I was struck while reading Paul Gigot’s Opinion piece, “The Return of the Isolationist Republicans“, with the realization that I recognize myself and do not think I am wrong.

He lays out his premise with typical skill:

I fully understand. The Israelis are slaughtering Palestinian women and children by the thousands, so there has to be a narrative to justify that action. It is interesting to see that Ricochet is almost fully on board with participation in that narrative. – Ricochet comment

I am fully “on board” with “the narrative” that Hamas needs to be destroyed.  I would hope that Palestinians (a) heed calls to evacuate when told and (b) act to isolate and abandon the self-aggrandizing (now-wealthy) terrorists they elected to hasten the end of the campaign. In any event, civilian deaths are ultimately the fault of those who started the war.

[Cross-posting something here that I wrote for my Substack. It may be more of interest to the Christians around here, but I don’t think the general decline of masculine intuition, which I discuss below, is a problem that is confined to social circles inhabited by Christians.]

I’m about to walk out the door to participate in a podcast that I do with the pastoral staff at my church. They all have advanced degrees in various disciplines related to theology and biblical studies. I am notable mostly for my lack of any of these things. If you picture in your mind a podcast where trained and critical thinkers on matters of eternal importance have inexplicably invited Big Bird to participate in their discussion, you will have a sense for where I fit into the overall effort.

Would you rather drive an electric car (as they exist today) or a hyper mileage-capable car that should be available today?

I bring to your attention the Volkswagen XL1. A car I never heard of until a few days ago. A Diesel Electric hybrid car capable of 280 MPG. 10 Years ago! This genius little car is powered by a 2-cylinder 0.8L (49 Cubic Inches!) diesel engine, generating less than 50 HP. The lightweight car weighs under 800 KG (1,800 lbs-ish). So, 0-to-60 time is about 12 seconds, which may get you shot in some cities, but it gets there and is drivable at freeway speeds.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams is embroiled in a scandal in which a close campaign fundraiser is accused of accepting illegal foreign contributions, among other infractions. By sheer coincidence, after Adams had publicly, repeatedly criticized Biden immigration policy, teams of FBI agents were dispatched to interview/investigate a large number of individuals with ties to the campaign and the suspect corporations.

Two days before Adams was scheduled to travel to DC for a high-profile White House meeting on the issue of illegal immigration, FBI agents ordered Adams’ NYPD security team to stand aside as they sat with him in his vehicle, presented a warrant, and seized his phones and iPad.

I could try to describe the current situation as running on fumes, coasting up a hill, ropes fraying, corks slipping, and so forth, but I just want to provide a couple of tweets from others who have captured the actual decline, rather than my talk-talk.

Here’s one about the NYPD besieged inside of Grand Central Station while the same Marxist rent-a-mob who shows up with whatever signs or flags are the uniform of the day simply bashes and batters their way into the building.  Have you seen this? I am including it as a retweet by Ian Miles Cheong because his comment accurately captures the immediate context, in order to precisely locate this event on the slide into lawlessness.

Okay, it’s a single tweet, and I’ll still see him saying things that are a bit too “nuanced” for my taste.  But this is an important tweet, as these things go, from a man who rose to prominence during the post-9/11 moral clarity, then waffled off and got “respectable” after a grueling and unsuccessful run for office in the UK.  Guess what — after October 7, moral clarity is back on the menu, boys.

I'm starting to think that the far right, who want to defend their country and traditions, are actually the good guys, whereas the far left, who want to destroy the borders of every country, are actually the bad guys.

— Carl Benjamin (@Sargon_of_Akkad) November 11, 2023

As always, on Armistice Day I think of Grand Dad Gerald. He fought in the trenches in World War one, through the Argonne Forest, and had his arm broken by shrapnel on 11 November, the morning of the armistice.

After he left the hospital he was put on a train with orders to return to his unit. The way I heard it was that he was in no hurry to get back, and decided instead to tour France. He made no attempt to find his correct stop and enjoyed the train ride until some Military Police found him. They inspected his orders, observed that he had missed his stop, and put him on another train going back the other way. He pulled that trick a couple times, but eventually ended up back at his unit.

Before I begin this essay, first I must admit that I have a disproportionate number of Jewish friends.  This is partly because of a career in finance and entrepreneurial endeavors, but it has always been the case.  I did not grow up with money.  My parents cherished good public schools and safe neighborhoods, which also attracted like-minded Jewish families.  I’ve always had Jewish friends and still do.  Close friends.  I have an affinity for Jews.

I’ve also worked in venture capital for an enterprise funded by the Jordanian crown and by the ruling families of the UAE and Kuwait.  My Arab counterparts (I was CFO) were also highly educated and prosperous, generous, fine folks.  I can tell you honestly that they bore no ill will toward Jews or Israel, were fully westerized, and loved America.  They taught me a lot about the Arab and Muslim world, at that time undergoing its modern fundamentalist reformation.