I’ve really taken to these Thursday morning Notes from Upstream by the celebrated author Max Cossack. And today is special because, as Jerry Lee Lewis used to sing, “There’s a whole lot of quotin’ goin’ on.”
And I love the patriotism displayed here. In this important year, the semiquincentennial of The Declaration of Independence, (doing some Lincoln math here…score this, move the decimal over there, tally most of it all up…) I quote this memorable phrase: “Twelve score plus a half-score ago, our Forefathers began history.” Ron Swanson.
Barack Obama and his ilk have been trying to bend the Arc of History towards National Socialism but me and Ron Swanson are having none of it. The American Experiment continues, the socialist experiments have all proven to be God-awful failures. Obama can no more bend the Arc of History than he can lower the sea levels with green gobbledygook.
I was a little disappointed that with all the quotin’ goin’ on here, Desmet, Orwell, Huxley, Dostoevsky, Swanson, Adams…nothing at all from Yogi Berra who knew a thing or two about mobs and groups of people. “Nobody eats at that restaurant anymore…it’s too crowded.” And nobody goes into the public square anymore, it’s filled with mostly-peaceful mobs. We must change that.
By the by Max: An “Early Mass Market Paperback With Salacious Cover.” Have you considered a salacious cover? Yogi taught us: “Salacious covers sell.”
Way to be Max, another thought-provoking posting that needs to be read by all or at least most of all.
The 1984 edition illustrated in today's column was the one I bought at Larson's Stationery when I was in the 7th grade(November 1958), and it was definitely the salacious cover which caught my eye. The book itself had a lasting impact on my view of the world.
I've long thought that while you can't judge everything about a book by its cover, you can judge at least a little bit.
My eye too can be caught by salacious covers. I read 1984 and also saw the film (the 1984 version of 1984 with John Hurt and Richard Burton. I quickly discovered it was a horror story, not the kind of thing suitable for the drive-in movie.
Next time Mr. Orwell: More salaciousness and less horror. I especially don't like images of rats in a cage, the cage placed on a man's head.
By the by, for another film recommendation that has a 1984 feel to it, take-in "Escape," it's on Youtube for free, it's made by South Koreans. It too can give you nightmares.
I hate nightmares. When I see horror movies I often get nightmares. That's why I watch pleasant films like "D Day, the Sixth of June," "Patton," and "The Super," a film about a slumlord.
Gee Tony, now that you given us the spoiler I guess there is no sense in me finally reading 1984 or watching the movie 🤪. Just when I was in the mood for some gratuitous salaciousness too ….
Don't give Barack all the credit. The Republicans who went along with and helped bury all the lawfare had a lot to do with it. We're having our political lunch stolen because, unless you follow conservative media, you have forgotten the campaign of lawfare launched against Trump. All they remember is the Wuhan Panic, and they blame that on Trump.
We can look to England for how easily a civilization, or at least a country, is lost, fecklessly forfeited by ceding it without a fight.
Some years ago, I went to visit relatives in my birth country of England. In the trips from and back to Heathrow my drivers each time were Muslims. How did I know? Because they immediately told me so. The first excoriated me the entire almost hour-long journey for being a woman traveling alone - that is, without a male family member. The second proudly advised me that the Islamic flag would one day fly over the Houses of Parliament; that no people had a right to their own land if a stronger, more committed force sought to take it.
I strenuously argued with both. I also tipped them both - because who wants to be thought a racist. And that is how you lose your country.
You can argue with them until one becomes “offended” and drives you to the nearest police station and files a report against you - your vacation having been interrupted by an arrest for the crime of speaking the truth.
We used to go hiking in Scotland every year but stopped because of covid as we refused to take the jab. At first we wouldn’t have been let in because “no covid papers” but now we don’t go because political correctness, the Muslim takeover and the hard left politics have made it very uncomfortable and not much fun. And - my husband is somewhat concerned that my mouth might get us into trouble with said authorities. I Am a proud, ornery, independent American, after all. So instead, we now see the USA and I worry about grizzlies rather than British bobbies. It’s a wash.
Oh no! Not another wife whose "mouth might get us into trouble". I have been working on my "blurting" for many decades with limited success...I KNEW I liked you! My blurting does not all take the form of pugnaciousness.
To take but one example, even though I was severely scolded and told not to act excited about the first house we ever bought, I'm sure I raised the price a few thousand by jumping up and down yelling, "Buy me this house! Buy me this house! I LOVE this house!"
Please consider coming to CC5 in Virginia in October. Details will appear many times in the comment section between now and then. AG
You are Such a hoot and always make me smile! What a great house story!
I’m never “ugly” (as my Southern mother used to say one should never be) but I just have a difficult time not refuting things that simply aren’t true and there are times when people just need to speak up. It occasionally gets me into trouble (as I’m sure you’ve found) but mostly it’s been good and I sleep well at night.
Haha. Southern mothers are awesome. Oh my, we would be SUCH good friends. When we moved from MN to AZ, we had a nice and very good realtor who took us to dinner with another couple after all the paperwork was signed and the house was ours. (I was marginally more restrained with this one...)
The Realtor (bless his heart) was Jewish and assumed that, since we were too, we also were liberals. Obama had won his second term and, though we tried to steer clear of politics, inevitably he expressed his delight that Obama had won re-election and added, "He's such a great speaker," at which point I blurted "Name one thing he ever said." Silence descended on the dinner party and two things happened -- the other woman also dared to say she wasn't that crazy about him either and Joe kicked me under the table. I am happy to say the ankle is almost healed now. AG
Shrieking!!! That is Exactly the type of situation in which I can’t stay quiet! We have under the table ankle kicking in our house too but usually it’s the other way and Mike says, “Why are you kicking me?” (He thinks he’s funny and most of the time that’s so. It’s normally that’s he’s hogging the bread at someone’s house when we’re out to dinner - that sort of thing. He says I have job security because he’ll never be fully trained. This is a true statement. LOL)
Yes, we would absolutely be friends and it would be wonderful!
I wasn’t close to my mother but she did teach me “Southern”. Fortunately or unfortunately, my dad was from Pennsylvania and I take after him a bit more. The older Southern women in our family called him the Yankee until they passed on to greater heights. I always thought that was hysterical.
