Category: Uncategorized

They had their chance

Glenn Reynolds explains how David Brooks and company created The Trumpening:

Brooks is, of course, horrified at Trump and his supporters, whom he finds childish,
thuggish and contemptuous of the things that David Brooks likes about
today’s America. It’s clear that he’d like a social/political revolution
that was more refined, better-mannered, more focused on the
Constitution and, well, more bourgeois as opposed to in-your-face and
working class.

The thing is, we had that movement. It was the Tea Party movement….
Yet the tea party movement was smeared as racist, denounced as fascist, harassed with impunity by the IRS and generally treated with contempt by the political establishment — and by pundits like Brooks, who declared “I’m not a fan of this movement.” After handing the GOP big legislative victories in 2010 and 2014, it
was largely betrayed by the Republicans in Congress, who broke their
promises to shrink government and block Obama’s initiatives.

And now they call Trump supporters fascists and Nazis. So, guess what comes next if David Brooks and company are successful in keeping Donald Trump out of power?

The leader Europe needs

Viktor Orban is the one of the few European leaders worthy of the name:

Europe is not free. Because freedom begins with speaking the truth. Today in Europe it is forbidden to speak the truth. Even if it is made of silk, a muzzle is a muzzle. It is forbidden to say that those arriving are not refugees, but that Europe is threatened by migration. It is forbidden to say that tens of millions are ready to set out in our direction. It is forbidden to say that immigration brings crime and terror to our countries. It is forbidden to point out that the masses arriving from other civilizations endanger our way of life, our culture, our customs and our Christian traditions. It is forbidden to point out that those who arrived earlier have have already built up their own new, separate world for themselves, with its own laws and ideals, which is forcing apart the thousand-year-old structure of Europe. It is forbidden to point out that this is not an accidental and unintentional chain of consequences, but a preplanned and orchestrated operation; a mass of people directed towards us. It is forbidden to say that in Brussels they are concocting schemes to transport foreigners here as quickly as possible and to settle them here among us. It is forbidden to point out that the purpose of settling people here is to reshape the religious and cultural landscape of Europe, and to reengineer its ethnic foundations. — thereby eliminating the last barrier to internationalism: the nation-states. It is forbidden to say that Brussels is now stealthily devouring more and more slices of our national sovereignty, and that in Brussels many are now making a plan for a United States of Europe — for which no one has ever given authorisation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today’s enemies of freedom are cut from a different cloth than the royal and imperial rulers of old, or those who ran the Soviet system; they use a different set of tools to force us into submission. Today they do not imprison us, they do not transport us to concentration camps, and they do not send in tanks to occupy countries loyal to freedom. Today the international media’s artillery bombardments, denunciations, threats and blackmail are enough — or rather, have been enough so far. The peoples of Europe are slowly awakening, they are regrouping, and will soon regain ground. Europe’s beams that rest on the suppression of truth are creaking and cracking. The peoples of Europe may have finally understood that their future is at stake: Now not only are their prosperity, cosy lives, jobs at stake, but our very security and the peaceful order of our lives are menaced as well. At last, the peoples of Europe, who have been slumbering in abundance and prosperity, have understood that the principles of life that Europe has been built on are in mortal danger. Europe is the community of Christian, free, and independent nations; equality of men and women; fair competition and solidarity; pride and humility; justice and mercy.

