Assorted

     No clever title today, Gentle Reader. It was an exhausting weekend.

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1. More Than Coincidence?

     This morning, we learn that the state of Oregon has cultivated a whole lot more legal cannabis than it can sell:

     In 2018, Oregon’s legal marijuana producers grew more than twice as much as was legally consumed, leading to an oversupply that has 6.5 years’ worth of cannabis, measured by the psychoactive compound THC, on the shelves at dispensaries and wholesale distributors.

     The latest data from Oregon, which adopted its legal regime in 2014, was released this week (pdf) by researchers working for Oregon’s Liquor Control Commission, which closely regulates cannabis from production to distribution.

     Hm. Well, most surplusage problems are solved by dropping the price of the good until it moves. Oregon’s regulatory regime might stand in the way of that; I haven’t checked. But what’s this?

     A new bill in the Senate Friday would mark a tectonic state in the United States’ drug law by legalizing marijuana nationwide.

     “The federal prohibition of marijuana is wrong, plain and simple,” said Ron Wyden, an Oregon Senator who introduced the bill, in a statement. “Too many lives have been wasted, and too many economic opportunities have been missed.” [Emphasis added by FWP.]

     Well, exporting one’s surplus to less productive regions works, too...

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2. Been Getting Any Lately?

     American culture is saturated with sexual messages, all of them in the same direction: “It’s okay. It feels good. It’s fun. Do it!” But it seems that the messages aren’t being heeded:

     We may live amidst what seems a libidinous culture, but oddly also an increasingly sexless time. Of course, the drop in early teen sex - and even more so, teen pregnancies - represents positive developments, but when lack of social interaction leads to celibacy in the twenties, thirties and beyond, the implications are less than wholesome.

     The Atlantic recently described a “sex recession” in the United States and most western countries, with fewer people dating and even those in relationships getting intimate less often than in the past, while fewer enjoy regular bonds of any kind. Even ogling seems out of fashion, as the decline of Hooters suggests. The family may have been stressed by the “sexual revolution,” but the “sex recession” could ultimately erode the very existence of familialism in our time.

     The most extreme cases of libidinous decline are in Asia. In 2005, a third of Japanese single people ages 18 to 34 were virgins; by 2015 this expanded to 43 percent. A quarter of men over 50 never marry. This “sex recession” even impacts places like Hong Kong’s famous Wan Chai “red light” district, now being reinvented as an upscale hipster area as the sex trade plummets. China’s current generation of men are so socially disconnected that the Communist Party, and some private firms, now teach them how to date; similar attempts have been made, with apparently little effect, in Singapore.

     In point of fact this isn’t a new phenomenon. The case of Scandinavia, already far advanced in this syndrome in the Seventies, should have been heeded. Way back then, two reliable observers informed me that the Scandi cultures were awash in sexual messaging – all of it positive – yet young Scandis were becoming ever more reluctant to “do it.” And we all know about the precipitous sexual decline in Japan these past few decades: a nation where businessmen in suits and ties routinely read mangas depicting pedophilia and rape while on the train to work.

     Something that’s all around one becomes banal, even invisible. Fish don’t take much notice of water; we seldom think about air. And one of the major attractions of sex has always been the hint of the forbidden it carries...which might have something to do with the rapid drop-off in a bride’s sexual appetite after the wedding.

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3. Image Promotion.

     If you follow the news you’ve probably noticed that there are already a whole lot of Democrats contending for their party’s 2020 presidential nomination. Offhand I can name seven, and I’m sure there are others. That’s a lot for this early in Year 3 of the quadrennium. Given that whoever the Dems might nominate will have one hell of an uphill battle against the extraordinary successes of President Donald Trump, one must wonder what motives power such hopeless pseudo-candidacies as those of Elizabeth “Fauxcahontas” Warren and Peter “Who The BLEEP?” Buttigieg.

     One answer might be the candidates’ desire to promote their own images for other purposes. A national candidacy can bring national attention, and there are only two national elective offices. For example, Bush the Elder was a staunch opponent of Ronald Reagan before Reagan secured the 1980 GOP nomination. It was he who first called Reagan’s economic platform “voodoo economics.” Yet he accepted the vice-presidential nod and became a Reagan supporter, probably in the hope that he could coattail his way into the Oval Office after Reagan’s eight years were done.

     But if the candidate has no hope now or ever of winning the White House, what then? Sometimes it’s about money, or visibility to private-sector firms that might take an interest in the candidate as a “legislative consultant” – i.e., a lobbyist – after his time in public office is over. And sometimes it’s just about stealing campaign contributions; with a Democrat you always have to include that possibility.

     There will be more Democrat candidates, too. Watch for an announcement from Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, whose skull contains the hardest vacuum ever observed on planet Earth, proclaiming that the ridiculous qualifications set down by a bunch of fusty old white guys two centuries ago aren’t going to stop her from claiming her rightful destiny. After all, having been born in Kenya didn’t stop Barack Hussein Obama, now did it?

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4. A Crisis Of Life.

     I have a great admiration for Sarah Hoyt’s commentary. She writes both knowledgeably and passionately about subjects a lot of other op-ed writers fear to touch. This recent emission deserves to be read by many. Here’s the merest taste:

     When I was little, my dad told me about Spartan infanticide: How a new baby was brought to the father, who then either accepted/recognized him/her or directed that the child be killed.

     I wasn’t that little, and this was by the way of being a joke on the fact that I was premature, very small and would never have survived. While old enough to understand the joke, I thought it was a barbaric and despicable system, putting the life of a newborn in the hands of a flawed individual who might just not feel really cordial that day, or kill the child for monetary and convenience reasons.

     I was very glad we no longer lived in such a barbarous age.

     Please read it all. Sarah is clear-eyed about both the moral and the practical aspects of the abortion plague. She makes several points that pro-life forces must grapple with if we’re ever to be at all successful in curbing this horror...and curb it we must.

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5. Back From Wherever!

     Esteemed Co-Conspirator Patrice Stanton has returned to life with a “killer” short story:

     Ride along with Dev Diller, an off-duty Fed who mistakenly believes finding a missing politician will be a piece of the proverbial cake compared to a full day of team-leading his three young headstrong children.

     It’s free, so go thou forth to download and enjoy. I have!

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     That’s all for today, Gentle Reader. I have to get back to work on The Wise and the Mad before I pass out completely. I’ll see you tomorrow.