March 21, 2025

A FRIEND OF GLENN’S WRITES: “The Financial Times appears to have come out against free speech.”

Here’s a bit from FT’s “The real history of free speech — from supreme ideal to poisonous politics.”

So what exactly do we mean by free speech, and should there be any limits on it? In democracies, we celebrate free expression for good and hard-won reasons. Liberty of conscience is superior to enforced theocracy. The right to voice opinions without being persecuted is a hallmark of free societies as opposed to autocracies; so is the creation of challenging art and literature. Whatever your truths, freedom of expression is a valuable and inspiring ideal. 

But that doesn’t mean its principles are obvious or absolute. We often assume they must have been clearly established by great thinkers of the past, from Milton to James Madison to George Orwell, and that it’s only in the present that we’ve lost our way. But the real history of free speech is far more interesting — and it illuminates our current predicaments in surprisingly direct ways. 

Weird how “free speech” only became a problem when DOGE began disassembling the multibillion-dollar government apparatus that promoted the speech of one side, and not during (and just before) the Biden administration when those same tools, aided by social media, were used to stifle dissent.

Posted at 2:50 pm by Stephen Green

ROGER SIMON: ‘The Barber in Peru’ — Back from the Dead.

I got a bewildered phone call from my old friend “The Barber in Peru {Indiana}.”

He’s getting pretty long in the tooth having been used by Groucho Marx to test the popularity of his movies in the hinterlands back in the day, but he doesn’t seem to have lost any of his marbles. He’s still on top of current events.

“What’s with these judges?” he said. “I never heard of any of them before.”

“Me neither.”

“Did somebody vote for them?”

“Nope.”

“Everybody comes into the barber shop can’t stand them, especially this Boasberg character.”

“Really?”

“Ordering a plane carrying those Tren-something gangsters to Central America to turn around. What’s the matter with this doofus? Doesn’t he realize those thugs would rape a three-year old and some of them already have? Doesn’t he have a daughter?”

“Well…”

Read the whole thing.

Posted at 2:43 pm by Ed Driscoll

CHANGE (IT BACK):

Posted at 2:36 pm by Stephen Green

FLORIDA MAN FRIDAY [VIP]: He Threatened to Fight Trump Naked. “It’s time for your much-needed break from the serious news, and this week we have a would-be naked chainsaw assassin, Florida Woman’s Steely Dan impersonation, and one shell of a good time in New Jersey.”

Posted at 2:19 pm by Stephen Green

THE 21st CENTURY ISN’T WORKED OUT AS I HAD HOPED: DoorDash, Klarna sign deal for deferred, installment food delivery payments.

DoorDash and Klarna, a company that offers “buy now, pay later” programs, have come together on a deal for deferred and installment food delivery payments.

“In the coming months, DoorDash customers will be able to enjoy Klarna’s seamless range of payment options when purchasing groceries, retail, and even DashPass Annual Plan – on DoorDash.com or through the DoorDash app,” according to a webpage on the deal on Klarna’s website.

Klarna is set to be shown as a way to pay when DoorDash customers are checking out, with customers given options to either pay for their whole purchase, pay via four installments or pay at a time that works better for them, according to the webpage.

“Our partnership with DoorDash marks an important milestone in Klarna’s expansion into everyday spending categories,” Klarna’s Chief Commercial Officer David Sykes said on the page.

“By offering smarter, more flexible payment solutions for groceries, takeout, and retail essentials, we’re making convenience even more accessible for millions of Americans,” Sykes added.

In accordance with the prophecy:

Posted at 2:14 pm by Ed Driscoll

GAVIN NEWSOM LIES, FILM AT 11 — AND AT EVERY OTHER HOUR:

Posted at 1:48 pm by Stephen Green

DOGE, THE EARLY YEARS, CONTINUED: It’s Mark Cuban Approved!

It’s also Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi approved as well. Meanwhile, seen on Facebook, a reminder that the left can’t meme:

Why are you comparing Elon’s product to that of the King of England, when both Elon and the Founding Fathers wanted a lean efficient government that would leave most citizens alone? Not to mention turning on a dime against electric cars:

Conversely, just like that, the founding of America in 1776 is a good thing once again, rather than its dark, New York Times-approved 1619 Mirror Universe origin story.

Posted at 1:35 pm by Ed Driscoll

BILL WHITTLE’S HOT MIC: Why Autopen Matters.

Good stuff from Bill, as always.

Posted at 1:34 pm by Stephen Green

HOW COOL IS THAT?

Posted at 1:28 pm by Stephen Green

TANNED, RESTED, AND READY FOR MORE TRUNALIMUNUMAPRZURE! Biden aides, more Democrats pile on ex-prez’s offer to boost party fundraising after 2024 disaster: ‘This is an SNL skit.’

“Joe Biden should enjoy retirement at the beach in Rehoboth,” a third Biden alum added. “No voter wants to hear from him. He is delusional and arrogant to think that he can be a value add to the Democratic Party. We need to move on from the era of Joe Biden and embrace new, younger leadership.”

The ridicule extended to congressional Democrats, who control neither chamber of Congress following the Nov. 5 wipeout loss by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who was thrust into the race after Biden announced July 21 he would not seek a second term.

“Why the f–k would anyone listen to what Joe Biden has to say?” gasped one congressional Democratic source. “He should stay in retirement with his pardoned family and keep his mouth shut.”

“The best thing Biden could do for the DNC is offer [DNC vice chair] David Hogg a high-paying role at his foundation,” a congressional Democratic aide snarked.

“Is this serious?” a former Democratic aide asked. “I mean, it has to be a joke. This is an ‘SNL’ skit.”

Except it isn’t, since SNL treated Biden with kid gloves, like it treated all Democratic presidents, going back to Jimmy Carter, in its role as the Democrats’ palace guard media.

Posted at 1:22 pm by Ed Driscoll