One speaking up experience was the saddest in my life after the two divorces.
With my best friend from college, another roommate and the women they later married plus a single women, we were a tight social group from 1970 onwards. When the group moved apart we still met several times a year in Fargo, the Twin Cities, Thunder Bay and an annual longer stay at a family cabin on Lake Miltona, Alexandria MN. All others were Dems, but most were not overtly political. Except for my bestie who loved friendly argument with me late nights in a boat with beer in the middle of the lake.
A late interloper to the group who married the single gal wrecked the 34 year friendship. A glib public defender who he and the woman thought was always the smartest guy in the room bashed Bush non-stop after dinner with no rebuttal. The women loved it, my buddy and I rolled our eyes.
Finally I interrupted a long diatribe about Bush’s stupidity, “Well, Bush was no honor student, but his GPA was higher than Kerry’s.” Explosive silence then frosty glares. My wife and I soon left.
None of them ever contacted me again. A year later after no cabin invite I drove to Fargo to surprise my dear friend. We went to a frosty dinner then wifey went to bed early. Bestie and I talked for hours and he let me know that he had to choose between me and his marriage. I said I understood. After a sad hug I drove back to Mpls before dawn. He died 5-6 years later.
This should be on that harridan's conscience forever. I am so sorry, Phil.
This speaks to many tragic things, dear Philip. 1. Despite Hillary's claim that she only lost because us loser "trad wives" listened to our husbands on how to vote. (Secret ballot much?), the truth is that lefty wives have MUCH more influence on boyfriends and husbands than the other way around.
2. How could a person lose it over a plainly stated FACT? All one had to do was compare Bush's and Kerry's GPA. No rancor, just numbers.
3. I absolutely do not understand how EVERYBODY shunned you like a naughty Amish woman. Not one of those lifelong friends had the balls to stand up for you or go against the crowd? How pathetic.
4. The CURE for all heartache is to come to CC5. Jennifer Grimm will be performing again, Lucretia will keynote Sunday night, it's my birthday, and EVERYONE there will love you!
Philip, that really is a heartbreaking story. Susan is correct that women seem to influence men more than the reverse and it’s a shame. Nothing good ever comes from making decisions from emotion rather than from rational thinking and this sounds like pure emotion.
I have the feeling were the situation reversed, you’d have stood up for your buddies. And I’m sure your best friend knew that - all the more painful for him.
Jack - Love the great advice! My husband says to tell you he carries a .45 - wants to at least give the grizzly a fighting chance. LOL.
I just carry bear spray although I read a pretty good article recently about how the research was done on bear spray & it’s not comforting. Supposedly that “Bear spray works better than a gun.” is only true about 1/3 of the time. Not good odds. I may have to start packing too. In the meantime, I let Mike do the heavy lifting and stay Very close to him.
When the EU was becoming a major world player, a Brit at the plant where I worked bragged that it would surpass the US. How the faux-mighty have fallen! Part of this has been Old Europe's abandonment of its best ideals. It also brought in a horde diametrically opposed to those ideals. So far, we have only a partial horde that is already doing damage where it's in charge.
Odd coincidence, but just yesterday I re-listened to Robert Malone on the Rogan podcast (from February). He revisited the firestorm from five years ago when he appeared on the Rogan podcast at the height of the Covid-19 panic, at which time he alluded to Mattias Desmet's scholarship and the concept of "Mass Formation Psychosis." Loss of freedom goes hand in hand with delusional "crowd-think" (as Orwell might say). The infamous "Two Minutes Hate" is a bit of it; TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) is a modern analogue. So is irrational antipathy to Jews and Israel. My advice to young people: Don't drink the "ism."
In his July 5, 1926 speech in Philadelphia marking the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, President Calvin Coolidge made a now‑famous statement about the document’s enduring principles. Speaking at Independence Hall, he said:
“About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final.”
From 1776 to 1926 to 2026 the Declaration’s core ideas—equality, inalienable rights, and the consent of the governed—are not subject to revision or replacement.
My father, born in 1927, was named Calvin. I never asked, but I always hoped that he was probably named for Coolidge by my hardworking, conservative grandparents.
Liberty and Responsibility are the two sides of the freedom coin; only as free, responsible individuals can we choose to make "e pluribus unum" a noble aspiration. I admire John Adams, but Muslims could plausibly call themselves "moral and religious people." Islam is freedom's antithesis.
A graph of infant mortality rates and human life expectancies over time will confirm Ron Swanson's view that everything before the late eighteenth century was a mistake. Only the US keeps the world from repeating that mistake and falling back into totalitarian darkness, and we were hanging by our fingernails when they stole the 2020 election. That's why I fervently support Trump, and it's the most rational fervor imaginable.
Was that not the goofiest thing? Dan Quayle was sitting in on a classroom, judging a spelling bee. The teacher handed him a card with "potatoe" on it. He corrected the student who spelled it correctly, and became the laughing stock of the Democrat half of the country. It was the teacher's fault--either ignorantly or deliberately. No media ever looked into that little question...
God made us social beings. Pack animals, if you will. But he values and loves us individually. He never wanted Israel to have a king but the people demanded it. I believe that the USA is exceptional because it is the first nation in history to deliberately form itself after the model God meant all of us to live under. All of us equal in the eyes of the law, with opportunity to become who we are meant to be. Not the same as each other but individually wonderful. And like ancient Israel, as long as we lived under his law, we prospered.
Progressivism, the political philosophy of the eternal enemy, is the opposite of this.
God uses individuals; Moses, St. Paul, St. Francis.
The enemy uses mobs.
What is the trans movement but a modern iteration of Orwell's anti-sex league? Oh sure, you can have all the sex you want with your mutilated, home made organs but it will be fruitless. The culture of death hates, above all else, life itself.
Since a proper grounding is necessary to be a worthy citizen of a republic, it's no wonder that the Left wants to mislead and pervert our schoolkids at the earliest possible age. The other day, I heard a radio spot in which the state teachers' union offered help against bullying in school. Teachers' union officials and many members are now the organized grown-up bullies of American education and politics.
We have a member of our U.S. Supreme Court who not only does not know what a woman is, but she thinks the rights bestowed on Americans flow from the federal government.
