I don't get the Walter "interrupting" thing at all. I can't stand to listen to or watch anything where people interrupt one another. That's one of the reasons I like this pairing, among many others. Walter gets enthused, which is what happens in real life and is a plus. Is someone ascribing enthusiasm to interrupting? Matt is low-key and seems more than fine when Walter talks. The comment is a gripe from someone who doesn't like Walter's views. The show is better than fine.
It must have been someone else who objected to Walter interrupting and said that Walter, who is appealing, was "revolting." Somebody else approved or chimed in; I think we're talking about two people here.
I personally think the show is strong and unique exactly the way it is, down to the absence of professional sets and Walter's "But Matt. . ." because you always know something good is coming. Spontaneity is part of the fun; it's stimulating, the yin and and yang and honesty of the show.
I think what makes the show work and what you’re hitting on is that they bring us into the news room.
They have biases and preferences but they don’t hide them and they let the truth guide the show and the discussion. Unlike most other outlets today which pretend their biases don’t exist because they are daily descending Mt. Sinai, Matt and Walter give their two cents on the topics of concern for the week.
Interruptions mean the relationship between two people is that they have equal power and share it. Both Matt and Walter come up with momentarily inspirations all the time, and those moments result in “the best ideas.” I would call those interruptions as little-fights — that we dare not squelch because Walter and Matt might as well cancel Matt’s substack because of the boredom factor. Their interruptions are why I sit watching the video twice a week.
random off-topic idea: do we need more reporting on anti-Trump "manufactured hate"?
i heard an interview recently with pollster Frank Luntz where he said something like "there is a lot of manufactured hate on the Left". Then, yesterday, I was reading some anti-Trump articles on Real Clear Politics and I was amazed at the extreme degree of animus those writers were expressing. Then, just now, I was talking with someone in Spain about the American diet and obesity/health effects, and it occurred to me that RFK Jr. is trying to address this, but he is falsely demonized as an evil "anti-vaxxer". So much "manufactured hate" out there right now. Ought this phenomenon be more exposed in the press, I wonder.
For what it is worh, to get through hate material, I remind myself that if it evokes an emotional response, it is likely trying to manipulate me in some way, and therefore may not be entirely truthful. My meme is
Gut/adrenal reaction requires a grain of salt. 🧂 Shake some salt on that...
Ha regarding Europe, with their censorship in full swing, it is possible that the poisonous US food industry is gaining new customers across the pond by simply saying "do the opposite of the anti vaxxer. Eat more reeses puffs!"
"Anti-vaxxer" falls into the coded , broad brushed slander meant to silence legitimate counter-narrative because there is frequently no substantive counter argument to the point being made. It is used when there really is a "there" there. It is meant to silence a person, an idea. It is used by both the highly paid commisars and by the shrill, shrieking ninnies who try to bludgeon their targets into submission. It is used by compliant, sequestered, boxcheckecing "authorities"
The following labels, and many others, say more about the user than their target: Anti vaxxer, racist, Islamophobe, nazi, also deplorable, etc
( I think for the folks who delight in demonizing Trump and believing any vile lie they hear about Trump or MAGA, it's really just devolved into a form of escapist entertainment for them. They really don't want to think; they don't want to be adults; they don't want to take ownership. Let's just bash on Trump instead, and say mean things about him. Won't that be fun? And the media feeds this to the detriment of the nation.)*
* This is not to say that there are not thoughtful, sincere and intelligent people on the other side. There are. But the mass of the Trump-haters are just in it for the quick grins and ego-boosts.
Michelle Obama tried to address it too. Way too many issues end up filtered through a tribal lens, much of which may be manufactured to keep the barbarians squabbling below the gate.
Good point, the central issue I believe is that mainstream media is owned lock stock and barrel by big Brother.. the CIA admitted that in the early 1950s, they began buying positions on the boards of MSM… meaning there is major saturation at most levels for corrupting and guiding a narrative, the proves to their benefit.. WARs, bio weapons, the Covid Plandemic, etc., etc. USAID fake NGO’s funded the destruction of even our friends in the G20.. England, France, Brazil, just absolute insanity… our tax dollars being used to destroy modern civilization…
I want to write a note of support and appreciation to both Matt and Walter after reading some of the negative comments submitted here, which have mostly been nit-picky criticisms of style over content. You both rock, and my world is improved by your contributions. Especially here with ATW. You seem to bring out the best in each other. I would feel much less optimism for the future (not that I have a lot) without the humor and tenacious, sharp observations that you BOTH bring to the table. I respect and value you tremendously, more that I can express with mere words. Special thanks to Walter today for making me aware of the term "uncanny valley". I've been feeling it, but didn't know it had a name.
