History

yes. plato shows (you might say) the platonic socrates (a very specific sort of simple man) as superior to the homeric odysseus, who despite his merits did not quite attain to the highest heights of the life lived loving wisdom https://t.co/7ltJJIYJD0

— Michael Millerman (@millerman) June 9, 2026

 

An Insight

It is ABSOLUTELY amazing that they tried to end Hegseth’s nomination over an overtly and socially acceptable Christian tattoo by calling it Nazi symbolism but actively pretend that an actual Nazi tattoo is nbd.

*Amazing but not surprising. pic.twitter.com/C4cz8jY6nc

— Tandy (@dantypo) June 8, 2026

 

I see wonderful things

I never met Gordon Wood, but I have a story about him.

In one of my grad school seminars, we read Wood’s Creation of the American Republic. The sheer erudition and evidentiary depth of the book bowled me over.

Back then, before kids and before life accelerated to warp speed, I…

— Bob Elder (@southernphd) June 8, 2026

 

Offbeat Humor

Tengo 58 años.
He vivido el fin de Franco. dos Reyes, cuatro Papas, la caida del Muro de Berlín, los mayores atentados en Europa y en USA, tres crisis económicas brutales y una pandemia trágica, la Dana, pero lo q nunca he visto ha sido a la izquierda creando riqueza y bienestar.

— 🇪🇸Quarter's💚🇦🇶🇧🇷🇰🇮🇱🇺🇸🇹🇯🇵🇰🇷🇧🇭 (@quarter14544) June 7, 2026

 

Data Talks

We're good at it, too.

If the activists would just get out of the way, things would get even better. pic.twitter.com/YgTykNVnzS

— ACSH (@ACSHorg) June 9, 2026

 

Yellow House Rockport by Katharine Krieg

Yellow House Rockport by Katharine Krieg (America, 1970 - )

Click to enlarge.

History

🏛 Spolia Alert!

New Roman Inscription Found Near Hadrian’s Wall

Work to rebuild a collapsed drystone farm wall has uncovered a Roman inscription thought to have originally formed part of Hadrian’s Wall.

📰 A Whole Lot of History https://t.co/5ZcjLzHMKH pic.twitter.com/ZaPHFdXj26

— Dr Tom Horne (@HorneSupremacy) June 9, 2026

 

An Insight

Louise Perry made a sharp observation: many feminists tried to replace the husband with the state.

In her interview with John Anderson, she pointed out that while the state can provide money and daycare, what most women actually want is to raise their children with the support… pic.twitter.com/ta2aEzBUzS

— Camus (@newstart_2024) June 7, 2026

 

I see wonderful things

Rat coin purse was designed by Paul Frey for Lacloche Frères in the early 1900s. pic.twitter.com/tPXM1CVOHa

— HerodotusWave (@HerodotusWave) June 9, 2026

 

Offbeat Humor

https://t.co/w3IcpIpvpj pic.twitter.com/kZDL8Zp5sg

— Aleph (@woke8yearold) June 8, 2026

 

Data Talks

Where are more people dying than being born?

For most of human history, more people were born each year than died. Populations grew very slowly for most of this history, then rapidly in recent centuries, as child mortality plummeted and people lived longer.

But this is… pic.twitter.com/pFDDvXOb7H

— Our World in Data (@OurWorldInData) June 9, 2026

 

Daisy Moon by Phil Greenwood

Daisy Moon by Phil Greenwood (Wales, 1943 - ) 

Click to enlarge.

History

In 1920, six-year-old Nancy Bentley was bitten by a venomous snake near Port Arthur, Tasmania. With her condition worsening and medical help far away, her father rushed her to HMAS Sydney, a Royal Australian Navy warship anchored nearby.

A problem quickly emerged: naval… pic.twitter.com/RcswRwDwKA

— Wolf of X (@WolfofX) June 9, 2026

 

Ulysses and Argus, 1871 Briton Rivière

Ulysses and Argus, 1871 Briton Rivière (England, 1840-1920).

Click to enlarge.

The Death of Argos, Book 17 The Odyssey by Homer

translated from the Greek by Stephen Mitchell.  

Meanwhile Odysseus arrived along with the swineherd.

They stopped in front of the palace, and all around them

echoed the sound of the lyre; it was Phemius striking

the chords of the prelude as he began his song.

Odysseus took hold of the swineherd’s hand, and he said,

“This house right here must be Odysseus’ palace.

How splendid it is, and how easy to pick it out

at a glance from a hundred others. One building leads

into the next, and the courtyard is very well built,

with its corniced wall, and the double doors are so solid

that no enemy could break through. A crowd must be feasting

inside now. I can smell the roast meat, and I hear

the lyre, which the gods have made the crown of a banquet.”

Then, in response to his words, Eumaeus, you said,

“It is easy for someone as clever as you to notice

that kind of thing. But now we need to consider

what we should do. Either you enter the palace

first and approach the suitors, and I will stay here,

or you stay here if you wish, and I will go first.

But don’t be too long; someone may see you waiting

and throw a stone or a spear at you. Please be careful.”

Odysseus said to him, “All right. I understand.

You go in first, and I will remain behind.

I am accustomed to being beaten and having

things thrown at me. My heart has endured. Before now

I have suffered great hardships, both on the sea and in war,

and if I must suffer another hardship so be it.

But a man can’t hide the belly’s accursèd craving,

which causes so many evils and makes us sail ships

across the vast sea to bring war upon distant people.”

As they spoke, a dog who was lying there lifted his head

and pricked up his ears. It was Argos, Odysseus’ dog;

he had trained him and brought him up as a puppy, but never

hunted with him before he sailed off to Troy.

