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David McElroy

making sense of a dysfunctional culture

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On this website’s 10th birthday, I’m planning for the next decade

By David McElroy · May 13, 2021

It was 10 years ago today when I launched this website with a simple announcement on Facebook. When I started, I was very unclear about what I was going to do with it. If I had never had lunch with an old friend, it never would have happened.

Tom Briscoe had been the editorial cartoonist for a newspaper I had owned and he and I got together for lunch one day in the spring of 2011. He told me I had to start publishing a blog. I gave him all sorts of excuses about why it was a bad idea, but he somehow talked me into doing it anyway.

For the first couple of months, the content was all over the chart. It was mostly bad. By summer, I had settled into writing something that was heavily political and I gained a nice little following that amounted to a couple thousand readers a day.

My big break came when something I wrote — some original reporting from an event I happened to cover — was shared on a popular national political blog called Instapundit. From there, the piece was picked up by conservative and libertarian radio shows around the country, including that of the late Rush Limbaugh. I had 30,000 readers that day — and many of them stayed with me.

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Trendy ‘anti-racists’ don’t realize they’ve been conned by Marxists

By David McElroy · May 11, 2021

In the world of the so-called “anti-racist,” there’s no tolerance for anyone who believes in individual freedom. You must accept his Marxist definitions and political positions. Otherwise, you are a racist.

We have seen a bizarre distortion of reality and truth lately. Far-left ideologues have captured the public imagination and have claimed the moral high ground. They have redefined words in ways that mean you are a hateful racist unless you accept their views.

And the political and social success of these radicals has overwhelmed the reasoning of otherwise-intelligent people — to the point that far-left political ideology is sneaking its way into the mainstream. This leaves many educated middle-class white people accepting collectivist ideas and rejecting individual freedom.

Some of us have shown for years that the existing coercive structures of society were inherently oppressive to the individual. We’ve also repeatedly shown that this coercion — exercised by armed agents of governments — has been most harmful to those in society who are the most marginalized.

But now these modern Marxists have suckered a lot of people into believing that these very agents of oppression — the politicians and their coercive allies — are the ones who should be given even more power over every individual.

This is madness — and many decent people have fallen for this con game without realizing they are leading us straight into a form of evil which is worse than you can now imagine.

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Federal checks are destroying incentive to take entry-level jobs

By David McElroy · May 8, 2021

When I arrived at a fast food restaurant for dinner Friday night, I found the doors locked.

I didn’t have to ask why. There were a few employees inside. The drive-through was still operating. But the doors had been locked to turn away customers. There weren’t enough employees available to open for normal business.

The first time this happened — a couple of months ago — I was shocked. I couldn’t imagine a fast food restaurant just locking its doors and turning away customers. But as it’s happened more and more often since then, I’ve gotten accustomed to it. This has come to seem almost normal.

It’s not just this restaurant, either. After I couldn’t eat where I’d planned, I went to a mid-priced restaurant nearby. It was open, but I was told there was a wait of about 20 minutes. Since I saw open tables all around, I asked why.

“We just don’t have enough employees to open up more tables tonight,” the manager told me.

After talking with various managers and young employees in the last two months, I’ve heard the same thing from most of them. It’s hard to get employees to take jobs right now — because those who might overwise work find it easier to get a government check and stay home instead.

