One of the biggest influences in my life is when I moved from suburban Boston to teach school in a rural farming community in Ohio. That was over fifty years ago. I had presumed that these farmers were intellectually stilted and largely uneducated. Boy, was I wrong! In retrospect, I realized how stilted Boston was.
I thought about it, and I think the difference is that farmers in a small community know that they must deal with natural reality. They can't pass a law to make it rain. Or not rain. They deal with the reality constantly. They know each other and cooperate with each other.
In Boston, and in other such places, they think they can imagine new realities to suit themselves They are legends in their own minds. They have no idea how much they don't know.
Because intellectuals only understand limits and consequences in theory
and not in physicality, they do not impose limits and consequences within their families, their businesses academia, etc. They welcome chaos but blame outsiders for their weakness.
The leftists who have succeeded at sequestering themselves away from the physical reality that conservatives know as common sense truth are ignorant but the wanna be intellectual who is exposed to actual reality are in denial and easier to transition away from leftist theory & propaganda and to the literal truth that is actually seen & heard.
You're not missing anything. To have children is the greatest joy in life and gives you a sense of intentional purpose and leaves a legacy for your grandchildren as a job well done.
Sacrifice for others is an intentional decision with lifelong dividends.
While I am certainly not against those who have families and kids as this includes siblings and friends, those of us who stay single can have purpose too. Many, including myself, in the Boomer and Gen X generations are looking after aging parents (easier to do when single), and volunteer a fair amount in the community. Furthermore, when I work I am teaching the younger generations. And do not worry: I am not propagandizing any Woke ideology despite my leftist credentials.
This last sentence stated here isn't necessarily true. There are many people, now in their seventies plus, who have had children for whom they made many sacrifices, and their children don't bother with them, don't even speak to them in most cases. Now don't be too quick to jump to conclusions as in, "Well, what is it that the parents have done to cause the children to abandon their elderly parents?" In the majority of cases there is no good reason, other than the parents are old and may need some help.
You cannot discount the natural evil that exists in mankind. No matter what good treatment, or even discipline is given to some types of people, they will be what they are, and will practice their hatred, especially on the weak and vulnerable. So I have to disagree that "Sacrifice for others" yields lifelong dividends. What I do believe is that sacrifice for others will go a long way in correctly owning the name "Christian" and will definitely earn merit with the Lord Jesus Christ. But to expect any rewards in this life is naive.
You seldom fail to intrigue and uplift me, Chris. Today is more of that. You should consider the subtitle for your column; “Food for thought” because you always furnish a feast.
I agree! I felt this way about his piece on pro hamas college campuses…. he provides windows into worlds….fascinating stuff. Man on the ground reporting in on what he sees. this is real journalism!
Underrated comment - I would say only the Gulch without the atheism, and often keeping the day job without buying into it. I work at an organization with an insanely woke culture and have conversations two or three times a week with senior colleagues who recognize the "leadership" is nuts, and we do our jobs without paying really any attention to the latest batty thing.
...so I had to look up the meaning of 'patristic'. "of or relating to the fathers of the Christian church or their writings."
I can picture the hate-filled spittle on the chin of at least 2/3 of the single women over 30 where I live responding to this article, "PATRIARCHY ISN'T BAD ENOUGH!??!?!??!?! NOW WE WANT TO GIVE THE CHURCH (I'd bold here if I could) PATRIACHY AN ENTIRE SHELF IN THIS BOOK STORE?!?!?!?!
He's onto something, for sure. Indifference is deadly, and sadly is way way way more prevalent than anything coming close to 'toxic masculinity'. Broad generalization, but toxic masculinity is just code for boers, brutes, asshats, bullies. We've all had to deal with them from time to time, but they are the exception not the rule.
I really appreciate the suggestion. I'm adding American Reformer to my bookmarks.
The Church Fathers are a hidden gem. But since they've fallen so far out of favor, it's hard to find print versions of their books anymore. Fortunately, there's a substantial body of public domain audiobooks freely available --
This looks beautiful to me. And hopeful. Young people are having babies and they are learning the skills of survival which can cushion them and help their children and families if [really, WHEN] the USA changes as it will change.
I just ordered a CS Lewis and GK Chesterton book from that site. Everything about what you said in the article resonated with me in a way I can’t quite explain.
