In Western societies, the military has been a central pillar of stability in times of stress, hopefully standing above politics. The recent attempts to interject critical race theory within the military as well as some military members openly commenting on political matters while in uniform is opening a dangerous path that has little if any upside. Those who attempt to use the military for social engineering strike at the very core of our nations survival. The legislation by Senator Cotton is to be applauded and watched; those who vote against it in Congress should be remembered during the next election cycle. https://www.city-journal.org/tom-cotton-senate-bill-on-critical-race-theory

I am not a fan of government subsidies, but I realize that in the real competitive world, there are many pressures which lead to subsidies in some start up industries, those involved in international trade, etc. Which raises the question of would you invest in a company that is breaking into a mature market but which requires a subsidy which was 48 times larger than its competition to compete? No? How about one that requires a subsidy 211 times that of its competitor to compete? That is the situation with wind and solar energy according to the Texas Public Policy Foundation. This raises several questions, such as 1) how long will all tax payers be willing to subsidize Tesla drivers and Elon Musk, 2) when the subsidies end, will the average American be able to pay the actual market price of wind and solar power, 3) could there be a better use for the subsidy monies and 4) when reality does descent on us, will those who have lead us along a prime rose path pay any price? I doubt it. This article should make you think about the real price of “free” energy. https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-blackouts-blew-in-on-the-wind-11616192622?page=1

During the past Presidential election, the number of Latino men who voted for Trump increased from 32 to 36 percent. That was not suppose to happen according to Democratic strategists. Why the move? This excellent article from the New York Times explains that values do matter and are an important contributor to this move. The Republican Party is seen as more in line with Latino males regarding their self image as providers. Additionally, the Democratic Party is seen as the party of the poor (as opposed to the Republicans, the party of the rich) and Latino men don’t want to be poor. A continued move away from the Democratic Party of Latino men can upset the Democratic play book so it should be interesting to see how such a shift is handled by the party. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/us/politics/latino-voters-democrats.html?searchResultPosition=3

“Liberty and property; how naturally those words tripped, as a unitary concept, from the tongues of America’s Founders.  These were men who had been shaped in the English tradition and they saw parliamentary government not as an expression of majority rule, but as a guarantor of individual freedom.  How different was the Continental tradition, born 13 years later with the French Revolution, which saw elected assemblies as the embodiment of what Rousseau called the “general will” of the people.”-Lord Denning

In that difference, we may perhaps discern explanation of why the Anglosphere resisted the chronic bouts of authoritarianism to which most other Western countries were prone.  We who speak this language have always seen the defense of freedom as the duty of our representatives and so, by implication, of those who elect them.  Liberty and democracy, in our tradition, are not balanced against each other; they are yoked together. 

Most other countries have fallen for, or at least fallen to, dictators.  Many, during the 20^th century, had popular communist parties or fascist parties or both.  The Anglosphere, unusually, retained a consensus behind liberal capitalism.

This is not because of any special property in our geography or our genes, but because of our constitutional arrangements….They work because, starting with Magna Carta, they have made the defense of freedom everyone’s responsibility.  Americans, like Britons, have inherited their freedoms from past generation and should not look to any external agent for their perpetuation.  The defense of liberty is your job and mine.  It is up to us to keep intact the freedoms we inherited from our parents and to pass them on securely to our children”

There are those who believe that we need a “living Constitution”, more open to changes based on the moods, whims and foibles of the lowest common denominator.  Let us hope that we do not overthrow our proven vehicle for untried and fashionable experimentation.

Anytime power flows to the center of government, individual liberty decreases; it seems to be a law of nature. One of the beauties of our nation is our Federalist system by which individual states are allowed to function in the what they see is the best way for their citizens. Sometimes they are correct, sometimes they are wrong but we have the opportunity to learn from states actions and determine for ourselves which answer is the best. If you live in New York, California, Connecticut, Illinois, etc., this article may be of interest to you. California and New York shut down, Florida did not. California and New York destroyed thousands of jobs, Florida did not. Yes, under the proposed $1.9 Trillion Covid relief bill, New York will receive twice as much money as Florida with over 90% going to non-Covid related groups. This is a good lesson in the danger of government overreach. https://www.wsj.com/articles/vindication-for-ron-desantis-11614986751?page=1

Are you next? Have you ever uttered a harsh word that could be found in someone’s mind to be racist or sexist or offensive? Perhaps the word was not even harsh, but sounded like something that could be taken as a micro-aggression. Maybe you are so blissfully ignorant that you do not realize that wearing a green shirt on St. Patrick’s day is a sign of White supremacy, or that reading a book banned on Amazon is a sign of your inner prejudice. What happened in 1930s Germany, the Soviet Union or Mao’s China is coming to a street just like yours and you better be prepared. This is a battle where those who wage it, offer no mercy, no time off for ignorance or pure intentions; it is a battle to the death. It took 600 million books to be sold, read and loved before the terrible secrets within were revealed by people much more enlightened than you. So check your bookshelves, burn those family photos and prepare to cleanse your soul; they are coming for you. https://thefederalist.com/2021/03/03/the-cancellation-of-dr-seuss-should-disturb-you-because-youre-next/

The following article entitled, “The Problem with “Indigenizing” the University” shows what happens when Professors have far to much time on their hands. Attempting to integrate a stone age culture model into a modern University, even with the best of intentions reflects 1) Moral Courage, 2) a lack of understanding of how the real world works and 3) a silly and vain attempt at slapping one’s own back for looking down on a group. A concept which includes “multiple truths” is one which not only counter-productive to progress, but should be recognized as providing an excuse for individual failure. Try to keep in mind, as you read this piece, that this is actually happening in Canada; let us hope it will be stopped at the border as undesirable. https://quillette.com/2021/02/24/the-problem-with-indigenizing-the-university/

A couple of days ago I read about a new math program in Oregon; according to the program, math is racist as it insists on accuracy. In other words, 2+2=4 is not always correct. Today I read this story which should tear your heart out. What kind of system, what kind of teachers and administrators would allow this type of abuse to continue? Is this how you want your tax dollars spent? https://www.foxnews.com/us/chicago-schools-illinois-progressive-politics-teaching-standards-inclusive

This is a disturbing article and should raise questions as to why this group continues to received your tax dollars. It seems they have opened a new and lucrative revenue stream, playing off the immaturity of young teen girls, marijuana smoking boys, etc. With no doctors on hand to consul on treatments which can be dangerous, they do not inform parents of actions for which they seem to accept no responsibility. This is pretty scary to me. https://thefederalist.com/2021/02/11/employee-trans-identifying-kids-are-cash-cows-for-planned-parenthood/

No system is perfect and the larger the entity, the more inclined to error. This holds true for business, government, corporations, etc. In order to succeed, each organization must constantly work to improve it’s product, service, etc., except in the age of equality. When the goal becomes equality of outcome, the need for self improvement decreases and there is a sinking towards the lowest common denominator. We are facing this problem today in many parts of our society including, unfortunately, our schools. Without high standards and the support that goes to help insure those high standards, we face a downward spiral that is almost impossible to reverse. The column from the Wall Street Journal should open everyone’s eyes to the danger we face now and in the future. https://www.wsj.com/articles/mediocrity-is-now-mandatory-11612724198?mod=opinion_lead_pos8