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This was the sunset I saw from the parking lot out This was the sunset I saw from the parking lot outside of the Walmart near my house just after the sun went down Friday evening.
This little parody was inspired by my trip to buy This little parody was inspired by my trip to buy gas a little while ago. Even at a no-name brand, the price was $4.09. If I remember correctly, it was $2.29 a gallon at the same station on the day the war started. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of winning. 🤣
For the best and most sophisticated in lawn care, For the best and most sophisticated in lawn care, check out the sponsor of one of my upcoming YouTube video episodes. 🙃 #parody #threestooges
Have you felt as though you’re living through Grou Have you felt as though you’re living through Groundhog Day lately? Me, too. Here’s a quick-and-dirty political satire I made this evening for fun and stress relief.
About three minutes before sunrise, vibrant color About three minutes before sunrise, vibrant color is poking through the skies to the east of my back yard.
The lights and color might have been more spectacu The lights and color might have been more spectacular a couple of minutes before this, but this was the best view I had of the Monday afternoon sunset from a bridge over I-20 in Moody, Ala.
I just remembered this shot I got a couple of hour I just remembered this shot I got a couple of hours ago of the fading sunset while I was in the Publix parking lot on the way home. If you suddenly find yourself craving Arby’s or Wendy’s, blame the giant icons in the sky, not me. 😃 (BTW, this was with the iPhone’s 8X telephoto lens.) #nature #naturephotography #sunset #birmingham #alabama
I had just pulled into a parking lot Friday night I had just pulled into a parking lot Friday night and was watching traffic through the distortion of the gently falling rain on my car window when I realized that the abstract view I had matched the way I was feeling tonight, so I turned it into a brief abstract video to match my mood.
Get ready for the next great animated Christmas cl Get ready for the next great animated Christmas classic, featuring singing and dancing and danger from Alex, Oliver and Sam. Coming soon to a theater near you. (The funniest part is that if I cared about this as anything more than a Christmas joke, it strikes me as something that could be profitable with the right story development and the right animators.)
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Critter Instagram

I’m working on my MacBook in the bedroom Tuesday a I’m working on my MacBook in the bedroom Tuesday afternoon and Sam decided he’d spend a few minutes with me. He started by using me as a giant observation tower and then ended up rolling around on his back in my arms. He’s come a long way since I met him as a feral boy almost two years ago.
Sam just alerted us to the possible danger from th Sam just alerted us to the possible danger from the mail delivery vehicle being on our street. Nothing ever threatens us when Sam is on Neighborhood Watch.
When I got home from a walk just now, Alex wanted When I got home from a walk just now, Alex wanted some lap time, so he’s been in my arms purring for a few minutes now. He seems to be getting sleepy, though, so I suspect his little purr box will be running down soon.
Have you ever wondered what cats do when you’re no Have you ever wondered what cats do when you’re not home? What might they be hiding from you? Welcome to the secret neighborhood Cat Rave on Thomas Avenue. Just don’t let the humans know about it.
At 1:30 in the morning, Oliver has apparently foun At 1:30 in the morning, Oliver has apparently found the only bird who’s active in the neighborhood — and he is determined to keep a close eye on this fellow right outside this office window. If Oliver were an outdoor cat, this bird would be a goner.
I ran into this skittish bunny in the alley behind I ran into this skittish bunny in the alley behind a house that I’m trying to sell. I wonder if I should say that he comes with the house. 😺
From the CritterCam: I just heard unidentified sou From the CritterCam: I just heard unidentified sounds coming from the office just after 5 a.m., so I checked the camera to see what it showed. What I found appears to show Oliver, left, and Alex in the middle of aggressive play that happened to wander in front of the lens briefly. I have no idea what this was all about. 😺
I’m trying to work at my desk Friday morning, but I’m trying to work at my desk Friday morning, but Oliver and Alex seem to think the desk is for napping, not for working.
From the CritterCam: I just noticed the camera cau From the CritterCam: I just noticed the camera caught an image of me putting Sam back down on my chair as I left the house Thursday afternoon. I had picked him up briefly to rub his head and tell him goodbye for the day — and then I put him back where I’d found him.
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The Republican Party is dead. It still exists in name, of course, but it’s nothing but a shell. All that’s left are idiots and stooges and con men of the MAGA party. When Donald Trump is gone — which won’t be long — those populist idiots and pragmatic fools will have no one to follow. Democrats will thrive. They will take more power than ever and they will push the federal government further to the radical far left than ever. When that happens, don’t just blame Trump if you’re a conservative. Blame every person who has claimed to be a conservative and has given up on principles, character and everything else that Republicans once claimed to stand for. As someone who worked as a GOP political consultant for many years, this is disgusting and disturbing to me. Those who have enabled Trump to have almost unchecked power are going to be shocked when they see what they will unleash in the long run. It’s been plain all along what this narcissistic con man is. It’s your fault that you chose to pretend not to see what he really is.

