“The closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the temporary ceasefire is the culmination of an American policy defined by strategic incoherence. At the center stands Donald Trump, whose shifting positions, confused war objectives, and conflicting actions have not only failed to ease regional tensions but have actively deepened them. Nowhere is this clearer than in Trump’s threats to blow up the whole country, including its bridges and power plants. At the same time, he touted a military ‘big day’, presenting potential war crimes as diplomatic tool, aggression as diplomacy, and destruction as leverage. Trump’s inflated, almost delusional, promises ahead of potential talks come across less as statesmanship and more as a calculated sales pitch to the American public.” (04/23/26)
“When Americans sign up to serve the nation under arms, they agree to temporarily forego many of the freedoms of civilian life. They must wear uniforms, not street fashion. They must eat Army or Navy food. They must salute officers and obey orders. They must, in other words, adhere to military discipline. It won’t surprise you to learn that Hegseth is completely hypocritical on this subject. He says that your body, your faith, and your convictions are not negotiable. But he has banned most beards from the U.S. military and cracked down on religious exemptions.” (04/23/26)
“When I talk to climate people in rich countries, I find a lot of concern about capitalism, about our alienation from nature and the way capitalist consumption unbalances our relationship with the natural world. Which figures: when you talk to first-world people, you hear a lot about first-world problems. Most climate activists don’t seem very worked up about poverty in the developing world, probably because they just haven’t spent a lot of time with poor people in poor countries, and they just don’t think about them very often. The results are unsurprising. First-world climate activists tend to favor policies that risk making poverty in the developing world worse, and they don’t seem much troubled by this.” (04/23/26)
“Credit is not an artificial construct imposed by financiers or states. It arises because modern commercial life cannot function without it.” (04/23/26)
“America was built on a foundation that constitutional violations are a deadly disease. Give government an inch – and they’ll take a few thousand miles, and never stop. And before too long, it’ll get to a place where it’s no longer a Republic, but a long slow coup. Or, as the Declaration of Independence put it, eating ‘out our substance.’ Our rights. Our money. And everything in between. The solution? The ancient Roman principle behind the American Revolution.” (04/22/26)
“The latest effort to neuter conservatives and force Republicans to surrender comes from a deceptively titled device called ‘The Dignity Index.’ The ruse is fronted by Kennedy relative Tim Shriver, who appears on Fox News in the guise of a perfectly reasonable moderate Democrat, the type we all wish still existed. His pitch is for politicians to treat their opponents with respect, lower the temperature of public debate and restore civility to public life. Who could be against such laudable goals? But whom does the pitch not remind you of? President Trump, of course, with his bare-knuckled, smash-mouth, macho belligerence. Trump is the antithesis of the gentle tone Shriver is trying to elevate as the core virtue of leadership ahead of the midterms. But the dignity blather is just a fancy way of damning Trump for mean tweets.” (04/22/26)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“There are, of course, consequences of the U.S. war on Iran that are easy to see. The deaths and injuries of thousands of Iranians. The deaths and injuries of dozens of U.S. soldiers. The massive destruction of homes, businesses, ships, and infrastructure in Iran and nearby countries. Gasoline prices and the prices of other things soaring. All easy to see. But there are also unseen consequences of the war and, more generally, of the U.S. government’s overall foreign policy of interventionism.” (04/22/26)
Source: Understanding AI
by Kai Williams & Timothy B Lee
“For this story, one of us (Kai) looked through dozens of crash reports Waymo submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration between August 15, 2025 and March 16, 2026. He focused on 78 crashes involving driverless Waymos serious enough to cause an injury or an airbag deployment. Waymo likely drove more than 100 million miles during this time period, so it’s not surprising that Waymo was involved in dozens of crashes. But it’s striking how many of the crashes involved serious mistakes by other drivers. When Waymo’s vehicles did make mistakes, they were almost always mistakes of excessive caution.” (04/22/26)
“It is hard to believe that ‘once upon a time’ labor unions were enemies of government. Fedgov and State governments both. 150 years ago, and much more recently, the FedGov and States used the Army and National Guard (Organized Militia) to suppress labor union activities. Especially strikes. … Today, to some degree, the pendulum has swung to the other extreme. In Colorado, for example, we find the Regressive-controlled General Assembly (the Legislature, both upper and lower houses) pushing for government to treat labor unions like the senior house of the General Assembly. In some really stupid ways! Especially since what the unions want means government agencies snatching more power to micro-manage everyday life, and create opportunities for new government jobs (more government parasites) and fees and fines, and at the same time increase the incentives to shove campaign contributions into the pockets of politicians.” (04/22/26)
