I know the CO case will be overturned, but if it weren't, I suggest that all CO Republicans change their affiliation to Democrat, then vote in the Democratic primary and write in DJT. Would be fun to see DJT beat FJB in the Democratic primary.
You said there was a question of whether the South would turnout to help fight the Spanish/American war, but they did. I do not like the odds of that turnout happening again from both the South and the North. Look at the state of our military recruiting today and we are not in a shooting war. The only branch to reach it's recruiting goals was my beloved Marine Corps and from everything I hear and read there is very little love of country among today's youth. Very sad and dangerous.
I fear for my republic. And I’ve said that to people for about 15 years. I think the outcome of the latest bout of Jew Hatred will be an indication of where we’re headed. Countries that protect their Jews seem to do well those that don’t fair poorly. Whether that’s because of the Lord or because of fundamental decency in the society I can not know but the next 6-9 months will reveal our direction. When it is open season on any group the civilisations pillars become weak and there is less civility and more chaos.
I have read Instapundit for years because I value Glenn’s insights, and his allowing comments has enriched the educational experience. So it is with a certain sadness I read this post. That is, I have long ago resigned myself to the impending national rupture. I have maintained hope though that the cup will pass, because I am aware of the limits of my ability to appreciate and account fully for all the possibilities and permutations in play. The pithy Jenga metaphor cuts through the analytical gymnastics that have actually long offered me shelter against accepting where we really are.
Outstanding commentary. But sadness is not the emotion it brings to my mind. Sadness comes afterward when the bill is tendered and the bodies are counted.
What has disappeared, even before the dissolution of the BSA, are the civic clubs that were so common in my youth, the Moose Lodge, the Rotarians, the Knights of Columbus etc. These were small local clubs that had a local interest as part of a national organization. They were opportunities to meet like minded neighbors, do some good and expand your interests in your home town. Perhaps some out there would be interested in forming new local organizations to address local issues of compassion or progress and recreate that sense of community that we all recognize as lacking in our day to day lives.
Projection as a Political Program is the most apt distillation of the current state of the Democrat Party. If they are pursuing a political adversary for some topic or another (Ukraine corruption, insurrection, mendacity, infidelity, treason, Hitlerism/anti-Semitism, etc.) about the only thing we know for certain is that the Bill of Particulars applies to one of their own down to the commas, periods, and font.
But take heart -- the Democrats have ALWAYS been these people. They never changed. After the 1806 compromise ending the slave trade into North America, Calhoun and Jackson formed a political party specifically designed to maintain and even expand slavery. Sure, they sugar coated their lust for dominion over black people by way of "state's rights", early versions of eugenics, and stilted religiosity, but the entire foundation of the Party rests on dividing people and enslaving them (segregation, socialism and satan). Today, their target has changed, and they are seeking to enslave Jews, whites and Asians that don't play along and divide them from their power base, but the leopard has not changed its spots. This is an age old fight. Carry On.
Those who seem enthused about civil war, I think, are looking at a successful conclusion, in their eyes, without considering the cost. However, I would also like to cite a truth uttered by Winston Churchill some time ago under similarly parlous circumstances.
"If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves."
So how are we defining "fight" these days? And what are our chances when the institutions once regarded as those staunchest in their commitment to liberty now prove to be rotten through and through and include federal law enforcement and an administrative state and deep state with their arsenal of dirty tricks and worse aligned against anything other than "our Democracy"? What are our chances when the only peaceful means used to remove miscreants from office, free and fair elections, are not only dubious as borne out in 2020 but unlikely at the national level and beyond in 2024? What are our chances when the so called opposition party seems happy with trampling the Constitution whenever it looks like it may threaten their hold on power?
The idiots on Twitter/X may not be reckoning with the cost, but they do have a point. And all this should make you considerably more than just "sad". If this was 1773 instead of 2023, there would be tea parties in cities all over the US. Oh, but wait, most big cities in the US are governed by "our Democracy" stalwarts and their "tea parties" held in the summer of 2020 were in support of "our Democracy".
Where do you think we are on Churchill's continuum?
I recommend reading Strauss and Howe. I’m reading Howe’s recent “The Fourth Turning Is Here” right now but I have followed the development of their ideas for decades.
Anglo-American (and more recently, all modern) societies have a natural cycle of four generations. We are now in the Crisis Phase, as we were for the Revolution, the Civil War, and the Great Depression/World War II.