In earlier times the young men had taken him out

with them to hunt for wild goats and deer and hares,

but he had grown old in his master’s absence, and now

he lay abandoned on one of the heaps of mule

and cattle dung that piled up outside the front gates

until the farmhands could come by and cart it off

to manure the fields. And so the dog Argos lay there,

covered with ticks. As soon as he was aware

of Odysseus, he wagged his tail and flattened his ears,

but he lacked the strength to get up and go to his master.

Odysseus wiped a tear away, turning aside

to keep the swineherd from seeing it, and he said,

“Eumaeus, it is surprising that such a dog,

of such quality, should be lying here on a dunghill.

He is a beauty, but I can’t tell if his looks

were matched by his speed or if he was one of those pampered

table dogs, which are kept around just for show.”

Then, in response to his words, Eumaeus, you said,

“This is the dog of a man who died far away.

If he were now what he used to be when Odysseus

left and sailed off to Troy, you would be astonished

at his power and speed. No animal could escape him

in the deep forest once he began to track it.

What an amazing nose he had! But misfortune

has fallen upon him now that his master is dead

in some far-distant land, and the women are all too thoughtless

to take any care of him. Servants are always like that:

when their masters aren’t right there to give them their orders,

they slack off, get lazy, and no longer do an honest

day’s work, for Zeus almighty takes half the good

out of a man on the day he becomes a slave.”

With these words he entered the palace and went to the hall

where the suitors were assembled at one of their banquets.

And just then death came and darkened the eyes of Argos,

who had seen Odysseus again after twenty years.

(Translated, from the Greek, by Stephen Mitchell.)

An Insight

"There is only one way to read, which is to browse in libraries and bookshops, picking up books that attract you, reading only those, dropping them when they bore you, skipping the parts that drag – and never, never reading anything because you feel you ought, or because it is…

— Shane Parrish (@shaneparrish) June 8, 2026

 

I see wonderful things

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith surprises a street musician who is playing "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" in Moscow. pic.twitter.com/iQC9wY2a93

— 🌸🎵 Beautiful Melody 🎶💖 (@Ducnghia16) June 9, 2026

 

Offbeat Humor

My counter proposal for people on the fifty, twenty, ten and five pound notes.

Cecil Rhodes, Bomber Harris, Francis Drake and Margaret Thatcher.

Why?

To annoy those who think our banknotes should go all 'Watership Down' in order not to be 'divisive' and 'problematic'. 🙄

— thebritisher (@thebritishertwi) June 8, 2026

 

Data Talks

Fun fact.

Modern humans first appeared about 250,000 years ago, but record keeping didn't began until about 6,000 years ago.

That means, about 97% of human history is lost forever.

[✏️ @waitbutwhy] pic.twitter.com/xsQlBnevgj

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) June 9, 2026

 

Farm Garden with Crucifix, 1911-1912 by Gustav Klimt

Farm Garden with Crucifix, 1911-1912 by Gustav Klimt (Austria, 1862-1918)

Click to enlarge.

History

The year is 1976

You head into the local community bank to deposit your $473 paycheck

You’ll pay your $281 mortgage with a check and withdraw $10 to buy a full tank of gas

You’ll earn 5% annual interest on the $50 you put into your savings account

Life is good pic.twitter.com/fvc5aoBzkG

— Dirt Cheap Banks (@dirtcheapbanks) June 8, 2026

 

An Insight

Humans have deep-rooted desires for status.

These are best accommodated in diversified small human communities, where everyone can be the expert at their thing.

Social media makes us unhappy, because our community becomes the world, and to a first approximation, we are all…

— Paul Novosad (@paulnovosad) June 4, 2026

 

I see wonderful things

Corvids are widely considered some of the smartest animals on Earth, with cognitive abilities that rival those of great apes and young human children. Their problem-solving skills, use of tools, make them standout subjects in animal intelligence research.pic.twitter.com/Os9Ddru2OZ

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) June 9, 2026

 

Offbeat Humor

This is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. pic.twitter.com/fPRMP8XIUR

— Hillel Fuld (@HilzFuld) June 8, 2026

 

Data Talks

🚨 Wanna puke?

Over 40,000 university professors are here on H-1B visas. That's over 40,000 American academics who are out of a job.

Roughly 72–73% of those are from India.

A Fox News investigation revealed that 90% of H1-B visas from India have been obtained using… pic.twitter.com/7E3DxM8zEf

— NizNellie3 (@NizNellie3) June 8, 2026

 

Landscape with the Gathering of the Ashes of Phocion by his Widow, 1648 by Nicolas Poussin

Landscape with the Gathering of the Ashes of Phocion by his Widow, 1648 by Nicolas Poussin (France, 1594-1665)

Click to enlarge.

These were the doctrine that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that therefore the source of the just powers of government must be derived from the consent of the governed.

From Speech on the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration by Calvin Coolidge.  

When we come to examine the action of the Continental Congress in adopting the Declaration of Independence in the light of what was set out in that great document and in the light of succeeding events, we can not escape the conclusion that it had a much broader and deeper significance than a mere secession of territory and the establishment of a new nation. Events of that nature have been taking place since the dawn of history. One empire after another has arisen, only to crumble away as its constituent parts separated from each other and set up independent governments of their own. Such actions long ago became commonplace. They have occurred too often to hold the attention of the world and command the admiration and reverence of humanity. There is something beyond the establishment of a new nation, great as that event would be, in the Declaration of Independence which has ever since caused it to be regarded as one of the great charters that not only was to liberate America but was everywhere to ennoble humanity.

