No, we didn’t all make mistakes. I sure as hell didn’t. I didn’t on Covid, either, or Biden’s obvious cognitive issues. That’s on them, and we should never trust them again, if we ever did.
[Update a few minutes later]
This is reaping the consequences of the politics of unquestioned assumptions.
I like the kicker: “If they were capable of learning lessons from failure, they wouldn’t be Democrats.”
An interesting X thread of diverse experiences:
This is a certain kind of talk around LLMs that I find increasingly puzzling. That is all of the people bitching that LLMs constantly generate crap code and hallucinate solutions, and are worthless for programming.
— Eric S. Raymond (@esrtweet) July 8, 2026
This has almost never happened to me, and never during the last…
My own experience is that it can be useful in providing first drafts for things like business plans, requirements documents, etc., but I have to edit, and many wouldn’t have the knowledge to do it properly or recognize issues. It can be a multiplier of both good and bad.
[Update a while ago]
The wages of AI: Professor bans take-home exams after rampant cheating.
What would terrify me about this if I were a student again would be having to go back to handwriting papers and essays. If I didn’t have a keyboard, I’d have hardly written anything in my life.
Yes, space will be viewed as a waste of money until the looters understand its value, and will then try to take control.
Yes, they supported Platner because they fantasized that this would appeal to actual men:
— The Alan Sanders Show 🇺🇸⚓️🐕 (@AlanJSanders) July 8, 2026
This is also why they stupidly thought that Tim Walz would have traction as well. And it’s another example of Haidt’s thesis that the right understands the left far better than vice versa.
It was nice to see a president finally stand up to them.
“…the record is pretty suggestive for Mamdani and Avila Chevalier. But it’s not that way for the other DSA candidates who won recently — Claire Valdez, Melat Kiros, Janeese Lewis-George, and others. On the other hand, all of them are members of the Democratic Socialists of America, and the word “socialist” has always been a key part of the vocabulary of communism, in the 20th century and today. So one could say that Trump’s accusation is reasonably true for some of the DSA comrades who have defeated Democratic candidates and at least adjacent to the beliefs of some others. In other words, it’s close enough for a political campaign.”
Most people forget, or never knew, what the second “S” in USSR stood for.
[Update a while later]
Yes. Socialists should be disqualified for public office for simply being socialists.
I noted on X right after Chevalier’s election that it was hard to see how she could honestly take the oath of office.
And as someone (von Mises? Hayek?) once noted, if socialists understood economics, they wouldn’t be socialists.
Thoughts on uncertainty and risk, from Sarah Hoyt. Who is also doing a fundraiser.
At this point, it looks like the administration is just trying to manage things to get past the mid-terms, after which they will have (in Barack Obama’s words to Vladimir) “more flexibility.”
On America’s birthday, a history:
The banjo is America’s instrument – born in struggle, forged in freedom, and ringing and twanging for 250 years. 🪕🇺🇸@MrWinMarshall delivers a beautiful tribute to the banjo on America’s 250th Independence Day: pic.twitter.com/66I6kBqJxn
— Melissa Chen (@MsMelChen) July 4, 2026
First, a message from a Canadian:
To the Americans:
— Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) July 4, 2026
I've travelled all over the world. I've familiarized myself with many places, and met many people. And I'm a Canadian, although I’m privileged to reside once again in the States.
And here's something I've noticed, and it’s a key element of America's continuing…
I saw festivities in both Tokyo and Paris. For example, this from President Macron, featuring the French gift from the 19th century:
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 4, 2026
Tokyo fireworks mark 250 years of U.S. independence. pic.twitter.com/KjxpdV0Akh
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 3, 2026
🇯🇵🇺🇸 Happy Independence Day to our friends in the United States!
— 鈴森はるか 『haruka suzumori』 🇯🇵 (@harukaawake) July 4, 2026
This song is very popular here in Japan and many artists often cover it. I particularly love this one. pic.twitter.com/DesD4I6LJF
Given recent polling, it appears that the Japanese and French are more patriotic about America than the Democrats are.
And Commie Mamdani doesn’t understand what makes America exceptional:
NYC Mayor Mamdani on American exceptionalism: "We are told that America is exceptional because we are richer, stronger, more powerful than everyone else… The truth, my friends is that America is exceptional because here, nothing is fixed into place." pic.twitter.com/FAiPfcPvB3
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 3, 2026
In fact, what is exceptional is there are some things that are fixed in place, including the limits to government in the Constitution, a document that he has apparently never read, or perhaps has, and (like Obama and other Marxists) hates. Coolidge, who on the occasion, was fortunately not “silent,” said it best a century ago.
About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful. It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning can not be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable [sic] rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction can not lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers.
I think that last night’s speech by Trump on the danger of communism and collectivism was one of his best. I don’t know how he’ll top it today.
[Evening update]
More from Tokyo:
An eagle and a crane DANCED over Tokyo tonight!! 🦅🕊️
— NOBUNAGA🇯🇵🏯_夏樹蒼依 (@japan_nobunaga) July 5, 2026
Their light trails braided into a GIANT HEART and fireworks burst right through the middle!!
The whole bay went WILD!!
250 years America!! The crane says CONGRATS!! 🇺🇸🤝🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/mSbJXuDwt2