As we discuss to judge, let’s compare things. So a young man who was interning for a congressman gets murdered in a crossfire on his way to get a hamburger. Not long ago, two female juveniles dragged an immigrant to death while carjacking his vehicle. There are lots of other examples I am sure.
Ashli Babbit was killed entering the capitol. No policemen were killed that day. No matter what They tell you.
So let’s compare the actual reactions to events. Jan. 6: Filmed by The Speaker’s talented daughter — how prescient. AOC was scared. Razor wire for months. Hearings. Arrests. (Solitary confinement, is that true?) Hearings in prime time in which no not hand-picked Republican was allowed to participate.
Now: Congressional staffer is killed. Oopsie. Wrong place at wrong time.
DC belongs to us. While the Important People (not just, elected) are chauffeured around town and secured on our dime, it should be available for me to safely visit the Mall at night, which I had the chance to do years ago.
The capital of the greatest nation? And supposedly the most free? Let’s talk about the options.
Thanks. I have been to DC three times, two with my spouse. So much history, so much art. Just inspiring. So much walking!😀 That protestors were allowed to pull down artwork, vandalize, raise other flags. BS. We arrived on Amtrak at Union Station, which WAS beautiful. Is it now?
It should not be. I step off the train in my country’s capital, and my first visual is homeless? Pathetic. Just evidence our govt is not doing its job for those souls. And forget about all the money paid by taxpayers to help people such as this. Maybe we need to fund USAID.
If I were a betting man, I'd say no. Probably more silly Russiagate triumphalism, laments about how unfairly Trump is treated (or wishy-washy apologia of him), and a smattering of Schadenfreude for journalists who lost their jobs, you know the usual fare.
Likewise. There was a children’s character in Brit tv known as Captain Pugwash. The term stems from gay world and refers to…post-anal discharge. (Pug is a nickname for bum in Blighty.) Now you wish you didn’t know.
Can you believe..they are making excuses for Trump taking over law enforcement in an American city. Evidently they see no story there!! Just some fucked up crime stats!!!
Have you been to DC lately? It's our country's capital and it's a dump and dangerous. The city has had years to confront these issues and hasn't bothered. YOu know why? Because so much of the crime and homelessness is in poor areas. So, you armchair liberal, fix that!!!
Not self-serving. I disagree with Matt on a lot of stuff often vehemently. He’s a talented writer who engages in a lot of the same BS he accuses others of, and I choose to call him out. But if you think I’m full of bull, call me out— that’s sort of how it works. Unless you’re MAGA, you’d be surprised, we might even agree on the odd subject every now and then.
You now it's like both the national capital and a federal non-indigenous reservation. A city where the non-black population is mostly made up of lawyers and lobbyists.
Of course it’s a story. Trying to reel in the un-realable. Not so sure the whole picture of this is good. But, it has been before. New Orleans PD after Katrina
Well, one of the journalists was clearly an agent of Hamas. Selfies out there with Hamas leaders, and a Telegram post from Oct 7, "9 hours later and the heroes are still roaming the country, killing and abducting. God God how great you are"
There is no documentation that this journalist was a member of Hamas. What you are calling documentation is actually just pictures of him with people/leaders in Hamas (who lived in Gaza with all the non-Hamas civilians.)
So by this logic, anybody who took a picture standing near the Israeli leadership is part of the Israeli state/military/intelligence just like that journalist was “Hamas.”
Have you ever been in a war??? I'm been in many because I live in Israel. We have had rockets fired at our communities almost non-stop since we withdrew from Gaza. We were attacked by Iraq in 1991 and by Iran in 2025. How much time have you spent in a bomb shelter?
How many times can we offer peace deals to arabs that they reject yet you still support them. Perhaps you are the useful idiot.
Israelis now live in an information bubble. Still, many know what Netanyahu tried to do by propping up Hamas in a strategy of divide and conquer, which he’s carried out for decades. He and his generals openly boasted of it. It blew up in his face in a horrific and tragic way on Oct 7. He was humiliated and embarrassed and is now taking his ire out on civilians. In doing so, he has caved to elements in his cabin who want to ethnic cleanse Gaza. He is a war criminal. Thankfully many Israelis know this and admit it and are going out on the streets to protest. Others are in denial.
Howard Stern is an age-old story, a nobody who satirized the elites to become famous. Then, after becoming rich and famous himself, was accepted into the club and became one of them.
Just listen to a podcast that Kessler was on with Mark Halperin. He couldn’t admit to any honest reflection in the bias, the Post. He was so utterly biased. It was hard to listen to.
It was surreal! Halperin kept asking him, "why can you not see this"? I think the media's near industry-wide coverup of their bias is the biggest story of my lifetime. This is an industry whose proper function, pursuing the actual truth, is the key to a functional democracy. But who the hell can cover it to the point where it gets traction with the general public?!