Hallmarks of such a time are the well-founded despair that what’s on the other side will be entirely different from what we knew before, and the well-founded conviction that the only hope for the preservation of the things we hold dear is to get on top now and stay there while we ride it out, even if it means pledging our lives, fortunes, and sacred honor. We certainly feel this — Anton’s “Flight 93 Election” captured it well — but the Leftists feel it no less.
A war seems an unavoidable part of the process — not that we should hope for war or go looking for it, but that the apocalyptic mood of the times always seems to be cooled only by a life-or-death struggle.
I don’t want a world war, but I want another Civil War even less. That the whole modern world seems to have synchronized itself to the same schedule — note the rise of Trump-like factions and counter-factions throughout Europe — suggests that the former is what we will get, though a wave of civil wars isn’t out of the question.
Dark days are ahead. If we can survive them, we can hope for a new birth of peace and unity. But surviving them gets harder every time.
Yes, jenga. When the gay marriage fight broke out in earnest, of course the young college kids in the family were for it, and considered opposition as bigotry. We said, no, slow down, civilization is a brick wall. You take out one little brick here, one little brick there, and before you know it the whole thing collapses. Leftists always naively assume that the great life here of affluence and peace is the norm; wait till it isn't.
Are there any glimmers of hope? Did Trump's disruption cause the Marxists to move faster than they planned? Have they unmasked themselves enough to make any difference?
Feels like we fell through a worm hole into Bizarro World. Dang Antonio Gramsci.
I don't think they "don't care" about their brazen abuse of power. I think it is the key to their long term plan. The more brazen the exercise the more hopeless a surprisingly large number of people become. If they can do the kind of things they are doing now without any accountability, how do you stop them? They care a lot because their ultimate success depends upon people giving up because they feel opposition is pointless.
The CO case will PROBABLY be overturned. But the virus that gave us the case is growing. The virus was grown and nurtured in academia and fed by our enemies foreign and domestic and media based.
1/6 worked so well for them. Without an honest media and educational system I fear the country is already lost. 'Forgive them Lord for they know not what they do'.
NGL, "civilizational Jenga" is a great metaphor.
I know the CO case will be overturned, but if it weren't, I suggest that all CO Republicans change their affiliation to Democrat, then vote in the Democratic primary and write in DJT. Would be fun to see DJT beat FJB in the Democratic primary.
It’s posts like this one that make me glad that I’m a subscriber to Glenn’s Substack.
If you’re a “free reader,” consider becoming a subscriber!
Heh-heh (TM).
Best wishes to all of you for a bright ‘24!
You said there was a question of whether the South would turnout to help fight the Spanish/American war, but they did. I do not like the odds of that turnout happening again from both the South and the North. Look at the state of our military recruiting today and we are not in a shooting war. The only branch to reach it's recruiting goals was my beloved Marine Corps and from everything I hear and read there is very little love of country among today's youth. Very sad and dangerous.
I fear for my republic. And I’ve said that to people for about 15 years. I think the outcome of the latest bout of Jew Hatred will be an indication of where we’re headed. Countries that protect their Jews seem to do well those that don’t fair poorly. Whether that’s because of the Lord or because of fundamental decency in the society I can not know but the next 6-9 months will reveal our direction. When it is open season on any group the civilisations pillars become weak and there is less civility and more chaos.
I have read Instapundit for years because I value Glenn’s insights, and his allowing comments has enriched the educational experience. So it is with a certain sadness I read this post. That is, I have long ago resigned myself to the impending national rupture. I have maintained hope though that the cup will pass, because I am aware of the limits of my ability to appreciate and account fully for all the possibilities and permutations in play. The pithy Jenga metaphor cuts through the analytical gymnastics that have actually long offered me shelter against accepting where we really are.
Outstanding commentary. But sadness is not the emotion it brings to my mind. Sadness comes afterward when the bill is tendered and the bodies are counted.
What has disappeared, even before the dissolution of the BSA, are the civic clubs that were so common in my youth, the Moose Lodge, the Rotarians, the Knights of Columbus etc. These were small local clubs that had a local interest as part of a national organization. They were opportunities to meet like minded neighbors, do some good and expand your interests in your home town. Perhaps some out there would be interested in forming new local organizations to address local issues of compassion or progress and recreate that sense of community that we all recognize as lacking in our day to day lives.
Projection as a Political Program is the most apt distillation of the current state of the Democrat Party. If they are pursuing a political adversary for some topic or another (Ukraine corruption, insurrection, mendacity, infidelity, treason, Hitlerism/anti-Semitism, etc.) about the only thing we know for certain is that the Bill of Particulars applies to one of their own down to the commas, periods, and font.
