Matt Gaetz, the controversial Florida Congressman nominated by President-Elect Trump as his Attorney General, has withdrawn his name from consideration. He issued the following statement:

I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.

Missiles from the UK and US are now escalating matters, including the use of condemned anti-personnel mines. Turns out that there are no real red lines in war.  The US/UK change in posture is going to change things, one way or another. The US has abandoned its embassy in Kiev.

At the same time, on the ground, Russia is winning ground – though it is slow going, and the casualties are crazy-high. And back home the economy may be reaching a tipping point: I include quotes from the Tweet below. What they are saying, out loud, is shocking. I doubt that ALL of these people will fall out of windows.

A former soldier who served in Afghanistan and Iraq has been sentenced to two years in prison for incendiary social media posts.  “We are already in a civil war” might be interpreted by some as an accurate description of the generalized anti-Western attack by immigrants who wish to impose the same failed culture of their old country on Britain. It is utterly bizarre that violence done while shouting “Allahu Akbar” should be considered far less serious than verbal condemnations of the ideology that inspires such violence.

Even noticing that an anti-Western cult is a problem and that it poses an actual threat to British people, their law and culture is now a thought crime in the UK.

After decades of fear-mongering about overpopulation, the world is very belatedly coming to the realization that the wealthy world has stopped having children. And it poses an existential risk for civilization: No children = no future.

There are many reasons offered for this: economic (kids are no longer a net asset, but a net liability), birth control (trivial to limit now, but even Adam Smith in the 18th Century pointed out that the fertility rate among the rich was much lower than the fertility rate among the poor!), hedonistic narcissism, etc. I have even written on the need for purpose and meaning (i.e. Hamas and anti-semitism are the reason Israel is the only wealthy country where secular women have 3+ children).

Peter Thiel—the prominent tech entrepreneur and thinker—returns to Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson to discuss his views on the end times, technology, and societal progress. Thiel delves into the historical and philosophical context of apocalyptic thinking, referencing biblical texts and the work of René Girard. He argues that modern technological advancements, such as nuclear weapons and AI, have apocalyptic potential and should be taken seriously. Be sure to come back for part two of this conversation in which Thiel discusses the concept of the Antichrist.

You need to ask yourself, why did Biden approve US missiles being fired into the Russian heartland? If we were fighting Cuba and, say, Russia staged missiles in Cuba, then launched them into the United States, how long would it be before we attack Russia directly? Seconds or minutes?

This is a reckless abuse of power and exceeds the level of impeachment. Supplying defensive weapons and intelligence is one thing, but actively fighting Russians with our intelligence, in their home, with our own weapons, is asking for World War III.

The mini-epidemic of clumsiness, accidental ingestion of toxic substances, and vehicular disasters is still ongoing in Russia.  The latest prominent victim of an accidental fall from a window was world-class ballet dancer Vladimir Shklyarov. Of course, ballet dancers are notoriously clumsy and uncoordinated, so this was probably not a big surprise.  Like this death, a number (all) of the other somewhat surprising deaths all coincidentally involved persons known to be critical of Putin. But one would certainly need to be careful about speculating about a causal relationship that accrues a mere 100% of the time, lest one be called a Putinphobe.

In general, gravity appears to be more dangerous in Communist nations. If you recall, the Chinese researcher at the Wuhan lab who was and then was totally not patient zero of COVID-19 (which disease absolutely emerged in a wet market five miles away and then promptly disappeared before it could be detected in any of the hundreds of dead animals subsequently tested) died from a fall (?) from the roof of the Wuhan lab building itself.  Someone whose very existence and loose lips could simultaneously embarrass the CCP and threaten Tony Fauci’s funding empire had about as much chance of survival as a flaming drag queen on the roof of an Iranian police station.

Can you imagine what a taste of even Russian living will do to the minds of 100,000 North Korean soldiers who have been told, their entire lives, that they have it better than anyone else on the planet? 

November 5 was a watershed day in more ways than one. It marked the election of Donald Trump by a solid majority of the American public, who were on balance more pleased with his campaign’s platform and promises than they were with those of Kamala Harris. A large number of key issues ranging from energy and the environment to securities regulation, foreign policy, military readiness, and antitrust law were among the areas where voters saw clear differences and responded accordingly.

Now, however, the election is over, and for Trump supporters and detractors alike, it is an entirely different game. No longer is it necessary to compare two bundles, choosing the better one as a whole, even if you disagreed with some of its content. Now it is possible, and indeed, necessary, to examine each stick in the winning bundle on its own merits. There is no duty to accept all of Trump’s proposals. Indeed, it is imperative to speak out on matters where the victorious candidate has gone astray, setting aside those features you might find attractive.

Positive recent news for the Dave McCormick campaign in the ongoing PA Senate race against Bob Casey Jr.:

The PA Supreme Court ruled today that mail-in-ballots without a date cannot be counted. A definite boost to McCormick chances of holding on. His lead reportedly has shrunk again to 17,000. It is also more of a boost to the credibility of the PA Supreme Court in having a consistent ruling. The actual court document will have to be read for additional details.

Back in September 2020-January 2021, I had two posts on Why the Mails are Slow (both are accessed from this one link). https://ricochet.com/881927/the-mails-are-still-slow/  

This is the sort of government inefficiency that Mssrs. Musk and Ramaswamy should have in their sights.

After just over a week of pretending to be pleased about a Republican election victory, National Review sank back, with an almost audible sigh of relief, into the warm embrace of the Deep State.

Mark Antonio Wright, the executive editor at NR, dropped a piece in “The Corner” entitled “If the Senate Wants to Help Trump, It Should Be Ready to Tell Him ‘No’.” Of course, the tactical advice is that “by rejecting Matt Gaetz … and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. … the Senate would be doing Donald Trump a major favor.” Why? Essentially, because Mr. Wright wishes the world was other than it really is. Whether he actually denies reality, too… Well, let’s see.

I just made that title up.  This post is a rough draft of a letter to the editor I want to send to our local newspaper about the activities of our local school board, of which I am a member, regarding the “transgender issue.”  Y’all can help me make sure it’s clear and cogent.

As always, I preface my comments with the statement that my opinions are my own, and I’m speaking as an individual board member, and not on behalf of the entire school board.  My opinions do not necessarily reflect those of individual board members, nor the district itself.