A question of “waking up” etc.

In layman’s terms; Trump and the Republican Party; Barkley and Mailer; Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift; and more

A sort of Many people don’t like the word “wake up” for their own reasons. I will give you a reason not to like it-one that you may not have heard of before, and one that may be a little strange.

The concept of waking up is a wonderful concept that can be found in religion. Wake up from error or darkness-Adam’s sleep-into truth and light.

“Wake up, wake up; Zion, strengthen your strength.”

“Awaken to justice and don’t sin.”

“Be careful!” “Sleepers, wake up!” (Do you want to hear that brilliant Bach work by the Mormon Church Tabernacle Choir? Go here.)

In the past, I have said (for example) “People need to be aware of this problem.” Or, “People finally realize this problem. Isn’t that great?” However, now, “waking up”—the concept of being awake— Related to political correctness.

How depraved.

• I highly recommend Bret Stephens’ column.Ok all of this but i was thinking this In particular: “Why did the awakening fail.” “In many ways, American history is a story of mass protests,” Brett said. “They usually come in two types.”

Some protest movements “even in the midst of fierce dissent, believe that the American system is ultimately to fulfill its inherent promises-equality, inalienable rights, the pursuit of happiness, e pluribus unum, a more perfect alliance.”

Then there is the “movement against the system, either because they believe that the system cannot deliver on its promises, or because they never agreed to these promises from the beginning.”

Bret said that things that are awakened belong to the second type, which will collapse and burn. This will be great.

• “Well, people are very angry.” This is what Donald Trump said to Jonathan Carr, who asked him about the mob on January 6th-the man howling for Mike Pence. (For articles on this, go to here.)

Yes, people are often angry. Sometimes we are asked to respect this anger. From a very young age, I usually think, “Go to hell.” Everyone is angry about something or many things—both good and bad reasons. One of the goals of civilization is to contain anger, that is, to prevent it from erupting into violence.

Let me try it on you: sometimes, anger can be counter-angered with a little bit. About 30 years ago, a memoir was published with a great title: Make me want to yell. I sometimes say or think: “Make I Want to shout. “

The people on January 6 were very angry, of course. Well, so do I and others: to them and other enemies of our democracy. And there are many people who justify these enemies, spray perfume or ignore them.

“A republic, if you can keep it.” We must defend our country from its numerous and multi-stripe enemies.

• What Trump said to Jonathan Carr-for Carl’s book Betrayal: The final scene of Trump’s show -It is jaw-dropping, even after many years of Trump and Trumpism.Stephen Hayes, editor send, Wrote on Twitter: “A pro-rebellion president who tried to steal the election-this week was commended by Kevin McCarthy and House Republicans. Shameful.”

Yes. These are the ones who say “Oh my God, Trump is only one person! What’s the big deal? Can’t you overcome him? He is not the whole party, you know!” But, morally speaking, the entire Republican Party has ruined its image .

(As early as June 2016, I thought of these words. After Trump won the Indiana primary and defeated his Republican challenger, I wrote: “By nominating him, the Republican Party ruined itself morally.” We are just beginning, like a song. )

• As Carl’s book shows, Trump and his people worked very, very hard to overthrow the election.consult This article, Give a briefing. In my opinion, what we urgently need is a new understanding of the rule of law.

“The law is for fools,” various extremists said. “Just win!” “Get the result, go to hell!” “What has conservatism saved?” (Have you heard of that?)

But without the rule of law, we are all over. The rule of law must be defended against all who come and all attackers-even if they are your friends or people who share the same hatred with you.

• You remember what Homer J. Simpson said about having children, right? “Children are the best. You can teach them to hate these things you hatred. They actually improved themselves, whether through the Internet or everything else. “

• Later in the 2016 campaign, when Trump refused to say whether he would accept the election results, Pat Buchanan wrote The “populist nationalist right” is “surpassing the beauty of liberal democracy and saving the America they love.”

However, you may find that an America without the “beauty of freedom and democracy” is not America at all.

• In the second half of the 1990s, Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo was asked: “What are the three things that Mexico needs most?” He replied: “The rule of law. The rule of law. The rule of law.”

