Podcast Saturday + the Week in Headlines
And Trump's road show does big box office in the Gulf of Arabia
It’s another normal twofer podcast Saturday, but with extra spice, as I was the host for both shows this week, which were recorded back-to-back, so my vocal cords are tired!
First up, the Three Whisky Happy Hour, where we decided to let “Lucretia” run wild with her Top Five Dumbest Ideas, though she restrained herself to just the top five dumbest ideas this week, or we might still be taping as she went though, perhaps, Caesar turning his back on his enemies and Napoleon invading Russia in the winter. We also review the Supreme Court’s first round of arguments on birthright citizenship (predicting a long punt on this question) and nationwide injunctions by a single judge sitting in Palookaville.
So listen right here, or at the link above:
Next up, the Ricochet podcast, with special guest Christopher Scalia talking about his brand new book, Thirteen Novels Conservatives Will Love (But Probably Haven’t Read), along with an epic rant from Charles C.W. Cooke about how badly the House Republicans are screwing up Trump’s “big beautiful” tax and budget bill. As usual, listen right here, or at the link just above:
And now, let’s get out with the Week in Headlines, starting out with fresh reminders of how the media threw their little remaining credibility into the trash with their cover-up of Joe Biden’s senility:
What Germany and Japan both had was not only highly functional civil societies but a conception, however imperfect, of a polis. These provided a firm foundation upon which to build political institutions that would be accepted as binding by the populace
Contrast that with the three neocon cases of the early 21st Century- Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya. None of the three could be considered a functioning polis - all were basically grab bags of various tribes, religions, ethnicities defined by colonial borders largely kept together by strongmen and rule of arms
Compare and contrast (again) the neocon three with the post-Cold War Eastern (Central) Europe which saw the rapid rise of functioning democratic societies.... but only in certain parts. Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia yes - other parts not so much. What's the dividing line? Roughly the furthest advance of the Ottoman Empire.
Of course the neocon conceit about the universal appeal of liberal democracy collapses before it leaves American shores as evidenced by the rise of totalitarian/postmodern Left in America over the past 50 years and our near escape (for now) in 2024.
If you cannot get these things anymore in Canada or California, why do you think you can get them in Kabul? Isn't Kristol an empiricist by training? What say he? What he hasn't said anything?
I wonder if neoconservatism isn't simply a racket in order for some to be to afford pricey real estate in certain northern Virginia suburbs.
Everyone knows that conservative women are "hot", but @lucretia357 is also stylish and classy. In every photo or live podcast one can see the care & sense of pride she takes in herself, a complete contrast to progressive women (although curiously *elite* progressive ladies in politics & media are usually noticeably well presented - it's as if they don't practice what they preach to the plebs; you can add marriage to the list of hypocrisies as well).