Assorted

     Just now the Fortress is in an uproar worse than the country at large, owing to some extensive renovations being performed by some extensive renovators. It’s made it difficult for me to think, as I’m constantly moving objects, animals, and people (including myself) around the house to accommodate the work being performed. So regard what follows as a random walk by my fingers.

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     Among the prominent public intellectuals of the day, Angelo Codevilla is a stand-out. His stuff is always worth reading, and his latest essay is no exception. Break out the time required and wallow in some routine brilliance.

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     Time was, I’d have said that a story such as this enraged and energized me. No longer. It's just one more confirmation of something I’ve known for a long time:

A militant minority can silence a peaceable majority through terror tactics.

     It worked for Mussolini and Hitler. It works for Islam’s jihadists. And today it’s working for Antifa and “Black Lives Matter,” which are ill-disposed to tolerate any uppity niggers who dare to leave the plantation by expressing support for President Trump.

     Oooh, did I use a naughty word? Well, you know what us mick-wop honkies are like. To anyone who thinks to do anything about it: I don’t fire warning shots. Ammo’s too BLEEP!ing expensive.

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     Ultimately, if they actually desire the return of peace and public order, cities such as Portland and Seattle will need to “grow a pair” of their own. Federal forces cannot remain in those cities indefinitely. Which makes a story like this one something to take seriously.

     Antifa and “Black Lives Matter” are like the Afghanistan Taliban. Unless “woke” city administrations get their heads recalibrated and resolve to do their most basic job – protecting the peace of the streets – the rioters can bide their time until the federal forces have withdrawn, and then start the tarantella all over again. That’s what they’ll do, too: they’ve been having too much fun to go “cold turkey.”

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     This one is for anyone who believes that “Blacks who aren’t out rioting in the streets ‘obviously’ must disagree with the rioters.” Think again, assholes.

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     A couple of days ago, I posted a “tweet” that purported to be from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the most contemptible of all our Congressvermin. A friend gave me his opinion that it was faked. He could well be right – I’m not an expert on such things – but this story suggests that even if it was a fake, it accurately expressed AOC’s sentiments nevertheless. Draw your own conclusions.

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     Does anyone remember “barter clubs?” They were a feature of the underground economy that sought to assist people who wanted to evade sales taxes, and in some cases, income taxes as well. Barter clubs were brought down by government infiltrators – paid snitches – who exposed the participants to severe legal penalties. A pity, really; any and every way of minimizing our outrageous tax burdens is a good thing.

     The security of the barter club participant rested upon the sincerity of all the others. This story suggests that doing routine above-ground business might just have entered into that same Twilight Zone of quiet rebellion against overweening totalitarian power. The implications are ominous. If they don’t disturb you, check your pulse: you may have died and not noticed.

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     T. L. Davis has become something of a legend on the Web. I first encountered his writing at Washington Rebel. Since then his work has appeared at other venues and is currently to be found at 12 Round, where this fine essay appears. Please read it all.

     It’s depressing how much he and I agree on the state of our nation and what must be done to restore it to health. It’s something I want to be wrong about, but with T.L. in concurrence...

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     Baseball is “my game.” I’ve loved it since I was a small boy. To become a professional baseball player was one of my childhood aspirations. But now it appears that it’s given in to the totalitarians of the “woke” mob.

     I’m not going to follow a sport that allows itself to be politicized. Sports has been the last refuge from the hyper-politicization of our time. If I can’t watch a baseball game without being subjected to political preachments, I’ll tune in to something else. What the hell, I’ve already given up on the NFL and the NBA. Here’s hoping the NHL stands firm against this crap.

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     To those interested in my fiction, Love in the Time of Capitalism is coming along slowly but steadily. However, it won’t be a “pure” romance. I’ve found myself compelled to weave other threads from the Realm of Essences / Onteora Canon into it. They struck me as natural involvements for co-protagonist Evan Conklin and Supporting Cast characters Todd Iverson and Rachel MacLachlan.

     Still, don’t despair. There’s romance in it, though at times it will seem to take a backseat to other developments (e.g., music, neurological nano-programming, and the Iverson Habitat). But wasn’t that also the case with Love in the Time of Cinema?

     Stay tuned!