It was not because it was proposed to establish a new nation, but because it was proposed to establish a nation on new principles, that July 4, 1776, has come to be regarded as one of the greatest days in history. Great ideas do not burst upon the world unannounced. They are reached by a gradual development over a length of time usually proportionate to their importance. This is especially true of the principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence. Three very definite propositions were set out in its preamble regarding the nature of mankind and therefore of government. These were the doctrine that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that therefore the source of the just powers of government must be derived from the consent of the governed.

If no one is to be accounted as born into a superior station, if there is to be no ruling class, and if all possess rights which can neither be bartered away nor taken from them by any earthly power, it follows as a matter of course that the practical authority of the Government has to rest on the consent of the governed. While these principles were not altogether new in political action, and were very far from new in political speculation, they had never been assembled before and declared in such a combination. But remarkable as this may be, it is not the chief distinction of the Declaration of Independence. The importance of political speculation is not to be underestimated, as I shall presently disclose. Until the idea is developed and the plan made there can be no action.

It was the fact that our Declaration of Independence containing these immortal truths was the political action of a duly authorized and constituted representative public body in its sovereign capacity, supported by the force of general opinion and by the armies of Washington already in the field, which makes it the most important civil document in the world. It was not only the principles declared, but the fact that therewith a new nation was born which was to be founded upon those principles and which from that time forth in its development has actually maintained those principles, that makes this pronouncement an incomparable event in the history of government. It was an assertion that a people had arisen determined to make every necessary sacrifice for the support of these truths and by their practical application bring the War of Independence to a successful conclusion and adopt the Constitution of the United States with all that it has meant to civilization.

Can one legitimately claim Simon Bolivar to be an Age of Enlightenment Classical Liberal?

There are hundreds of thing which wash across my awareness, I mull awhile, have questions, and move on to something more immediate and pragmatic.

The history of South America is an area of epistemic weakness for me. I lived in Venezuela as a young child and probably have a greater awareness of Simon Bolivar and the wars of South American independence than most.  

But much of my knowledge is an unstructured amalgamation of knowledge from archaeology, natural sciences, military and nautical history, economic development, etc.  

One of the things I have mulled and parked over the years is the degree to which Simon Bolivar might be considered a Classical Liberal out of the mold of the Age of Enlightenment.  I have always been fascinated by the differing fates of the different Classical Liberal revolutions (America - astonishing stability and prosperity, Haiti - tyranny and genocide, Portugal - forestalled by the Lisbon earthquake, and France - tyranny and mass military death.)  

I have always had the sense that Bolivar and the wars of liberation in South America belong in that catalogue as well but just haven't had the knowledge base to assess it.  

What does Gemini think?

JCB:  Can one legitimately claim Simon Bolivar to be an Age of Enlightenment Classical Liberal?

Gemini:  

Confidence Assessment: High Confidence 

 

Yes, it is historically legitimate to categorize Simón Bolívar as a figure within the tradition of the Age of Enlightenment and Classical Liberalism, though with significant nuances necessitated by the geopolitical realities of 19th-century South America.

The Enlightenment and Liberal Foundation 

 

Bolívar’s political philosophy was deeply rooted in the intellectual climate of the Enlightenment, which he encountered extensively during his formative years in Europe, particularly in Spain, France, and Italy.

Philosophical Roots: His rhetoric and writings—such as the Jamaica Letter (1815) and his address to the Congress of Angostura (1819)—demonstrate a clear adherence to Enlightenment values, including the sovereignty of the people, the necessity of a tripartite division of powers, and the sanctity of personal liberty.

Classical Liberal Influence: Bolívar was heavily influenced by thinkers like Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Locke. He consistently argued against absolute monarchy and the colonial system, advocating instead for constitutional republicanism, freedom of the press, and the abolition of slavery.

The Practical Divergence (The "Authoritarian Liberal" Paradox) 

 

While his foundational ideology was Classical Liberal, Bolívar’s practical governance is often described as "authoritarian liberalism" or "republican paternalism," which causes some scholars to debate the purity of his liberal label.

Governance Realities: Bolívar famously argued that the "crude" political maturity of the newly independent South American populations made the pure, decentralized liberalism of the United States—which he admired in principle—inapplicable to the region in practice.

Centralized Authority: He advocated for a strong, centralized executive (exemplified by his proposed "Life President" and the Constitution of Bolivia of 1826) as a necessary safeguard against the anarchy and civil strife that threatened to destroy the nascent republics.

The Conflict: This creates the paradox: he utilized liberal goals (representative government, end of colonial rule) but employed illiberal methods (centralized power, sometimes dictatorial control) to ensure the stability necessary for those goals to eventually take root.

Conclusion 

 

Legitimately claiming Bolívar as a Classical Liberal is accurate in terms of his stated vision and philosophical origins, as he explicitly rejected monarchy and championed individual rights and constitutional order. However, his political methodology often departed from strict Classical Liberalism in favor of an interventionist, strong-state approach that he believed was the only alternative to systemic collapse.

In short, he is best understood as a pragmatic Enlightenment liberal who believed the liberal project required an illiberal, strong-state "bridge" to succeed in the context of early 19th-century Venezuela and Colombia.

Sources:

Bolívar, S. (1819). Address to the Congress of Angostura.

Lynch, J. (2006). Simón Bolívar: A Life.

Bushnell, D. (1970). The Liberator, Simón Bolívar: Man and Image.

In the context of the other Age of Enlightenment revolutions mentioned, this was one which sounds as if it died aborning.  The motivation and aspiration was Classical Liberalism in the Age of Enlightenment mold but its implementation fell back into to traditional coercion and tyranny.  

