“An increasing amount of public attention has been drawn to an obscure ideological movement called ‘postliberalism,’ which argues that free markets, individual liberty, and limited government handicap a societal commitment to what they call the ‘common good.’ Until just a few years ago, postliberalism hovered around the extreme periphery of the political right. That is no longer the case. The most obvious reason is that Vice President J.D. Vance self-identifies as a postliberal. And more recently, the postliberal movement has found itself at the center of a string of controversies.” (11/20/25)
Source: The Peaceful Revolutionist
by David S D’Amato
“Rather than continuing to pretend that we’re in an agreement or mutually beneficial relationship with a predatory ruling class, we could start to put facts ahead of abstractions and thought experiments. We could reimagine the social contract in Proudhonian terms, as working from the bottom-up, first relationships of equality and solidarity between individuals, then between their cooperative bodies, and outward from there in federations and agreements as may be needed for specific times and purposes. This is precisely the reverse of Rawlsian social contract philosophy in that it does not take the state as a given: it begins with contract where it can be found as a social fact and insists that any social arrangement must harmonize with genuine contract. But I don’t want to suggest that this reversal of Rawls is in method only.” (11/20/25)
“Colombian president Gustavo Petro has publicly released his bank records in an effort to demonstrate he has no ties to drug trafficking, an unsubstantiated claim made by U.S. President Donald Trump. Colombia’s Financial Information and Analysis Unit this week began releasing the president’s bank statements to the press from 2022 to June of this year after the president ordered their release on Monday. … The released accounts have so far shown no sign of suspicious transactions but have revealed payments for a house mortgage, purchases at stores like Gucci and Ralph Lauren, and a transaction at a strip club. This has led to criticism from the local press.” (11/19/25)
“On June 19, 2024, Khaled Mahajneh, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, became the first lawyer to visit a notorious detention facility for Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, located inside the Sde Teiman military base in the Negev Desert, one of several detention facilities established after October 7, 2023 to hold Palestinians seized in Gaza. Speaking to +972 Magazine a week after his visit, Mahanjeh drew a pertinent comparison with the treatment of Muslim prisoners in the US’s post-9/11 ‘war on terror,’ but concluded that Israel’s behavior was even worse.” (11/20/25)
The shutdown was its own risk — but not one that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had a real choice on, after the blowback to his decision to fund the government in March. Schumer’s camp kept insisting that he didn’t want to reopen without a cleaner victory on health care, but the defection of his centrists underscored that the risk hadn’t paid off. Since the shutdown ended, Democrats who are behaving like potential presidential candidates have been lining up to argue that their party gave in because its Senate leaders were too cautious. … As the party’s base demands more brawls and more risks, Democrats in power are trying to catch up.” (11/19/25)
“A former Olympic snowboarder, who officials say runs one of the most violent drug-trafficking organizations in the world, faces new charges related to the murder of a federal witness in the case against him. Officials said Ryan James Wedding ‘placed a bounty’ on the witness’[s] head ‘in the erroneous belief that the victim’s death would result in the dismissal of criminal charges against him and his international drug trafficking ring.’ … The witness was fatally shot at a restaurant before he could testify against Wedding. In an indictment unsealed Wednesday, Wedding was charged with murder, witness tampering and intimidation, money laundering and drug trafficking. … The State Department increased its reward from $10 million to $15 million for information that leads to the arrest and/or conviction of Wedding, who is on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.” (11/19/25)
“I think Marjorie Taylor Greene is a loathsome, self-serving narcissist. But if she can make life even one iota more unpleasant for the current President of the United States, then I say go for it, mean girl. Go for it all the live long day.” (11/19/25)
“A few months ago, an impromptu trip to my neighborhood wine store turned into an awesome lesson in spontaneous order, American entrepreneurship, and creative destruction. There, I met several small-business owners who were proudly sampling their new products and eager to tell me all about them, their upstart businesses, and the booming local industry to which they belonged. Being a dork, I drank up their stories for almost an hour …. these happy folks weren’t selling beer or wine — they were selling THC-infused drinks that’ve become all the rage at local stores, breweries, bars, and restaurants here in North Carolina, thanks to nothing more than consumer interest, good ol’ fashioned American industriousness, and the federal government getting out of the way. Now, that same government is putting these and many other entrepreneurs out of business — and for no good reason.” (11/19/25)
