Saturday, July 04, 2026
Letter to America
Letter to America, from a Frenchman who has seen the end
of the movie.
You still believe you're the last free country. You are,
for now. I'm writing to you from a country that was free too, and which signed
its surrender without a single shot fired.
In France, the State captures and redistributes 57% of
everything the nation produces. Fifty-seven percent. Stop and dwell on that
figure. For every unit of value created by an engineer, a worker, a founder who
risked it all, more than half passes through hands that built nothing. This
isn't a budget line. It's a permanent mortgage on people's existence.
And here's what no one will admit to you: it never
happens through revolution. No one votes for decline. We vote for compassion,
for security, for justice, for the planet. At every step, we trade a piece of
freedom for a promise. And the promises are always beautiful. That's the trap.
Today's collectivism no longer waves the red flag; it has
understood that it doesn't sell anymore. It has learned to speak the language
of care. ESG, governance, compliance, "responsibility": these are the
new words for a very old idea. The idea that an enlightened elite knows better
than you what's good for you, and that power must therefore be transferred to
it, line by line, to decide in your place. It's not a conspiracy. It's worse:
it's a consensus. No one is hiding. Everything is done openly, applauded,
subsidized.
Hayek wrote it eighty years ago: the road to serfdom is
paved with good intentions and centralized planning. France has walked that
road with a smile. We nationalized risk, socialized failure, taxed boldness,
and administered everything else. Result: a magnificent country that builds
nothing anymore, that manages its decay with a funereal elegance, and where the
most gifted young person dreams of only one thing—leaving. Many end up with
you.
America still has what we've lost: the reflex to build
rather than administer. The founder is a hero there, not a suspect. Success is
proof there, not a sin to atone for. That's your treasure. And a treasure is
lost without anyone noticing—a form, an agency, a "good cause" at a
time.
So don't look for hidden enemies. It's useless and
unworthy of you. Look at the figure instead. Look at France. Every point of GDP
you let slip toward the State is a point of freedom that never comes back.
Freedom doesn't die assassinated. It dies anesthetized,
to applause.
Don't sign. Build.
-
Brivael
Le Pogam
[[
Hit the Books!
Back Again: Books for America's 250th Anniversary - Updated.
A few I'd add:
- Middle Passage by Charles R. Johnson
- Shiloh by Shelby Foote
- The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines
- The Known World by Edward P. Jones
- To Begin the World Anew by Bernard Bailyn
Friday, July 03, 2026
Federalist No. 10
The Federalist Papers were written to urge the adoption of the American Constitution at a time when there was the very real fear that the states might choose to continue the highly ineffective Articles of Confederation.
The Federalist Papers are packed with insight, and Federalist Paper No. 10 has become one of the most cited.
Read this and you'll see its timeless warning.
Thursday, July 02, 2026
Back by Popular Demand: "The Death of the Public Library"
Dowd’s essential belief is that not only do the homeless have every right to spend their days in libraries but that librarians should view their needs as a critical part of the job. He believes librarians should be trained to dispense Narcan. One of his seminars is called “Jerks with Homes: How to Deal with Members of the Public Who Are Being Jerks About Homeless Folks.” His scripts for addressing problematic behaviors include examples like, “Hey, I don’t care if you urinate on the Harry Potter books, but the politicians have a no-urinating policy. Therefore, I have to ask you to stop."
Read the rest of The Free Press article by Zac Bissonnette.
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