This time the danger is not attacking us the way wars and natural disasters do, suddenly pulling the rug from under our feet. Mass migration is a slow stream of water persistently eroding the shores. It is masquerading as a humanitarian cause, but its true nature is the occupation of territory. And what is gaining territory for them is losing territory for us. Flocks of obsessed human rights defenders feel the overwhelming urge to reprimand us and to make allegations against us. Allegedly we are hostile xenophobes, but the truth is that the history of our nation is also one of inclusion. and the history of intertwining of cultures. Those who have sought to come here as new family members, as allies, or as displaced persons fearing for their lives have been let in to make a new home for themselves. But those who have come here with the intention of changing our country, shaping our nation in their own image, those who have come with violence and against our will, — have always been met with resistance.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At first, they talk about only a few hundred, a thousand or two thousand relocated people. But not a single responsible European leader would dare to swear under oath that this couple of thousand will not eventually increase to tens or hundreds of thousands. If we want to halt this mass migration, first we must curb Brussels. The main danger to Europe’s future does not come from those who want to come here, but from Brussels’ fanatical internationalism. We should not allow Brussels to place itself above the law. We shall not allow it to force upon us the bitter fruit of its cosmopolitan immigration policy. We shall not import to Hungary crime, terrorism, homophobia and synagogue-burning anti-Semitism. There shall be no urban districts beyond the reach of the law, there shall be no mass disorder, No immigrant riots here, and there shall be no gangs hunting down our women and daughters. We shall not allow others to tell us whom we can let into our home and country, whom we will live alongside, and with whom we will share our country. We know how these things go. First we allow them to tell us whom we must take in, then they force us to serve foreigners in our own country. In the end we find ourselves being told to pack up and leave our own land. Therefore we reject the forced resettlement scheme, and we shall tolerate neither blackmail, nor threats.

The time has come to ring the warning bell. The time has come for opposition and resistance. The time has come to gather allies to us. The time has come to raise the flag of proud nations. The time has come to prevent the destruction of Europe, and to save the future of Europe.

Read the whole thing at Gates of Vienna.

If we can’t have it, nobody can

Jonah Goldberg pronounces time of death for the GOP:

Nominating Donald Trump will wreck the Republican party as we know it. Not nominating Trump will wreck the Republican party as we know it. The sooner everyone recognizes this fact, the better.

Denial has been Trump’s greatest ally. Republicans and commentators didn’t believe he would run. They didn’t believe he could be an attractive candidate to rational people, no matter how angry with “the establishment” voters said they were. They — which includes me — were wrong.

The denial lasted longer for some than others. Long after many observers had come to the realization that Trump was the front-runner, Jeb Bush’s super PAC, Right to Rise, believed Bush’s real rival was Marco Rubio. It spent $35 million trying to destroy Rubio before it dropped its first $25,000 attacking Trump.

Over the weekend, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus showed the first public signs of acceptance about what’s in store for the party. He finally acknowledged that the Republican nominee was probably going to be determined on the convention floor in Cleveland.

La, the drama! This is just the butthurt talking. Jonah is still in modest denial. I’ll make three predictions:

  1. Donald Trump is going to acquire the necessary 1,237 delegates before the Republican National Convention
  2. Donald Trump is going to be the Republican candidate for president
  3. There will be no GOPe third-party candidate. The GOPe will, however reluctantly, fall in line behind Donald Trump.

I’m not saying every neocon will; Bill Kristol may well lose it and announce that he is supporting Benjamin Netanyahu for president, but once the big money guys realize that Trump is not only going to be the nominee, but beat Hillary Clinton handily, the small fry will obediently fall in line, however much they might grumble.

There are going to be more Islamic State attacks. Some of them may be in the USA. And every single one is going to drive more support to Trump. Remember, these guys have no principles. Once the Trump Train looks sufficiently inevitable, they’ll all be scrambling to avoid being the last on board.

Bud Grant, philosopher

I only met him once, but I still love the old man. He defines old school common sense and toughness:

The MMQB: If Marv Levy hadn’t lost four Super Bowls with the Bills, your team would’ve been the NFL benchmark for almost winning it all, over and over again. Do you feel more pride in having reached four Super Bowls, or ignominy for having lost them all?

Grant: We got paid. We won. We came back, and we won again and again. But you have to remember one thing: Football is entertainment; it’s not life or death. Once the game is over, you’re already talking about next year and the draft. It’s just entertainment. It’s like going to a play: When it’s over, you walk out the door and it’s over. There are no residuals to it. You’ve got to start all over again. If winning or losing is going to define your life, you’re on a rough road.

There you go. You cannot let winning or losing define your life, whether it is a paralyzing fear of failure or a psychotic need to win at everything. Do the best you can, train hard, and when you line up for the playing of the national anthem, you damned well stand up straight and in a straight line.