No need for the exclamation point; of course she believes that rights flow directly and solely from government. What else would you expect from a graduate of a "prestigious American law school".
AOC got an economics degree from Boston U. So much for the cradle of liberty. As for our rights, we were born with them. The Constitution and its amendments were largely written to prevent government tampering with our rights.
Due to the request from Free In Florida and a groundswell of other requests, okay, ONE, here are the details for our October confab of life-minded commenters. Here's the boilerplate.
SAVE THE DATE! SAVE THE DATE! DON’T MISS OUT!
Dear Hearts & Gentle People: You are in receipt of this email because you are either a previous attendee at a Commenter-Con or you are a Paid or Free Subscriber to Ammo Grrrll (me, Susan Vass) on Political Questions, or, ideally, BOTH!
ANYWAY: Five years ago, I was impressed with the little gatherings that the Ace of Spades HQ blog was arranging – regionally – which he called Moron Meetups. Usually they were just for an evening at a bar, but it sounded fun. And so, I organized the first NATIONAL confab for my Power Line column in Mesa, AZ just up the road from my home. To my astonishment, we attracted people from 29 states! So I did it 2 more times.
Then “regular commenters”, Tony Petroski and Tracy Thompson (and spouses) organized Commenter-Con 4 as an even more relaxing August get-together at a lakeside resort in Minnesota. Another yuge success.
It’s a very low-key PARTY, basically, spread over three days with a banquet or two, a possible lunch buffet, and a variety of speakers, mostly drawn from our own ranks of commenters; it also includes entertainment, music and a lot of just sitting around laughing and talking with other like-minded people over an adult beverage or coffee or mineral water.
We have no “big name” speakers because we set the Registration Fee so low (just $400/pp) that we can’t afford them. That fee covers the conference center, sound (both crazy expensive!), several of your meals, all the sessions and entertainment. Most of the big-name conservative cruises and confabs are going to cost you several times that – AND they are usually subsidized by very wealthy angel donors. If YOU are a very wealthy angel donor interested in sponsoring any part of our conference, we will welcome that as well as your presence!
We have no “head table” for the banquets or sessions; anybody can sit wherever they want and with whom. It is really all about the “equity” the Left is always babbling about!
This year CC5 is in beautiful and historic Colonial Williamsburg from Sunday afternoon (October 4th), to all-day Monday, October 5th, and all-day Tuesday October 6th, checking out the next morning for flights/drives home.
If you express any interest, more details will follow. And everyone will get a final agenda once all plans are firmed up.
Your hotel will be The Woodland in Colonial Williamsburg. Special Group Rates for those 3 days of the conference will be right around $500 for the 3 days total, including all fees and taxes. The Group Rate will also apply for the Saturday before the official start of CC5 and for a couple of days afterwards should anyone want to stay on. Many people come in a day early – what’s another $200, give or take? to just relax after the often-long trip getting there.
Tony Petroski is our Treasurer. He can be reached at antoinepetrofsky@gmail.com. He can take your Registration Fee ($400/pp) electronically or by check.
Your Group Reference Block ID for booking should anyone need to call is # 3587708.
We’re going to meet at the brand-new Greater Williamsburg Sports and Event Center (GWSEC), across the street from the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center. The Woodlands is right next door and everything is easily walkable.
I would appreciate it very much if you emailed me back, first to either agree or not agree to batch email – AND to tell me YES, I will come – definitely, probably, maybe, or sorry, cannot. That makes my life as a nag easier.
Have a great day. One of the blessings of this column-writing gig is the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people. It has truly been a highlight of my life. If I haven’t met you already, I would love to; and if I already know you, I would love to see you again!
Seriously, NO. NOT KIDDING. NO GIFTS. I would only have to shlep them home on the plane. As they say for most Golden Anniversary celebrations: "Your presence is your present." Amazon stock, bearer bonds, envelopes full of cash, okay. But NO GIFTS. And STILL KIDDING. AG
Hey...this Commenter Con Five thing sounds like a hoot. And in historic Williamsburg to boot during this, the 250th anniversary of We the People announcing our Independence.
This thing will be like Woodstock but without all the mud and free love. I hear the love in Williamsburg is not free but quite reasonable and they have working bathrooms. I can't wait to get there.
It sounds so wonderful. But the travel is too much for me, and I am actually dog-sitting that weekend while my kids go to North Carolina to enjoy the beauty of the mountains in October. 😊. If you ever do one closer to me, I will come. Dallas (honestly why on earth would you do that?), but travel there is easy from everywhere. Austin (same...why?). Fredericksburg is a super cute town an hour's drive from Austin. But I realize Texas is not exactly the land of 10,000 lakes or Colonial Williamsburg. I will be very happy to read everyone's fun accounts of the week! (TexasGrandma)
Very thought-provoking, Max. I had not heard of Desmet before and that video is essential to understanding the mechanism of mass formation, "the madness of crowds" , the terrifying tendency people have to form Ku Klux Klans and lynch mobs.
When I encounter people online who almost reflexively spout TDS or the tired "threats to democracy" or the blindness to Biden/Obama's actions when they accuse Trump of authoritarianism, the most common phrase I use is "Think for yourself". And from the very center of their hate-filled mobs they insist "I AM thinking for myself!".
Good morning M'Lady. In my yute, I had a mentor. (Special people get mentors.) Did you have a mentor?
My mentor was Father Walter. He would end every sermon with: "Think about it." I did. Just like Max, Father Walter always made me think. And he strengthened my faith.
'Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds' is a seminal 1841 study of crowd psychology and mass hysteria by Scottish journalist Charles Mackay. Originally titled 'Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions', the book examines how societies succumb to irrational beliefs through vivid historical accounts of financial bubbles, witch hunts, crusades, and alchemy.
Back in the day when we were Democrats, we knew a wonderful, long-suffering woman whose job was to mentor "hires of color" in her company in Minneapolis. This is 40 years ago already, and she spoke proudly about the massive EFFORTS spent to retain their "colored" hires. Even as a soft-hearted liberal, I was appalled. Why? Because I knew that would not work!
