Pink Flame of Liberty, 08/22/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Let’s watch the LNC Meeting with PRESHOW review of Moellman Opinion.” (08/22/26)
Local Patriotism
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“The sign, from an Eat ‘n Park that we sometimes eat at on our Pennsic trip, expresses a common sentiment, that it is virtuous to buy from someone who lives close to you instead of from someone farther away, support the economy of your town instead of that of some other town, that it is ‘just the right thing to do.’ Why?” (08/21/26)
Why Korea Matters
Source: The Next Move
by Garry Kasparov
“South Korea, like many other US allies, provides a friendly presence along strategic transit corridors. The American public’s sudden introduction to the Strait of Hormuz is a stark reminder that these are not just geographic trivia questions but strategic choke points that can make or break global trade—and deliver a real financial blow to ordinary people thousands of miles away. Donald Trump likes to cast allies as freeloaders and ungrateful charity cases (he is vindictive that the South Koreans will not get involved in his poorly conceived war in Iran). This is an awfully flat, transactional view of the world, and in almost every instance it is also inaccurate. US prosperity would be directly impacted if South Korea were absorbed by the Stalinist north.” (08/21/26)
Israelis who rely on Judaism to protect West Bank Palestinians
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“In much of the Middle East, politics and security are closely intertwined with religion and ethnicity. In Israel, a small but growing minority of citizens seek to improve their country’s security by upholding both the principles of democracy and Jewish directives governing the treatment of fellow humans. In the aftermath of the 2023 Hamas attack that killed some 1,200 Israelis, this effort is not easy. Since the Oct. 7 attack, Israel has been focused on wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran. Yet at the same time, violence by mainly Orthodox Jewish settlers against Palestinian residents of the occupied West Bank has spiked. Some 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in encounters with settlers or with Israeli security forces since 2023. The United Nations reported an average of six such attacks a day during the first half of 2026.” (08/21/26)
UK: Prince Harry and others ordered to pay millions over failed lawsuit
Source: Reuters
“Britain’s Prince Harry, singer Elton John and other high-profile claimants face paying millions of dollars out of their own pockets to cover the legal costs of the Daily Mail’s publisher after a judge ruled their failed privacy lawsuits were conducted in an unreasonable way. Judge Matthew Nicklin’s judgment on costs, which was published on Friday, ordered an interim payment from the claimants of £9.54 million, due by August 28, towards the legal costs of Associated Newspapers. … Last month, Nicklin comprehensively rejected the case brought by King Charles’ younger son, John and five other figures, rejecting allegations that the Mail titles had engaged in widespread unlawful activities, such as phone hacking.” (08/21/26)
Rising, 08/21/26
Source: The Hill
“Jill Biden responds to theory Joe Biden was drugged before debate.” (08/21/26)
Another tragedy of the absence of capitalism
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall
“We hear enough of how appalling capitalism is in this modern world. We should, perhaps, pay more attention to the disasters that befall those in the absence of capitalism: ‘More than 100 people have died after an artisanal goldmine at a small village in western Central African Republic (CAR) caved in’ …. ‘Artisanal’ in mining terms means men with shovels and little else but a shovel and their labour. … this is non-capitalist mining. The safer way to mine is to perhaps run with an open pit. Or, if tunnelling, to shore up said tunnels. But both of these options require much more money to be spent before there is any revenue from output. They require capital that is. ” (08/21/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/another-tragedy-of-the-absence-of-capitalism
MAGA and the DSA, Part Two: Differences Between These Populist Antagonists
Source: American Greatness
by Thaddeus G McCotter
“America’s dueling populist movements, the Right’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) and the Left’s Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), both believe a powerful, unaccountable entity or entities are unfairly exploiting them and obstructing their personal pursuit of happiness, often colluding among themselves to do so. Exacerbating the situation, at least one of these powerful organizations, the government, is charged with protecting the individual from this very exploitation. Consequently, it is the collusion between the ‘Bigs’ into what G. K. Chesterton and Hillaire Belloc deemed ‘business government’ that the respective populist movements seek to remedy. Yet, here is where MAGA and the DSA radically differ in their prescriptions.” (08/22/26)
US regime orders steep Colorado River water cuts for Arizona, California and Nevada
Source: ABC News
“With the two largest reservoirs in the nation struggling with record-low water levels and the Colorado River, which feeds them, facing years of drought amplified by climate change, the federal government had hoped that the seven states that draw water from the river could reach an agreement on how to divvy up the shrinking supply. After they failed to do so, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) stepped in. On Friday, the agency ordered steep cuts to the amount of Colorado River water that will be delivered to California, Nevada and Arizona. … The agency didn’t mandate reductions to the Upper Basin states, including Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, as it doesn’t have the same legal authority over the upper part of the Colorado River. But it is asking those states to agree to operate the Flaming Gorge, Navajo and Aspinall reservoirs in order to send water down and protect Glen Canyon Dam.” (08/21/26)
https://abcnews.com/US/federal-government-orders-steep-colorado-river-water-cuts/story?id=135856655
The Forgotten World of Thornton W. Burgess
Source: Law & Liberty
by Danton Kostandarithes
“The motifs of pre-teen children’s stories reflect much about a society: what it values and what it aspires to become. Recent winners of the coveted Newberry and Caldecott prizes are illustrative. Recurrent themes include personal identity, mystical powers, the importance of discovering one’s heritage, and the challenge of navigating cultural boundaries. A common thread is non-judgmentalism, since sharp distinctions between right and wrong would be too harsh in our therapeutic world. Of course, we should never want a child to feel bad about him or herself needlessly, or to endure insecurity about who they are. However, the absence of strict ethical lessons and stern advice in modern children’s stories mirrors and reinforces the moral relativity so prevalent in our current culture.” (08/21/26)
https://lawliberty.org/the-forgotten-world-of-thornton-w-burgess/