Tuesday evening reading - February 11, 2025

More goodies from the stack of stuff I read on a daily basis here on Substack.

What a difference eight years makes. This was from the “No Ban No Wall No Registry” rally back in February 2017 when Donald Trump became president the first time.

Bonus reading: my February, 2017 take on the event pictured above. I think the local Left is too shellshocked this time around to be so uppity.

When I get to between six and eight posts (or so) I think are worth sharing, you’ll get Tuesday evening reading. It won’t be every week, but likely about twice a month. There’s nothing wrong with link love!

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Go ahead and read these pieces as yet more snow falls out my window, then come back and see what I have to say.

It's Time To Defund "National Propaganda Radio" And Let Them Sink Or Swim Like Other Leftist Outlets

I really only have two pieces heavy on Donald Trump this time, but I’ll begin with a good one from my friend

David Wolosik

, who grabbed the leadoff spot with this hard look at NPR.

Now we have a trio of local NPR stations nearby, two being associated with local colleges and the other as a repeater for the NPR station out of Washington, D.C. (That one, on the other end of the FM dial from the usual frequencies assigned to public radio, used to be a good alternative station until they were bought out.) If I’ve ever listened to these stations it was an accident, although I was a guest once on one of them many years ago, representing the local Republicans after a Barack Obama State of the Union show since our normal spokesperson couldn’t make it. Even then, it was me as the lone conservative against three other liberal panelists and a leftist host.

But considering the federal funds really aren’t that much of the support for NPR stations, they could probably cobble something together if NPR was defunded.

Trump, Not Pritzker, Friend of the Working Men and Women in Chicago

This is a Substack I don’t subscribe to quite yet, but what I have read there is interesting.

Martin Preib's Crooked City

is a Chicago-based news source, which may yet get on my list given my soft spot for the Midwest (and Chicago, where I spent a memorably frigid weekend in college checking out the architecture - and the bars along Rush Street.) He makes the point about how President Trump has expanded his coalition, tying it to the local scene.

But I’m not done with the President yet, as he’s more of a bit player in several other selections.

On a more peripheral level,

elizabeth nickson

took the opportunity of Trump’s proposed tariffs to write a scathing critique of her homeland.

Canada Is A Failed State and Mark Carney is BlackRock's Bankruptcy Trustee

To be honest, I think Canada is better off going alone rather than be our 51st state, as the President has mentioned. (Isn’t it crazy how sometimes taking him literally leads to taking him seriously?) But Elizabeth has a read I look forward to each weekend - I just don’t know if I’ll nod in agreement or shake my head at some of the rabbit holes revealed therein.

If you like classical architecture, this next piece (and the EO by Trump) are for you, thanks to

James Howard Kunstler

.

February 2025 | Eyesore

Trump is also more of a bit player in the next post, written by

Stone Bryson

.

Silver Linings

Stone’s real point, though, is the idea of going back to a precious metal-based currency. But while most talk about gold, Stone believes silver is more accessible to the common man and pleads a good case for it.

See, if a precious metal is the means of exchange? Interest-driven banking cartels become obsolete, because their money is figuratively and literally worthless. And…since ‘gold’ is impractical as a daily-use currency?

‘Silver’ is - in my not-terribly-humble opinion - the only practical path toward an organic, honorable, Natural-driven economy…

But speaking of our consumer-driven economy,

Frederick R Smith

critiques a company that is bucking the pleasant trend away from DIE, Costco.

Equity Over Merit: Costco's Misguided Approach and the Call for Change

I don’t have a Costco to shop at, so I have no skin in the game. But they’ve always portrayed themselves as the worker-friendly alternative to Sam’s Club (which we do have.) That may not play as well around here, although someone has kept Target in business locally, too.

As I wind this down, let’s get to a good true-crime story by

Bill Rice, Jr.

Troy’s ‘crime of the century’ still shocks long-time residents

Since he cross-posted this to his eponymous Substack, I caught this. Both parts are really worth the read as a little slice of the old South (not that old, just 60-odd years ago.) Bill is doing the Troy Citizen as a paean to local newspapers, bringing old-style small-town journalism online.

Lastly, I’m going to have

Charles R. Jarvis

touch on a topic I’ve been remiss in dealing with lately, that of faith. He picked a good song to muse upon in this one.

Cry Out to Jesus

Third Day is one of those groups I kick myself for not seeing, although they were playing places far larger than Salisbury and the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center by the time I started getting into contemporary Christian music. It does look like Mac Powell (the voice of Third Day) is touring this summer on a church level, so maybe he’ll come to the venue where I most recently saw We Are Messengers (and see Brandon Heath in a couple weeks.)

Anyway, all that should keep a good reader going and thinking for awhile. Now I’ll keep collecting for next time.

In the meantime, though, you can Buy Me a Coffee, since I have a page there now.