When I was in college and met Mr. Cossack and spent all my time with him instead of studying, I earned a robust 3 Cs and the only "D" I ever got in my life that quarter. Though my total GPA was still respectable, I was on notice that another quarter like that, and I would be on Probation. Well, good! I was filled with shame and the next quarter I buckled down and got a 4.0.
At no time in the many random jobs I had before I found a "career" was any effort made to "retain" me if I wasn't doing the work.
Whether with children, employees, or any other category of humans, coddling, spoiling, and giving them 50 "chances" simply does not work. "Study, idjit, or leave school" is the equivalent of "Root, hog, or die," AG
There is a remake of that movie, and people are singing its praises. I vastly prefer the original. It was a stark tale of how important it is to civilize children, because on their own they are savages. What does that say about the true nature of humans? Indeed it is morality and religion that made us who we are.
I recall that an incident similar to that movie plot actually did happen in real life, and the outcome was completely different. One was the 1965–1966 Tongan shipwreck case. Six teenage boys from Tonga — Sione, Stephen, Kolo, David, Luke, and Mano — were on a small fishing boat when a storm destroyed it, leaving them stranded on a deserted volcanic island for 15 months. And there are other cases in which boys cooperated and built small civil societies.
The different outcomes depend on the qualities of the people involved; is there someone morally and physically stronger than the bully? That's why young Daniel Penny is one of my heroes.
I add mention of Charles Mackay's "Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions" as a valuable reference on how easily mass delusions arise, only to collapse in catastrophe.
Nice post Max. It's pity that most Americans today fail to understand the origins of their liberties. The cartoon is a good primer and likely too sophisticated for many of our fellow citizens, especially those who no longer subscribe to the tenets which are articulated in the phrase E Pluribus Unum. I'm presently a third of the way through Dostoevsky's Demons. Happy Semisesquicentennial.
When I was in my teens I read Erich Fromm's Escape From Freedom. For me that has always been to premier work on the subject of why totalitarians are able to rise to and maintain power.
One important question no one in the comments has asked or addressed, so fool that I am: when does the work of creating consensus, as is necessary in the construction of a political party, become Mass Formation? A corollary that runs directly from the preceding: Who gets to decide what is true, or more directly, what is THE TRUTH?
Think for yourself works as a moto, until the thinking is derailed and becomes confused. In such a case do we write off the person/voter that cannot be persuaded?
In summary: There may be a very short philosophical difference between consensus and Mass Formation. But we all know that WE would never be involved in mass formation because we know THE TRUTH.
Hence the value of self-awareness. But recognizing the existence of objective truth is already a step in the right direction. Currently dominant leftist theories deny the existence of truth altogether.
I think we're treading on thin ice here. Much of politics, or more specifically legislation and political action, requires a prediction of future events. In this context the truth can become a fever dream. For example (and a position I agree with): Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. This particular truth has and is taking a thorough kicking these days, and can be considered mass formation pushed on the population by propagandists. Sadly, the other side sees it the same way, except that we are the propagandists.
Consensus is the voluntary agreement of like-minded people; mass formation comes when people surrender their own rational agency in exchange for social approval.
I hear you, Cas. It's particularly difficult when you know you have been really really wrong BEFORE. You kind of have to learn to re-trust your instincts when you have come full circle from raised conservative, to ridiculous leftie and back "home" to conservativism. You just try to be a little more skeptical about EVERYTHING. AG
"The Life of Julia" would better be called "The Existence of Julia". Without a Higher Power and a moral framework, we cannot dream and expect to be able to achieve. There are no overarching rules, so we cannot plan long term. There is no way to start making our dreams reality. All we can do with our time on earth is exist.
I’ve really taken to these Thursday morning Notes from Upstream by the celebrated author Max Cossack. And today is special because, as Jerry Lee Lewis used to sing, “There’s a whole lot of quotin’ goin’ on.”
And I love the patriotism displayed here. In this important year, the semiquincentennial of The Declaration of Independence, (doing some Lincoln math here…score this, move the decimal over there, tally most of it all up…) I quote this memorable phrase: “Twelve score plus a half-score ago, our Forefathers began history.” Ron Swanson.
Barack Obama and his ilk have been trying to bend the Arc of History towards National Socialism but me and Ron Swanson are having none of it. The American Experiment continues, the socialist experiments have all proven to be God-awful failures. Obama can no more bend the Arc of History than he can lower the sea levels with green gobbledygook.
I was a little disappointed that with all the quotin’ goin’ on here, Desmet, Orwell, Huxley, Dostoevsky, Swanson, Adams…nothing at all from Yogi Berra who knew a thing or two about mobs and groups of people. “Nobody eats at that restaurant anymore…it’s too crowded.” And nobody goes into the public square anymore, it’s filled with mostly-peaceful mobs. We must change that.
By the by Max: An “Early Mass Market Paperback With Salacious Cover.” Have you considered a salacious cover? Yogi taught us: “Salacious covers sell.”
Way to be Max, another thought-provoking posting that needs to be read by all or at least most of all.
The 1984 edition illustrated in today's column was the one I bought at Larson's Stationery when I was in the 7th grade(November 1958), and it was definitely the salacious cover which caught my eye. The book itself had a lasting impact on my view of the world.
Hey there Joe.
I've long thought that while you can't judge everything about a book by its cover, you can judge at least a little bit.
My eye too can be caught by salacious covers. I read 1984 and also saw the film (the 1984 version of 1984 with John Hurt and Richard Burton. I quickly discovered it was a horror story, not the kind of thing suitable for the drive-in movie.
Next time Mr. Orwell: More salaciousness and less horror. I especially don't like images of rats in a cage, the cage placed on a man's head.
By the by, for another film recommendation that has a 1984 feel to it, take-in "Escape," it's on Youtube for free, it's made by South Koreans. It too can give you nightmares.
Remind me again, why do I want nightmares?
I hate nightmares. When I see horror movies I often get nightmares. That's why I watch pleasant films like "D Day, the Sixth of June," "Patton," and "The Super," a film about a slumlord.
Every one of those films has a happy ending.
As I recall, "Patton" ended with a man walking his dog. The movie omits what happened next. Is that what you mean?
"All fame is fleeting."
General George S. Patton, after his service in Europe, went on to have an Academy Award-winning career as an actor in Hollywood.
