The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (No. 15)

July 18, 2021

THE GOOD

The Lyceum Scholars Program. The way forward. Spread the news. Share this with any high school students you know or the parents of high school students. “Campus Reformers: Clemson University's Institute for the Study of Capitalism blazes a trail in higher ed.” 

Doubling down on John Adams as America’s Greatest Founding Father. This is an objective, demonstrable fact, which I will lay out for you in full sometime in the future. Until then, there’s this:

Turning death into life! Let’s have more Australian Rules science: “Australia scientists see life-saving potential in spider venom.”

We need more of this, and we need it now: “New research finds common denominator linking all cancers.”

Freedom watch: “Louisiana Legislature to Hold First-Ever Veto Override Session to Vote on Constitutional Carry.”

Gotta get me some of that GETTR. We need more competition on the social media front: “GETTR explodes, passing 1.5 million users in just 11 days.”

Who is more likely to tell the truth about what’s going on in Cuba right now, the New York Times or The Babylon Bee? Pretty sure we all know the answer: “‘You Just Don't Understand Socialism Like I Do,’ Says College Freshman To Man Who Escaped Socialism On A Raft.”

No, seriously—communism is good no matter what, even when it isn’t, which is always. Per usual, The Babylon Bee nails it: “Leftists Fear Communism Failing All The Time Is Making Communism Look Bad.”

Well, good: “Penn State to remove Fidel Castro quote from campus after campaign by student who fled communism in Venezuela.”

Let’s make a deal:

Best read of the week: “Marxist Lives Matter.”

Second best read of the week. I don’t agree with all of it, but I do agree with the core message: “Want to Save America? Don't Act Like a Conservative: Chest-Thumpers and ‘Aw, Shucks’ Conservatives Personify the Right’s Love Affair with Losing.”

THE BAD

Reality Wake-Up Call: Millennials and Gen Z are about to learn some hard economic truths: “Inflation Just Hit a 13-Year High. Here’s Why You Should Care.”

More reality for Millennials and Gen Z. You asked for it, and now you’re getting it—good and hard.

“The misery index has climbed each and every month that Joe Biden has been president. In February, it ticked up to 7.9, then rose to 8.6 in March. Last month, the misery index hit 11.3, as the monthly inflation rate climbed to 5.4% while the unemployment rate edged up to 5.9%.” “The Dreaded Misery Index Is On The Rise Under Biden.”

More bad news for Millennials and Gen Z. I’m almost starting to feel sorry for them. On the decline and fall of social security: “Shaky Social Security Trust Fund May Run Out in 11 Years: Are you ready for 30 percent cuts in benefits to keep the program alive?”

California is inching its way toward Cuba: “California legislature approves nation's first state-funded guaranteed income program.”

Gee, what could go wrong? Sometimes even The Redneck Intellectual is at a loss for words in describing how stupid America’s Ruling Class is: “Secretary of State Blinken Invites United Nations to Investigate Racism in the U.S.”

When will our Year of Affliction end? “CDC investigating monkeypox case in Dallas in traveler from Nigeria.”

Lockdown grift. New ways for the Ruling Class to keep its power and wealth:

 A new data analysis from Harvard University, Brown University, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation calculates how different employment levels have been impacted during the pandemic to date. The findings reveal that government lockdown orders devastated workers at the bottom of the financial food chain but left the upper-tier actually better off. . . . The picture painted by this comparison is one of working-class destruction. “New Harvard Data (Accidentally) Reveal How Lockdowns Crushed the Working Class While Leaving Elites Unscathed.”

Follow the (social) science. The evidence is in: “Study: Lockdowns ‘Single Biggest Public Health Mistake, Possibly Of All History’.”

It didn’t have to be this way. You know that, right?

Provisional data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed drug overdose deaths reached a record high of 93,331 in 2020, a nearly 30 percent increase.

The death toll jumped from 72,151 deaths in 2019, according to the data.

“That is a stunning number even for those of us who have tracked this issue,” Brendan Saloner, associate professor of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told The Wall Street Journal. “‘A Stunning Number’: CDC Announces Drug Overdose Deaths Hit All-Time High Amid 2020 Lockdowns.”

A House Divided Cannot Stand: “Shock Poll: Staggering Number of Americans Want Out, Say They're OK with Secession.”

THE UGLY

Suicide watch: “Revealed: Critical Race Theory Advocates Sent Staff & Students on Chinese Communist Propaganda Trips.”

You say you want communism? Here’s communism right at your doorstep. Take a good long look: “Videos surface from Cuba show brutal repression by Communist régime.”

And there’s also been a lot of ugly in South Africa this week. “South African President Says Social Unrest Was "Planned"; Violence Recedes As Military Deployed.” (You have to scroll down just a tad to get to the article.) South Africa is, as I’m sure you know, ruled by the African National Congress (ANC) and its President Cyril Ramaphosa. Let’s be clear about what African National Congress is. At its 53rd Annual National Conference held in 2015, the party made its ideological and political affiliations clear: “The exemplary role of the collective leadership of the Communist Party of China in this regard should be a guiding lodestar of our own struggle.” The ANC is also allied with the Communist Party of South Africa. When President Ramaphosa says the riots were “planned,” he’s almost certainly referring to the leaders of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF),” which is a competitor political party to the left of the ANC and led by Julius Malema. The EFF is a Marxist-Leninist party with a twist: it has also adopted the anti-white racism associated with Critical Race Theory. Malema stated in 2016 that “We are not calling for the slaughter of white people, at least for now.” Malema, channeling Robert Mugabe, has also Tweeted, “The only white man you can trust is a dead white man.” Other EFF party members have called for the hacking, necklacing, and murder of white South Africans. What’s happening in South Africa right now is an internal civil war between South Africa’s competing Marxist-Leninist parties.

Is America turning into South Africa? Maybe, but with this difference: the communists in South Africa riot to steal and share other people’s stuff, while the communists in America riot to defend the rights of men dressed as women to share their “stuff” with women dressed as women at a Korean Spa in Los Angeles. “Antifa violently clashes with police outside Los Angeles spa following alleged transgender disrobing incident.”

. . . and THE BEAUTIFUL

Beauty overload. This video takes beauty to an entirely different level. The world needs more ballet. I need more ballet. I could watch this all day long!

Thank you for spending time with The Redneck Intellectual.

P.S.: Change is coming to The Redneck Intellectual. This coming week, I plan to launch a new feature that I’m calling “Dumb and Dumber.” It will focus on K-12 and higher education.

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Have great week!