“Debates over free expression often center on government power and the First Amendment. But in fandom communities and other niche online subcultures, the boundaries of speech are shaped by moderators, platform policies, and evolving group norms. Within these intensely participatory spaces, decisions about what is acceptable can determine which voices are amplified and which are pushed aside. In these environments, cultural gatekeeping and platform rules often define who gets heard.” (02/17/26)
Source: The Erick Erickson Show
by Erick-Woods Erickson
“Guys, when Herschel Walker ran for the Senate in Georgia, I told everybody the Democrats would attack Walker for holding a gun to his wife’s head. Republicans yelled back that Walker had been open about his mental health, his ex-wife had forgiven him, etc. Walker lost women, including a sizable portion of Republican women, and lost the Senate to Warnock. Good luck to the Texas Republicans running a serial adulterer whose own staff reported him to the FBI and the man who bought Jeffrey Epstein’s desert sex dungeon. Bravo, Texas Republicans. Bravo.” (02/17/26)
“Washington sent warships this month to deploy ‘gunboat diplomacy’ while the island nation continues its freefall of violence and corruption.” (02/17/26)
“While inflation ranges may offer technical advantages, they risk blurring accountability and weakening confidence in the Federal Reserve when clarity is most needed.” (02/17/26)
“In many ways the Trump administration’s hostility to vaccines is similar to its hostility to clean energy, which I wrote about yesterday. Both policy swerves will kill Americans. If Trumpists succeed in forcing the U.S. to burn more coal, thousands will die from air pollution. Only a year into the Trump 47 administration, there is already a resurgence in almost conquered diseases due to the anti-vax MAGA crusade. Both these sudden policy serves are economically destructive: A 2024 report from the Centers for Disease Control estimated that each dollar spent on childhood vaccination has saved around $11 in societal costs. Moreover, the Trumpists aren’t content with just cutting off federal funding — they’re determined to stop anyone else from doing the right thing.” (02/17/26)
“We don’t usually comment on day-to-day price developments as a) our interpretation of events may well be wrong, and b) by the time we’ve shared them with readers, the markets have moved on in any case. But the magnitude of the moves in the prices of gold and silver on 30th January warrant some further analysis. The financial media were quick to report, firstly, the apparent end to the precious metals ‘bubble’ and, secondly, to blame the new nominee for Fed chairman, Kevin Warsh, for its climactic explosion. Well, as the noted law enforcer ‘Dirty’ Harry Callahan once opined, opinions are like assholes — everybody’s got one.” (02/17/26)
“In a recent article I argued that the world is now crossing a threshold from decades of growth and increasing integration to decades of economic shrinkage and political breakdown. This shift will create stresses that extend in scale from ecosystems and international relations down to households and individuals. Everyone will be personally (and likely profoundly) impacted by the polycrisis. There are three components to this tectonic shift: environmental, economic, and political. It’s useful to think of this in terms of disasters, e.g. natural disasters, economic calamities, and government repression or civil war. Every disaster is unique, but some general observations apply. When a disaster happens, our normal sense of time is interrupted and our priorities get scrambled. Suddenly, nothing matters but the immediate necessities of escaping harm and helping others to safety. People’s attitudes tend to be sober, purposeful, and helpful; hysteria is rare.” (02/17/26)