The Gemini assessment does not contradict anything I know and is a useful summary subject to revision based on (possible) future deeper knowledge.  

Sometimes there is no context. It is what it is.

Man, what times we live in.  The pursuit of truth is both easier and more haphazard.

A video is making the rounds of a very recent incident in Birmingham, England.  The broader context is two-fold, English governments have been increasingly totalitarian in recent years, completely forsaking freedom of speech and seeking more control of information.  Further, there is widespread belief, and part of the recent dramatic surge of the Reform Party, that Britain has devolved into a racist two-tier system of justice whereby white English are subject to a more exacting interpretation and application of the law and that darker and foreign-born residents are not subject to the law at all.

Further fueling the fire is a recently completed trial.  An innocent young white man was stabbed by a person of color.  As the victim lay dying, pleading for help, the police took statements from the assailant, who falsely claimed a racial incident.  The victim died in police custody as a result of his untreated wounds.  The assailant was recently convicted but the widespread feeling has been that if the police treated the innocent victim as a victim rather than a presumed racist, his life might have been saved.

With that as context, this is the video of what happened a few days ago.

The full video is even worse.pic.twitter.com/sXAF5FMY4N https://t.co/ChYR6r9I77

— RAW EGG NATIONALIST (@Babygravy9) July 3, 2026

It appears to show a drunk white man being harassed by three or four people of color.  He is assaulted by one of the individuals and knocked to the ground.  As he staggers up from the ground a police officer dashes into the affray and slams him up against the wall, restrains him and tells him he is under arrest.  As the officer slams him against the wall, he appears to raise a defensive arm which may have brushed or struck the officer.  He was immediately compliant when she identified herself.  

The assailants run down the street, followed leisurely by other officers.  They stopped and spoke with the police officers.  They apparently were not detained.  

All the outraged retweets are making comments in the above context, complaining about anti-white copes more interested in further harassing white victims rather than dealing with actual crime.  Astonishingly, the police department has released a statement to the effect that they are aware of the incident, they have reviewed, that the police behaved consistently with policy and that they will try and find the actual assailants.

Now this looks like Exhibit A for an anti-white police force with a two-tier justice system which favors foreigners and punishes white English victims. 

And anything too pat must be taken with a dose of salt.  Surely there is something more, a context or circumstance which dictates a different interpretation.  As an example, if the white victim had earlier instigated a dispute with his assailants, verbally and/or physically, then that might clarify the police officer's actions.  I look around and can't find anything.

Ah, yes.  Grok.  Exactly what this tool can be used for.

@Babygravy9 posts extended Birmingham street footage showing a young white man in a white t-shirt involved in a confrontation with a group, then aggressively grabbed and arrested by female officers for assaulting police after he swings at one during the chaos.

The post quotes Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf, who accuses officers of ignoring ethnic minority assailants, delaying intervention until the victim is downed, using insults like “dick,” and citing the police Race Action Plan as mandating lighter policing of black individuals.

Video frames capture the man pinned against a shutter, slammed into a police car, and handled roughly while the initial group disperses, fueling wider online discussion on perceived unequal UK policing standards.

Analyze police Race Action Plan

Explore Reform UK policing stance

Yep.  we watched the same video.  Now.  

JCB:  Are there any mitigating circumstances or context which change the interpretation of this video?  For example, did the arrested fellow start a fight before the video starts?

Grok thinks a bit.  

Yes, there is important context and mitigating information that significantly changes or qualifies the interpretation of the circulating videos. 

europeanconservative.com

Key Facts of the Incident The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. on June 21, 2026, on Broad Street in Birmingham (a nightlife area). The arrested individual is a 20-year-old white man named Cody Harper. He was charged with assaulting a police officer (an emergency worker) and bailed to appear at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on July 23, 2026. 

birminghammail.co.uk

West Midlands Police responded to reports of disorder and found a group of men fighting. During the response, an officer was punched. One man (Harper) was arrested for that assault on police. The force reviewed the incident and stated the officer’s actions were “reasonable and proportionate.” They are separately investigating the initial assault and have appealed for witnesses/information to identify others involved (crime reference 20/308133/26). 

instagram.com

What the Videos Show vs. Full Context The shorter and longer videos (the ones widely shared, including in the post you referenced) begin mid-incident. They do not show what happened before the camera started rolling. Police describe it as an ongoing group fight involving multiple men (around five), not necessarily a one-sided unprovoked attack on a passive victim. 

europeanconservative.com

In the footage: Harper appears to be pushed/knocked down and struck by others. 

 

Police (including female officers) intervene. 

 

A female officer grabs him and pushes him against a shutter/wall. 

 

He swings/punches toward her (described by some observers as a quick, possibly reflexive reaction while disoriented). 

 

He is subdued, placed in a police car (with some roughness visible, including language and handling), and arrested for assault on police. 

 

The other men disperse/walk away without immediate arrest at the scene.

Mitigating factors: Assault on the officer provides clear legal justification for arrest: Striking a police officer is a distinct and serious offense, separate from whatever happened in the initial fight. Even if Harper mistook the officer for another attacker in the chaos (dark street, sudden physical contact without clear prior verbal identification, right after being attacked), the act itself led to the arrest. Some analyses of the video note he appeared to stop once he realized it was police. 

europeanconservative.com

Police did not simply “watch and wait”: They responded to a reported group fight/disorder. The videos capture the intervention phase, not passive observation of an attack. 

 

Attackers are not being ignored: Police launched a separate investigation into the initial assault on Harper using the available footage and appealed publicly for help identifying those involved. They are not “letting them run off without consequence” in the long term, though no immediate arrests of the others are shown in the video. 