And after the game, whether you win or lose, you face your opponent and you shake his hand. If you can’t even do that, then what good are you?

A world of niches

Mike Cernovich explains the true meaning of “be yourself”:

People ask me why I do what I do on Twitter. The only reason my antics seem “off” is because you’re comparing me to others in my genre. You have a vision based on how I am supposed to act. That vision is based on how others act.

What good would it do me to act like everyone else?

But there is no one else like me online. I’m more than a troll. I combine a unique blend of mindset, masculinity and trolling with a nuanced discussion of sensitive issues.

If I played Mr. Reasonable, I’d be another fungible good. There are hundreds of other people saying the same stuff as everyone else. Why join a conversation only to be like everyone else?

If I played up the Mr. Self Help Guru game, I’d have to get Botox like Tony Robbins and pretend to like people in order to take their money. I’d rather call out assholes than kiss up to them for cash.

You gotta play your own game.

How can you find that game? As cliche as it sounds, you must first find yourself.

In like manner, I often have people telling me how much more effective I would be if I was more patient, less contemptuous, and played more nicely with others.

But that’s not who I am. Just as Mike is a cheerful brawler who gets in people’s faces, I am an arrogant, solitary creature of the night who silently broods about things and makes plans while other people are sleeping.

A study recently came out that said intelligent people are happier if they don’t spend too much time with their friends. I think that’s largely true. I am one of the happiest people I know, which is somewhat remarkable in light of how it’s hard not to see violence, bloodshed, conflict, and war on almost every horizon. But I’m happy nevertheless because I only spend time with my favorite people and otherwise doing exactly what I want to be doing… for the most part. I rather like the niche in which I have found myself; dark lording suits me.

That being said, paperwork is the bane of my existence. You have no idea how much paperwork is involved in running the Evil Legion of Evil.

And from the Christian perspective, how can we serve God if we are trying to be someone else, and play someone else’s role? Play your own game. Don’t try to play someone else’s, because it rings false, it won’t suit you, and you will not play it well.

Some things never grow old

I’m not sure what amuses me more: 1) the way atheists get annoyed whenever they see my name among the Best Sellers in Atheism, or, 2) the way the SF-SJWs always try to minimize category bestsellers by pointing out the fact that there are lots of niche categories on Amazon.

Which is, of course, true, but the relevant point is that in these particular cases, it’s not just any category, but intellectually significant categories such as Atheism, Politics, and Philosophy. Which makes me, quite literally, a bestselling philosopher. Sadly, I have thus far been unsuccessful at convincing Spacebunny to tell people that “philosopher” is my occupation. Maybe if I started wearing a wooden barrel….

In any event, I would like to sincerely congratulate my co-author, Dominic, for his first top-three bestseller in the Atheism category. Not bad for a former denizen of richarddawkins.net. And I’d like to thank all of you for making that happen.

Let me explain how this Internet thing works

Bryan Thomas Schmidt doesn’t seem to realize that it’s a very bad idea to say one thing in public and another in private.

He posted this on Facebook yesterday:

“So apparently the abominable Vox Day put me on his Hugo list this year. First I heard if it. I have paid NO attention this year to lists, etc. I would demand removal but he clearly cares not what people think and states flat out he will not entertain removal requests. I “No Awarded” him last year and would again. I do not approve of this and see it as his attempt to do me further harm. Just going to ignore.”

Just a few hours before emailing me this:

don’t have eligible works of any note this year for Long Form Editor. FYI. Would appreciate being left off the list.

Thanks.
BTS

Now, I find it mildly amusing that Bryan Thomas Schmidt thinks I care enough about him to attempt to do him any harm, especially because he has managed to destroy his credibility more thoroughly than I could have if I tried. But as we are reliably informed that he has no eligible works of any note, I have replaced him in the Best Editor, Long Form category with Jim Minz of Baen Books. I trust he will be suitably grateful for my kindness.

I respect confidences, I abide by NDAs, and I keep the secrets I am told, but I do not provide cover for liars.

