Explaining the Inexplicable

by Victor Davis Hanson

PJ Media

Almost daily we witness things that make no sense. A few examples, from the profound to the trivial. Continue reading “Explaining the Inexplicable”

Beautifully Medieval California

by Victor Davis Hanson

PJ Media

Gates Close at Dusk

At about dusk, I close two large metal gates to my driveways. The security lights come on, and I enjoy intramural life. Continue reading “Beautifully Medieval California”

Bankrupt California

by Victor Davis Hanson

National Review Online

I thought of my fellow Californian Energy Secretary Steven Chu last week, when I paid $4.89 a gallon in Gilroy for regular gas — and had to wait in line to get it. The customers were in near revolt, but I wondered against what and whom. I mentioned to one exasperated motorist that there are estimated to be over 20 billion barrels of oil a few miles away, in newly found reserves off the California coast. He thought I was from Mars. Continue reading “Bankrupt California”

Secretaries Gone Wild

by Victor Davis Hanson

NRO’s The Corner

We’ve had some unusual cabinet secretaries in past administrations — Earl Butz, John Mitchell, and James Watt come to mind — but never anything quite like the present bunch. Continue reading “Secretaries Gone Wild”

The New Reactionaries

by Victor Davis Hanson

PJ Media

Our New Regressivism

About fifteen years ago, many liberals began to self-identify as progressives — partly because of the implosion of the Great Society and the Reagan reaction that had tarnished the liberal brand and left it as something akin to “permissive” or “naïve,” partly because “progressive” was supposedly an ideological rather than a political identification, and had included some early twentieth-century Republicans like Teddy Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover [1]. Continue reading “The New Reactionaries”

Cabinets Gone Wild

by Victor Davis Hanson

Tribune Media Services

We’ve had some unusual Cabinet secretaries in past administrations — Earl Butz, John Mitchell and James Watt come to mind — but never anything quite like the present bunch. Continue reading “Cabinets Gone Wild”

Race–on the Brain

by Victor Davis Hanson

NRO’s The Corner

Someone named Elspeth Reeve, in an Atlantic posting, is suggesting that the Derbyshire essay was no different from other commentary on National Reviewon the Trayvon Martin case, citing my observations, along with those of others at NR, as proof: Continue reading “Race–on the Brain”

Beware of the Mob

by Victor Davis Hanson

PJ Media

Our Modern Lynch Mob

Democracies are in general prone to fits of the mob. Just read the Thucydidean account of the debate of Mytilene. Continue reading “Beware of the Mob”

Faith-Based Energy Policy

by Victor Davis Hanson

Tribune Media Services

When the summer driving season starts soon, and tension heats up over Iran, gas may reach $5 a gallon. Nothing bothers voters more than paying an extra $20 or $30 every time they fill up. Continue reading “Faith-Based Energy Policy”

Welcome to the California Outback

by Victor Davis Hanson

PJ Media

The Attractions of the California Outback

There are drawbacks to living in the country in general, and never more so now in rural California in particular. Continue reading “Welcome to the California Outback”