Fountainhead Forum, episode 496
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Jan Bertram on the Free Cities Foundation, ‘free cities,’ and the situation in Germany.” (10/06/26)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
John Cleese is not a terrorist
Source: Washington Post
by Andrew Doyle
“We cannot even be secure in our use of the word ‘terrorist’ any longer, given that so many are determined to abuse it. How else to explain the fact that comedian John Cleese, of Monty Python and ‘Fawlty Towers’ fame, has been reported to Prevent, the British government program designed to stop people from becoming terrorists? Are dead parrots, silly walks and disgruntled hoteliers now deemed early warning signs of radicalization? The complaint to Prevent against Cleese was made by a member of the public, and the details passed to 5Pillars, an Islamist media outlet based in London. In its report, 5Pillars characterized the complaint as alleging that Cleese’s social media jokes and comments ‘go beyond legitimate criticism of Islam and instead portray Muslims collectively as violent, criminal and morally depraved.'” (10/07/26)
Trump threatens to “terminate” top campaign advisers after revelation of work for pro-Russia Bosnia party
Source: New York Post
“President Trump threatened Wednesday to ‘terminate’ two key advisers after they were revealed to have raked in ‘hundreds of thousands of dollars each’ advising a pro-Russian political party in Bosnia as Republicans brace for a potential bloodbath in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. ‘Chris LaCivita and James Blair are outside consultants. They do not work for me, other than as outside consultants. They most likely have numerous clients, but for that, you would have to ask them,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘They are allowed to do work for others, just like all consultants in Washington, D.C. I do not have any idea who else they work for but will, on reflection, ask them and, if there’s a conflict, I will terminate them, immediately!'” (10/07/26)
The Opinions, 10/07/26
Source: New York Times
“The Problem With Hegseth’s Pentagon.” (10/07/26)
AI Consciousness Could Become a Regulatory Moat
Source: The Daily Economy
by Peter C Earle
“Incumbent AI firms may benefit from a regulatory regime in which machine consciousness is considered plausible but remains impossible to prove or disprove.” (10/07/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/ai-consciousness-could-become-a-regulatory-moat/
Nepal Ends Search for Thousands of Flood Victims as Family Reactions Range From Anger to Relief
Source: US News & World Report
“Nepal announced its intention to cease search and rescue operations for victims of the Aug. 26 flood that killed at least 1,455 people with thousands more still missing. Family members of 5,285 people who remain unaccounted for, including hundreds of foreign nationals, expressed mixed reactions, with some relieved and others unhappy with the decision by Nepal’s government announced late Monday. The office of Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the government will concentrate on rehabilitation and reconstruction including restoring roads and bridges cut off by floods, particularly in remote areas where damaged infrastructure has made aid deliveries difficult. The government estimates reconstruction and recovery will cost $4.77 billion.” (10/07/26)
Politics Politics Politics, 10/06/26
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Can You Trust Senate Midterm Polling? A Tale of Two Economies (with J.D. Durkin).” (10/06/26)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/can-you-trust-senate-midterm-polling
More Military Assassinations in the Caribbean
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution expressly prohibits federal officials from depriving people of life without due process of law, which necessarily means charging people with crimes and according them a trial. That’s obviously not what the military is doing with its killings of those people in boats on the high seas. No criminal indictment. No trial. No opportunity to contest the government’s evidence or accusation. Simply summary executions based on the government’s unilateral determination that the occupants are drug traffickers. Given the lack of due process of law, the military killings of these boat people operate as state-inflicted assassinations.” (10/07/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/10/07/more-military-assassinations-in-the-caribbean/
America’s Hidden Millionaires
Source: Law & Liberty
by Vladimir Snurenco
“Americans have a lot of misconceptions about the rich. This becomes clear when you read The Everywhere Millionaire by Owen Zidar and Eric Zwick. The authors open with the deceptively simple question: ‘Who are the rich in America?’ They go on to show that wealth in this country ‘is more abundant, and closer to home, than most people think.’ In nearly every city and town, owners of apparently ordinary businesses have accumulated extraordinary fortunes.” (10/07/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/americas-hidden-millionaires/
Who Reads? AI, Authorship, and the Collective Conversation
Source: Liberalism.org
“Writing just got a whole lot easier, but reading didn’t. Here’s what comes next.” (10/07/26)
https://www.liberalism.org/p/who-reads-ai-authorship-and-the-collective-conversation