I think the truest things in life are unexplainable.
Explain truth, beauty, and goodness. Impossible.
We do this event each year at a high school that overlooks the Puget Sound. The school looks like Hogwarts. Our event is we race up and down the stairs of this 125 year old concrete bowl--built WAY before OSHA--super steep, no hand rails, 12-15 inch rise in the stairs--it is a vomit fest. Ok, not a fest, but for past 13 years someone always hurls. I love it. It is the effort not the outcome.
It is so damn inspiring to witness hundreds of people SUFFER without quitting. Beautiful.
Ineffable. No way to explain it sufficiently, one must be inside the bowl to feel it. Life changing.
Sadly, language is a poor way to communicate the most important truths.Weird.
Andrew Breitbart famously expostulated that “politics is down stream from culture”. As much as I am a “political junkie” and voraciously read everything I think the choices are active physical engagement or withdrawal. I have read many recent pieces promoting withdrawal and creating healthy alternate institutions. This seems wise.
It’s simple: at this point it’s easier to build new structures than try to fix an existing structure that’s held together by self-assured incompetent people who clearly know what’s best for everyone, no matter how many of their policies make life worse for normal people.
2.2 million federal employees, backed by state propaganda and media outlets and NGOs all funded by billionaires who want a pliable, compliant population.
They want to stay asleep, so let them. We have to quietly build our own system
In view of the fact that the federal government now has more guns than the US Army and Marine Corps combined, I gather you are suggesting a rather robust system?
I live in a village that has, pretty much, cleaved itself away from urban thought. I posted a couple of days ago that I no longer feel a part of that world. I like it that way and so do most of my neighbors and friends. We're just fine out here on the lake.
Interestingly, here on the Left Coast there are several communities who are vocal about withdrawing (seceding?) from their domineering ultra-blue major urban states. The "State of Jefferson" in northern California and the eastern Oregon counties that want to become part of Idaho come to mind. Unfortunately, neither has a snowball's chance in Hell as the "Blues" control the state governments and will never allow it.
Since the SCOTUS required state senates to be population representative rather than land mass representative, the cities have voted to destroy the states and there has been nothing the rural population can do about it.
It isn’t just the elite in their provincial hideaways be they Park Avenue on the upper east side, Hamptons, palm Beach, (even the Adirondack Mountains can’t escape them ergo the Ausable Club) and on and on it goes. But this lot have seeped their decadence into everything we see and know. The US Marine Corps is in a fight for its life, a traitor in our small midsts tried to trade out, some older and sage General officers who saw combat as young men and know the trade craft of what being a Marine is are trying to save it. Pray for them. Or, perhaps better still throw in a prayer or whatever works for you that supports this deepening of a culture that cares less about the distractions of the decandent and more about living life in the full. For me, I am following my old man’s advice…”sprinkle some water on it…maybe something will grow.” No doubt all here get the analogy.
Would welcome a more detailed description of what's happening inside the Marine Corps -- I don't know anything about the internal fight you're describing.
JT, regardless of branch, you served and for a long stretch. You gave when others refused, ran and hid. Regardless, Your reward is that NO ONE can take your experience in life away from you, try as all these demonic decadent fools may try. As a Marine, what has happened to the Corps is quite serious, but a bunch of us are fighting back. So seeing you here, and reading about the up and comers cutting their own wake through grey water is quite encouraging. They can try, but they kill is all! For us veterans Henry the V always rings true, “We few, we happy few.”
Years ago I was TDY in Hawaii, staying at the Hale Koa as many here likely have. The school was a PME-military ed--for field grades.
I walk onto the beach and see this little bar on the beach. I, of course, belly up to the bar next to this guy that looks 'like me'. Military hair. Late 30-something. Widows peak. Khaki shorts & collared shirt...
I look over at him and ask, "Army?"
He answers, "No. I play Varsity."
I LAUGHED AND LAUGHED AND LAUGHED AND LAUGHED--HELL, I'M LAUGHING AGAIN NOW JUST THINKING ABOUT IT.
That was so damn funny! I knew EXACTLY what he meant. He was a Marine Officer! Not a dirty, nasty Army officer. Oh Gawd that slayed me!
Another friend of mine is USNA, USMC Infantry. He once said to me, "When I was a young belt-fed Lieutenant, I knew there were only two types of military officers: USMC Infantry Officers, and everyone else."