 

Pre-video events unknown: It is possible (though unconfirmed in public reports) that Harper was involved in the fight earlier, or that it was more mutual than the partial footage suggests. The circulating clips start after the confrontation is already underway. 

 

Self-defense/mistake-of-fact considerations: In the heat of the moment—after being attacked in a group altercation, grabbed suddenly from behind/side without clear identification—a reflexive swing could be argued as reasonable self-defense or honest mistake. This would be for the court to assess with full evidence (including any bodycam footage, which has not been fully released publicly).

Other Relevant Details  Police asked people to stop sharing the footage further while the legal process runs its course. Critics (including Reform UK figures like Zia Yusuf and Robert Jenrick) have highlighted the visible focus on Harper while others left, rough handling, and broader concerns about “two-tier policing” linked to race-related policies. Police have pushed back, standing by the officer’s conduct. 

facebook.com

The longer “full video” primarily shows more of the arrest process itself (including verbal exchanges and handling), which some viewers describe as harsher, but it does not add significant pre-fight context.Bottom line: The visible footage supports concerns about prioritization, handling, and the optics of attackers dispersing while the person who struck an officer is quickly arrested and processed. However, the assault on police provides a straightforward legal basis for Harper’s arrest, the response was to an ongoing group fight (not passive watching), and police are actively investigating the initial attackers. Without complete pre-video footage, bodycam, or court evidence, claims that Harper was purely an innocent victim “arrested for defending himself” while attackers were deliberately protected remain partially unverified. Court proceedings may clarify self-defense or mitigating factors around the swing at the officer.This is based on police statements, news reporting, and the widely circulated videos as of early July 2026. More details (e.g., full bodycam or witness accounts) could emerge.

4 web pages

Explore self-defense legal standards

Investigate two-tier policing debates

Hmmm.  That doesn't seem to be anything more than a regurgitation of what is already known.  I query.  

JCB:  Interesting.  Nothing you raise seems to materially change the interpretation of the video.  I take it for granted that striking an officer, intentionally or unintentionally, is an arrestable offense.  The fact that the officer physically assaulted Harper first, immediately subsequent to the attack by his assailants is a context.  The fact that the officers did not immediately arrest the assailants is the salient point.  The fact that they might be looking for them after the fact does not seem to change the fact that the police seemed focused on arresting the victim and not the assailants.  I was looking for context to explain why they might have chosen to assault and detain the victim.  I can imagine some scenarios (such as his having been the instigator of an earlier mayhem) but I am seeing nothing like that being reported and you seem to confirm that there was no obvious reason for the police to have prioritized physically manhandling the victim first rather than the assailants.

Grok:

Officer prioritization and handling: The footage shows police (including the female officer) focusing on Harper immediately upon intervention—grabbing and pushing him against the shutter—while the other men disperse without on-scene arrest. This supports the optics of prioritizing the person who later struck an officer over the apparent initial assailants, with no public evidence (as of now) that Harper was the clear instigator beforehand.

No confirmed pre-video instigation: Police described responding to a "group of men fighting," but circulating videos and reports do not show events leading up to the visible confrontation; there are no verified reports or statements indicating Harper started the broader altercation. The separate ongoing investigation into the attackers (with a public appeal) implies they were not immediately identifiable or detained at the scene.

Possible operational context without full evidence: In a chaotic nighttime group disorder, officers may have perceived Harper as the immediate threat (or the one easiest to control) after the initial physical contact, leading to the grab; the subsequent punch by him then solidified the arrest for assault on police. Without released bodycam footage or detailed witness accounts, the exact decision-making (e.g., why not pursue others first) remains unclear, though police maintain the actions were proportionate after internal review.

Analyze police use-of-force protocols

Review bystander video evidence analysis

Clarify the distinction between assault and arrest

Seeking further confirmation since the actual conclusion seems contra to its first summary.

JCB:  So right now, there is no countervailing evidence to the popular conclusion to be drawn from the video other than a police assurance that they were correct in their actions.  Is that a reasonable conclusion?

Grok:

Yes, that is a reasonable assessment of the currently available public information: The circulating videos show Harper being attacked, then immediately grabbed/pushed by police (who focus on him while others disperse), followed by his strike on an officer; this visually supports the popular narrative of unequal immediate treatment and aggressive focus on the apparent victim.

Police statements provide some counter but are limited: They confirm responding to a group fight (not passive watching), cite Harper’s punch on the officer as grounds for arrest, and note a separate active investigation into the assailants (with public appeal for IDs)—yet no bodycam, pre-video footage, or witness details have been released to directly refute the video’s optics.

No strong independent counter-evidence yet: There are no verified reports, additional videos, or third-party accounts showing Harper clearly instigated the fight beforehand or justifying the specific prioritization/handling in the moment; fuller context (court proceedings, bodycam) could alter this, but as of now the video drives the widespread interpretation with police assurances as the main rebuttal.

Analyze police use of force protocols

Investigate bystander intervention strategies

Clarify the distinction between optics and legal facts

Think Harder

I don't like that the first news reporting comes across as racist clickbait and/or political pyrotechnics.  

I don't like that a reasonable scan of sources turns up nothing to contradict the appearance in the video.

I do like that Grok can search much more than I can.

I don't like that Grok seems to have regurgitated the police line on its first summary.

It is notable that, when pressed, Grok provided a completely opposite interpretation than that asserted by the police.

As I said - The pursuit of truth is both easier and more haphazard.