Walter talked about the shift amongst his undergraduate creative writing students today. I saw something like that amongst my undergraduate experimental economics students--very.
About 2018 they all suddenly became obsessed with identity and how that might shape economic behavior. I had long given a term assignment to design an experiment to answer some question. Suddenly about three quarters of the proposals were experiments to (try to) tell the difference between (say) how men and women give to a charitable cause.
The thing that struck me about these proposals was their reductionism. But that was a feature of those ideas. Identity reductionism.
I also noticed an absence of any interest in experiments meant to say anything general about how (say) bargaining or trade work. Prior to that time, I could expect lots of interest in those kinds of topics, but it suddenly vanished.
On Candide: I read this book in the mid 70s. And now I come back to it in a book club with Walter and Matt.
To me, the whole book was like one large fantastic stand-up comedy routine. I loved listening to it.
I don't agree with Matt's take on the ending . I'm 75 years old. For me, the battle is over. I don't want to fight with friends and relatives, I don't want to lose more relationships over matters I will not, in my blue state, have any control over.
So, I say, let me tend my garden. And, let the younger people pick up the battle, because, I do believe it's going to come to that in the end.
So, what about me? I will tend my garden by falling into classical literature, such as Candide, Catch 22, etc., etc.
Work on improving myself, and not being troubled over the fact that my best friend, my brother, does not see things exactly as I do. It's not worth it at my age to spend the rest of my life troubled.
I will work on myself. I will tend to my garden. I will switch from things I cannot change to things. I have complete control over and a far more interesting.
With respect, I don't think the ending was only about self-improvement. A notable feature of the garden was that it contributed to true needs of society. Tending gardens feed the hungry.
He even shows what society would look like if people did such, in a microcosm:
"The little society, one and all, entered into this laudable design; and set themselves to exert their different talents. The little piece of ground yielded them a plentiful crop. Cunegund indeed was very ugly, but she became an excellent hand at pastry-work; Pacquette embroidered; the old woman had the care of the linen. There was none, down to Brother Giroflée, but did some service; he was a very good carpenter..."
Everyone tended the garden that matched their skill, but for the benefit of others.
It isn't a withdrawal from the world, but a useful integration into it.
It is a call to make a tangible difference with your unique skills.
When my husband passed away in 2016, I took up gardening, and it was very therapeutic, so "tending my garden" can be taken quite literally, as well. It can be a time to slow down and work with nature, instead of chasing after material goods, and obsessing over ephemera.
I enjoy listening to them both, but lately Walter has started interrupting Matt more often, which is frustrating when Matt is starting to develop an interesting thought which he doesn't get to finish. I mentioned it in a comment yesterday and then Walter said he was being chastised. I hope it wasn't just me…
That’s funny. I will say that when I’m unable to join the live stream, I still play it back later, but I had a 1.2 speed. I actually think, listening to them at that speed is quite enjoyable. And honestly sounds completely normal
It’s also a good way to do books on tape, unless it’s one of Feynman’s lectures. Most audio apps correct the audio frequency so it still sounds normal, rather than like the Chipmunks.
I don’t think that cultivate your garden means retire from the world at all. I think it means the opposite. I think it means to tend and make better the things around you your immediate surroundings in both the physical and social sense because that’s all you can do.
Exactly - I believe it is a call to use your unique talents to create things in the world that truly benefit people Whether that's vegetables or a novel.
It is very important that the Turk brings the produce of the garden into the town. They aren't just for himself.
I was surprised to hear that both Walter and Matt felt let down by it. I've long thought it was the perfect ending, and that it is inspiring.
To me, it seemed like Voltaire is sick of BS and wants to see real, tangible improvements in the world sprout from the bottom up.
Exactly. I suspect Walter and Matt will come around eventually to what it means. You have to remember they’re right in the middle of a mini-revolution, so anything that sounds like giving up doesn’t sit well. They’ll appreciate it over time. By the way, the last line is NOT a cliché—Voltaire had been the first to say it.
Good odds. In Voltaire's era it was more common than in ours to use gardening metaphors for the mind and ideas ("cultivating", "planting", etc) and so there is a resonance there that might be lost.
This bit from the Turk in response to Pangloss going on about the Mufti is something I should post above my screen as a reminder for when I'm jibjabing on social media:
"I never trouble my head about what is transacting at Constantinople; I content myself with sending there for sale the fruits of the garden which I cultivate."
The name Pangloss means "all talk". Clearly, Candide was illustrating that there is an opportunity cost to talk divorced from concrete impact, that doesn't benefit anyone.
With the novel Candide, Voltaire sent the fruits of the garden he cultivated to Constantinople.
When I think of both Walter and Matt, I see men tending their garden.
Matt in particular, as the gardens of far too many journalists are growing weeds and producing nothing worth consuming.
