Blue v. Red

Romeo and Juliet

Once you go deplorable, you’ll know that we’re adorable.

By Justin Katz | February 8, 2022 |

To begin with, let me apologize for the subject line.  Once it occurred to me, I couldn’t let it go. If you’re of a certain age, you may recognize the sexual undertones of the phrase, which I began thinking about after stumbling across a Twitter exchange between apparent progressive Liz Gledhill and known conservative Nicole…

Luca Signorelli, The Preaching of the Antichrist

Don’t Ivy League professors understand the power of ideas implicitly?

By Justin Katz | January 31, 2022 |

Brown sociology professor Hilary LevyFriedman presents us with an interesting philosophical and sociological question: Like, seriously: “Not a single kid has died in a mass reading, yet they’re banning books instead of guns.” As far as I can tell, the quoted text is an uncited retweet of BlackKnight10k, whose deep insight has had a healthy…

Photo of a raised fist with BLM on the wrist.

The systemic racism calls are coming from inside the house.

By Justin Katz | January 28, 2022 |

Having recently fallen into an argument about the overlaps between history, housing, and racism, I couldn’t do otherwise than take note of a GoLocalProv article headlined, “Black Homeownership in RI Is as Low as It Was in the 1960s.” In Rhode Island, just 6% of homes are owned by Black households. And, becoming a new…

A stage with empty tables

I miss the atmosphere of debate.

By Justin Katz | January 28, 2022 |

The topic of the podcast was tangential to my point with this post, but listening to Jordan Peterson speak with infrastructure academic Rick Geddes and writer and Democrat messaging consultant Gregg Hurwitz recently made me wish Westerners could get back to working together. Lately, I find that the people with whom I come into disagreement…

Veterans Memorial Auditorium

That little-known, world-famous personality selling out the Vets is Jordan Peterson.

By Justin Katz | January 24, 2022 |

Looking for something to do at The Vets in Providence one of these weeks? Tickets are widely available for the Rhode Island Philharmonic’s performance of Scheherezade on Saturday, February 12.  Angelique Kidjo the next evening?  Pick your section.  The next weekend, the multiple shows of Trolls Live! have plenty of seats available.  If you’re in the…

An elephant leans beside a ditch

Congress is a better fit for Fung.

By Justin Katz | January 20, 2022 |

Having expressed deep skepticism, to the point of opposition, concerning the possibility that Allan Fung might run for governor again, I thought I should note that his running for the Congressional seat that Democrat Jim Langevin is opening up would be a very different matter: Former Cranston Mayor Allan Fung, a two-time Republican nominee for…

Boy in a library

Anybody who wants to help disadvantaged minorities should support this.

By Justin Katz | January 19, 2022 |

You can’t help but be moved by stories like this.  Similarly, you can’t miss the political reasons they aren’t more widely spread. [Denisha] Merriweather’s future looked bleak. “Teachers would sigh when I walked through the door,” she said of the district schools she attended. “Another Merriweather,” they would judge. “My family name was not that…

Sign reading "You'll Get It Eventually"

McCardle is wrong to saddle the Somewheres with election concerns.

By Justin Katz | January 18, 2022 |

Libertarian columnist for the Washington Post Megan McCardle appeared on Russ Roberts’s EconTalk podcast to talk about the late Roger Scruton’s contrast of the Somewheres, whose worldview is deeply tied to a sense of belonging somewhere, and the Anywheres, who (if I may attempt to summarize their desire charitably) want to feel at home wherever they may go. …

A water drop and ripples

The contrast in coverage of the Texas synagogue hostage situation has been remarkable.

By Justin Katz | January 17, 2022 |

Matt Margolis is completely right.  The rhetoric from the White House would be completely different if the perpetrator, the motive, and the victims weren’t as they were. It’s curious that Psaki failed to mention that the hostage situation was in a synagogue, wouldn’t you agree? While details are slim right now, it’s very clear that…

Two different scales

The conclusion is simple: what they expected was different from what happened.

By Justin Katz | January 13, 2022 |

Kevin Roche doesn’t mince words, and readers who generally agree with the point of view expressed hereabouts will enjoy his essay. but this paragraph is a good springboard for something I’ve found pretty obvious, lately: Nothing is going to stop the butt-kicking coming in November, but it will be magnitudes worse if we aren’t out…