Again, laughing and laughing--and also knowing they are both saying truth. God Bless the United States Marine Corps.
The metropolises don't have the punkiness and eccentricity, or even hipsterness, they had before 2005, or whenever that turning point happened. Homeless people and/or desolate drug addicts are the closest thing left. The "isolated independent businesses" that used to be abundant in cities like L.A.--record stores, bookstores, dive bars, weird restaurants--seem to have almost vanished.
Maybe you have/had more small businesses than we do here. If it's a small business here, it's usually a restaurant/diner/other food shop. There are very few independent stores here outside a couple 3 thrift stores. Most are national chains. It's such a shame the beautiful, exciting America of my childhood and adolescence is now generic. The people are mostly generic, too, as are our speech patterns now. I find it quite disgusting.
COVID killed many "isolated independent businesses". I believe that this may have started innocently, but rapidly became a "feature" and not a "bug". The Targets and the Walmarts never closed for a day.
You’re not imagining things. Most of those places close up because governments have raised the cost of doing business. Between the property taxes and the license fees the costs have forced most of the out of business. And even the ones that tried to suck it up ran into a related problem in that their employees had to leave because the job couldn’t cover their own increased rents/ taxes.
And it isn’t just quirky businesses. I’ve been playing rec baseball for over 30 years and we’ve been having a hard time getting fields, especially with lights for night games. These are municipal parks but the charge so much for a permit we found out some of the towns would rather let it be idle that pay someone to cut the grass. We offered to do the upkeep for a reduced rate and they adamantly refused. So if you’re noticing fewer softball and baseball games in the parks over the years, its for the same reason as everything else. We literally have fields in our league that have as much as 50 miles between them because that it how far out we have to go to get them.
Frederick Douglass once brilliantly noted that US civil society is based on only three boxes: The Ballot Box, The Jury Box, and the Cartridge Box. We have clearly lost any faith in the ballot box and the current administration has, quite deliberately, destroyed the jury box. There is only one box left -- that does not require a shooting war, but does mean some kind of separation into the people who care about life and those who care about other things. Some of that is clearly happening ad hoc in the hinterlands, but that will have to coalesce into groups large enough to not be oppressed by the deep state when they decide to do so. (Those people Chris describes would be crushed if the state ever decides to be interested in them -- check out the Amish farmers in Pennsylvania.) The time is coming.
I want to encourage you to keep doing what you’re doing. You have a unique and necessary voice. This piece will be, I hope, a welcome affirmation for many of your readers. I am a Coloradan by choice. The Californication of our great state is an outrage. We are trying to exist in Boulder behind enemy lines, with our forbidden flags.
It’s all the classic bully situation. The bully only changes course when their actions result in pain or injury to themselves. Until then they keep going and in fact ramp up their bullying behavior. So far the only response the bully has received are very strongly worded statements. They laugh their asses off and indict more of their enemies. When is someone going to punch them in the nose? A good first start would be for the House Sargent of Arms to place Garland under arrest the next time he steps on the capital grounds to enforce the contempt of Congress charge. I have it from very strong authority that “no one is above the law”!
Don't be. The international coalescence against our oppressors weakens them by the day, even as it provides options for internationalizing both our political action and our economic solutions. Now they look at the population, who sees their iron fist fail internationally again and again... and they're wondering if they can really hold on, or whether this becomes an Afghanistan-level disintegration.
Sadly, I do not believe the Left will abide withdrawal, separation, hunkering down or self-imposed quarantine...(we know they’ll abide the other kind of quarantine).
People who are happy with their lives project to those who aren’t the message that there is a better way. This message leads to dissatisfaction which then leads to disaffection with those in power...and that’s the one thing the Left cannot and will not tolerate!
Just as freedom is anathema to communism, happiness is anathema to the Left!
You're right, I fear. We are true reactionaries in that we would gladly avoid engagement with them, but they are relentless in their aggressiveness. Still, there is strength in numbers and more in networks.
I predict that the carrier pigeon will make a comeback.
"My impression of the American ruling class is that it has become a gathering of performatively cosmopolitan provincials, descending into ignorance and epistemic closure. "
I think your impression is correct. Ruling classes everywhere and throughout history fit that description, but historically Americans have been wary of a ruling class. No more! Americans have become addicted to government handouts and have come to embrace a ruling class. At least, a majority of Americans have.