Mmmm but to say ‘stay in your spot’ I.e. gardens dont move….like not ‘start a new garden somewhere else’ is easiest to see its fault in like a DV situation - I was recently given this advice by people super far above me & I didn’t like it. It’s almost losing hope, like nothing better exists out there. Sometimes you cant make your situation better or maybe you can but it will still be abusive - in my opinion the best advice is to be as flexible as possible so you can always leave. Now for people in positions of real power, who can make change - they have the prestige, the experience, money, talent, position, intelligence - they need to tend the gardens, it shouldn’t be up to people low on the totem pole like me but they tend to get caught up in marriages and families and dont have the extra energy to make change so escaping the garden is the only way to live a life that’s neither boring or miserable 🪴 really glad you commented on it bc I was hoping to talk to someone about it, def most interesting part for me. And when all these vascular/cardiothoracic/orthopedic surgeons told me this they quoted Voltaire so it was nice to now know the background.
I wish I could get some clarity from you guys about exactly which comment stream you’re reading and responding to. Hopefully, you're focusing on your paid subscribers here on Substack.
I know a lot of people follow you. Perhaps you could do something like super chats where people kick in an extra five bucks or something like that to get their questions responded to online.
Trump's DC takeover should have been the main event - safe streets is (Chicago, L.A. Baltimore, Boston) is the issue Trump is jamming into the news cycle, masterstroke.
Ditto Trump's decision to meet Putin in Alaska, not a story? Trump can't get any traction on the MSM over Russiagate - what's the bet the MSM is smart enough not to take the bait? Bolton et al will be all over the airwaves. MSNBC will be talking about Trump as Putin's puppet even before Trump and Putin meet.
Genius moves, no wonder the Dems are roadkill, they can't keep up. Neither can the media.
I'm almost ready to believe we'll see a real housecleaning. Watched the French coverage -
Panic - Ukrainian Spox explains how Putin uses neurolinguistic techniques to reprogram his targets and replace their own thoughts with his. French experts lap it all up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgE_ydO1vV0
Realism - Europe played its cards against Trump very poorly. Ten days ago bent over on trade - this week excluded from the Putin meeting.
Please please do Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, with Walter’s love of the hitchhiker genre, and the understanding of Martin (both Candide’s philosopher and the robot) it would be a great follow up book. Plus I’m listening to the radio drama now and he predicts every absurd issue of the modern day. It’s in my top 3 books of all time.
I was a bit surprised to hear Walter and Matt’s take on “tending the garden.” I thought the ending was perfect. I had to stop listening with about 8 minutes to go to write this.
I understand why it can feel disjointed… but that’s the point.
In some ways, it’s akin to the ending of The Sopranos. The reader slams into an abrupt change of tone, and that sudden stop is the message.
The whole novel exposes the folly of grand designs. Kingdoms, wars, even romantic pursuits. In the end, it’s all noise. For 29 chapters we’ve been immersed in the absurdity of seeking happiness in others, or in places beyond one’s own garden.
To “tend a garden” is to create and foster life. Whether that means cabbage or children, crafts or ideas. And just as important, the garden’s produce nourishes the community.
That’s a crucial point I think Voltaire is making. It’s not creation for creation’s sake, as with Pangloss’s abstract philosophizing. It’s practical, tangible, and necessary. People need nourishment, and the garden provides it. Philosophy that doesn’t help people live better lives is hollow. A novel that doesn’t improve its readers is a waste of potential.
We see this embodied in Cunegund’s pastries, Paquette’s embroidery, the old woman’s linen care, and Giroflee’s carpentry.
Every person has a garden that matches their skill. Tended well, bit by bit, those gardens make the world a better place.
I don’t know if your 2024 DC official crime numbers were YTD or full year, but what you failed to mention is that the guy responsible for producing those numbers was suspended for cooking the books on crime stats.
I don't get the Walter "interrupting" thing at all. I can't stand to listen to or watch anything where people interrupt one another. That's one of the reasons I like this pairing, among many others. Walter gets enthused, which is what happens in real life and is a plus. Is someone ascribing enthusiasm to interrupting? Matt is low-key and seems more than fine when Walter talks. The comment is a gripe from someone who doesn't like Walter's views. The show is better than fine.
I think they make a great pair. They are obviously real friends
I enjoy Walters's views but get frustrated when he doesn't let Matt finish a thought. It's not a gripe.
It must have been someone else who objected to Walter interrupting and said that Walter, who is appealing, was "revolting." Somebody else approved or chimed in; I think we're talking about two people here.
I personally think the show is strong and unique exactly the way it is, down to the absence of professional sets and Walter's "But Matt. . ." because you always know something good is coming. Spontaneity is part of the fun; it's stimulating, the yin and and yang and honesty of the show.
I think what makes the show work and what you’re hitting on is that they bring us into the news room.
