Wendell Berry’s Epilogue
Source: Law & Liberty
by Nadya Williams
“Wendell Berry’s Port William novels invite reflection on whether the meek might not, after all, inherit the Earth.” (11/21/25)
Category: Opinion
Ukraine’s fronts are not only in the war
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Each approaching winter since 2022, besieged Ukrainians have braced for more Russian attacks on the energy installations they rely on to survive the harsh cold of the Eurasian steppe. This year, they are confronting two additional jolts: Anti-corruption agencies have revealed high-level graft, with the equivalent of $100 million siphoned off from funds intended to defend this very same energy infrastructure. And many Ukrainians are discomfited by reports of a U.S.-Russia ‘peace plan’ – negotiated without Ukraine’s involvement. Some Ukrainian officials believe the timing is designed by the United States to use the corruption crisis to pressure the president into concessions.” (11/21/25)
Against Utopianism
Source: Quillette
by Dustin N Sharp
“Every generation rediscovers the dream of purity, and every generation pays for it. The forms change, but the rhythm remains the same. We’re currently watching a small version of that drama unfold again, this time in the theatre of New York City politics. Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor might seem like an old story of a political party’s young Turks taking on the old guard. But it is also possible to see a mood shift as that party shifts away from incrementalism and sets its sights on more radical, transformational change. Yes, the old machine could be venal and often shabby, but at least there was an occasional pragmatism to it. The new tone is all religious big-tent revival, the old hymns replaced by slogans of justice and liberation — the saviours of the republic are set to unseat capitalism and usher in the age of the redeemed.” (11/23/25)
https://quillette.com/2025/11/23/against-utopianism-dsa-zohran-mamdani/
Deranged Democrats’ latest coup attempt seeks military mutiny
Source: Fox News
by Mike Davis
“Congressional Democrats are openly encouraging anarchy with a new video calling on military and intelligence officials to disobey what they claim are unlawful orders from President Trump. All government officials take an oath to uphold the law, including the United States Constitution and all statutes. There are some examples where orders are plainly unlawful, and a defense of ‘I was just following orders’ is unavailing. An infamous case involved Lt. William Calley, who led the horrific My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War. Democrats’ call here, however, is staggeringly dangerous and invites a coup. But exactly which orders do Democrats believe are unlawful? Are ICE raids part of these supposedly unlawful orders? The Supreme Court recently stayed an order by leftist Judge Maame Ewusi Mensah Frimpong in Los Angeles that had curtailed such raids.” (11/21/25)
The Question Of Decency
Source: The Weekly Dish
by Andrew Sullivan
“Democracy requires decency because it requires mutual respect: to defend others even as we disagree with them, to accept decisions others have made and elections we have lost, to distinguish between robust rhetoric and dehumanizing cruelty, to accept objective truth when it proves us wrong, to maintain a baseline of civility, to accept that we are all in this together. … This is why I reject the shallow accusation that I have ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome.’ It’s too glib, too dismissive. Yes, some have gone overboard in opposing this president …. But the core impulse to reject Trump outright, to see him as uniquely hideous in American political history — as a national, collective disgrace — remains a vitally important one. Because Donald Trump is the most indecent man, by far, to ever hold the presidency.” (11/21/25)
https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/the-question-of-decency-bc2
You Don’t Hate The Mass Media Enough
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“There was another IDF massacre in Gaza on Saturday, reportedly killing dozens of Palestinians. Israel as usual claimed it was responding to a ceasefire violation by Hamas, but of course there’s absolutely no evidence for this to be found. AP reports that according to the IDF the strikes were launched after a Hamas fighter ‘shot at troops in southern Gaza’, but that ‘no soldiers were hurt’ in this alleged attack. Not so much as a scratch. So I guess we’re just expected to take Israel’s word for it. Now check out these western media headlines about the massacre and notice the disgusting spin they are placing on the narrative to normalize the continued slaughter of Palestinians.” (11/23/25)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/11/23/you-dont-hate-the-mass-media-enough/
Wag the Dog in Venezuela
Source: CounterPunch
by Mel Gurtov
“Analysis of why countries go to war sometimes argues that leaders are motivated by problems at home. They attack another country to divert attention from an economic crisis, an unlawful act, or — as in the Robert De Niro movie, Wag the Dog — a sex scandal. … as Pres. Trump considers what to do with his Caribbean armada and Venezuela’s ‘narco-terrorist’ leader, Nicolas Maduro, we may be witness to another wag-the-dog event: US military pressure on Venezuela that could lead to a direct attack if Maduro doesn’t step down. The case for Trump to be highly motivated to act out of self-interest is strong.” (11/21/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/11/21/wag-the-dog-in-venezuela/
Of Speeches and Statecraft
Source: The Realist Review
by James W Carden
“The speeches of John Fitzgerald Kennedy comprise a core component of the Kennedy lore. His inaugural address, with its demand to ‘ask not,’ is perhaps the best known of any presidential inaugural address—ranking alongside Lincoln’s second and FDR’s first. And while the artistry of Kennedy’s inaugural is not in question, the speech has overshadowed more thoughtful efforts by the 35th President to lay out his vision for a more peaceful world. Only eight months into his presidency, Kennedy showed that he was breaking with the Cold War consensus of the prior 15 years. That autumn, in a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York, Kennedy unveiled his program for a ‘general and complete disarmament.'” (11/22/25)
https://therealistreview.substack.com/p/of-speeches-and-statecraft
Losing access — and losing hope. Congress must protect non-intoxicating hemp
Source: The Hill
by Nicole Hemmenway
“I am one of the millions of Americans who live with chronic pain — it burns, shoots, and sears through my body every single day. I have spent decades trying nearly every treatment modern medicine offers, but one of the few options that has worked for me — and millions of other Americans — has been hemp products. They are non-intoxicating, rigorously tested, and they enable me to function. They help me walk, sleep, show up for my family and lead an organization. Simply live. But now, because of a secretive, backroom deal, Congress is taking them away for no apparent reason. … The bill to reopen the government caps intoxicating THC content in any hemp product at 0.4 milligrams per container — an arbitrary limit that will most likely end the hemp industry. This provision won’t just eliminate hemp products — it will eliminate hope for millions.” (11/22/25)
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/5617536-chronic-pain-hemp-congress/
Ukraine “peace plan” distracts from the real issue: Why Russia’s desperate to keep fighting
Source: New York Post
by Andrew Chakhoyan
“Say what you will about President Trump’s methods, but his wish to end Russia’s war is genuine. The problem is Moscow doesn’t want peace in Ukraine, it wants Ukraine in pieces. A panicking Vladimir Putin dispatched Kirill Dmitriev with a ‘peace plan’ so absurd it would shame a mid-level propagandist. Every time the White House offers an olive branch, the Kremlin torches it and commits more heinous war crimes. Washington floated a leaders’ summit in October, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wiped his shoes with it, demanding Ukraine stop resisting and the West ignore kidnapped kids and beheaded prisoners. Well, Trump pulled the plug on Budapest, signaling he might punish the Kremlin, and a panicking Vladimir Putin dispatched Kirill Dmitriev with a ‘peace plan’ so absurd it would shame a mid-level propagandist.” (11/22/25)