Ever have one of those exciting nightmares, with a bit of adventure, where you want want to see how it ends?
Yes. One time I went back to sleep and managed to pick up where I had left off.
Gee Tony, now that you given us the spoiler I guess there is no sense in me finally reading 1984 or watching the movie 🤪. Just when I was in the mood for some gratuitous salaciousness too ….
1984 ends on a high note as Prince, Bob Dylan, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs party like it's 1985.
Excellent post. Again. As usual. AG
You are too kind Sue.
Probably too kind to tell you she hates being called "Sue". 😎
Are you kidding, dear one? Mentioning that to him was like catnip to a cat. Sigh. Lesson learned. AG
Minette assured me that he's trainable. Or maybe she was referring to Bruce the sled dog.
I'm easy to train. My dog Bruce is impossible to train.
On the other hand, Bruce pulls a sled way better than I do.
I bet no cat can pull a sled.
Huh? Are you sure?
Wow...I iz sorry.
I'll stick to "Ammo."
Maybe you'd learn your lesson if we all started calling you "Toe".
Nobody calls me "Toe."
They call me "Tone."
Don't give Barack all the credit. The Republicans who went along with and helped bury all the lawfare had a lot to do with it. We're having our political lunch stolen because, unless you follow conservative media, you have forgotten the campaign of lawfare launched against Trump. All they remember is the Wuhan Panic, and they blame that on Trump.
True.
We can look to England for how easily a civilization, or at least a country, is lost, fecklessly forfeited by ceding it without a fight.
Some years ago, I went to visit relatives in my birth country of England. In the trips from and back to Heathrow my drivers each time were Muslims. How did I know? Because they immediately told me so. The first excoriated me the entire almost hour-long journey for being a woman traveling alone - that is, without a male family member. The second proudly advised me that the Islamic flag would one day fly over the Houses of Parliament; that no people had a right to their own land if a stronger, more committed force sought to take it.
I strenuously argued with both. I also tipped them both - because who wants to be thought a racist. And that is how you lose your country.
For now, you can argue with them. When you no longer can, then the country will be lost.
You can argue with them until one becomes “offended” and drives you to the nearest police station and files a report against you - your vacation having been interrupted by an arrest for the crime of speaking the truth.
We used to go hiking in Scotland every year but stopped because of covid as we refused to take the jab. At first we wouldn’t have been let in because “no covid papers” but now we don’t go because political correctness, the Muslim takeover and the hard left politics have made it very uncomfortable and not much fun. And - my husband is somewhat concerned that my mouth might get us into trouble with said authorities. I Am a proud, ornery, independent American, after all. So instead, we now see the USA and I worry about grizzlies rather than British bobbies. It’s a wash.
And you're spending your money with the right people!
Exactly!
Oh no! Not another wife whose "mouth might get us into trouble". I have been working on my "blurting" for many decades with limited success...I KNEW I liked you! My blurting does not all take the form of pugnaciousness.
To take but one example, even though I was severely scolded and told not to act excited about the first house we ever bought, I'm sure I raised the price a few thousand by jumping up and down yelling, "Buy me this house! Buy me this house! I LOVE this house!"
Please consider coming to CC5 in Virginia in October. Details will appear many times in the comment section between now and then. AG
You are Such a hoot and always make me smile! What a great house story!
I’m never “ugly” (as my Southern mother used to say one should never be) but I just have a difficult time not refuting things that simply aren’t true and there are times when people just need to speak up. It occasionally gets me into trouble (as I’m sure you’ve found) but mostly it’s been good and I sleep well at night.
I’ll be watching the details on CC5.
Haha. Southern mothers are awesome. Oh my, we would be SUCH good friends. When we moved from MN to AZ, we had a nice and very good realtor who took us to dinner with another couple after all the paperwork was signed and the house was ours. (I was marginally more restrained with this one...)
The Realtor (bless his heart) was Jewish and assumed that, since we were too, we also were liberals. Obama had won his second term and, though we tried to steer clear of politics, inevitably he expressed his delight that Obama had won re-election and added, "He's such a great speaker," at which point I blurted "Name one thing he ever said." Silence descended on the dinner party and two things happened -- the other woman also dared to say she wasn't that crazy about him either and Joe kicked me under the table. I am happy to say the ankle is almost healed now. AG
Shrieking!!! That is Exactly the type of situation in which I can’t stay quiet! We have under the table ankle kicking in our house too but usually it’s the other way and Mike says, “Why are you kicking me?” (He thinks he’s funny and most of the time that’s so. It’s normally that’s he’s hogging the bread at someone’s house when we’re out to dinner - that sort of thing. He says I have job security because he’ll never be fully trained. This is a true statement. LOL)
Yes, we would absolutely be friends and it would be wonderful!
I wasn’t close to my mother but she did teach me “Southern”. Fortunately or unfortunately, my dad was from Pennsylvania and I take after him a bit more. The older Southern women in our family called him the Yankee until they passed on to greater heights. I always thought that was hysterical.
One speaking up experience was the saddest in my life after the two divorces.
With my best friend from college, another roommate and the women they later married plus a single women, we were a tight social group from 1970 onwards. When the group moved apart we still met several times a year in Fargo, the Twin Cities, Thunder Bay and an annual longer stay at a family cabin on Lake Miltona, Alexandria MN. All others were Dems, but most were not overtly political. Except for my bestie who loved friendly argument with me late nights in a boat with beer in the middle of the lake.
A late interloper to the group who married the single gal wrecked the 34 year friendship. A glib public defender who he and the woman thought was always the smartest guy in the room bashed Bush non-stop after dinner with no rebuttal. The women loved it, my buddy and I rolled our eyes.
Finally I interrupted a long diatribe about Bush’s stupidity, “Well, Bush was no honor student, but his GPA was higher than Kerry’s.” Explosive silence then frosty glares. My wife and I soon left.
None of them ever contacted me again. A year later after no cabin invite I drove to Fargo to surprise my dear friend. We went to a frosty dinner then wifey went to bed early. Bestie and I talked for hours and he let me know that he had to choose between me and his marriage. I said I understood. After a sad hug I drove back to Mpls before dawn. He died 5-6 years later.