But take heart -- the Democrats have ALWAYS been these people. They never changed. After the 1806 compromise ending the slave trade into North America, Calhoun and Jackson formed a political party specifically designed to maintain and even expand slavery. Sure, they sugar coated their lust for dominion over black people by way of "state's rights", early versions of eugenics, and stilted religiosity, but the entire foundation of the Party rests on dividing people and enslaving them (segregation, socialism and satan). Today, their target has changed, and they are seeking to enslave Jews, whites and Asians that don't play along and divide them from their power base, but the leopard has not changed its spots. This is an age old fight. Carry On.
Those who seem enthused about civil war, I think, are looking at a successful conclusion, in their eyes, without considering the cost. However, I would also like to cite a truth uttered by Winston Churchill some time ago under similarly parlous circumstances.
"If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves."
So how are we defining "fight" these days? And what are our chances when the institutions once regarded as those staunchest in their commitment to liberty now prove to be rotten through and through and include federal law enforcement and an administrative state and deep state with their arsenal of dirty tricks and worse aligned against anything other than "our Democracy"? What are our chances when the only peaceful means used to remove miscreants from office, free and fair elections, are not only dubious as borne out in 2020 but unlikely at the national level and beyond in 2024? What are our chances when the so called opposition party seems happy with trampling the Constitution whenever it looks like it may threaten their hold on power?
The idiots on Twitter/X may not be reckoning with the cost, but they do have a point. And all this should make you considerably more than just "sad". If this was 1773 instead of 2023, there would be tea parties in cities all over the US. Oh, but wait, most big cities in the US are governed by "our Democracy" stalwarts and their "tea parties" held in the summer of 2020 were in support of "our Democracy".
Where do you think we are on Churchill's continuum?
I recommend reading Strauss and Howe. I’m reading Howe’s recent “The Fourth Turning Is Here” right now but I have followed the development of their ideas for decades.
Anglo-American (and more recently, all modern) societies have a natural cycle of four generations. We are now in the Crisis Phase, as we were for the Revolution, the Civil War, and the Great Depression/World War II.
Hallmarks of such a time are the well-founded despair that what’s on the other side will be entirely different from what we knew before, and the well-founded conviction that the only hope for the preservation of the things we hold dear is to get on top now and stay there while we ride it out, even if it means pledging our lives, fortunes, and sacred honor. We certainly feel this — Anton’s “Flight 93 Election” captured it well — but the Leftists feel it no less.
A war seems an unavoidable part of the process — not that we should hope for war or go looking for it, but that the apocalyptic mood of the times always seems to be cooled only by a life-or-death struggle.
I don’t want a world war, but I want another Civil War even less. That the whole modern world seems to have synchronized itself to the same schedule — note the rise of Trump-like factions and counter-factions throughout Europe — suggests that the former is what we will get, though a wave of civil wars isn’t out of the question.
Dark days are ahead. If we can survive them, we can hope for a new birth of peace and unity. But surviving them gets harder every time.
"He would weaponise the Department of Justice against his enemies, they claim, and use the FBI to harass his opponents."
"President" Potted Plant is already doing that. Even against Moms who are just attending school board meetings.
Yes, jenga. When the gay marriage fight broke out in earnest, of course the young college kids in the family were for it, and considered opposition as bigotry. We said, no, slow down, civilization is a brick wall. You take out one little brick here, one little brick there, and before you know it the whole thing collapses. Leftists always naively assume that the great life here of affluence and peace is the norm; wait till it isn't.
Are there any glimmers of hope? Did Trump's disruption cause the Marxists to move faster than they planned? Have they unmasked themselves enough to make any difference?
Feels like we fell through a worm hole into Bizarro World. Dang Antonio Gramsci.
I don't think they "don't care" about their brazen abuse of power. I think it is the key to their long term plan. The more brazen the exercise the more hopeless a surprisingly large number of people become. If they can do the kind of things they are doing now without any accountability, how do you stop them? They care a lot because their ultimate success depends upon people giving up because they feel opposition is pointless.
It is a feature, not a bug.
The CO case will PROBABLY be overturned. But the virus that gave us the case is growing. The virus was grown and nurtured in academia and fed by our enemies foreign and domestic and media based.
1/6 worked so well for them. Without an honest media and educational system I fear the country is already lost. 'Forgive them Lord for they know not what they do'.