Hiistory

“The 9,000 who never made it home”

In 2013, British artists Jamie Wardley and Andy Moss created a striking temporary artwork on the beach at Arromanches, Normandy. Known as The Fallen 9000, the project involved volunteers using stencils and rakes to etch thousands of human… pic.twitter.com/DMJnnouRNz

— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) June 8, 2026

 

An Insight

The biggest difference between how we build now and how we used to build (in terms of appearance) is that we no longer decorate anything.

There are thousands of other changes (regulations, materials, size) but this is the one that people notice. pic.twitter.com/OgadgvR30j

— The Cultural Tutor (@culturaltutor) June 8, 2026

 

I see wonderful things

“The failure to read good books both enfeebles the vision and strengthens our most fatal tendency — the belief that the here and now is all there is.”

— Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind pic.twitter.com/p7MKoWSqOW

— Athenaeum Book Club (@athenaeumbc) June 8, 2026

 

Offbeat Humor

French decide to have banquets celebrating local culture, food, and Frenchness and Left goes nuts.

They don't want the French to be French, Romanians to be Romanians, or Austrians to be Austrians.

Multiculturalism was always a massive gaslighting campaign to kill culture. pic.twitter.com/NPOTET2ZSk

— Brian Brown (@briansbrown) June 7, 2026

 

Data Talks

Ultra High Net Worth Individuals (UHNWI) do own yachts for tax reasons, but not because they are a modern replacement for palaces.

Most of the world runs residency-based taxation. As in, if you stay over 183 days somewhere you become a taxable base. The US is the outlier, as it… https://t.co/TBbEqXYp5Z pic.twitter.com/kPhpQMMlV7

— Richard Amador (@acuriocabinet) June 8, 2026

 

History

In the east Roman empire, at all times, Homer’s Iliad remained the most important textbook for secondary education.

“One conspicuous feature of [east Roman] literary culture in general, and the study of philosophy in particular, is its relative continuity with ancient Greek… pic.twitter.com/i1KcrpNtnZ

— Herald of Rome (@HeraldOfRome) June 8, 2026

 

An Insight

Envy has always hated merit because merit produces winners.

Credentialism was the compromise.

>If you cannot outperform the man, disqualify him.

>If you can’t build what he built, question his qualifications.

>If you can’t beat excellence, create a bureaucracy and demand… https://t.co/VK1YETrgWj

— InfantryDort (@infantrydort) June 7, 2026

 

I see wonderful things

A remarkable 1954 photograph shows Admiral Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory, draped in a blanket of snow at Portsmouth Dockyard, creating a rare and striking contrast between the legendary warship and the winter landscape.

A striking photograph from 1954 shows Admiral Nelson’s… pic.twitter.com/OJjgTG6WTP

— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) June 8, 2026

 

Offbeat Humor

You actually cannot read non-Christian Norse literature. Pre-Christian Norse literature consists of like a comb that someone wrote “comb” on, in runes https://t.co/WlTdLI6uCC

— Dr. Alex Zawacki (@achillghost) June 3, 2026

 

Data Talks

The story of MAHA trying to develop dissident experts cannot be understood without the story of harms done (and not publicly repented for) by the "real" experts. https://t.co/AttOmGLbHO

— Leah Libresco Sargeant (@LeahLibresco) June 8, 2026

 

The New Book, 1920, by Harold Harvey

The New Book, 1920, by Harold Harvey (England, 1874-1941)

Click to enlarge.

History

1942, California Vote Tabulators. They completed their work in 7 hours. pic.twitter.com/AuqoqFXv8w

— Brian Roemmele (@BrianRoemmele) June 8, 2026

 

An Insight

A simply superb paragraph by Sam Harris. pic.twitter.com/26gakI3tg9

— Rachel Moiselle (@RachelMoiselle) June 7, 2026

 

I see wonderful things

There is a forest in China made of stone.

The Stone Forest (Shilin) in Yunnan province is an extraordinary landscape where thousands of towering limestone pillars rise from the ground like a petrified woodland, some reaching heights of 20 to 50 meters.

Approximately 270… pic.twitter.com/Y8QkQs1ArY

— Science girl (@sciencegirl) June 8, 2026

 

Offbeat Humor

Normans have no response to the fact that the native English word for paradise is narxenwang

— Wylfċen (@wylfcen) June 7, 2026

 

Data Talks

New Swedish research contra Piketty and Saez:

"Has wealth inequality 'exploded' in the US and Europe since 2000? Our answer: no. Gini and top 0.1% wealth shares are fairly stable, despite rising wealth and more billionaires."@PhilWMagness https://t.co/XAYWKdEeSs

— Old Whig. 🇺🇲🇸🇪🇫🇮🇪🇪🇦🇹 (@aClassicLiberal) June 1, 2026

 

Outrigger à deux, 1899 by Ferdinand-Joseph Gueldry

Outrigger à deux, 1899 by Ferdinand-Joseph Gueldry (France, 1858-1945)

Click to enlarge.

2,000 years of grooming advice

From Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love) by Ovid, Book III.

Let your person please by cleanliness, and be made swarthy by the Campus; let your toga fit, and be spotless; let your shoe-strap not be too tight, let its buckle be free from rust, and let your feet not float about in shoes too loose; nor let your stubborn locks be spoilt by bad cutting; let hair and beard be dressed by a practised hand. Do not let your nails project, and let them be free of dirt; nor let any hair be in the hollow of your nostrils. Let not the breath of your mouth be sour and unpleasing, nor let the lord and master of the herd offend the nose. All else let wanton women practise, and such men of doubtful sex as wish to have a man.

Apparently our norms have a long heritage. 

