Source: The Daily Beast
by Matt Lewis
“Twenty years after the United States invaded Iraq, it is worth asking whether it was the right thing to do. As someone who was passively in favor of it (I was a loyal conservative Republican, but I wasn’t a writer back then), I’m now solidly in the ‘no’ camp …. It didn’t go well, and the fallout was worse than expected. And I’m not just talking about the insurgency. Not finding any WMDs resulted in faulty intel being held up as additional evidence that the so-called ‘experts’ and elites were either incompetent, evil, or both. There is a straight line from this belief to today’s animosity directed at our intel agencies (i.e., the ‘deep state’). A straight line can also be drawn from that moment to the election of Donald Trump to the ongoing hatred of Dr. Anthony Fauci (who, let’s be honest, has invited some of the opprobrium).” (03/25/23)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-ultimate-proof-the-iraq-war-was-a-mistake-it-gave-us-trump
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by Jackie Valley
“When it comes to parental bills of rights, not all legislation is created equal. The House on Friday narrowly passed House Resolution 5, known as the Parents Bill of Rights Act, which would amend existing federal education laws. A Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution also has been proposed. Multiple pieces of proposed legislation at the state level seek broad protections for parents, using language such as to ‘direct the upbringing’ of their children. A bill in Arkansas, meanwhile, revolves around medical records when a child is removed from parental or guardian custody. And legislation in Connecticut would create a bill of rights for parents of students learning English as a second language. A desire for parents to have greater say in the education of their children has resulted in a tangle of partisan wars and policy changes.” (03/24/23)
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2023/0324/32-states-and-counting-Why-parents-bills-of-rights-are-sweeping-US
Source: Financial Times [UK]
“France is bracing for fresh demonstrations against Emmanuel Macron’s contested pensions reform next week, testing the president’s handling of a backlash that has spiralled into a political crisis. A fresh day of national strikes called by unions is set to take place on Tuesday after spontaneous protests have occasionally turned violent in recent days …. After more than 1mn people took part in marches across France last Thursday, clashes with police broke out on the sidelines. Protesters set fire to uncollected garbage in central Paris, leading police to fire tear gas and deploy its more heavy-duty motorbike brigade to control crowds. Labour unions and protesters have called on Macron to withdraw his reform, which will raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 and require people to work for 43 years to qualify for a full pension.” (03/26/23)
https://archive.is/FSRzd
Source: Unattended Baggage
“You’re all going to jail.” (03/24/23)
https://alexandersnitker.substack.com/p/unattended-baggage-episode-190-youre
Source: American Institute for Economic Research
by Donald J Boudreaux
“In my previous column I identified some illiberal policies that, although I wish these had never been put into place, I’d not now eliminate immediately with the push of a button. I advocate instead that these policies be wound down only gradually. But I also described some other illiberal policies that I would indeed, if I could, abolish all at once with the push of a button. Here I describe one other illiberal policy that, had I the power to do so, I would abolish immediately. That policy is economic protectionism. I would unhesitatingly and immediately push a button to eliminate all tariffs and other import barriers, as well as all subsidies, put into place by the US government for purposes other than the furtherance of national security.” (03/25/23)
https://www.aier.org/article/do-not-tarry-in-eliminating-tariffs-and-other-protectionist-measures/
Source: Freeman’s Perspective
by Paul Rosenberg
“As it happens, we have wonderful evidence of how people lived in the old days. It has taught us a great deal about people in the ancient era. The discovery happened like this: In September of 1991, two German tourists from Nuremberg took a hike through the high Alps on the Austria-Italy border. This was late summer, when the snow atop these mountains was at its minimum, making hikes in the area not overly difficult. As they crested the mountains, the two hikers stumbled over the mummy (naturally mummified, not wrapped in bandages) of a man who had died some 5,300 years earlier… at about 3,300 B.C. His body was enclosed in ice, along with things he had been carrying.” (03/25/23)
https://freemansperspective.com/earned-knowledge-l5-p2/
Source: Holly’s Substack
by Holly Math Nerd
“During my junior year of college, my food stamps ran out and a mailed check I was waiting on, payment for a part-time job, was late. As a consequence, I didn’t eat for four days. Those four days were physically and psychologically painful. … That semester, I was taking very difficult classes. It was my first attempt at programming, as well as being the semester I took Calculus 3 and multiple regression (basically the beginning of advanced statistics). Those four days were terrifying and agonizing on multiple levels, and even though they were only four days, they continue to affect me. I think a lot about those four days. … The one and only reason why my pantry is full, my utilities are paid a month ahead, and I can have small treats, like new incense, anytime I want them? Because I got good at mathematics.” (03/26/23)
https://hollymathnerd.substack.com/p/critical-consciousness-is-evil
Source: Waco Tribune-Herald
“Thousands on Saturday attended former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally at Waco Regional Airport, an event that saw Trump resume themes centered on claims of a leaky southern border, a stolen 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden-induced economic hardships and Trump’s rescuing of America by winning the 2024 election. Attendees who spoke with the Tribune-Herald said they could not let pass the opportunity to show their support at a venue practically in their backyard. They wanted to convey that backing among hard-core MAGA fans has not waned, despite Trump’s legal battles and what they see as unmerited political and personal attacks on Trump. … Republican luminaries joining Trump in Waco included Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, businessman Mike Lindell, who launched the My Pillow company, and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.” (03/26/23)
https://wacotrib.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/trump-draws-thousands-to-waco-rally-sticks-with-familiar-themes/article_1ec36070-cb6f-11ed-9dc9-5739d75d987e.html
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Dan McKnight returns to the show to talk about Defend the Guard’s recent success in Arizona and how you can help bring about another victory this Monday in Texas.” (03/24/23)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/3-24-23-dan-mcknight-on-defend-the-guards-victory-in-arizona-and-how-you-can-help-keep-the-momentum-going-this-monday/
Source: New York Post
by Post Editorial Board
“This guy. As some of his allies are trying to rewrite January 6 as an afternoon stroll, Donald Trump is having none of it. In the face of a possible criminal case in New York, he screamed that ‘death and destruction’ would follow any indictment. He posed with a baseball bat aimed at the head of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. THIS is Donald Trump. He hasn’t changed in the slightest. There is no shame. After riling up rioters, cheering for a coup, and agreeing that his vice president needed to be hanged, he’s back to making violent threats against fellow Americans. … Trump is not trying to make America a better place. He’s not offering anyone apart from himself a better future. He’s out for revenge.” (03/24/23)
https://nypost.com/2023/03/24/trump-wont-change-and-that-shows-he-cant-win/