Philip,
That's a very depressing but all too common story. Was the wife one of the "HR Ladies" Helen Andrews spoke of?
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-w7pc65zGUo
I have read that Al Gore earned a D in his college science course.
This should be on that harridan's conscience forever. I am so sorry, Phil.
This speaks to many tragic things, dear Philip. 1. Despite Hillary's claim that she only lost because us loser "trad wives" listened to our husbands on how to vote. (Secret ballot much?), the truth is that lefty wives have MUCH more influence on boyfriends and husbands than the other way around.
2. How could a person lose it over a plainly stated FACT? All one had to do was compare Bush's and Kerry's GPA. No rancor, just numbers.
3. I absolutely do not understand how EVERYBODY shunned you like a naughty Amish woman. Not one of those lifelong friends had the balls to stand up for you or go against the crowd? How pathetic.
4. The CURE for all heartache is to come to CC5. Jennifer Grimm will be performing again, Lucretia will keynote Sunday night, it's my birthday, and EVERYONE there will love you!
AG
Philip, that really is a heartbreaking story. Susan is correct that women seem to influence men more than the reverse and it’s a shame. Nothing good ever comes from making decisions from emotion rather than from rational thinking and this sounds like pure emotion.
I have the feeling were the situation reversed, you’d have stood up for your buddies. And I’m sure your best friend knew that - all the more painful for him.
"I worry about grizzlies rather than British bobbies. It’s a wash."
I recommend carrying a .44 magnum revolver for the grizzlies. Practice shooting it a lot, and it will serve you well.
Just don't let it break your wrist.
I don’t think I’m going to be trying a .44 magnum - Ever. So no worries. LOL
You. Jack Rudd. My husband. And Dirty Harry.
Big gun for the Big Boys.
Jack - Love the great advice! My husband says to tell you he carries a .45 - wants to at least give the grizzly a fighting chance. LOL.
I just carry bear spray although I read a pretty good article recently about how the research was done on bear spray & it’s not comforting. Supposedly that “Bear spray works better than a gun.” is only true about 1/3 of the time. Not good odds. I may have to start packing too. In the meantime, I let Mike do the heavy lifting and stay Very close to him.
When the EU was becoming a major world player, a Brit at the plant where I worked bragged that it would surpass the US. How the faux-mighty have fallen! Part of this has been Old Europe's abandonment of its best ideals. It also brought in a horde diametrically opposed to those ideals. So far, we have only a partial horde that is already doing damage where it's in charge.
Odd coincidence, but just yesterday I re-listened to Robert Malone on the Rogan podcast (from February). He revisited the firestorm from five years ago when he appeared on the Rogan podcast at the height of the Covid-19 panic, at which time he alluded to Mattias Desmet's scholarship and the concept of "Mass Formation Psychosis." Loss of freedom goes hand in hand with delusional "crowd-think" (as Orwell might say). The infamous "Two Minutes Hate" is a bit of it; TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) is a modern analogue. So is irrational antipathy to Jews and Israel. My advice to young people: Don't drink the "ism."
In his July 5, 1926 speech in Philadelphia marking the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, President Calvin Coolidge made a now‑famous statement about the document’s enduring principles. Speaking at Independence Hall, he said:
“About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final.”
From 1776 to 1926 to 2026 the Declaration’s core ideas—equality, inalienable rights, and the consent of the governed—are not subject to revision or replacement.
Cool Cal is my Pal; thanks for the quote!
Cool Cal? I thought he was, as the yute say, "Way Cool," but somehow he ended up as "Silent Cal."
Cool Cal. "Run Silent, Run Deep".
My father, born in 1927, was named Calvin. I never asked, but I always hoped that he was probably named for Coolidge by my hardworking, conservative grandparents.
Liberty and Responsibility are the two sides of the freedom coin; only as free, responsible individuals can we choose to make "e pluribus unum" a noble aspiration. I admire John Adams, but Muslims could plausibly call themselves "moral and religious people." Islam is freedom's antithesis.
A graph of infant mortality rates and human life expectancies over time will confirm Ron Swanson's view that everything before the late eighteenth century was a mistake. Only the US keeps the world from repeating that mistake and falling back into totalitarian darkness, and we were hanging by our fingernails when they stole the 2020 election. That's why I fervently support Trump, and it's the most rational fervor imaginable.
"Rational fervor" could be a good name for a novel, or maybe a rock band.
Or a philosophy of life.
Much better than a radical punk band called "Mass Formation!"
Good morning Tim.
Vice President Quayle was mocked ceaselessly for his correct spelling of "Potato."
Vice President Gore wasn't mocked at all for saying that e pluribus unum means "Out of One, Many."
Sometimes I think there is a double standard in our media reporting.
A double standard? I'm shocked, shocked to hear you say so!
Mark. You and me are going to have a beautiful friendship.
Was that not the goofiest thing? Dan Quayle was sitting in on a classroom, judging a spelling bee. The teacher handed him a card with "potatoe" on it. He corrected the student who spelled it correctly, and became the laughing stock of the Democrat half of the country. It was the teacher's fault--either ignorantly or deliberately. No media ever looked into that little question...
Obviously, the media lied again. That's just how they roll.
Marianne. When you get down to it, I think Bob Dylan put it best in song:
"You say potato and I say potahtoe.
You say tomato and I say tomahtoe.
Potato, potahtoe, tomato, tomahtoe,
let's call the whole thing off."
Great post!
God made us social beings. Pack animals, if you will. But he values and loves us individually. He never wanted Israel to have a king but the people demanded it. I believe that the USA is exceptional because it is the first nation in history to deliberately form itself after the model God meant all of us to live under. All of us equal in the eyes of the law, with opportunity to become who we are meant to be. Not the same as each other but individually wonderful. And like ancient Israel, as long as we lived under his law, we prospered.
Progressivism, the political philosophy of the eternal enemy, is the opposite of this.
God uses individuals; Moses, St. Paul, St. Francis.
The enemy uses mobs.
What is the trans movement but a modern iteration of Orwell's anti-sex league? Oh sure, you can have all the sex you want with your mutilated, home made organs but it will be fruitless. The culture of death hates, above all else, life itself.
