What Then Must We Do?, 12/10/25
Source: Bretigne Shaffer
“‘Figure Out Where You DO Have Power’ — A Conversation with the Tenth Amendment Center’s Mike Maharrey.” (12/10/25)
Orange man bad. Really, really bad.
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton
“The Donald is not (in our opinion) a particularly likeable person. He has significant personal faults, can be very irritating, and does not appear (to us) to be a strong advocate for liberty and freedom. He has compromised on many things. So we here at The Price of Liberty are no great fans of The Donald. He is boastful and arrogant, has many other character faults, and (like others who have held his office) he fails to understand the nature of human liberty and the proper role of human government. He has made a lot of mistakes, not just in his first term. But we recognize that while he is bad, relative to those people who were the alternatives? He is definitely the least of two evils. (We are talking Obama, Clinton, Biden, and especially Harris.)” [editor’s note: Sure, if by “definitely the least of,” one means “exactly like the others” – TLK] (12/10/25)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2025/12/10/orange-man-bad-really-really-bad/
US regime pirates seize oil tanker off Venezuela
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“US [regime pirates] have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said, marking a sharp escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro’s government. … Releasing a video of the [piracy], Attorney General Pam Bondi described the vessel as a ‘crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.’ … Brent crude prices inched higher on Wednesday as news of the [piracy] stoked short-term supply concerns. Analysts warn the move could threaten shippers and further disrupt Venezuela’s oil exports. … Footage shared by Bondi showed a military helicopter hovering over a large ship, and [pirates] descending on to the deck using ropes. Uniformed [pirates] were seen in the clip moving about the ship with guns drawn.” (12/11/25)
Your Fascist Immigration Policies
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“Though I’m painfully aware of the ubiquity of false accusations of fascism, one glaring expression of fascism hides in plain sight all over the world: anti-immigration policies. The fascist nature of U.S. anti-immigration policies has been especially blatant this year. The Department of Homeland Security claims to have deported over 400,000 people. The vast majority of them are accused of no crime against person or property. Instead, they are being violently detained and expelled simply for breathing the air of our country without government permission — permission that is almost impossible to obtain. Even migrants who managed to get this elusive permission have had it revoked. Not because of anything they did, but simply because the government didn’t want them to keep breathing our air.” (12/10/25)
Gracearchy with Jim Babka, episode 146
Source: Gracearchy with Jim Babka
“The Self-Hating Tea Party vs Thomas Massie.” (12/10/25)
Caspian Sea: Ukrainian Forces Attack Russian Offshore Oil Field
Source: Bloomberg
“Ukraine attacked Lukoil PJSC’s Filanovsky oil field in the Caspian Sea, according to a person familiar the matter, widening the scope of its strikes on Russian energy infrastructure just as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is under US pressure to agree to a peace deal largely on the Kremlin’s terms. Ukraine’s long-range drones have hit the Filanovsky platform at least four times, halting output from more than 20 production wells at the offshore field, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Bloomberg could not independently verify the information and Lukoil did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kyiv’s forces have been intensifying their strikes on Russia’s energy facilities in the last few months, seeking to reduce the revenue that helps Moscow fund its invasion.” (12/11/10)
We need to quarantine rabid government
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“It has always bothered me how much of the news is concerned with what government is doing. In a way, I understand. When there’s a rabid dog at your door, you need to know about it. Unfortunately, talking about it doesn’t solve the problem. The rabid dog is still there, threatening us. F. William ‘Bill’ Schmidt, a man of impressive accomplishments whom I only learned about after his recent death at the age of 92, wrote: ‘Why is Government always the principal subject of public discussion? Because the existence of Government violates the Natural Rights of everyone; and everyone is struggling to understand this malevolent institution which inevitably creates conflicts and chaos.’ He was right.” (12/10/25)
Divided Fed cuts rates, signals pause as growth rebounds
Source: Honolusu Star-Advertiser
“The Federal Reserve cut interest rates today in another divided vote, but signaled it will likely pause further reductions in borrowing costs as officials look for clearer signals about the direction of the job market and inflation that ‘remains somewhat elevated.’ New projections issued after the U.S. central bank’s two-day meeting showed the median policymaker sees just one quarter-percentage-point cut in 2026, the same outlook as in September, with inflation expected to slow to around 2.4% by the end of next year, even as economic growth accelerates to an above-trend 2.3% and the unemployment rate remains at a moderate 4.4%. … The decision to lower the benchmark policy rate by a quarter of a percentage point to the 3.50%-3.75% range drew three dissents, with Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee joining Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid in arguing the policy rate should be left unchanged, and Fed Governor Stephen Miran again advocating a larger half-percentage-point reduction.” (12/10/25)
The Pandemic Revealed the Most Cowardly Society of All Time
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Filipe Rafaeli
“‘It’s not time to admit that the vaccines don’t stop Covid transmission? The data is clear,’ [Alex] Berenson posted on his Twitter in August 2021. His statement was simply true. … The next day, Twitter permanently banned him. The reason given: violation of rules for spreading ‘false information about Covid-19.’ Soon afterward, it was proven that the White House had pressured social media platforms to censor numerous journalists, scientists, and whistleblowers who pointed out that the vaccine propaganda was misleading. … In the United States, freedom of speech is so deeply rooted in society that, in the name of that principle, they tolerate people marching down the street carrying Nazi flags. In other words, in the US you can walk around with one of those flags in public, but you cannot point out that there is misleading advertising about a pharmaceutical product. That crosses the line.” (12/10/25)
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-pandemic-revealed-the-most-cowardly-society-of-all-time/
Iceland joins boycott of Eurovision 2026 in protest at Israel’s involvement
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Iceland will not take part in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the country’s public broadcaster has said, joining four other countries boycotting the event over Israel’s inclusion. Broadcaster RUV said on Wednesday that the Nordic nation would not participate in the 2026 competition, after organiser the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) greenlit Israel’s involvement last week, dismissing calls from some countries to hold a vote on whether to exclude the country. … Iceland, along with Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands, had threatened to boycott next year’s edition of the glitzy music contest, due to be held in Vienna in May, if Israel took part, citing its genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza – as well as allegations that it unfairly intervened in the most recent competition to the benefit of its entrant.” (12/10/25)