Happy (belated) Canada Day and Happy (early) Independence Day!
In addition to those two days this week, I’m celebrating passing the 1000 subscriber mark. My thanks to all of you for making it possible.
I should probably come up with my next goal. Something more detailed than “more,” or “keep growing.” However, that will have to do for now.
In the interest of this goal…
It’s time for an Ad!
Hoist the Black Flag is an audience-supported publication which looks at US, Canadian, and World Politics (and anything else I find interesting).
Look, I get it, the demands for money are never-ending. I would write this even if I didn’t make a dime. I honestly would rather have you read my Substack for free than constantly ask you for money, but it never hurts to ask, so…
If you enjoy my work, please:
Hit the like button!
Share with your friends!
Consider becoming a Paid Subscriber!
Some Ideas
I looked at last month’s list and I didn’t complete one of my ideas. Unless you count “Something brilliant” and that is subjective. I did start 5 of them though which brings the number of works in progress to 17. In my defense, I didn’t expect Trump to bomb Iran or NYC to back a socialist. Was I just supposed to let those two events slide?
If I regret anything it’s that I only completed one post in my “Platonic Discussions” series. I will have to do better in July.
The current front runners are:
A Platonic Discussion – Paid article
Short topics #1 – two essays on generational Issues
Short topics #2 – two essay on “Justice”
Might Makes Right
Loyalty and Honor
Reconciliation
The Great Forgetting – Failed ideas that just won’t die
The “New Deal” has gotten old
Two Tier Health Care – Why this can fix Canadian healthcare
This has all happened before… - Technocrats are the New Priesthood and we’re living though a second Reformation
Given the crazy news cycle there’s a good chance something too important to skip will come along… just like last month.
Note: I’m always open to suggestions
Top 10 Postings
I like Top 10 lists and I like stats so that’s why this is here. Why should you like it? There might be something here that you missed.
This month is interesting because the new #9 was posted Sept 10th, 2024, but shot up through the ranks. Does that reflect an increasing interest in immigration? Check back next month and we’ll see.
Lies… (1)
Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me (3)
Stop Arguing! (9)
You can find all my posts in my archive.
Top 10 Subscriber Locations
I’m five states short of having the whole set and I have readers in 52 countries, on every continent except Antarctica. Maybe there’s a new goal I can shoot for here.
Canada (1)
California (2)
UK (4)
Texas (3)
Florida (5) and New York (6)
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Australia (8) and Pennsylvania (7)
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Virginia (9)
Ohio (10)
Note: the US is #1 by far but provides insight into individual states and it’s more interesting to present it that way. No other country can be broken down unfortunately.
Monthly Draw
As I said last month, this has been getting to be a bit of an administrative burden so now that I’ve surpassed 1000 subscribers (thanks everyone!) I’m going to retire this draw and hand out rewards to comments/discussions which I think are particularly inciteful or provide value to the community.
Comment of the Month
I haven’t decided how many 3 month comps I’m going to give out each month. I may have to just play it by ear as there aren’t always a lot of comments. This month was pretty good though.
I liked this exchange between
r and concerning illegal immigration and open borders. There’s a lot there, so I’ll just give you the start, but I encourage you to click on the link and read it entirely:“I support open borders (see Bryan Caplan’s book by that name), which doesn’t mean that port of entry inspections fall by the wayside, it means that…continued”
I’m going to reward
for his work as an unpaid spell checker.I’m also going to do something unusual and award
for our recent exchange concerning the recent Supreme Court which “limited the ability of lower-court judges to block executive branch policies nationwide.” Awarding it for this exchange is unusual as it took place on Notes rather than in the comment section of one of my posts. Dan and I have had our disagreements, but I think this exchange provides a high level look at both sides of the argument and is thus worth sharing. It begins:“The guardrails are collapsing…continued”
Recommend Hoist the Black Flag
For those of you who weren’t lucky enough to win this month you can earn complimentary memberships by referring friends to Hoist the Black Flag from here.
Why subscribe? Well, instead of getting ChatGPT or some other AI to write something for me I’m going to let two current subscribers weigh in. Both generously gave me permission to share their feedback.
My thanks to both of you!
AYPWIP?
As we are celebrating the birthdays of two great nations this week, my thoughts turn to freedom.
It is very popular these days to frame the problems we have in both America and Canada as the end of the world. It is not a healthy approach to problem solving. Canada is not broken and every move made by your political opponents is not a sign of fascism or communism.
There would be less doomscrolling if there were less doom-posting.
With that in mind here are some quotes about the importance of freedom.
Ubi libertas, ibi patria. [Where liberty dwells, there is my country.]
-- Unknown Latin Author
The best way to enhance freedom in other lands is to demonstrate here that our democratic system is worthy of emulation.
-- Jimmy Carter
“History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.”
-- Dwight D. Eisenhower
And for those who think Mamdani’s recent win in NYC is a good thing:
“Prosperity or egalitarianism—you have to choose. I favor freedom, you never achieve real equality anyway: you simply sacrifice prosperity for an illusion.
-- Mario Vargas Llosa
Podcast Recommendations
I have a long one for you this month. A…really…long…one.
Lex Fridman hosted a “debate” between Scott Horton of the Libertarian Institute and Antiwar.com and Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. It was contentious at times, to say the least, but I learned quite a lot. If you like to go on long walks or have 4 to 5 hours (I warned you it was long), it’s worth the time.
Lex Fridman Podcast – Iran War Debate: Nuclear Weapons, Trump, Peace, Power & the Middle East
Final Thoughts
In addition to passing the 1000 subscriber podcast, I also reached another milestone as a writer, I was called a “Nazi apologist” for my article on Israel’s preemptive military campaign against Iran.
In academic circles the practice of equating Israel or Jews with Nazis is referred to as “holocaust inversion.”
The less technical name for it is “bat-shit insane.”
Either way, remember:
“When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.”
― Anonymous
Please help me improve HTBF by answering the Reader Survey – there are still 4 replies
That’s all for now.
Stay salty, my friends!
Phil
Keep up the good work, Philip. I don't always agree with you, but you make me think outside the silo that I sometimes fall into. I especially liked your recent analysis of the SCOTUS decision. We have to stop running through the streets like our hair is on fire everytime something happens that we "think" is horrible. It really helps that you dive below the surface on important issues.
Congrats on reaching 1000.