They have biases and preferences but they don’t hide them and they let the truth guide the show and the discussion. Unlike most other outlets today which pretend their biases don’t exist because they are daily descending Mt. Sinai, Matt and Walter give their two cents on the topics of concern for the week.
Interruptions mean the relationship between two people is that they have equal power and share it. Both Matt and Walter come up with momentarily inspirations all the time, and those moments result in “the best ideas.” I would call those interruptions as little-fights — that we dare not squelch because Walter and Matt might as well cancel Matt’s substack because of the boredom factor. Their interruptions are why I sit watching the video twice a week.
random off-topic idea: do we need more reporting on anti-Trump "manufactured hate"?
i heard an interview recently with pollster Frank Luntz where he said something like "there is a lot of manufactured hate on the Left". Then, yesterday, I was reading some anti-Trump articles on Real Clear Politics and I was amazed at the extreme degree of animus those writers were expressing. Then, just now, I was talking with someone in Spain about the American diet and obesity/health effects, and it occurred to me that RFK Jr. is trying to address this, but he is falsely demonized as an evil "anti-vaxxer". So much "manufactured hate" out there right now. Ought this phenomenon be more exposed in the press, I wonder.
For what it is worh, to get through hate material, I remind myself that if it evokes an emotional response, it is likely trying to manipulate me in some way, and therefore may not be entirely truthful. My meme is
Gut/adrenal reaction requires a grain of salt. 🧂 Shake some salt on that...
There is something to this.
*worth
That’s big Ag and big Pharma trying to undercut him. It’s unreal though.
the press is helping manufacture the hate. they wont expose themselves.
Ha regarding Europe, with their censorship in full swing, it is possible that the poisonous US food industry is gaining new customers across the pond by simply saying "do the opposite of the anti vaxxer. Eat more reeses puffs!"
"Anti-vaxxer" falls into the coded , broad brushed slander meant to silence legitimate counter-narrative because there is frequently no substantive counter argument to the point being made. It is used when there really is a "there" there. It is meant to silence a person, an idea. It is used by both the highly paid commisars and by the shrill, shrieking ninnies who try to bludgeon their targets into submission. It is used by compliant, sequestered, boxcheckecing "authorities"
The following labels, and many others, say more about the user than their target: Anti vaxxer, racist, Islamophobe, nazi, also deplorable, etc
It's really pathological.
I don't know what some of these folks are gonna do when Trump is no longer on the scene.
They won't have much of a reason for living.
They're all about entertainment.
( I think for the folks who delight in demonizing Trump and believing any vile lie they hear about Trump or MAGA, it's really just devolved into a form of escapist entertainment for them. They really don't want to think; they don't want to be adults; they don't want to take ownership. Let's just bash on Trump instead, and say mean things about him. Won't that be fun? And the media feeds this to the detriment of the nation.)*
* This is not to say that there are not thoughtful, sincere and intelligent people on the other side. There are. But the mass of the Trump-haters are just in it for the quick grins and ego-boosts.
Michelle Obama tried to address it too. Way too many issues end up filtered through a tribal lens, much of which may be manufactured to keep the barbarians squabbling below the gate.
'Ought this phenomenon be more exposed in the press, I wonder.'
Since the press is largely culpable, not much chance of them being willing to expose themselves.
Good point, the central issue I believe is that mainstream media is owned lock stock and barrel by big Brother.. the CIA admitted that in the early 1950s, they began buying positions on the boards of MSM… meaning there is major saturation at most levels for corrupting and guiding a narrative, the proves to their benefit.. WARs, bio weapons, the Covid Plandemic, etc., etc. USAID fake NGO’s funded the destruction of even our friends in the G20.. England, France, Brazil, just absolute insanity… our tax dollars being used to destroy modern civilization…
unfortunately, our movement since WWII has been primarily retrograde.
I want to write a note of support and appreciation to both Matt and Walter after reading some of the negative comments submitted here, which have mostly been nit-picky criticisms of style over content. You both rock, and my world is improved by your contributions. Especially here with ATW. You seem to bring out the best in each other. I would feel much less optimism for the future (not that I have a lot) without the humor and tenacious, sharp observations that you BOTH bring to the table. I respect and value you tremendously, more that I can express with mere words. Special thanks to Walter today for making me aware of the term "uncanny valley". I've been feeling it, but didn't know it had a name.
As we discuss to judge, let’s compare things. So a young man who was interning for a congressman gets murdered in a crossfire on his way to get a hamburger. Not long ago, two female juveniles dragged an immigrant to death while carjacking his vehicle. There are lots of other examples I am sure.
Ashli Babbit was killed entering the capitol. No policemen were killed that day. No matter what They tell you.
