Source: Independent Institute
by Alvaro Vargas Llosa
“For a subcontinent known for holding ‘honor’ and ‘dignity’ in (disproportionately) high esteem, as seen in everything from pop culture, including soap operas, to political discourse, the turn of events in Venezuela is fascinating. The speed and ease with which the regime’s top figures (interim president Delcy Rodriguez, minister of the Interior Diosdado Cabello, minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino and the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez) have become the incarnation of everything they once despised should put the last nail in the coffin of the myth that the Latin American revolutionary left stands, well, for honor and dignity.” (02/16/26)
“If the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) wants to scrutinize a person or organization, it must meet certain legal standards demonstrating evidence to support suspicion of criminal activity before opening an investigation. Well, sort of. It turns out that if the feds can’t meet the bar to justify an investigation, they can move ahead by calling their surveillance efforts ‘assessments.’ Then, they can use the assessments to justify full investigations — assuming FBI agents care to follow the rules to begin with, which is not always the case. That’s led to the feds snooping on roughly 1,100 religious figures, journalists, activists, and public officials in recent years.” (02/16/26)
“Decades ago, the Democratic Party had leaders like Presidents Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy who were proud of our country and our citizens. These leaders would have never embarked on a foreign ‘apology tour’ like Former President Barack Obama or allowed our country to be invaded by millions of illegal immigrants like Former President Joe Biden. In the 1980’s, a coalition of moderate congressional Democrats known as the ‘Blue Dogs’ assisted President Ronald Reagan to pass historic tax cuts, which unleashed tremendous economic growth and enabled our country to exorcise the ‘malaise’ that another Democrat President, Jimmy Carter, had infamously described. The ‘Blue Dogs’ were essential for the Reagan agenda to succeed. Additionally, then-House Speaker Tip O’Neill (D-MA) and Reagan were friends and enjoyed occasional evening cocktails together. This relationship helped Reagan and Republicans pass their legislation in a Democrat controlled Congress.” (02/16/26)
“Over the past decade, the United States has outperformed every other G7 nation. Key measures show why the US is not just getting bigger, but also growing richer.” (02/16/26)
“From protecting rapists to shielding Monsanto or helping Big Oil avoid climate change lawsuits, Republicans are showing their true agenda.” (02/16/26)
Source: ProSocial Libertarians
by Andrew Jason Cohen
“I am sometimes inclined to believe that anti-intellectualism is new or, if not new, worse now than in the past. In my calmer moments, I don’t believe either claim. I think that what is different now is that we expect more people — perhaps everyone — to be literate and to keep up with national politics. That sounds like a great idea (to democratic theorists anyway) until you think about what people are usually like. Some people want to spend time considering political ethics and discussing the issues of the day or perennial issues. Some of those do so with deep concern and impartiality. Some do not. And, of course, some have no desire to do these things at all. … We can’t make everyone an intellectual. For many people, it would leave them unhappy.” (02/16/26)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Laurence M Vance
“The Trump administration’s turning off of the foreign aid spigot to some recipients of foreign aid should come as no surprise. Republicans have over the years called for foreign aid to be withheld from one country or another to punish them for doing something particularly egregious or to persuade them to follow a particular course of action. But Republicans have no philosophical opposition to foreign aid. Just like they have no philosophical objection to government grants to the arts unless it funds blasphemous or pornographic art, no philosophical objection to welfare as long as it has some work requirements, and no philosophical objection to antidiscrimination laws as long as they don’t include discrimination against sexual orientation and gender identity. Republicans generally don’t even have any objection to government funding for Planned Parenthood as long as the funding is not used to provide abortions.” (02/16/26)
“The viscous and sustained campaign mounted against Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, by Israel and the U.S. now includes the German, Italian, French, Austrian and Czech foreign ministers demanding her resignation. This campaign is part of an effort by industrial nations to at once sustain the genocide in Gaza — nearly 600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the sham ceasefire took effect — and silence all those who demand the international community abide by the rule of law.” (02/16/26)
“As the US government’s immigration crackdown expands across the country, anxious residents have mobilized to look out for each other. One way they’re doing that is by finding ways to build the tools they need to be resilient against the surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents empowered to kill with impunity. All over the country, makers are 3D-printing thousands of whistles to help people on the ground alert others to nearby ICE activity. But the whistles are far from the only tools being used to respond to the surge of federal agents. Protesters are DIY-ing a wide array of gadgets like camera mounts, mobile networking gear, and handheld eye washers to clear away pepper spray, tear gas, and irritants used to quell protests. Many of these efforts are coming from individual makers. Many of these projects are being made in hacker spaces.” (02/16/26)