I think it was Tytler who said words to the effect that "Democracy can only exist until the people discover they can vote themselves money from the treasury."
Not just the American ruling class. Just look at the pathetic group portraits from the recent G7 meeting--a dementia patient, Le Petit Roi, Evil Ursula, and a bunch of equally stupid psychopaths. Only the Italian prime minister could pass for normal.
One of the biggest influences in my life is when I moved from suburban Boston to teach school in a rural farming community in Ohio. That was over fifty years ago. I had presumed that these farmers were intellectually stilted and largely uneducated. Boy, was I wrong! In retrospect, I realized how stilted Boston was.
I thought about it, and I think the difference is that farmers in a small community know that they must deal with natural reality. They can't pass a law to make it rain. Or not rain. They deal with the reality constantly. They know each other and cooperate with each other.
In Boston, and in other such places, they think they can imagine new realities to suit themselves They are legends in their own minds. They have no idea how much they don't know.
The farmers understood physical limits and consequences, intellectuals understand this in theory.
Because intellectuals only understand limits and consequences in theory
and not in physicality, they do not impose limits and consequences within their families, their businesses academia, etc. They welcome chaos but blame outsiders for their weakness.
It’s up to American men to Lead The Way.
Rangers lead the way!
More like intellectuals deny this in theory.
The leftists who have succeeded at sequestering themselves away from the physical reality that conservatives know as common sense truth are ignorant but the wanna be intellectual who is exposed to actual reality are in denial and easier to transition away from leftist theory & propaganda and to the literal truth that is actually seen & heard.
So well said
It is a letting go - not my will but Thine be done. It is knowing our limits. We are not all that.
Like!
America has the most intelligent peasants of any nation.
America has the most intelligent peasants of any nation.
America has the most intelligent peasants of any nation.
You're not missing anything. To have children is the greatest joy in life and gives you a sense of intentional purpose and leaves a legacy for your grandchildren as a job well done.
Sacrifice for others is an intentional decision with lifelong dividends.
While I am certainly not against those who have families and kids as this includes siblings and friends, those of us who stay single can have purpose too. Many, including myself, in the Boomer and Gen X generations are looking after aging parents (easier to do when single), and volunteer a fair amount in the community. Furthermore, when I work I am teaching the younger generations. And do not worry: I am not propagandizing any Woke ideology despite my leftist credentials.
Oh I don't disagree. But it is quite a shock having a little munchkin and realizing they are totally effing helpless.
I think what you're doing is just as important.
Absolutely love my nieces and nephews. Lived with my nephews when they were younger. And teaching Elementary kids is much more fun as I get older.
Not worried. For better or worse actual parents will always have much more influence than anyone else in a kids life.
I agree, Ryan. Chris isn’t missing anything, he’s found something that hasn’t been paid attention to, and I thank him for his astute observations.
This last sentence stated here isn't necessarily true. There are many people, now in their seventies plus, who have had children for whom they made many sacrifices, and their children don't bother with them, don't even speak to them in most cases. Now don't be too quick to jump to conclusions as in, "Well, what is it that the parents have done to cause the children to abandon their elderly parents?" In the majority of cases there is no good reason, other than the parents are old and may need some help.
You cannot discount the natural evil that exists in mankind. No matter what good treatment, or even discipline is given to some types of people, they will be what they are, and will practice their hatred, especially on the weak and vulnerable. So I have to disagree that "Sacrifice for others" yields lifelong dividends. What I do believe is that sacrifice for others will go a long way in correctly owning the name "Christian" and will definitely earn merit with the Lord Jesus Christ. But to expect any rewards in this life is naive.
You got me
You seldom fail to intrigue and uplift me, Chris. Today is more of that. You should consider the subtitle for your column; “Food for thought” because you always furnish a feast.
Cornucopia of common sense
Good one!
I agree! I felt this way about his piece on pro hamas college campuses…. he provides windows into worlds….fascinating stuff. Man on the ground reporting in on what he sees. this is real journalism!
Galt's Gulch is all over, invisible unless you have the eyes for it.
Underrated comment - I would say only the Gulch without the atheism, and often keeping the day job without buying into it. I work at an organization with an insanely woke culture and have conversations two or three times a week with senior colleagues who recognize the "leadership" is nuts, and we do our jobs without paying really any attention to the latest batty thing.