Since a proper grounding is necessary to be a worthy citizen of a republic, it's no wonder that the Left wants to mislead and pervert our schoolkids at the earliest possible age. The other day, I heard a radio spot in which the state teachers' union offered help against bullying in school. Teachers' union officials and many members are now the organized grown-up bullies of American education and politics.
Good morning RAM.
We have a member of our U.S. Supreme Court who not only does not know what a woman is, but she thinks the rights bestowed on Americans flow from the federal government.
She's a graduate of Harvard Law!
No need for the exclamation point; of course she believes that rights flow directly and solely from government. What else would you expect from a graduate of a "prestigious American law school".
AOC got an economics degree from Boston U. So much for the cradle of liberty. As for our rights, we were born with them. The Constitution and its amendments were largely written to prevent government tampering with our rights.
Great economic minds come from Boston U. Geena Davis matriculated there. She was last spotted riding off a cliff with Susan Sarandon.
And don't forget Marisa Tomei. She attended Boston U in her yute.
Is that where Marisa learned about auto repair? That was more useful than Sandy's degree in economics.
Boston U has one of the best "shop" programs in the country.
And...I must be honest, I secretly want to date AOC.
What???? Does Lizzo know this? Not even to mention your beautiful wife who is 100x sweeter, smarter AND prettier! AG
Overall, BU girls used to be pretty bright.
Marisa Tomei changes everything!
Harvard Law. And therein lies part of the problem.
Bullies led by a childless crone named Randi.
She'd be nowhere without millions of sub-Randis. Note that there are two national teachers' unions, equally bad.
She and her wife are childless? I'm shocked!
Due to the request from Free In Florida and a groundswell of other requests, okay, ONE, here are the details for our October confab of life-minded commenters. Here's the boilerplate.
SAVE THE DATE! SAVE THE DATE! DON’T MISS OUT!
Dear Hearts & Gentle People: You are in receipt of this email because you are either a previous attendee at a Commenter-Con or you are a Paid or Free Subscriber to Ammo Grrrll (me, Susan Vass) on Political Questions, or, ideally, BOTH!
ANYWAY: Five years ago, I was impressed with the little gatherings that the Ace of Spades HQ blog was arranging – regionally – which he called Moron Meetups. Usually they were just for an evening at a bar, but it sounded fun. And so, I organized the first NATIONAL confab for my Power Line column in Mesa, AZ just up the road from my home. To my astonishment, we attracted people from 29 states! So I did it 2 more times.
Then “regular commenters”, Tony Petroski and Tracy Thompson (and spouses) organized Commenter-Con 4 as an even more relaxing August get-together at a lakeside resort in Minnesota. Another yuge success.
It’s a very low-key PARTY, basically, spread over three days with a banquet or two, a possible lunch buffet, and a variety of speakers, mostly drawn from our own ranks of commenters; it also includes entertainment, music and a lot of just sitting around laughing and talking with other like-minded people over an adult beverage or coffee or mineral water.
We have no “big name” speakers because we set the Registration Fee so low (just $400/pp) that we can’t afford them. That fee covers the conference center, sound (both crazy expensive!), several of your meals, all the sessions and entertainment. Most of the big-name conservative cruises and confabs are going to cost you several times that – AND they are usually subsidized by very wealthy angel donors. If YOU are a very wealthy angel donor interested in sponsoring any part of our conference, we will welcome that as well as your presence!
We have no “head table” for the banquets or sessions; anybody can sit wherever they want and with whom. It is really all about the “equity” the Left is always babbling about!
This year CC5 is in beautiful and historic Colonial Williamsburg from Sunday afternoon (October 4th), to all-day Monday, October 5th, and all-day Tuesday October 6th, checking out the next morning for flights/drives home.
If you express any interest, more details will follow. And everyone will get a final agenda once all plans are firmed up.
Your hotel will be The Woodland in Colonial Williamsburg. Special Group Rates for those 3 days of the conference will be right around $500 for the 3 days total, including all fees and taxes. The Group Rate will also apply for the Saturday before the official start of CC5 and for a couple of days afterwards should anyone want to stay on. Many people come in a day early – what’s another $200, give or take? to just relax after the often-long trip getting there.
Tony Petroski is our Treasurer. He can be reached at antoinepetrofsky@gmail.com. He can take your Registration Fee ($400/pp) electronically or by check.
To book The Woodland:
Here you go:
https://book.passkey.com/go/939cec2d
Your Group Reference Block ID for booking should anyone need to call is # 3587708.
We’re going to meet at the brand-new Greater Williamsburg Sports and Event Center (GWSEC), across the street from the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center. The Woodlands is right next door and everything is easily walkable.
I would appreciate it very much if you emailed me back, first to either agree or not agree to batch email – AND to tell me YES, I will come – definitely, probably, maybe, or sorry, cannot. That makes my life as a nag easier.
Have a great day. One of the blessings of this column-writing gig is the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people. It has truly been a highlight of my life. If I haven’t met you already, I would love to; and if I already know you, I would love to see you again!
Blessings,
Susan Vass
Political Questions columnist
Note: It's Susan's 80th birthday--a great party with people you will enjoy!
Bring gifts. Please, no frankincense, no myrrh, but gold is good and bottles of Chanel Number 6 (the upgrade from 5) will go great.
Seriously, NO. NOT KIDDING. NO GIFTS. I would only have to shlep them home on the plane. As they say for most Golden Anniversary celebrations: "Your presence is your present." Amazon stock, bearer bonds, envelopes full of cash, okay. But NO GIFTS. And STILL KIDDING. AG
"Your presence is your present."
Whew...thank God.
I was going to buy something really expensive.
Hey...this Commenter Con Five thing sounds like a hoot. And in historic Williamsburg to boot during this, the 250th anniversary of We the People announcing our Independence.
This thing will be like Woodstock but without all the mud and free love. I hear the love in Williamsburg is not free but quite reasonable and they have working bathrooms. I can't wait to get there.
