“The empty spaces inside Colombia’s National Museum in Bogotá offer a dramatic, if not painful introduction to its new, right-wing government. Several dozen objects related to the peace process with the M-19 rebel group; the historic 1991 Constitution; and mementos of social movements, LGBTQ rights, and other artifacts of the country’s complex history have disappeared from public view. Those objects included a Carlos Pizarro campaign poster, an armband from the political movement that emerged from the M-19’s demobilization, and the student ballot associated with the constituent process that produced the 1991 Constitution. These histories record how Colombians previously excluded from national power fought to enter public life in a country governed for generations by a white, economically powerful, and politically exclusionary elite. Critics say removing them from the public view diminishes the evidence of that decades-long struggle. Museum anthropologist Andrés Góngora described it in El País as ‘a mutilated museum’.” (10/29/26)
“Within hours of the tragic shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon on October 15th, the familiar political script was dusted off. Gun control organizations were immediately mobilized to demand fresh restrictions on firearm access, expanded waiting periods, and outright bans. Yet no policy proposed by gun control advocates would have changed the outcome, save for the one that left every student and teacher on campus defenseless.” (10/28/26)
“One week before the midterm elections, most Hispanic Americans are unhappy with the direction of the country. Should Republicans be worried? According to PRRI’s newly released 2026 American Values Survey, where I serve as the Director of Research, nearly three in four Hispanic Americans (74%) say the country is headed in the wrong direction, up from 67% in 2025. Since the beginning of the current Trump administration, immigration has become an even larger pain point for Hispanic Americans. As arrests of undocumented immigrants without a criminal record continue to increase, alongside deportations and deadly ICE raids, most Hispanic Americans (77%) disagree with the way the federal government is dealing with undocumented immigrants. Even most Hispanic Protestants, who largely supported Trump in 2024, say their opinion of President Donald Trump has mostly changed for the worse.” [editor’s note: That might depend on their immigration status, legal or not; some may think it’s the only thing he has done right! – SAT] [additional editor’s note: According to the US Constitution, there’s no such thing as “illegal” immigration status; and if anyone is thinking what SAT suggests, that thing they’re doing that they think is thinking isn’t – TLK] (10/29/26)
“The Denver region built a rail transit system but struggles to attract riders due to tradeoffs made in its planning and construction to prioritize speedy project delivery over ridership potential. Colorado’s recently enacted Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) law encourages communities to upzone land around transit infrastructure to boost the state’s housing supply and grow transit ridership. The law is likely to drive substantial housing growth that will complement the Denver region’s existing transit infrastructure, but to be most effective the state should better support communities that facilitate this growth.” (10/28/26)
“Those who depend on ruling others to make money, secure their position, or to gain power won’t let it go. Respecting your natural human rights isn’t in their interest. It’s up to you to secure your rights — to assume your liberty in the face of all those who want to rule you. Those who govern you hate your realization that liberty is your natural birthright as a human being. They’ll treat you like a criminal if you don’t pretend they have the right to rule you. Which they don’t, because this ‘right’ can’t exist. … Remember: you own your life and your property. You don’t owe them to everyone who demands them.” (10/28/26)
“In the country with arguably the most successful market economy on Earth, it’s not unreasonable to ask for just one major political party to favor a system of relatively unfettered voluntary exchange. And yet, the midterm elections offer Americans a ‘choice’ between a party openly embracing socialism by name, and one that increasingly embraces state-directed economic activity in the cause of nationalism. Not every candidate running as a Democrat or Republican is on board with their parties’ statist transformations, and there are certainly other issues separating the two dominant political tribes. But if you want reliable advocacy of economic freedom, you won’t find it in the two major parties.” (10/28/26)
“What does Jeff Bezos add to my life? And Elon Musk? and Mark Zuckerberg? and Steve Jobs? and Jimmy Wales? Jeff Bezos gave me the everything store. … Elon Musk made electric cars desirable rather than dutiful. … Mark Zuckerberg gave me free tools to keep in touch with almost anyone I’ve ever met. … Steve Jobs put a powerful computer in my pocket and made it simple enough for a child or a grandparent. … Jimmy Wales gave me the largest encyclopedia in history, free, ad-free, and in hundreds of languages. … The striking point is how little of this value the founders keep. The economist William Nordhaus estimated that innovators capture only around two percent of the social value their innovations create.” (10/28/260
Source: The American Conservative
by Ted Galen Carpenter
“Moscow’s anger and frustration is rising, as indicated by the mounting number of incidents in the gray zone category in recent months. Yet policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic appear to have given little thought to the likely consequences of even a sustained, limited war in their countries. The ugly reality is that the impact would be highly disruptive at best—and catastrophic at worst. To the extent that experts examine the issue at all, they usually focus on the least likely scenario: a full-scale nuclear war between Russia and NATO. … But what if Russian or NATO leaders conclude that it’s possible to wage a limited war without either side resorting to the thermonuclear option? (10/28/26)
“Crude oil prices have once again risen above $100 a barrel. The national average for gasoline is hovering above $4. With Republicans nationwide being burdened by the stench of incumbency – regardless of whether or not the individual candidate is currently in office – a return-to-power seems all but imminent for the Democrats in the House of Representatives, and maybe even the Senate as well. This is even true in ‘Trump Country.'” (10/28/26)
