Train of Thought
“Truth is the First Casualty of War”
Original article The saying “Truth is the first casualty of war” is said to have originated in ancient Greece with the writings of playwright Aeschylus. For thousands of years, it has been recognized that most wars are wars of conquest, plunder, and destruction. War is an opportunity for the state …
“Postcards from a Train, Part Two”
The Last of President Biden’s America I left you, dear readers, promising you a Part Two of my train journey West to East, across the country. Events have delayed me — thank you for your patience – and in retrospect I am glad. Because now I see that the last …
“Postcards from a Train, Part One”
Speech and Silences, From Washington State to Oregon I’ll tell you in the next few essays about my journey across the country by train. But first, I’ll catch you up on the travel that led up to the start of my unexpected train trip. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash …
“Everyone out of step but Johnny?”
Originally published on the author’s Substack I fear the civil war is here, my friends. Pray, let me be wrong. ____ I wrote this post just before Thanksgiving. I’ve sat on it since then, chewing over whether to send it out. I’ve been afraid of how it will be received—afraid …
“Things I Feared Most to Write, Part Four”
Folds in Time and Space? The Kennedy Warren Redux, and The Haunted Omni Hotel I’m picking up again with my reluctant essays on the metaphysical, that have been so surprisingly warmly received. I shared in the essay “Things I Feared Most to Write, Part Three” some creepy experiences that Brian …
“The Ceremony of Innocence”
Originally published on Outspoken The Hero’s Journey, and Why Thanksgiving Matters Yesterday, I walked Loki, our little dog, out of the house in the country where we are spending Thanksgiving. It was a grey, blustery November day. The turning of time was manifest around us. Our neighbor had hunted and …
ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION: “Dear Lovers of Freedom””
Dear Lovers of Freedom, The political bureaucrats, academics, corporate financiers – and professional poll analysts – are shocked! Shocked at the audacity of the American people to dare exercise their constitutional right to cast their unprecedented vote of no confidence in the entrenched government. In essence, the working class “silent …
“Reflecting on the Last Four Years”
Original article Assessing the Biden era as we head to the polls. The last time I remember the United States being a positive, optimistic, and more or less unified country was in the 1990s, during the Clinton Administration. While Bill made a lot of mistakes—especially his fateful decision to expand …
“The Great Awakening: A Mother’s Journey Through Pediatric Care”
This article is republished from Intellectual Takeout under a Creative Commons License (CC BY-SA 4.0). https://intellectualtakeout.org/2024/09/great-awakening-mothers-journey/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode.en Original article As a mother, I’ve always tried to do what’s best for my children. I trusted our pediatrician implicitly, believing that his advice was rooted in unquestionable medical expertise. However, the events of …
“Things I Feared Most to Write, Part Three”
Some Scary Metaphysical Moments I Cannot Understand I wrote a piece here called “Energies”, in which I began to address the meta-material “energies” that I believe surround us and flow through us. The bias of our post-Enlightenment Western hermeneutic, of course, is that these “energies,” whether beneficent or malevolent, do …
“Why RFK, Jr. Makes Me Cry”
Originally published on the author’s Substack Go ahead, laugh. I’m not the only one. 2024 We all heard it was coming, and two days ago, it happened: RFK Jr. suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Trump. It’s an extraordinary speech. As Chris Bray said, “the man brought straight fire.” If you …
“Inequality As a Left-Wing Principle”
Editor’s Note: The group quota regime operates on an understanding of justice that is alien to the American political tradition. This is what makes the present political conflict a cold civil war: two competing conceptions of justice cannot coexist in a single nation. The woke idea of justice, the foundation of …
“Pirates, Dictators, and Longing for Security”
Originally published on the author’s Substack Why do people root for the rebel resistance in movies but crave paternalistic authority in real life? Whenever I’m in the Mediterranean I’m reminded of the rich lore of piracy. In the popular imagination, piracy is associated with the Golden Age of Piracy in …
“Saving Our Democracy”
Originally published on the author’s Substack “Being insane is the new normal.” — Aimee Terese on “X” However it happened this week, “Joe Biden” passed the blowtorch to a new generation and got himself gone from the political battlefield. Delegates to the coming Democratic National Convention (August 19) were duly …
“Beyond Thought and Reason: The Power of Homeopathy”
Breath If I had the opportunity to debate Yuval Noah Harari, the Israeli philosopher who maintains that humans will soon upgrade in a merger with AI, I would say that Artificial Intelligence can never supersede a natural life-form, no matter how ‘intelligent’ he perceives such an amalgamation can be. I …