History

Seems like the natural outgrowth of shorter growing seasons and collapsing trade routes; big hunks of meat were things that were difficult, but still locally achievable. https://t.co/ExIJVi08cD

— Megan McArdle (@asymmetricinfo) June 4, 2026

 

An Insight

The reason this meme resonates with me is that it captures a common tactic in public democrat debate. Someone points to a broad trend and instead of discussing whether the trend is real, the conversation immediately shifts to an exception.

Mention fatherlessness and someone… pic.twitter.com/KcfQ6Blp8H

— A Gene Robinson (@AlBuffalo2nite) June 7, 2026

 

I see wonderful things

Carved in 193 AD, the Column of Marcus Aurelius has stood for over 1,800 years. Rome. Italy. pic.twitter.com/VgMwOXVslh

— Art or Other Things (@ArtorOtherThing) June 8, 2026

 

Offbeat Humor

Movie set in the Cambrian period where nothing happens because it’s set on land. No animals, no plants, no trees, no sound but the lonely wind wandering over endless gravel. Occasionally the words “Ten million years later” appear on screen, but nothing changes.

— Wylfċen (@wylfcen) June 5, 2026

 

Data Talks

Every American Metropolitan Region with more than 1 Million People pic.twitter.com/wfI3BaSQz0

— Vintage Maps (@vintagemapstore) June 7, 2026

 

The Arrival of Lohengrin by Carl Schweninger the Younger

The Arrival of Lohengrin by Carl Schweninger the Younger (Austria, 1854-1912)

Click to enlarge.

Not the least of the torments which plague our existence is the constant pressure of time

From Essays and Aphorisms by Arthur Schopenhauer.

Not the least of the torments which plague our existence is the constant pressure of time, which never lets us so much as draw breath but pursues us all like a taskmaster with a whip. It ceases to persecute only him it has delivered over to boredom.

History

The American Civil War was the English Civil War. pic.twitter.com/vrX4h3h4J3

— Red 🎸 (@RedLeaderRobby) May 19, 2026

 

An Insight

“There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”

G.K. Chesterton

Chesterton pictured with Maurice Baring and Hilaire Belloc by Herbert James Gunn [1932] pic.twitter.com/K5Gg43VJzY

— Mark W. (@DurhamWASP) May 19, 2026

 

I see wonderful things

One of the most shockingly underrated masterpieces of the Renaissance is Anthonis Mor’s portrait of Sir Thomas Gresham (c. 1560), now in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

When people see it today, especially in high-resolution pics, they often mistake it for a 19th-century… pic.twitter.com/gExZ9ufIbX

— Muse (@xmuse_) May 19, 2026

 

Offbeat Humor

>Black Guy 1 tries to steal White Guy’s bike

>White Guy beats up Black Guy 1

>Black Guy 2 tries to intervene and save Black Guy 1

>Black Guy 1 immediately tries to steal Black Guy 2’s scooter

Toronto is one of the most retarded places in the world.
pic.twitter.com/QhB2erMXbk

— pagliacci the hated 🌝 (@Slatzism) May 19, 2026

 

Data Talks

Over at Substack, @JoshEakle asks: "It's 2026, and I have yet to see an anti-almond farm protest." pic.twitter.com/UZwP7KgPCY

— Nick Gillespie (@nickgillespie) May 19, 2026

 

Scent Caught by Light, 2026 by Elena Wuest

Scent Caught by Light, 2026 by Elena Wuest (Kazakhstan/Germany, 1977 - )

Click to enlarge.

Each individual misfortune, to be sure, seems an exceptional occurrence; but misfortune in general is the rule.

Well, yes, I suppose so.  From Essays and Aphorisms by Arthur Schopenhauer.

If the immediate and direct purpose of our life is not suffering then our existence is the most ill-adapted to its purpose in the world for it is absurd to suppose that the endless affliction of which the world is everywhere full, and which arises out of the need and distress pertaining essentially to life, should be purposeless and purely accidental. Each individual misfortune, to be sure, seems an exceptional occurrence; but misfortune in general is the rule.

History

John S. Mill once said: “There are two kinds of wisdom": The 1st “depends on long chains of reasoning.” The 2nd "the wisdom of the ages"... "acquired by experience of life" and expressed as aphorisms "drawn by acute minds in all periods of history from their personal experiences” pic.twitter.com/UcOn4UBQUb

— Michel Lara (@VeraCausa9) May 19, 2026

 

An Insight

Amor Fati: pic.twitter.com/7yAHDEB9h4

— Reads with Ravi (@readswithravi) May 19, 2026

 

I see wonderful things

We need an illuminated manuscript revival.

1912 illuminated edition by Alberto Sangorski featuring Tennyson’s 1835 poem, “Le Morte d'Arthur”
Adapting the 5th-century Arthurian legend originally compiled by Sir Thomas Malory in 1485. pic.twitter.com/Uew21hagYi

— Bluebell Raven (@BluebellRaven) May 19, 2026

 

Offbeat Humor

'A party host is like a military general: calamities often reveal their genius.'

- Horace (Satires, 2.8) pic.twitter.com/L1RqaxErbS

— Gareth Harney (@OptimoPrincipi) March 24, 2023

 

Data Talks

Medical evidence can take about 17 years to change everyday clinical practice. pic.twitter.com/fYJU8voyCG

— Atanas G. Atanasov (@_atanas_) May 19, 2026

 

The Great Escape, 2015 by Danny Galieote

The Great Escape, 2015 by Danny Galieote (America, 1968 - ) 

Click to enlarge.