So let’s compare the actual reactions to events. Jan. 6: Filmed by The Speaker’s talented daughter — how prescient. AOC was scared. Razor wire for months. Hearings. Arrests. (Solitary confinement, is that true?) Hearings in prime time in which no not hand-picked Republican was allowed to participate.
Now: Congressional staffer is killed. Oopsie. Wrong place at wrong time.
DC belongs to us. While the Important People (not just, elected) are chauffeured around town and secured on our dime, it should be available for me to safely visit the Mall at night, which I had the chance to do years ago.
The capital of the greatest nation? And supposedly the most free? Let’s talk about the options.
Great comment!
Thanks. I have been to DC three times, two with my spouse. So much history, so much art. Just inspiring. So much walking!😀 That protestors were allowed to pull down artwork, vandalize, raise other flags. BS. We arrived on Amtrak at Union Station, which WAS beautiful. Is it now?
Full of homeless people
It should not be. I step off the train in my country’s capital, and my first visual is homeless? Pathetic. Just evidence our govt is not doing its job for those souls. And forget about all the money paid by taxpayers to help people such as this. Maybe we need to fund USAID.
Are you going to talk about the journalists killed in Gaza Sunday?
If I were a betting man, I'd say no. Probably more silly Russiagate triumphalism, laments about how unfairly Trump is treated (or wishy-washy apologia of him), and a smattering of Schadenfreude for journalists who lost their jobs, you know the usual fare.
Ah, a healthy dollop of butthurtism.
Love “Pugwash” name. Lol
You know the meaning, yes? Brits know.
Nope. Not a Brit. From the colonies
Likewise. There was a children’s character in Brit tv known as Captain Pugwash. The term stems from gay world and refers to…post-anal discharge. (Pug is a nickname for bum in Blighty.) Now you wish you didn’t know.
Can you believe..they are making excuses for Trump taking over law enforcement in an American city. Evidently they see no story there!! Just some fucked up crime stats!!!
Have you been to DC lately? It's our country's capital and it's a dump and dangerous. The city has had years to confront these issues and hasn't bothered. YOu know why? Because so much of the crime and homelessness is in poor areas. So, you armchair liberal, fix that!!!
Wealthy liberals don’t take the subway.
Yes that's my point. Until recently the rich and tourist areas were unaffected.
It's constitutional, according to Glenn Greenwald.
DC government is obviously unable to deal with it, so why not?
New Orleans, after Katrina. Feds took over the PD
The words Useful Idiots come to mind and The Racket — the names of Taibbi’s last two media endeavors. Coincidence? You decide.
You’re Wrong, Wright.
Ha!
Now I remember why I asked why bother. You’re just here to throw shade on Matt
and Walter, for some self serving reason.
Not self-serving. I disagree with Matt on a lot of stuff often vehemently. He’s a talented writer who engages in a lot of the same BS he accuses others of, and I choose to call him out. But if you think I’m full of bull, call me out— that’s sort of how it works. Unless you’re MAGA, you’d be surprised, we might even agree on the odd subject every now and then.
Now, those are points that I can’t argue with. I may actually learn something, which is my stated reason for being on here. Thanks
The Wright Stuff The Wright Stuff Edited
You now it's like both the national capital and a federal non-indigenous reservation. A city where the non-black population is mostly made up of lawyers and lobbyists.
Of course it’s a story. Trying to reel in the un-realable. Not so sure the whole picture of this is good. But, it has been before. New Orleans PD after Katrina
Why do you bother?
Why do you, brother?
Damn good question..
I get your point, though I should say the Schadenfreude is well-earned in many cases.
Well, one of the journalists was clearly an agent of Hamas. Selfies out there with Hamas leaders, and a Telegram post from Oct 7, "9 hours later and the heroes are still roaming the country, killing and abducting. God God how great you are"
He was a member of hamas. There is plenty of documentation to show that.
Standing next to people in pictures is the “documentation” of this by the way.
Which means anybody who ever took a picture standing near Netanyahu is fair game for killing, yes?
Huh?
There is no documentation that this journalist was a member of Hamas. What you are calling documentation is actually just pictures of him with people/leaders in Hamas (who lived in Gaza with all the non-Hamas civilians.)
So by this logic, anybody who took a picture standing near the Israeli leadership is part of the Israeli state/military/intelligence just like that journalist was “Hamas.”
https://www.camera.org/article/british-outlets-bury-terror-affiliation-of-anas-al-sharif/
Thanks for linking a pro-Israel rag which relies totally on claims by IDF.
I’ll pass on the hasbara.
That's not definite, and that does not make it okay to kill everyone else in the tent.
It's just one more Israeli war crime.
Have you ever been in a war??? I'm been in many because I live in Israel. We have had rockets fired at our communities almost non-stop since we withdrew from Gaza. We were attacked by Iraq in 1991 and by Iran in 2025. How much time have you spent in a bomb shelter?