LIKE
This was fantastic. The travelogue we need! Thank you!
...so I had to look up the meaning of 'patristic'. "of or relating to the fathers of the Christian church or their writings."
I can picture the hate-filled spittle on the chin of at least 2/3 of the single women over 30 where I live responding to this article, "PATRIARCHY ISN'T BAD ENOUGH!??!?!??!?! NOW WE WANT TO GIVE THE CHURCH (I'd bold here if I could) PATRIACHY AN ENTIRE SHELF IN THIS BOOK STORE?!?!?!?!
BURN IT ALL DOWN!!!"
Thanks for the article Chris. It gave me hope.
bsn
Brian, I know an article which you may enjoy. It's at American Reformer. The name of the article is "Toxic Apathy," and the author is Logan Smith.
Thanks Bobby! You're right, I did enjoy it. So much I'm pasting it here:
https://americanreformer.org/2024/06/toxic-apathy/
He's onto something, for sure. Indifference is deadly, and sadly is way way way more prevalent than anything coming close to 'toxic masculinity'. Broad generalization, but toxic masculinity is just code for boers, brutes, asshats, bullies. We've all had to deal with them from time to time, but they are the exception not the rule.
I really appreciate the suggestion. I'm adding American Reformer to my bookmarks.
bsn
Boor, brut, asshat, bully.
So, you've met my cousin, Donald.
The Church Fathers are a hidden gem. But since they've fallen so far out of favor, it's hard to find print versions of their books anymore. Fortunately, there's a substantial body of public domain audiobooks freely available --
https://fatrabbitiron.substack.com/p/secede-church-fathers
This looks beautiful to me. And hopeful. Young people are having babies and they are learning the skills of survival which can cushion them and help their children and families if [really, WHEN] the USA changes as it will change.
I just ordered a CS Lewis and GK Chesterton book from that site. Everything about what you said in the article resonated with me in a way I can’t quite explain.
I think the truest things in life are unexplainable.
Explain truth, beauty, and goodness. Impossible.
We do this event each year at a high school that overlooks the Puget Sound. The school looks like Hogwarts. Our event is we race up and down the stairs of this 125 year old concrete bowl--built WAY before OSHA--super steep, no hand rails, 12-15 inch rise in the stairs--it is a vomit fest. Ok, not a fest, but for past 13 years someone always hurls. I love it. It is the effort not the outcome.
It is so damn inspiring to witness hundreds of people SUFFER without quitting. Beautiful.
Ineffable. No way to explain it sufficiently, one must be inside the bowl to feel it. Life changing.
Sadly, language is a poor way to communicate the most important truths.Weird.
bsn
Me too. And like another person said “ it gave me hope!”
You’re not missing anything. This is why we homeschooled five kids.
I can almost see Karen driving by, seeing your 5 kids and thinking to herself, "OMG, they're destroying our environment!"
(Karen was thinking to herself because no one else could stand to be around her!)
lol
We homeschooled 4 kids, here in Southern California. We were definitely an anomaly.
Andrew Breitbart famously expostulated that “politics is down stream from culture”. As much as I am a “political junkie” and voraciously read everything I think the choices are active physical engagement or withdrawal. I have read many recent pieces promoting withdrawal and creating healthy alternate institutions. This seems wise.
It’s simple: at this point it’s easier to build new structures than try to fix an existing structure that’s held together by self-assured incompetent people who clearly know what’s best for everyone, no matter how many of their policies make life worse for normal people.
2.2 million federal employees, backed by state propaganda and media outlets and NGOs all funded by billionaires who want a pliable, compliant population.
They want to stay asleep, so let them. We have to quietly build our own system
SNAP. Exactly
In view of the fact that the federal government now has more guns than the US Army and Marine Corps combined, I gather you are suggesting a rather robust system?
Very robust!
What choice do we have? I really think the differences are irreconcilable.
I don't see that changing. In fact I suspect the chasm is only going to get wider.
I live in a village that has, pretty much, cleaved itself away from urban thought. I posted a couple of days ago that I no longer feel a part of that world. I like it that way and so do most of my neighbors and friends. We're just fine out here on the lake.
Good for you Carily!
