“Looking at those great works of western man and remembering all that he’s achieved in philosophy, poetry, science, law making, it does seem hard to believe that European civilisation can ever vanish. And yet, you know, it has happened once.” - Sir Kenneth Clark

Disgusting. They are combining hydrogen, carbon and oxygen to create fat molecules then manipulate that to taste like butter. Why do this when we already have butter?

We Are One Nation Under God.

I don’t think political theorists and constitutional theorists have fully come to grips with this. From the 18th century onwards, England/Britain/the UK was long held up as the model of a liberal polity, the jewel in the liberal crown. Obviously various diagnoses are possible,

Sold: Fuel-Injected 1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Final Edition for $44,000. bringatrailer.com/listing/1991-j…

As we sang today: "O Power of my power"

The Appalachian mind sees squirrel gravy.

Context: (1) the modern bureaucratic-technocratic state progressively collapsed the public/private distinction over centuries; (2) Western/Transatlantic liberal (left & right) establishment shifted toward "illiberalism" between 2008 financial crisis and Covid.

“A network of informants saturated the population. Secrecy and distrust permeated the people, so much so that any overt activity was perceived as a provocation. How many denunciations there were against one’s own close relatives or against friends who had fallen under the sword!”

USDA forecasts a massive US corn crop this year, with yield at a record high of 188.8 bushels per acre. Corn prices going down. An amazing trend: in a generation (since 2000), US corn yield have increased ~45%. In two generations (since 1975), corn yields have almost doubled.

"Recent policy initiatives by the US government to establish a local supply chain are industry-shaping, and that turbocharges the already strong momentum on developing the rest-of-the-world industry." spglobal.com/commodity-insi…

GE Appliances plans to shift production of refrigerators, gas ranges and water heaters out of China and Mexico as part of a more than $3 billion investment to expand its U.S. operations in Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina. The investment is expected to

“The communist regime in the East could stand and grow due to the enthusiastic support from an enormous number of Western intellectuals who felt a kinship and refused to see communism's crimes. And when they no longer could do so, they tried to justify them.”

"a self-contradictory and unrealizable slogan, "liberty, equality, fraternity"...the ominous words "or death!" were added to the threefold slogan, thereby effectively destroying its meaning.”

A Commander's Prayer.