Trump: the math updated

So, Arizona, which matters, went for Trump, and did so by a 23-percent margin that exceeded the +13 polls by 10 points. Utah, which doesn’t matter much (I had Trump getting 17 delegates there, but he won’t get any), went unanimously to Cruz. So, let’s update the previous delegate math.

You may recall I originally stated this: If Trump wins Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and
California, plus one state from the following list (Arizona, Missouri,
Indiana, Wisconsin), he wins the nomination. Period. Nothing else
matters.

Since then, he has won Florida, Missouri and Arizona, but lost Ohio. So, all he needs now, in practical terms, is Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California. Those are the three vital states, which the latest, but mostly outdated, polls currently show:

  • Pennsylvania: Trump +17
  • New Jersey: Trump +27
  • California: Trump +16

According to Fox News, after Arizona, Trump has 739 delegates. There are 238 proportional votes to be distributed; due to his strength in New York we can safely expect Trump to win at least 126 of them. That brings him to 865, which means he will need 372 out of the remaining 539 winner-takes-all delegates, or 69 percent of them.

That is three points fewer than he needed before this week; Cruz’s outperformance in Utah didn’t accomplish anything because Trump’s strength in New York outweighs Cruz’s in Utah.

As far as states go, to mathematically close out the nomination, he’ll need, at a minimum, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California, Indiana, and one smaller state. If Cruz or Kasich can’t win at least one of those four states, (and two if one of them isn’t California), Trump will hit the required 1,237 delegates.

Of course, none of this takes into account the potential game-changing endorsement of Ted Cruz by Jeb Bush. You may want to consider the possibility that Cruz will withdraw from the race and join a monastery in Borneo. And, of course, the endorsement demonstrates the intrinsic falseness of the contention that the GOPe hates and fears Ted Cruz over all.

On the Existence of Gods

ON THE EXISTENCE OF GODS is the response to a public challenge posed by Dr. PZ Myers, a militant atheist who claimed to have never encountered any good arguments for the existence of gods. It is a competitive discourse between a Christian and an atheist, each of whom argue for their position on the subject, after which the arguments are adjudicated by a team of three judges, a Christian, an agnostic, and an atheist, before additional arguments are presented.

The format is compelling and the results are at times surprising, as the discussion takes unexpected twists and turns, while the judges exhibit ruthless impartiality as they criticize the arguments of both sides without mercy or favor. Vox Day, the author of The Irrational Atheist, presents the Christian perspective, while Dominic Saltarelli argues for the atheist position. The debate is wide-ranging and intelligent, but remains civil throughout, even as the momentum swings in favor of one side, and then the other. It also includes an appendix that addresses the argument for a science-based morality presented by Sam Harris in The Moral Landscape.

ON THE EXISTENCE OF GODS is a compelling test of how open the reader’s mind is to the various possibilities of reality, and is a worthy addition to the long history of Man’s contemplation of his own existence in the face of the divine.

From the reviewers:

  • This is the first thing that I’ve read in a very long time that actually had new, novel, and interesting arguments – and both authors achieved this, on both sides of the debate. I find myself giving this book five stars purely for the astonishing
    achievement of presenting novel arguments. After two thousand years of
    debating the topic, that’s a remarkable achievement.
  • Watching a relentlessly logical mind like Vox Day at work is a sight to behold.
  • I enjoyed it very much, not least for the subtlety of the arguments.
    This is a really enjoyable intellectual battle between a believer and an atheist which has the very unusual distinction, in such battles, of being courteous, humorous, and on a high intellectual level.

ON THE EXISTENCE OF GODS is 105 pages, $4.99, and DRM-free.

Primaries: Arizona and Utah

This is to discuss the results of the Republican primaries in Arizona, Utah, and American Samoa. Decision Desk HQ has the live results as they are reported.

Trump is going to win Arizona, the only question is by how much. If he wins big, that’s one more nail in the coffin of the GOPe this year. And as I’ve said, I think he’s very nearly assured the 1,237 delegates required already.