👍
periphery trumps the center every time
Interestingly, here on the Left Coast there are several communities who are vocal about withdrawing (seceding?) from their domineering ultra-blue major urban states. The "State of Jefferson" in northern California and the eastern Oregon counties that want to become part of Idaho come to mind. Unfortunately, neither has a snowball's chance in Hell as the "Blues" control the state governments and will never allow it.
They've been trying to make the "State of Jefferson," for many years. I do wish they could make it so.
Since the SCOTUS required state senates to be population representative rather than land mass representative, the cities have voted to destroy the states and there has been nothing the rural population can do about it.
That decision should be overturned.
It isn’t just the elite in their provincial hideaways be they Park Avenue on the upper east side, Hamptons, palm Beach, (even the Adirondack Mountains can’t escape them ergo the Ausable Club) and on and on it goes. But this lot have seeped their decadence into everything we see and know. The US Marine Corps is in a fight for its life, a traitor in our small midsts tried to trade out, some older and sage General officers who saw combat as young men and know the trade craft of what being a Marine is are trying to save it. Pray for them. Or, perhaps better still throw in a prayer or whatever works for you that supports this deepening of a culture that cares less about the distractions of the decandent and more about living life in the full. For me, I am following my old man’s advice…”sprinkle some water on it…maybe something will grow.” No doubt all here get the analogy.
Yes, the Marines may very well be our last great hope...as a 25 year Nxxx vet, I'm now embarrassed to admit which service I was in.
Would welcome a more detailed description of what's happening inside the Marine Corps -- I don't know anything about the internal fight you're describing.
JT, regardless of branch, you served and for a long stretch. You gave when others refused, ran and hid. Regardless, Your reward is that NO ONE can take your experience in life away from you, try as all these demonic decadent fools may try. As a Marine, what has happened to the Corps is quite serious, but a bunch of us are fighting back. So seeing you here, and reading about the up and comers cutting their own wake through grey water is quite encouraging. They can try, but they kill is all! For us veterans Henry the V always rings true, “We few, we happy few.”
Go Navy!!! 💦🐳🏖⚓🌊☸ 🔱🏴☠️ c-🐝
Years ago I was TDY in Hawaii, staying at the Hale Koa as many here likely have. The school was a PME-military ed--for field grades.
I walk onto the beach and see this little bar on the beach. I, of course, belly up to the bar next to this guy that looks 'like me'. Military hair. Late 30-something. Widows peak. Khaki shorts & collared shirt...
I look over at him and ask, "Army?"
He answers, "No. I play Varsity."
I LAUGHED AND LAUGHED AND LAUGHED AND LAUGHED--HELL, I'M LAUGHING AGAIN NOW JUST THINKING ABOUT IT.
That was so damn funny! I knew EXACTLY what he meant. He was a Marine Officer! Not a dirty, nasty Army officer. Oh Gawd that slayed me!
Another friend of mine is USNA, USMC Infantry. He once said to me, "When I was a young belt-fed Lieutenant, I knew there were only two types of military officers: USMC Infantry Officers, and everyone else."
Again, laughing and laughing--and also knowing they are both saying truth. God Bless the United States Marine Corps.
bsn
That was funny
The metropolises don't have the punkiness and eccentricity, or even hipsterness, they had before 2005, or whenever that turning point happened. Homeless people and/or desolate drug addicts are the closest thing left. The "isolated independent businesses" that used to be abundant in cities like L.A.--record stores, bookstores, dive bars, weird restaurants--seem to have almost vanished.
I see this very clearly, every day. The cities are becoming boring.
Maybe you have/had more small businesses than we do here. If it's a small business here, it's usually a restaurant/diner/other food shop. There are very few independent stores here outside a couple 3 thrift stores. Most are national chains. It's such a shame the beautiful, exciting America of my childhood and adolescence is now generic. The people are mostly generic, too, as are our speech patterns now. I find it quite disgusting.
Exactly
LIKE
COVID killed many "isolated independent businesses". I believe that this may have started innocently, but rapidly became a "feature" and not a "bug". The Targets and the Walmarts never closed for a day.
Biggest wealth transfer of all time...just like Too Big ToFail!
So easy to see from the very beginning of the scamdemic when they substituted masks for distance.