We are ruled by the dumbest and most incompetent people among us — and we have a system which allows stupid and irresponsible people to force the costs of their idiocy onto smarter and wiser people. Can we get away with that? Yes, for quite some time. But we eventually reach a point at which the dumbest of the dumb — who are habitual liars and mentally ill fools — lead us to the disasters and destruction that some of us have seen coming for years. We are approaching that point. And yet most of the idiots around us still wave their rhetorical banners of support for the evil people who are leading us to ruin — and all of them point their fingers at someone else, never noticing that their own enthusiastic support of evil is to blame. When things finally fall apart, blame yourself for your blindness to the evil, not whoever happens to be in power when it happens.

I’ve been making some changes to the site lately and there are more changes coming in the days ahead, so don’t be surprised if you some small differences. This is not a wholesale redesign, but rather the addition of some features. Since they’re smarter than I am, I’ve put Oliver and Alex in charge of the technical work, which you can see in this action photo from the control room of our media complex. I recently added a series of landing pages for readers who randomly discover the site from an Internet search. I’ve also changed the YouTube link at the top of the page to go to the new YouTube channel for video essays that reflect things I’ve already published here. (Here’s a little bit about both of the YouTube channels I’m working on.) In addition, I’m trying to move away from using Instagram, so I’m experimenting with photo plug-ins that will eventually allow me to host the pictures — cats, dogs, sunsets, whatever — that I often take. So don’t be surprised to see more changes. Thanks for your patience. Let’s hope Alex and Oliver know what they’re doing.

I have no use for the theocratic and repressive government of Iran. The people who run the country are cruel at best and evil at worst. The Iranian people deserve freedom. But I have no personal quarrel with anybody in Iran. While I’m not thrilled about a future Iranian government having nuclear weapons, I’m just as concerned about nukes in the hands of politicians in Israel, Pakistan, India, China and Russia. I’m not even thrilled with the U.S., Britain and France having them, either, because I don’t trust any politicians to be responsible with such terrible weapons. All I can say with certainty is that American taxpayers have no business attacking Iran, especially since we’re being forced to pay for this attack in order to benefit the politicians of Israel — and nobody else. If Middle Eastern countries want to fight among themselves, that’s none of my business. It’s not the business of the U.S. government, either. I have no quarrel with anybody in Iran — and having the government which claims to represent me launch an unprovoked attack against a sovereign country will only make all Americans less safe in the near future. This attack is poorly conceived and morally unjustified. Remember that when the Iranians launch attacks that we will then condemn as “terrorism.” What the U.S. is doing right now looks like terrorism to me. And let’s not forget that the attack is the latest in a long line of unconstitutional wars by various U.S. presidents — who have no legal power to declare war on their own, according to the U.S. Constitution.

A child having a tantrum understands only one thing: Did I get my way or not? He doesn’t understand the issues involved. He doesn’t understand the reasons that went into a decision. He doesn’t understand any of the things that mature and reasonable adults have to understand in order to live healthy lives. By his reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to strike down his disastrous tariff scheme, Donald Trump shows himself to be — once more — a screaming child having a tantrum. Outside the world of mob bosses who expect to get their way every time, normal adults don’t act this way, but Trump isn’t normal. He’s an angry and vengeful man who has narcissistic personality disorder. And we are in danger as a result. Trump doesn’t understand the legal issues involved in this ruling. He doesn’t understand economics. He doesn’t understand rule of law. He doesn’t understand that he can ever be wrong. All he understands is that he didn’t get his way. And he is now a narcissistic and raging little boy who also happens to hold life-and-death power over most humans on this planet. He’s dangerous — and the system which gives him that power is even more dangerous.

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