“The Wealth of Nations” and 250 Years of Economists Missing the Point

Source: The Daily Economy
by Daniel J Smith & Gabriel F Benzecry

“From trade policy to public debt, today’s economic debates echo those of 1776. The problem isn’t a lack of knowledge — it’s a failure to teach and apply enduring principles.” 904/27/26)

https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-wealth-of-nations-and-250-years-of-economists-missing-the-point/

Thomas L. Knapp

Active Shooters Swimming in Big Tech’s Swamp of Hatred and Division

Source: Common Dreams
by Thom Hartmann

“The attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner Saturday night shouldn’t surprise us. Not only does America have the world’s most active small-arms industry that essentially controls the GOP (the reporters got a taste of what American — and only American — schoolkids experience every few months from their ‘realistic’ active shooter drills), but we also host the world’s largest and most profitable hate-amplification industry. Algorithms that amplify hate and division in order to “increase engagement” have made Mark Zuckerberg into one of the richest people on the planet, complete with a super-yacht and a doomsday bunker estate in Hawaii; Elon Musk’s X has turned into a sewer of Nazi-style rhetoric while Musk himself has posted, according to The Washington Post, nakedly white supremacist slogans and statements over 850 times just in the past seven months.” (04/27/26)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/big-tech-mass-shooters

Steve Trinward

Shield of the Republic, 04/27/26

Source: The Bulwark

“Eric and Eliot review an extended buffet of jackassery before turning to the current state of affairs in Iran. They assess the prospects for a negotiated settlement to the war, and whether we could end up in a ‘no war, no peace’ situation. They also discuss the mutual incomprehension that leaders in both countries exhibit regarding the interests and intentions of the other, Iran’s new collective leadership in the wake of Ali Khamenei’s death, and the structural similarity to the situation faced by Soviet leaders after the death of Stalin. Finally, they respond to reports that the administration is considering deporting to the Democratic Republic of the Congo roughly eleven hundred Afghans in Qatar who were evacuated in 2021 amidst the US withdrawal.” (04/27/26)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dm3kMrnPYE

Thomas L. Knapp

Meet the Four Democrats Who’ll Decide If Trump Gets His Domestic Spying Law

Source: The Intercept
by Matt Sledge

A messy fight over whether the U.S. government can conduct warrantless surveillance of American citizens could come down to whether four Democrats endorse Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s latest plan. Johnson was stymied this month when he attempted to push through a reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The roadblock came thanks to opposition from most Democrats, plus 20 hard-right members of the GOP caucus. Still, four Democrats crossed party lines to vote for a procedural motion to advance the bill, despite instructions from House Democratic leaders to the contrary. Whether those four support Johnson during a vote this week could prove crucial.” (04/27/26)

https://theintercept.com/2026/04/27/four-democrats-fisa-domestic-spying-trump/

Thomas L. Knapp

Conscription Means Slavery, Not Unity

Source: Libertarian Institute
by Brad Pearce

“While there is a disconnect between the general public and our professional warrior class, and one hears now and again that it would be good for our public to understand military life better, mandatory service would more likely create a false sense of understanding of our professional military that would be more irritating and divisive for everyone. Regarding the premise that mandatory service would build character, this is on its face nonsense.” (04/27/26)

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/conscription-means-slavery-not-unity/

Thomas L. Knapp

SC: Measles outbreak is over, after sickening nearly 1,000 people

Source: SFGate

“South Carolina’s measles outbreak — the worst in the U.S. in more than 35 years — is over, state health officials declared Monday. On Sunday, the state passed the threshold of 42 days with no new outbreak-related cases. In the end, 997 people were sickened by the vaccine-preventable disease since October and at least 21 of them were hospitalized, based on voluntary reports to the state. State health officials estimate the outbreak response cost $2.1 million. ‘The outbreak was predominantly contained to one area of one county and never went statewide, thanks to timely investigations, identification of those exposed, and people’s willingness to stay home,’ said Dr. Edward Simmer, interim director of the South Carolina Department of Public Health.” [editor’s note: I caught the measles at around age 10 or 11; it was no fun, and I spent about a week in lowered light, running from bed to bathroom and back, but it was far from fatal – SAT] (04/27/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/south-carolina-s-measles-outbreak-is-over-after-22228292.php

Steve Trinward