Feb
18
2026

Honey, Where's That Old Glory Insurance Policy?

For your viewing pleasure, or uneasiness:

Since I'm a geezer, that brought back memories…

Oh, sure. It's all a big joke until the metal ones decide to come for you.

(Fun fact: the SNL ad parody was first aired in November 1995, over 30 years ago.)

Also of note:

  • Probably not coming for you. Virginia Postrel warns of A Plague of Mysterious, AI-Written Emails from "Fellow Authors"

    On his Substack, Neal Stephenson recently posted the following warning: “Just a quick note to mention that I’m being impersonated by someone using the email address “contactnealstephenson (at) gmail (dot) com” and sending out emails consisting of AI slop that I wouldn’t be caught dead writing.”

    He isn’t alone!

    I constantly get emails purportedly from other writers. The names are usually unfamiliar but, when Googled, turn out to be those of real novelists—always novelists, never nonfiction writers like me—writing in a genre I don’t read.

    VP shares examples, including one from…

    Dear Virginia Postrel,

    I hope this note finds you well. My name is J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series and other novels. I recently read your book The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World and felt compelled to reach out to share my admiration. […]

    I haven't received any mail from J.K. Rowling, Neal Stephenson, or even Virginia Postrel, but over the past few days, when I check my Spam folder, I see stuff like this:

    I want to sincerely commend you for the dedication and effort you invested in writing your book. Becoming an author is a significant achievement, it takes courage, persistence, and strong belief in your message to share your work with the world. I’d love to understand the challenges you’re currently facing. Are you looking to reach more readers, improve visibility, or generate more consistent sales?

    I help authors strategically position their books in three established digital libraries with a combined audience of over 8,000 active readers who regularly search for new titles. Your book would be professionally featured across these platforms and supported with an announcement blog to drive targeted exposure. In addition, the digital libraries generate a unique QR code that links directly to your purchase page, making it fast and convenient for interested readers to access and buy your book.

    If you're ready to increase your book’s visibility and place it directly in front of active readers, let’s take the next step. Simply reply with your book title and Amazon link, and I’ll provide a clear outline of how we can move forward to get your book listed and promoted effectively

    No, for the record, I haven't written any books lately, and have no plans to do so.

  • "It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for her." Jim Geraghty comments on a Dodgeball move: AOC tries strategic incomprehensibility. (WaPo gifted link)

    Lest anyone think I am taking the words of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) out of context, here is, verbatim, her answer to a question during an appearance at the Munich Security Conference last week. I have removed the “uh”s and “um”s because even the best of us can utter those when speaking off the cuff. Asked, “Would and should the U.S. actually commit U.S. troops to defend Taiwan if China were to move?,” Ocasio-Cortez replied:

    “You know, I think that this is such a, you know, I think that this is a, this is, of course, a very long-standing policy of the United States. And I think what we are hoping for is that we want to make sure that we never get to that point, and we want to make sure that we are moving in all of our economic research and our global positions to avoid any such confrontation and for that question to even arise.”

    This was a yes-or-no question, and Ocasio-Cortez did not answer it. There’s been a lot of speculation about the congresswoman running for president in 2028. The question of what the United States should do if China invades Taiwan is probably one of the biggest and most consequential problems facing the next president — assuming, of course, that China doesn’t invade before Donald Trump’s second term ends. If Ocasio-Cortez has put any thought into this foreign policy challenge, she hid it well in Munich.

    Jim details the actual US policy toward Taiwan (in two words: “strategic ambiguity") that seems to have been working so far, fingers crossed.

    Fun fact: the Stossel/Lott Election Betting Odds site has Sandy's probability of being elected President in 2028 at 6.2%, behind Vance (24.1%), Newsom (21.4%), and Rubio (8.8%).

  • Noting an unexpected detail. It's in Matthew Hennessey's reminiscence of a 2017 experience: My Afternoon With Robert Duvall. (WSJ gifted link)

    It's full of interesting stuff you won't read elsewhere, and this really jumped out at me:

    A few weeks earlier the 88th Academy Awards had devolved into a political rally. This seemed to really piss him off. He suggested that some of the actors who’d sounded off that night might stick their nose in a book once in a while. To my surprise he suggested they should start by reading Thomas Sowell and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I knew right away I was holding gold in my hands. He’d never said that in an interview before. Maybe no Hollywood celebrity has ever said that before.

    Will we ever see the likes of Mr. Duvall again? It would be nice to think so.

    I note THX 1138 is streamable on Prime Video for $3.99, and I might do that. It's been 55 years since I saw it last.

  • In its entirety. At Cafe Hayek eagle-eyed Don Boudreaux picks out and quotes a WaPo LTE from Donald Newell of Monticello, Minnesota:

    The national debt is a taxation without representation upon our future children. Put another way: It’s child abuse.

    Yes. Sorry, kids. In my defense, I voted to not do that.