California is open! I'm not really sure what that means, but that's what I hear. From my perspective everything seems the same as it has been. This is undoubtedly due to my persistent astonishment of how much the people here WANT their freedoms taken away and eagerly perpetuate it. The government can remove what are obviously burdensome restrictions (FL has been fully open for a year!!) and the people still voluntarily carry them on. Well, I urge you guys to start undertaking at least minor civil disobedience. If a business has their own mask mandate, at least make them feel bad about it for a moment (and consider going elsewhere). If someone asks you if you're vaccinated, tell them it's none of their business even if you are. This is the way.

Otherwise, life is good! Summer weather, warm swimming pool, still no baby but coming imminently, etc etc. Heavy links this week though. Sorry! Here we go...

Fleeing Venezuela

https://www.persuasion.community/p/fleeing-venezuela-b71

The most chilling read of the week, but also entertaining and well written. I highly recommend reading it in full. When things go south, they can get really really bad quickly. In time, I think the largest political divide will be between those who realize how thin the veneer of civilization is and those who do not. Or perhaps this is better described as those who trust our institutions to play with fire and not burn the house down, and those who prefer not to let toddlers play with flamethrowers.

https://angelanagle.substack.com/p/did-populism-start-a-21st-century

Angela Nagle provides one of the better summaries of the current political scene that I've read. Lamentably, my historical education was extremely lacking. I always find it interesting to see our issues correctly identified and then put into context of history.


CRT and Its Discontents and On Jewish Selective Immigration

https://indianbronson.substack.com/p/critical-race-theory-and-its-discontents

https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/contra-smith-on-jewish-selective

As boring as race is, we are unfortunately being forced to confront it as all the power centers in the world begin to center it as the main battle ground. I'm increasingly interested in how our unwillingness to look at data in the area and act accordingly has now hamstrung us to this current plight. It was the one area where classic Enlightenment liberalism refused to apply its own dogma, and may unwind the whole thing.