It sounds so wonderful. But the travel is too much for me, and I am actually dog-sitting that weekend while my kids go to North Carolina to enjoy the beauty of the mountains in October. 😊. If you ever do one closer to me, I will come. Dallas (honestly why on earth would you do that?), but travel there is easy from everywhere. Austin (same...why?). Fredericksburg is a super cute town an hour's drive from Austin. But I realize Texas is not exactly the land of 10,000 lakes or Colonial Williamsburg. I will be very happy to read everyone's fun accounts of the week! (TexasGrandma)
Very thought-provoking, Max. I had not heard of Desmet before and that video is essential to understanding the mechanism of mass formation, "the madness of crowds" , the terrifying tendency people have to form Ku Klux Klans and lynch mobs.
When I encounter people online who almost reflexively spout TDS or the tired "threats to democracy" or the blindness to Biden/Obama's actions when they accuse Trump of authoritarianism, the most common phrase I use is "Think for yourself". And from the very center of their hate-filled mobs they insist "I AM thinking for myself!".
Hence the phrase "herd of independent minds."
Those who run with the herd seldom anticipate the bold cowboy.
,,,or the cliff straight ahead.
Good morning M'Lady. In my yute, I had a mentor. (Special people get mentors.) Did you have a mentor?
My mentor was Father Walter. He would end every sermon with: "Think about it." I did. Just like Max, Father Walter always made me think. And he strengthened my faith.
Good morning, Bonnie! In my book I include the sad tale of Jean Calas in 1760s Toulouse to illustrate the madness of crowds.
Yes indeed you do, and it's well worth reading - again!
'Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds' is a seminal 1841 study of crowd psychology and mass hysteria by Scottish journalist Charles Mackay. Originally titled 'Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions', the book examines how societies succumb to irrational beliefs through vivid historical accounts of financial bubbles, witch hunts, crusades, and alchemy.
Back in the day when we were Democrats, we knew a wonderful, long-suffering woman whose job was to mentor "hires of color" in her company in Minneapolis. This is 40 years ago already, and she spoke proudly about the massive EFFORTS spent to retain their "colored" hires. Even as a soft-hearted liberal, I was appalled. Why? Because I knew that would not work!
When I was in college and met Mr. Cossack and spent all my time with him instead of studying, I earned a robust 3 Cs and the only "D" I ever got in my life that quarter. Though my total GPA was still respectable, I was on notice that another quarter like that, and I would be on Probation. Well, good! I was filled with shame and the next quarter I buckled down and got a 4.0.
At no time in the many random jobs I had before I found a "career" was any effort made to "retain" me if I wasn't doing the work.
Whether with children, employees, or any other category of humans, coddling, spoiling, and giving them 50 "chances" simply does not work. "Study, idjit, or leave school" is the equivalent of "Root, hog, or die," AG
Do not forget Lord of the Flies. It still creeps me out.
Indeed. I read it when I was quite young and it upset me for a long time with nightmares and such. AG
There is a remake of that movie, and people are singing its praises. I vastly prefer the original. It was a stark tale of how important it is to civilize children, because on their own they are savages. What does that say about the true nature of humans? Indeed it is morality and religion that made us who we are.
I recall that an incident similar to that movie plot actually did happen in real life, and the outcome was completely different. One was the 1965–1966 Tongan shipwreck case. Six teenage boys from Tonga — Sione, Stephen, Kolo, David, Luke, and Mano — were on a small fishing boat when a storm destroyed it, leaving them stranded on a deserted volcanic island for 15 months. And there are other cases in which boys cooperated and built small civil societies.
The different outcomes depend on the qualities of the people involved; is there someone morally and physically stronger than the bully? That's why young Daniel Penny is one of my heroes.
Speaking of Roots and Hogs and Dying...my favorite character in Lord of the Flies was Miss Piggy.
No wonder I didn't like it.
I add mention of Charles Mackay's "Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions" as a valuable reference on how easily mass delusions arise, only to collapse in catastrophe.
True, and thanks--and I think I mentioned his and other related books in a previous post.
In the same spirit as "Root, hog, or die" comes "God helps those who help themselves."
Nice post Max. It's pity that most Americans today fail to understand the origins of their liberties. The cartoon is a good primer and likely too sophisticated for many of our fellow citizens, especially those who no longer subscribe to the tenets which are articulated in the phrase E Pluribus Unum. I'm presently a third of the way through Dostoevsky's Demons. Happy Semisesquicentennial.
When I was in my teens I read Erich Fromm's Escape From Freedom. For me that has always been to premier work on the subject of why totalitarians are able to rise to and maintain power.
One important question no one in the comments has asked or addressed, so fool that I am: when does the work of creating consensus, as is necessary in the construction of a political party, become Mass Formation? A corollary that runs directly from the preceding: Who gets to decide what is true, or more directly, what is THE TRUTH?
Think for yourself works as a moto, until the thinking is derailed and becomes confused. In such a case do we write off the person/voter that cannot be persuaded?
In summary: There may be a very short philosophical difference between consensus and Mass Formation. But we all know that WE would never be involved in mass formation because we know THE TRUTH.
Hence the value of self-awareness. But recognizing the existence of objective truth is already a step in the right direction. Currently dominant leftist theories deny the existence of truth altogether.
I think we're treading on thin ice here. Much of politics, or more specifically legislation and political action, requires a prediction of future events. In this context the truth can become a fever dream. For example (and a position I agree with): Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. This particular truth has and is taking a thorough kicking these days, and can be considered mass formation pushed on the population by propagandists. Sadly, the other side sees it the same way, except that we are the propagandists.
Consensus is the voluntary agreement of like-minded people; mass formation comes when people surrender their own rational agency in exchange for social approval.
Your suggestion is that only one side plays the game "fairly." Allow me to paraphrase Winston Churchill: "...truth requires a bodyguard of lies..."
I hear you, Cas. It's particularly difficult when you know you have been really really wrong BEFORE. You kind of have to learn to re-trust your instincts when you have come full circle from raised conservative, to ridiculous leftie and back "home" to conservativism. You just try to be a little more skeptical about EVERYTHING. AG
Nice definition of “mass formation”
"The Life of Julia" would better be called "The Existence of Julia". Without a Higher Power and a moral framework, we cannot dream and expect to be able to achieve. There are no overarching rules, so we cannot plan long term. There is no way to start making our dreams reality. All we can do with our time on earth is exist.
But just think of the poetry she could write!
I wonder, since that would involve her having discipline and knowledge, two things that merely existing does not bring you.