Jul
8
2025

Deserving an Entry in the Libertarian Book of Quotes

Nine words of wisdom right there. And as Bob Dylan might (even now) add: "Watch the parkin’ meters."

Also of note:

  • [Amazon Link]
    (paid link)

    Brush up on your Newspeak. Jim Geraghty notes the latest word from the Trump Administrataion: We have always been at war with Eastasia, and There Is No Jeffrey Epstein ‘Client List’. Back in February, Fox News' John Roberts' interview with Attorney General Pam Bondi:

    Anchor John Roberts: The DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients?

    Attorney General Bondi: It’s sitting on my desk right now to review. That’s been a directive by President Trump. I’m reviewing that, I’m reviewing JFK files, MLK files, That’s all in the process of being reviewed, because that was done at the directive of the president from all of these agencies.

    And now it seems that was bullshit. Jim goes on to then-and-now quote Dan Bongino similarly. (Then: loudmouth podcaster; Now: FBI Deputy Director.) Bottom line:

    We have a lot of people in our government who lie, and who don’t really think there’s anything all that wrong about lying. They don’t think it’s wrong to lie about sexual abuse. They don’t think it’s wrong to claim to have seen evidence that they didn’t see and that apparently never existed. They don’t see any contradiction in making media appearances for years, making accusations of the most salacious and notorious crimes, and then, once they’re in a position of power and authority to bring criminal charges, shrugging their shoulders and announcing that there’s no evidence.

    They think you will be just fine with all of this.

    And when you object, they will claim you don’t appreciate their hard work and sacrifice.

    It might be a good time to review (or re-view) Harry Frankfurt's classic book. Amazon link above and to your right,

  • Accompanied, as usual, with much signaling of virtue. Jack Butler is not impressed: The Left’s Rediscovery of the Founding Is Opportunistic and Shallow. (NR gifted link)

    The Fourth of July weekend is an especially fitting time for patriotic displays. It is meant to celebrate the nation’s Founding and its principles on the anniversary of the occasion of its self-declared separation from England. Ostensibly animated by this spirit, many on the left have spent the past few days protesting Donald Trump’s actions as president on the basis that we have “no kings” in this country, echoing similar protests just a few weeks ago.

    That they are doing so nearly 250 years after the Declaration of Independence shows the endurance of the Founding era as an essential part of our politics. The left is welcome to attempt to invoke it. But the nature of this attempt, weighed against both immediate and more distant history, makes it awfully convenient — and fundamentally flawed.

    There has been a certain whiplash in the left’s treatment of the trappings of patriotism. Now, some on the left are embracing Revolutionary garb. In the American Prospect earlier this year, Harold Meyerson called for protesters embracing the Founding to protest Trump to “have some fifes and drums, some three-cornered hats.” For true fealty to our “patriotic heritage,” they could perhaps add “some burnings in effigy, that sort of thing.” When the Tea Party embraced such trappings, however, it met accusations of racism from the left. The NAACP condemned “its drive to push our country back to the pre-civil rights era.” And I’ve straight-up lost track of whether patriotic flags are acceptable.

    To put it mildly: don't believe 'em.

  • The right time to listen to politicians after natural disasters is "never". Roger Pielke Jr., however, is not a politician, so check out his take on the latest horror: The Texas Flash Floods.

    Before getting to relevant data and research, my view — This tragedy occurred in a location that has among the greatest risks in the nation of flash flooding, where kids in summer camps have previously been swept away to their deaths, and where warning systems are (apparently and incredibly) not in place. This tragedy never should have happened and it should never happen again.

    Among other things, Roger shares an Accuweather graphic from 2022 calling the area "Flash Flood Alley".

  • Following in the moccasin-shod footsteps of Elizabeth Warren. Robby Soave points out Colleges created a diversity box-ticking game—Zohran Mamdani just played it.

    Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Party's newly minted candidate to be the next mayor of New York City, found himself in some hot water last week after The New York Times reported that he claimed to be both "Asian" and "Black or African American" on his college application to Columbia University in 2009.

    Mamdani holds U.S. citizenship, but was born in Uganda to Indian parents. He is African, and he is American, but he is definitely not black, which is what the term "African American" implies.

    The news prompted criticism of Mamdani from some black New Yorkers, including incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is actually black, and who is running for re-election as an independent. "The African American identity is not a checkbox of convenience," he declared in a statement. "It's a history, a struggle and a lived experience. For someone to exploit that for personal gain is deeply offensive."

    By personal gain, Adams means Columbia University's race-conscious admissions policies, which awarded preferential treatment to certain applicants on the basis of race. Or, in plain English, the university discriminated in favor of prospective students who were black, Hispanic, or Native American. Checking the "Black or African American" box would have earned Mamdani extra points toward admission at the time. (Mamdani ultimately failed to gain admission.)

    I endorse Robby's conclusion: "If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at colleges that incentivize applicants to be misleading about their skin pigmentation because false value is assigned to it."