“The Soviet Union did not have the highest death toll of any communist regime. That dubious distinction belongs to the People’s Republic of China. North Korea has probably surpassed the USSR in the sheer extent of totalitarian control over everyday life. Pol Pot’s Cambodia may have surpassed it in terms of the degree of sadistic cruelty and torture practiced by the regime, though this is admittedly very difficult to measure. But all of these tyrannies — and more — were at least to a large extent variations on the Soviet original. … The Black Book of Communism estimates the total number of victims of communist regimes at 80 to 100 million dead, greater than that caused by all other twentieth century tyrannies combined. We appropriately have a Holocaust Memorial Day. It is equally appropriate to commemorate the victims of the twentieth century’s other great totalitarian tyranny.” (11/07/25)
“Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in Washington, D.C. represents a significant moment in U.S.-Central Asia relations (C5+1). It was the first time a U.S. president hosted the C5+1 group in the White House, marking a turning point for U.S. relations with Central Asia. The summit signaled a clear shift toward economic engagement. Uzbekistan pledged $35 billion in U.S. investments over three years (potentially $100 billion over a decade) and Kazakhstan signed $17 billion in bilateral agreements and agreed to cooperate with the U.S. on critical minerals. Most controversially, Kazakhstan became the first country in Trump’s second term to join the Abraham Accords. However, behind the big numbers and fanfare of handshakes lies a critical question: is this a real partnership, or just another round of great power competition dressed up in new clothes?” (11/07/25)
“There was something perfect about the Supreme Court’s review of President Trump’s tariff spree the week Dick Cheney passed away. What the court was weighing, after all, was Cheney’s core legacy: the limitless executive power now claimed by Cheney’s Frankenstein monster, Trump. In that sense, Dick Cheney pioneered the Trump presidency. Without Cheney and Addington, no Trump and Vought. Cheney was never a constitutional conservative; he was always an extremist, a pioneer of an elected, unaccountable, and secret monarchy that has reached its zenith in the GOP today. His attempt to cast himself in recent years as some kind of principled, old-school constitutional Republican is classic Cheney: i.e. shameless misdirection, calculated spin, and a big fat lie. But resistance libs have lapped it up.” (11/07/25)
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“She’s not a ‘woke’ problem or an ‘anti-woke’ icon. She’s not a toy to be propped up or to be canceled. She’s an individual and the market proves it.” (11/08/25)
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“The Fenris wolf has a problem. He would like to prove his strength by breaking the third fetter as he proved it by braking the previous two that the gods put on him. But he does not trust the gods — would you trust someone who wanted to tie you up? — so will only let them bind him if he has a guarantee that if he cannot break it they will free him. The gods have a problem. There is no power above them to enforce contracts, so their promise to free him is worthless — and besides, they don’t actually plan to keep it. … The solution Fenrir proposes is for the gods to give a hostage to guarantee performance of their promise.” (11/08/25)
Source: The American Conservative
by Peter Slezkine
“According to the ‘global majority’ (as the Russians call it), the sun is finally setting on the West. After 500 years of dominance, the West is showing signs of relative decline across almost every dimension. A protracted period of historical anomaly is passing, and the world is entering an age defined by a reassertion of sovereign interests and a resurgence of ancient civilizations. At a certain remove, this image seems a reasonable enough representation of new realities. But as a roadmap for navigating international politics, it is far too rough a sketch.” (11/08/25)
“Within sight of the towering pyramids of Giza, the just-opened Grand Egyptian Museum draws a line across thousands of years of history to a modern nation redefining its own political and cultural identity. While today’s Egypt plays a key role in world affairs, its various problems, from authoritarian rule to economic woes, have left its citizens looking for direction. So this month’s glittering opening of the museum and its exhibits – built and curated over two decades – has provided a welcome dash of color, glamour, and national pride. ‘It is a gift from Egypt to the world and we are proud to finally share it,’ Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathi said. (Ancient Egypt’s other gifts to the world include inventions relating to mathematics and metallurgy, the solar calendar, the sickle, and papyrus.)” (11/07/25)
“‘A monarchy, or a corrupt, tyrannical aristocracy’ … That’s what George Mason predicted we’d get under the constitution. And he was far from alone. The Anti-Federalists repeatedly warned that the constitution wouldn’t actually create a federal union. Instead, they argued, it would result in a consolidated national government. They pointed to specific parts of the document – what they considered weapons baked into the system – that would guarantee this outcome. What follows are five of those weapons – including taxation – straight from Mason, Cato, Elbridge Gerry, the Pennsylvania Dissent, and Luther Martin.” (11/08/25)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Which sounds more likely: (A) that things are bad because the population keeps organically voting for policies which just so happen to hurt ordinary people while benefitting the rich and powerful, or (B) that things are bad because the rich and powerful want things this way? Does it seem more likely to you that (A) the democratic process consistently leaves people unable to advance basic human interests because the population always organically splits itself into an exact 50–50 deadlock that leaves everyone unable to get anything done long term, and that this deadlock always just so happens to land on a status quo that serves the interests of the rich and powerful, or (B) that the rich and the powerful artificially created this status quo via manipulation?” (11/08/25)
