“Federalist No. 62, written by James Madison, outlines the nature of the Senate and the qualifications of senators — they were older, more removed from politics, with six-year staggered terms, and meant to cool the hot-tempered passions of the House of Representatives. Guess Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner and the party organizers didn’t read that one. They are recruiting senators with exactly the opposite qualifications — inexperienced, reckless, flamboyant and unstable. Platner was unqualified from Day One — he had zero life accomplishments of any note, his political viewpoints were extreme, and he had no understanding of the complex issues that a senator would need to be effective. No matter — Democratic leaders showered him with support as a new kind of TikTok Democrat. And that is typically what the left is recruiting and selling to its voters.” (07/08/26)
“One of America’s most talented antiwar artists and political satirists passed away last week. Tom Blanton did one of the best daily roundups of government oppression and outrages stories on the Internet. His Project for a New American Revolution was an inspiration for me and thousands of other folks over the years. Tom was also one of the best and funniest headline writers I knew. He was principled, courageous, and talented as the day is long. He was 68 years old and a lifetime resident of Richmond, Virginia. His Flickr page showcases his political art and other smackdowns of contemporary culture from the last 15 years. His artwork is shareable under a C.C. 4.0 license.” (07/08/26)
“The phrase’s apparent origins in Nazi Germany—and its grim use during the 1930s and 1940s—highlight a basic truth: prioritizing guns over butter ultimately imposes the cost of lower living standards on ordinary citizens.” (07/08/26)
“Some of the most peaceful moments of my life were spent standing on the deck of a US Navy aircraft carrier just before dawn. It feels like looking over the entire ocean, into endless blue water. An aircraft carrier is massive—like a floating city on the sea—and yet you can still feel the gentle rocking from the ocean’s waves through the soles of your feet. When you breathe into this moment—the salty air filling your lungs—you’re reminded of how incredibly small you are in the grand scheme of things. The realization causes a sort of lightness and fluttering within the chest, an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all that you cannot understand. Then the day begins. The launch of the first F/A-18 fighter jet tears a sonic hole through the silent morning.” (07/08/26)
“Last week, far-left Democrat Melat Kiros won her Denver, Colorado, U.S. House primary against 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette, making the 29-year-old the latest in a slew of democratic socialists to have defeated establishment Democrats in this midterm election cycle. … Kiros in particular has come under fire, particularly from some conservatives, for depicting Islamic terrorism as blowback from American and Israeli policies. … The neocons used to insinuate the same about Pat Buchanan, a cofounder of this magazine, because he too explained terrorist attacks by reference to U.S. and Israeli policies.” (07/08/26)
“Restrictive patent eligibility has pushed investment in key technologies overseas, weakening one of America’s historic competitive advantages. Congress can still reverse course.” (07/08/26)
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe
“Despite the surface-level rhetoric used by all sides, the growing popularity of ‘socialism’ or ‘populism’ is primarily a non-ideological phenomenon. That becomes obvious if we look back in time. Because there was a period in the early twentieth century when the intellectual battle between advocates of socialism and capitalism was as rigorous and intellectual as many like to pretend it still is.” (07/08/26)
