Joe, with degrees in engineering and economics, raced motorcycles, founded 3 software companies, and launched one of the first computer store chains. Now he writes novels and Ghost essays while traveling with his wife, Lanying, and their cat, Cat.
Summary: Modern authoritarian takeovers don't need tanks—they need personnel departments. While everyone watches for obvious fascism, the real coup happens through systematic replacement of competent officials with unqualified loyalists who owe everything to their benefactor. Trump fired inspectors general investigating his administration, sold ambassadorships for donations, and
This is dedicated to my friend James, whose substack I recommend. He introduced me to Polybius, and I thought I was educated. Summary: Polybius mapped the rot of governments—monarchy to tyranny, aristocracy to oligarchy, democracy to mob rule, back again. The Founders tried to break the cycle with a
Summary (for time-stressed readers): Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared a video advocating repeal of women's suffrage. His office confirmed he "appreciates" its message. The pastors in it—including Hegseth's adviser—preach that women's equality defies "god's order."
“I love the poorly educated.” Jun 12, 2025 That wasn’t a gaffe. It was a victory cry. Trump bellowed “I love the poorly educated.” after winning the 2016 Nevada caucus, and the crowd roared like he’d just confessed something brave rather than cynical. At the time, it passed
Summary (for time-stressed readers): Seven months in, trump has federalized D.C.’s police, deployed Marines without governors’ consent, and is pushing a permanent military reaction force for use against U.S. citizens. Separately, ICE operates as a prototype—armed raids with military backing, outside constitutional limits. Lies about
The Department of Government Efficiency. Say it out loud. Let it roll around in your head for a moment. Sounds like something out of a satire, doesn’t it? A name so flat, so cheerless, so perfectly bureaucratic that it practically begs for suspicion. But that’s the point. That’
It was supposed to stop Trump, not crown him. We’re not a democracy. Never were. The Founders didn’t trust regular people that much. They trusted landowners. Men of means. People like themselves. The idea of direct popular elections made them twitchy—and for good reason. They’d just
Jun 24, 2025 It’s tempting to reduce them to numbers. Polls say 41% of Americans approve of him. Around 90% of Republicans still back him. Nearly half the country would consider voting for him again. But none of that answers the question that haunts the rest of us: Who
as are we Jun 20, 2025 The Founders Built Impenetrable Firewalls. They Didn’t Plan for Bulldozers. The Founders weren’t naïve. They knew the danger of charismatic strongmen and a fervent bloc of populist voters—and they designed a system to resist them. Deliberately slow, jammed with friction, and
I don't mean to bury you in emails. I know this is my second one today, and I get it—nobody needs more noise in their inbox. But we're living through something here. Something that doesn't wait for publishing schedules or polite timing. We&
bad? Jun 16, 2025 It’s funny how fast the conversation changes when you use the word socialism. Mention it at a dinner with Republican friends and watch the air get stiff. Eyebrows rise. Forks pause. Suddenly, you’re a threat to the Republic because you dared to suggest that
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