History

Lieutenant Frank Bethune objected when he was told to hold the Spoil Bank (south of Ypres) on 13 March 1918. He said it was ‘useless death trap’ but he was overruled. So, his whole section volunteered to join him. He issued each man with the following order: 1/3 pic.twitter.com/p9FIOWlvgN

— Andy Rawson (@AndrewRawson11) May 19, 2026

 

An Insight

On May 18, 1939, Professor Tolkien gave his famous lecture “On Fairy Stories” at the University of St Andrews.

There he argued that fairy tales and myths are deeply human stories, not childish distractions. He believed fantasy allows people to experience wonder again, recover a… pic.twitter.com/9mG6TNjEzk

— Tolkien World (@TolkienWorldG) May 18, 2026

 

I see wonderful things

Azure blue swimming pool in the Hearst Castle.

Many call it the most beautiful pool in history. pic.twitter.com/CJp2UiRrkD

— James Lucas (@JamesLucasIT) May 19, 2026

 

Offbeat Humor

Which way do windows open in Europe pic.twitter.com/Unn5e5Pysx

— Terrible Maps (@TerribleMaps) May 19, 2026

 

Data Talks

Many young adults imagine they can play the relational field hard through their 20s, then settle down to marry and have kids around 30—à la @alexandracooper.

And sure, some pull it off. More-educated, affluent Americans manage it more often than not.

But what most don't…

— Brad Wilcox (@BradWilcoxIFS) May 18, 2026

 

Sunset over the Port, 1963 Maurice Brianchon

Sunset over the Port, 1963 Maurice Brianchon (France 1888-1979)

Click to enlarge.

If Edward Hopper painted in Lagunillas, Venezuela

Circa 1960, we lived in Camp Mene Grande, an expatriate oilfield camp near Lagunillas, Venezuella, on the shores of Lake Maracaibo.  

My father took this picture of our home.

I like the American Realism bleakness of it.  It reminds me of an Edward Hopper scene.  So I asked Gemini to render it as if painted by Edward Hopper.  Even bleaker but I like it.

Click to enlarge.

And the bleakness was real, though, comparatively, not in the camp.  From my mother's autobiography, describing this, her first trip overseas (starting from Tulsa to Houston to New Orleans to Miami to Jamaica to Colombia to Maracaibo, Venezuela.)  Arriving in Venezuela was only the first half of the journey.  They started south by car from Maracaibo.  From Love and Laughter in a Suitcase by Virginia L. Bayless

We stopped in Cabimas, which was 25 miles south of the ferry landing at Palmerejo. There we had lunch at the Mene Grande Mess Hall, and I met some of the office staff. Lagunillas lay 23 miles further on to the south, and as we drove on down the shore of the lake, the hard-topped road turned into a dusty, gravel road. The native settlements became fewer and smaller. They also became poorer and dirtier! The houses were now wretched mud shacks with thatched, or galvanized iron, corrugated, roofs. The road was lined with oil pipelines, tank farms and pumping oil wells. In the populated areas, I noticed 55-gallon steel oil drums alongside the road, in front of each shack. These settlements had no utilities and drinking water was delivered into the oil drums by tank trucks. The streets were unpaved and there were open sewage ditches along the sides of the road.

By the time we had reached Lagunillas, I was in a state of near-shock and panic, and I almost felt physically ill. This was the first time in my life that I had seen such abject poverty and filth. Lagunillas turned out to be the ugliest village of them all, and this was our new home for the next two years!

It was with considerable relief that we entered the Mene Grande Camp just beyond the village. It was surrounded by a very high fence with barbed wire on the top, and there was a guard on duty at the gate. Entry was controlled to safeguard against sabotage and theft, as all of the common facilities were located here. There were offices, workshops, a dispensary, loading dock, storage tanks, derricks, pumping oil- wells, and endless pipelines. At one end of the camp were the social club and living quarters for the staff. The latter were composed of two World War II Quonset Huts, five family houses, three bachelor houses and two apartment buildings, each with two flats up and two flats down. Except for the Quonset huts, all of these buildings were wooden and built up on stilts in the typical style of the tropics. This was to improve ventilation and to try to avoid insects and other creepy-crawlies coming in.

 

In our area of the camp there were palm, mimosa, acacia and banana trees, hibiscus shrubs and many colours of the prolific bougainvillea vine. The greenery and flowers somewhat softened the industrial views. Although not pretty by any definition, it was at least a refuge from all of the squalor that lay just outside the gates of the camp. It gave one a comfortable sense of ‘apartness’. I might just survive!

We were assigned to a flat in one of the two-storey apartment buildings, which had been built as ‘temporary’ bachelor housing in 1929. The buildings had reportedly been condemned some years before our arrival in 1956. Nevertheless, the company was continuing to use them until plans for a new camp were realized.

The camp lay right beside the lake, but was actually 12 feet below sea level. It was protected by a 20-foot high earthen seawall. We were happy to have an apartment upstairs, as we could see over the top of the seawall, and enjoy the views over the entire camp, as well as out over the lake. The activities at the dock were endlessly fascinating as workers and crewboats bustled back and forth. And the hundreds of oil derricks standing out in Lake Maracaibo were a rare sight to behold. As we had no air conditioning, being upstairs proved to have another advantage, as we had the benefit of the sea breezes that one did not get at ground level, back of the seawall.

The stairs to our flat came up into a large screened veranda which ran the full length of the flat. There was a living room, dining room, kitchen, one bedroom and bathroom, in a shotgun arrangement. The rooms were high-ceilinged and spacious, and each had a doorway onto the porch. It had been freshly decorated for us in soft pastels with the woodwork enamelled white, except for the baseboards – which for some inexplicable reason were all painted an industrial, bright Kelly green!