How many times can we offer peace deals to arabs that they reject yet you still support them. Perhaps you are the useful idiot.
Israelis now live in an information bubble. Still, many know what Netanyahu tried to do by propping up Hamas in a strategy of divide and conquer, which he’s carried out for decades. He and his generals openly boasted of it. It blew up in his face in a horrific and tragic way on Oct 7. He was humiliated and embarrassed and is now taking his ire out on civilians. In doing so, he has caved to elements in his cabin who want to ethnic cleanse Gaza. He is a war criminal. Thankfully many Israelis know this and admit it and are going out on the streets to protest. Others are in denial.
Dream on
You mean the "journalist"?
I meant what I said
Hmmm. Missed that
Howard Stern is an age-old story, a nobody who satirized the elites to become famous. Then, after becoming rich and famous himself, was accepted into the club and became one of them.
Sadistic was a word used to describe him. Apropos.
Just listen to a podcast that Kessler was on with Mark Halperin. He couldn’t admit to any honest reflection in the bias, the Post. He was so utterly biased. It was hard to listen to.
It was surreal! Halperin kept asking him, "why can you not see this"? I think the media's near industry-wide coverup of their bias is the biggest story of my lifetime. This is an industry whose proper function, pursuing the actual truth, is the key to a functional democracy. But who the hell can cover it to the point where it gets traction with the general public?!
The blindness pains me greatly. Will my beloved grandchildren inherit so corrupt and dishonest a deep state?
Walter talked about the shift amongst his undergraduate creative writing students today. I saw something like that amongst my undergraduate experimental economics students--very.
About 2018 they all suddenly became obsessed with identity and how that might shape economic behavior. I had long given a term assignment to design an experiment to answer some question. Suddenly about three quarters of the proposals were experiments to (try to) tell the difference between (say) how men and women give to a charitable cause.
The thing that struck me about these proposals was their reductionism. But that was a feature of those ideas. Identity reductionism.
I also noticed an absence of any interest in experiments meant to say anything general about how (say) bargaining or trade work. Prior to that time, I could expect lots of interest in those kinds of topics, but it suddenly vanished.
Reductionism is a good way to put: it captures exactly how much thought is put into things. Not much.
On Candide: I read this book in the mid 70s. And now I come back to it in a book club with Walter and Matt.
To me, the whole book was like one large fantastic stand-up comedy routine. I loved listening to it.
I don't agree with Matt's take on the ending . I'm 75 years old. For me, the battle is over. I don't want to fight with friends and relatives, I don't want to lose more relationships over matters I will not, in my blue state, have any control over.
So, I say, let me tend my garden. And, let the younger people pick up the battle, because, I do believe it's going to come to that in the end.
So, what about me? I will tend my garden by falling into classical literature, such as Candide, Catch 22, etc., etc.
Work on improving myself, and not being troubled over the fact that my best friend, my brother, does not see things exactly as I do. It's not worth it at my age to spend the rest of my life troubled.
I will work on myself. I will tend to my garden. I will switch from things I cannot change to things. I have complete control over and a far more interesting.
With respect, I don't think the ending was only about self-improvement. A notable feature of the garden was that it contributed to true needs of society. Tending gardens feed the hungry.
He even shows what society would look like if people did such, in a microcosm:
"The little society, one and all, entered into this laudable design; and set themselves to exert their different talents. The little piece of ground yielded them a plentiful crop. Cunegund indeed was very ugly, but she became an excellent hand at pastry-work; Pacquette embroidered; the old woman had the care of the linen. There was none, down to Brother Giroflée, but did some service; he was a very good carpenter..."
Everyone tended the garden that matched their skill, but for the benefit of others.
It isn't a withdrawal from the world, but a useful integration into it.
It is a call to make a tangible difference with your unique skills.
I thank you for that. Well said.
When my husband passed away in 2016, I took up gardening, and it was very therapeutic, so "tending my garden" can be taken quite literally, as well. It can be a time to slow down and work with nature, instead of chasing after material goods, and obsessing over ephemera.
I’d have to agree—perfect ending, actually.
Come on, Walter, you DO cut Matt off way too much. Matt NEVER does it to you. I love hearing what both of you think.
I enjoy listening to them both, but lately Walter has started interrupting Matt more often, which is frustrating when Matt is starting to develop an interesting thought which he doesn't get to finish. I mentioned it in a comment yesterday and then Walter said he was being chastised. I hope it wasn't just me…
I’m glad you let him know — I don’t think he realizes what he’s doing and Matt is way too deferential.
That’s funny. I will say that when I’m unable to join the live stream, I still play it back later, but I had a 1.2 speed. I actually think, listening to them at that speed is quite enjoyable. And honestly sounds completely normal
It’s also a good way to do books on tape, unless it’s one of Feynman’s lectures. Most audio apps correct the audio frequency so it still sounds normal, rather than like the Chipmunks.
