“Perhaps you’re old enough to recall the New Atheist movement and the ‘Four Horsemen of New Atheism,’ a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in Christian eschatology, or theology of the end times. Inspired by this quartet, I have been cataloging the ‘Four Horsemen of New Zionism,’ focusing on pivotal commentators and propagandists devoted to contemporary Israel and all the destruction that comes with it.” (10/30/26)
“[Samuel] Gregg’s case differs from a standard account that roots the contemporary West in Athens, Jerusalem, and Rome. He doesn’t deny that the civilizations of these cities have made decisive and salutary contributions to the Western mind, but Edinburgh’s addition makes a tremendous difference for understanding commercial society and, I would add, the constitutional state that fosters it. The crucial import here is that much of the modern West incorporated the ideas and habits of mind of the French and German Enlightenments rather than the Scottish Enlightenment. And, over the centuries, it’s the former enlightenments that have come to dominate the West’s thinking and discourse, to its detriment.” (10/30/26)
“For all of our complaints about the dangers of corporate power, we sometimes fail to stop and marvel at just how good corporations are at what they do. They are incredibly adept at organizing the world in the most efficient way to serve their own interests. If we’re being honest with ourselves, we should acknowledge the extent to which growing corporate power is inevitable if we allow our political and economic battles to play out as a contest of efficiency and optimization. The only way for humanity to win is to play by different rules. The battle between corporations and people, capital and labor, is not new. But if you have the sense that the imbalance between the sides has been getting worse, you are verifiably correct. Wealth inequality has been growing for decades, and the richest of the rich are increasingly separating themselves from everyone else.” (10/29/26)
Source: The American Conservative
by Eldar Mamedov
“Given that the regime in Tehran shows few if any signs of crumbling even under extreme military and economic pressure, it should be clear that perpetual enmity offers diminishing returns. Accommodation is the only viable path forward. The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan seem to realize that. A regional nonaggression arrangement was reportedly discussed in the meeting in Tehran—the kind of common-sense diplomatic proposal that is both necessary and long overdue.” (10/30/26)
Source: The Bleeding Heart Libertarian
by Matt Zwolinski
“Among some young libertarians, especially online and in radical anarcho-capitalist circles, Hoppe is venerated. … Outside the Rothbardian and Austrian circles where he made his reputation, though, Hoppe’s name is largely unknown. Most mainstream political philosophers have never heard of him, and those who have rarely engage with his work. His admirers say that’s because the academy is a left-wing monoculture afraid of him. But there’s a better, simpler explanation. Hoppe’s central philosophical arguments just aren’t very good. In particular, ‘argumentation ethics’ doesn’t come close to justifying libertarian rights. And even if it did, it wouldn’t do anything to justify the politics of exclusion he attaches to them.” (10/29/26)
Source: The Daily Economy
by Caleb S Fuller & Scott Burns
“From aluminum wrappers to beef, cheese, and tomatoes, Washington has found a way to make every bite more expensive. ‘TACOs’ shouldn’t cost so much.” (10/29/26)
“Democratic candidates spent much of the midterm campaign talking themselves into a false choice over whether to focus on ‘affordability’ or on the abuse of executive power. Yet in its final days, the election has come to center on an issue that combines the two: the spectacular corruption of the Trump administration. Many Democrats are adopting this as a closing message on the campaign trail …. This election’s focus on corruption has been encouraged by a series of late-breaking revelations about the sheer scale and brazenness of the cash grabs by Trump and his appointees.” (10/29/26)
“For millions of entrepreneurs, the greatest barrier to generating wealth is no longer market competition but the relentless expansion of regulations and administrative procedures. While governance is ostensibly designed to ensure order, modern bureaucracy has morphed into a formidable ‘invisible shackle.’ Rather than functioning as a neutral tool of oversight, excessive red tape treats a citizen’s inherent right to produce as a conditional concession granted by the state through endless, discretionary hurdles.” (10/29/26)
Source: The American Conservative
by Luke Nicastro
“Because of what it reveals about Israel’s trajectory, the election presents an opportune moment to reassess the U.S.-Israel relationship. The conditions that led the Israeli government to successfully push for the Iran War, and for all of the other deleterious fruits of the partnership—the military aid (both direct and indirect), the integration of our respective national security establishments, the continued commitment of U.S. resources to a theater increasingly peripheral to our grand strategy, the diplomatic cover for war crimes—are structural in nature. No plausible change from within Israeli society is going to end them.” (10/29/26)
“In 2020, Atlanta police investigated 157 homicides, up from 99 the year before. That was the most the city had seen in more than two decades, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The next year was worse. Shootings climbed right along with the killings. Even CNN couldn’t ignore it. It reported that by early July 2020, Atlanta had logged 282 shooting incidents, up 19% from the same point a year earlier, citing Atlanta police data. By June 2021, the number of people shot in the city was up another 38%. More than 200 officers left the Atlanta Police Department in 2020 alone. Then-Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms did not have the backs of the Atlanta police, nor did she have the backs of Atlanta’s most vulnerable citizens who depended on her for their safety. Her tenure as mayor left the city reeling as crime exploded and hundreds were killed. That is a serious dereliction of duty.” (10/29/26)