TRUE
You’re not imagining things. Most of those places close up because governments have raised the cost of doing business. Between the property taxes and the license fees the costs have forced most of the out of business. And even the ones that tried to suck it up ran into a related problem in that their employees had to leave because the job couldn’t cover their own increased rents/ taxes.
And it isn’t just quirky businesses. I’ve been playing rec baseball for over 30 years and we’ve been having a hard time getting fields, especially with lights for night games. These are municipal parks but the charge so much for a permit we found out some of the towns would rather let it be idle that pay someone to cut the grass. We offered to do the upkeep for a reduced rate and they adamantly refused. So if you’re noticing fewer softball and baseball games in the parks over the years, its for the same reason as everything else. We literally have fields in our league that have as much as 50 miles between them because that it how far out we have to go to get them.
Frederick Douglass once brilliantly noted that US civil society is based on only three boxes: The Ballot Box, The Jury Box, and the Cartridge Box. We have clearly lost any faith in the ballot box and the current administration has, quite deliberately, destroyed the jury box. There is only one box left -- that does not require a shooting war, but does mean some kind of separation into the people who care about life and those who care about other things. Some of that is clearly happening ad hoc in the hinterlands, but that will have to coalesce into groups large enough to not be oppressed by the deep state when they decide to do so. (Those people Chris describes would be crushed if the state ever decides to be interested in them -- check out the Amish farmers in Pennsylvania.) The time is coming.
I want to encourage you to keep doing what you’re doing. You have a unique and necessary voice. This piece will be, I hope, a welcome affirmation for many of your readers. I am a Coloradan by choice. The Californication of our great state is an outrage. We are trying to exist in Boulder behind enemy lines, with our forbidden flags.
Keep up the fight
I'm very pessimistic about what's coming. I hope I'm wrong and you and your readers can make fun of me.
It’s all the classic bully situation. The bully only changes course when their actions result in pain or injury to themselves. Until then they keep going and in fact ramp up their bullying behavior. So far the only response the bully has received are very strongly worded statements. They laugh their asses off and indict more of their enemies. When is someone going to punch them in the nose? A good first start would be for the House Sargent of Arms to place Garland under arrest the next time he steps on the capital grounds to enforce the contempt of Congress charge. I have it from very strong authority that “no one is above the law”!
Spot on
Don't be. The international coalescence against our oppressors weakens them by the day, even as it provides options for internationalizing both our political action and our economic solutions. Now they look at the population, who sees their iron fist fail internationally again and again... and they're wondering if they can really hold on, or whether this becomes an Afghanistan-level disintegration.
All the recent backtracks and pullbacks - COVID admissions, Assange freed, Trump verdicts, Chevron overturned, Biden set out for sacrifice, DIE being pushed back. These are not accidents. See: https://blog.reaction.la/politics/julian-assange-is-free-after-five-years-imprisonment-for-reporting-government-spying-on-its-citizens/
This is gonna hurt. Yes. But don't have more confidence in our incompetent status-seeking solipsists than they have in themselves.
Well said.
Sadly, I do not believe the Left will abide withdrawal, separation, hunkering down or self-imposed quarantine...(we know they’ll abide the other kind of quarantine).
People who are happy with their lives project to those who aren’t the message that there is a better way. This message leads to dissatisfaction which then leads to disaffection with those in power...and that’s the one thing the Left cannot and will not tolerate!
Just as freedom is anathema to communism, happiness is anathema to the Left!
You're right, I fear. We are true reactionaries in that we would gladly avoid engagement with them, but they are relentless in their aggressiveness. Still, there is strength in numbers and more in networks.
I predict that the carrier pigeon will make a comeback.
LIKE
"My impression of the American ruling class is that it has become a gathering of performatively cosmopolitan provincials, descending into ignorance and epistemic closure. "
I think your impression is correct. Ruling classes everywhere and throughout history fit that description, but historically Americans have been wary of a ruling class. No more! Americans have become addicted to government handouts and have come to embrace a ruling class. At least, a majority of Americans have.
I think it was Tytler who said words to the effect that "Democracy can only exist until the people discover they can vote themselves money from the treasury."
Not just the American ruling class. Just look at the pathetic group portraits from the recent G7 meeting--a dementia patient, Le Petit Roi, Evil Ursula, and a bunch of equally stupid psychopaths. Only the Italian prime minister could pass for normal.