a lot to survive, especially when governments explicitly target agriculture for destruction.

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