This is completely correct.

• Back to the topic of anger. Every now and then, I think of Roger Scruton Said About Ken Minogue-an outstanding conservative thinker About another:

In many ways, he is a model for conservative activists. His job is not to destroy things or irritate people. He is engaged in defending the old civilization against ideological anger, which he believes is the true meaning of the freedom created and enjoyed by the English nation. For Ken Minogue, decency is not only a way of doing things, but also the focus of doing things.

This seems to be a billion years ago-but I think it is worth thinking about.

• In recent weeks, I have been writing about the Saudi dictatorship and the desire of people in a free country to have sex with them. I have talked about the Premier League; Jared Kushner and his private equity firm; and PGA Tour golfers.

How about this one from the Human Rights Foundation?

On December 5, 2021, Canadian pop star Justin Bieber plans to perform at the 2021 Formula One STC Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, a state-sponsored music festival funded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) . The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) considers the Saudi regime to be one of the most serious human rights abusers in the world and has contacted Mr. Bieber and his team to urge him to cancel the performance and reject the kingdom’s efforts to whitewash its appalling human rights record.

Come on, Bibbs. (For the complete HRF statement, go to here.)

• Speaking of pop stars: Last Friday, a group of young women gathered in front of a movie theater a block away from me, screaming excitedly. What is the reason for that excitement? Not me, I regret to say: but Taylor Swift, he attended an event.

A quick musical point of view: “Shake It Off” is great.

• FW de Klerk has passed away. In his Nobel speech, Nelson Mandela praised his co-winners for “the courage to admit that the apartheid system has caused terrible mistakes to our country and people.” De Klerk has a place in the story of South Africa and a place in the wider history.

• When I read the statement made by Pamela McCorduck, I laughed.On her head Obituary inside New York Times It’s “Pamela McCorduck, a historian of artificial intelligence, at the age of 80.” This is the subtitle: “She interviewed many scientists who were at the core of the field in the late 1970s, and she compiled the early pioneering history of the field.”

For her research objects—the scientists—she once described it as “a group of energetic poets, dreamers, saints, rascals, and weirdos, as people hope to find—not just one of them.”

I laughed because I once said something almost the same.Regarding the Nobel Peace Prize winners, I mentioned them in an article history Speaking of the prize, I said, “There is no fool in this group.”

Do not.

• read Obituary Graeme Edge-“Drummer and co-founder of Moody Blues”-I thought of Bill Buckley. And Norman Mailer. Why?

As the obituary explains, Moody Blues has gained a reputation as a thinker rock band. This kind of music was later called “art rock”. Mr. Edge said in an interview in 2006, “We used to think that our target was the head and heart, not the groin.”

OK. Barkley and Mailer? Bill once said of Mailer: “Brilliantly talented. If only he could lift his gaze from above the groin of the world.”

• “For a 96-year-old veteran, the parade came to him.” It was a story Last week at New York Times, Andy Newman. Subtitle: “Jack Le Vine usually’does nothing’ during the holidays” (this holiday is Veterans Day). “His Brooklyn neighbor has other plans.”

The caption under the photo says: “Mr. Le Vine has lived on 18th Street in South Slope all his life, but on Thursday, he met some of his neighbors for the first time.” Let me quote the last few paragraphs:

Outside is a mother wearing inline skates and an 8-year-old twin riding a scooter. The girl made a flag out of pink, white and turquoise tissue paper, pasted it on a tissue tube, and hung it on the doorpost.

“We are so grateful,” mother Ariel Clark told Mr. Le Vine. “My grandfather is in Auschwitz.” Her voice tightened, speeding up.

“My father was born in a camp for displaced persons, so”-she pointed to her children-“None of this could have happened without you.” She began to cry.

A drop of water formed at the end of Mr. Le Vine’s nose. He squinted. He shook hands with Ms. Clark and her children, took a photo with them, and then went back inside. “My eyes sometimes shed tears,” he said.

• A small shot of Central Park, like autumn?

Thank you all for joining me. Hope you have a nice week. Keep it up, as we used to say.

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