As of: May 25, 2022
Sir John Glubb - The Fate of Empires
Duty, Honor, Country and the Price of Failure in Afhganistan
This article from the Patriot Post. Author is Jeff Jacoby, September 27, 2021
Thomas Sowell is probably my favorite political writer. Author of over 30 books, he is a must-read source for anyone who wants to go deeper than just a discussion of current events. Sowell explains why things happen, and the reasons that the actual results often differ so wildly from the original intentions.
Kyle Smith of National Review has put together a collection of Sowell's quotes. Read the complete article, and enjoy.
This article from the Patriot Post. Author is Robin Smith. The article discusses the emotional difference between Conservatives and the Left, including "Growth mindset" versus "Fixed mindset", relating to the research of Dr. Carol Dweck.
On November 15, Ann Coulter (anncoulter.com) spoke at a public meeting at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas. The meeting was hosted by the Young Conservatives of Texas –Texas Tech chapter. I agreed enthusiastically with most of her comments, but was somewhat surprised by her remarks about international trade. Here are my comments.
I don't usually think of economics (the "dismal science") as a source of
humor , but this article by Peter C. Earle is great. How to "adjust"
your Thanksgiving menu to avoid inflation.
Michael Shellenberger has published a taxonomy of the "Woke Religion". Read about Shellenberger,, who used used to be a Progressive. He has also written a book about his experiences in San Francisco titled "San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities"
Imprimis is a free publication of Hillsdale College, and reaches over 6 million readers. In November, 2021, Imprimis published the November 18, 2021 speech of Larry P. Arnn, the twelfth president of Hillsdale College. In his speech, Mr. Arnn addressed two issues: (1) how would you reduce the greatest free republic in history to despotism in a short time, and (2) how would you stop this from happening? His thoughts are a sobering reminder of how far we have descended into Orwell's 1984, and what we must do to rescue our country, our families, and ourselves from an all-to-likely end to freedom in America.
Mr. Arnn focuses on the following threats to our republic:
The complete article is available on the Hillsdale website. To subscribe to Imprimis, go to the subscription page.
Sir John Glubb (1897 - 1986) was a British soldier, scholar, historian, and author of some 20 scholarly books, many about the Arab world and Islam. One of his major works was a treatise on "The Fate of Empires and the Search for Survival". In this work, he chronicles some 3000 years of "empires" (or "superpowers" to use a more modern term) and provides an analysis of their rise and fall. He claims that, on average, a superpower, from origin to decline, lasts for about 250 years. Glubb also shows how the life histories of great states are surprisingly similar, and that each passes thru six phases:
In particular, the Age of Decadence is marked by the following characteristics:
Additional reviews of "The Fate of Empires" are available at Conciliators Guild, Timeless Myth, The Hidden Dominion , and Chester Grant, among others.
Amidst all the controversy over mask mandates, what does the data actually show us about the effectiveness - or lack thereof - of wearing a mask? And, as we've had about 2 years of states with mandates versus states without mandates, how do the results compare. Ian Miller has collected the data, and the results show negligible benefit of mask mandates, clearly not worth the serious negative side-effects. Read the article, and and see what science shows us.