At a recent conference, Trump stated: “I always like to hang around with losers … because it makes me feel better.”
Borrowing insights from Niccolò Machiavelli and Ayn Rand, I discuss some of the serious issues raised by Trump’s remarks in my newest Notablog essay:
notablog.net/2026/03/31/w...
Ever wonder why the bass line to "Seven Nation Army" by White Stripes is chanted across global sports arenas? Lots of links about that phenomenon in today's Notablog song marking baseball's Opening Day 2026:
notablog.net/2026/03/26/s...
On Notablog, I posted a remembrance of journalist, Brian Doherty, author of "Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement":
notablog.net/2026/03/14/b...
RIP, my friend.
Sweet news for baseball fans: Bill White, former St. Louis Cardinals All-Star and Gold Glove-winning First Baseman, former NY Yankees broadcaster and National League President, will be given a Lifetime Achievement Award on Hall of Fame Weekend!
notablog.net/2026/03/10/b...
In my newest Notablog essay, "The Operation was a Success, But the Patient Died," I explore the Iran War through the lens of the devastating history of US intervention in the region.
notablog.net/2026/03/07/t...
In my newest essay, I explore Trump’s immigration policies through the lens of his recent State of the Union, as well as those “major combat operations” to topple the Iranian regime.
The current moment has too many ominous parallels with other moments in history.
notablog.net/2026/02/28/t...
CHARLIE Against Dialectics
A reactionary bill passed by the New Hampshire legislature seeks to prohibit the teaching of "critical theories" and "dialectical worldviews"! That would exclude any book in my own "Dialectics and Liberty Trilogy." See Notablog:
notablog.net/2026/02/21/c...
My newest Notablog piece: "From Bush to Trump"
Trump's presidency has been transformative, in so many awful ways. But it has built on the regrettable legacy of the administration of George W. Bush, whom Trump so often vilified.
notablog.net/2026/01/25/f...
Ayn Rand rejected prohibitions on immigration, not only due to her personal context, but on principle.
Check out my Notablog post: "Ayn Rand, Illegal Immigrant":
notablog.net/2026/01/23/a...
Some folks thought I'd lost my dialectical mind the other day, using ellipsis points to illustrate the universal implications of Trump's comments on the Iranian protests.
Context returns! S. E. Cupp on "A Tale of Two Trumps: Iran & Minnesota": www.nydailynews.com/2026/01/15/s...
Ellipsis points may drop context, but they introduce some interesting implications:
Check out my newest essay on Notablog: "You Think Our Country's So Innocent?", which discusses the evolution of Trump's foreign policy and the history of US interventionism abroad.
notablog.net/2026/01/04/y...
A fine two-part discussion by David S. D'Amato on Smartphone Culture. It's ironic that "social media" has led to such alienating, anti-social consequences for so many. Even worse is how it's undermined genuinely radical, critical, dialectical thinking & engagement. open.substack.com/pub/dsdamato...
Jon Stewart's new "government-approved" version of "The Daily Show" is brilliantly delivered ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GXN...
Back in 1964, Ayn Rand argued that it was the "conservatives" who led the way for the establishment of the FCC and for the overt and covert censorship that would follow in its wake. Today, it is the "conservatives" who are engaged in a brutal assault on free expression.
notablog.net/2025/09/17/a...
This was a very nice endorsement by Matt McManus, even if a few folks might raise their eyebrows placing me on the right given my self-description as a dialectical left-libertarian. But this is the kind of engagement that I very much value.
3) Marx, Hayek and Utopia by Chris Sciabarra
One of the very few books by someone on the right that has a firm understanding of Marx and puts him into productive dialogue with Hayek and right libertarianism. Very exciting and thoughtful.
No group was more vicious in attacking my "Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical" than the Randians. My "dialectical left-libertarian" approach draws from Rand, Hayek, Rothbard, & Mises + Marx, Meikle, Gould, & Bertell Ollman (my mentor). It makes for interesting conversations! Thanks for the shout-out!
My newest Medium essay, "On Political Violence", discusses the toxic interrelationships between politics and culture, and the Trump administration's attempts to weaponize the murder of Charlie Kirk.
medium.com/@cms10_7549/...
My newest essay, “When Hatred for the ‘Woke’ Left Trumps the Love of Liberty,” appears today on Notablog & Medium. It explores how the reactionary right has engaged in a form of top-down imposed cancel culture:
notablog.net/2025/09/08/w...
medium.com/@cms10_7549/...
Letters from World War II — Part IV: The Navy Boys
On the 80th anniversary of the unofficial end of WW2, my 4-part Medium series concludes with letters from 3 men who fought in the Pacific theater of the war:
medium.com/@cms10_7549/...
... and what you have is nothing resembling the libertarianism I grew up with.
Add in Trump’s amping-up of domestic police actions in urban centers & across the United States with the goal of terrorizing & deporting millions of peaceful, productive “illegal” immigrants, as well as his intimidation of educational, cultural, & legal institutions & various interventions abroad...
I am appalled that some “libertarians” continue to defend Trump and MAGA, as if there is some broader strategy at work here. That somehow the more blatant shift toward state capitalism is going to lead to some kind of “free market/free trade” utopia in the future.
The New State Interventions: Protectionism, industrial policy and government ownership — all once conservative boogeymen — have become official doctrine.
The New State Interventions www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/b...
Letters from World War II — Part III: George & Charlie
Part III in my Medium series focuses on two brothers who fought in Europe, with vastly different fates: One fought in North Africa & Italy, while the other was captured in Germany, becoming a POW:
medium.com/@cms10_7549/...
Letters from World War II — Part II: Frank J. Rubino
In this 2nd installment in my series commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of WW2, I explore the life and legacy of Frank J. Rubino, a principled man who fought against fascism and racism at home and abroad.
medium.com/@cms10_7549/...
Putting aside the question of state involvement in the arts, this is the stuff of dictators. Trump appointed himself chair of the "TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER," and will host this year's ceremony, rejecting all "woke" artist inductions. 🤮
www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...
Congratulations to Pete Alonso for setting the all-time Mets franchise Home Run Record! The Polar Bear Reigns Supreme!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeCb...
We near the 80th anniversary of the end of WW2, which claimed the lives of 70-85 million people.
I recently discovered nearly 100 wartime letters saved by my mother. Today begins my 4-part Medium series, "Letters from World War II".
Part I: Letters Found:
medium.com/@cms10_7549/...