That’s because you drink high octane coffee….
It’s not cutting off, it’s adding to the dialogue depth.
I get the idea Walter’s mind is going so fast he has a hard time controlling the output. I think they’re a good match, like Mutt and Jeff.
A great match.
Something tells me you also cut people off too without realizing how irritating it is! Lol
That’s interesting.
I don’t think that cultivate your garden means retire from the world at all. I think it means the opposite. I think it means to tend and make better the things around you your immediate surroundings in both the physical and social sense because that’s all you can do.
Exactly - I believe it is a call to use your unique talents to create things in the world that truly benefit people Whether that's vegetables or a novel.
It is very important that the Turk brings the produce of the garden into the town. They aren't just for himself.
I was surprised to hear that both Walter and Matt felt let down by it. I've long thought it was the perfect ending, and that it is inspiring.
To me, it seemed like Voltaire is sick of BS and wants to see real, tangible improvements in the world sprout from the bottom up.
Exactly. I suspect Walter and Matt will come around eventually to what it means. You have to remember they’re right in the middle of a mini-revolution, so anything that sounds like giving up doesn’t sit well. They’ll appreciate it over time. By the way, the last line is NOT a cliché—Voltaire had been the first to say it.
Good odds. In Voltaire's era it was more common than in ours to use gardening metaphors for the mind and ideas ("cultivating", "planting", etc) and so there is a resonance there that might be lost.
This bit from the Turk in response to Pangloss going on about the Mufti is something I should post above my screen as a reminder for when I'm jibjabing on social media:
"I never trouble my head about what is transacting at Constantinople; I content myself with sending there for sale the fruits of the garden which I cultivate."
The name Pangloss means "all talk". Clearly, Candide was illustrating that there is an opportunity cost to talk divorced from concrete impact, that doesn't benefit anyone.
With the novel Candide, Voltaire sent the fruits of the garden he cultivated to Constantinople.
When I think of both Walter and Matt, I see men tending their garden.
Matt in particular, as the gardens of far too many journalists are growing weeds and producing nothing worth consuming.
Mmmm but to say ‘stay in your spot’ I.e. gardens dont move….like not ‘start a new garden somewhere else’ is easiest to see its fault in like a DV situation - I was recently given this advice by people super far above me & I didn’t like it. It’s almost losing hope, like nothing better exists out there. Sometimes you cant make your situation better or maybe you can but it will still be abusive - in my opinion the best advice is to be as flexible as possible so you can always leave. Now for people in positions of real power, who can make change - they have the prestige, the experience, money, talent, position, intelligence - they need to tend the gardens, it shouldn’t be up to people low on the totem pole like me but they tend to get caught up in marriages and families and dont have the extra energy to make change so escaping the garden is the only way to live a life that’s neither boring or miserable 🪴 really glad you commented on it bc I was hoping to talk to someone about it, def most interesting part for me. And when all these vascular/cardiothoracic/orthopedic surgeons told me this they quoted Voltaire so it was nice to now know the background.
I wish I could get some clarity from you guys about exactly which comment stream you’re reading and responding to. Hopefully, you're focusing on your paid subscribers here on Substack.
I know a lot of people follow you. Perhaps you could do something like super chats where people kick in an extra five bucks or something like that to get their questions responded to online.
I'm pretty sure it's Youtube.
Trump's DC takeover should have been the main event - safe streets is (Chicago, L.A. Baltimore, Boston) is the issue Trump is jamming into the news cycle, masterstroke.
Ditto Trump's decision to meet Putin in Alaska, not a story? Trump can't get any traction on the MSM over Russiagate - what's the bet the MSM is smart enough not to take the bait? Bolton et al will be all over the airwaves. MSNBC will be talking about Trump as Putin's puppet even before Trump and Putin meet.
Genius moves, no wonder the Dems are roadkill, they can't keep up. Neither can the media.
In that last Clapper/Brennan OpEd, they ended it with Russia is our mortal enemy. So stupid. Cartago leyenda est!
I'm almost ready to believe we'll see a real housecleaning. Watched the French coverage -
Panic - Ukrainian Spox explains how Putin uses neurolinguistic techniques to reprogram his targets and replace their own thoughts with his. French experts lap it all up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgE_ydO1vV0
Realism - Europe played its cards against Trump very poorly. Ten days ago bent over on trade - this week excluded from the Putin meeting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTRf5KFBNNg
Great clips of Bolton waxing 'expert.'
Bolton—isn’t that why they invented capital punishment?
I know for sure they watch the YouTube comments.
They have responded to comments on the live stream on Rumble, Youtube, and Substack.
Yes, Twitter? Here? Where? It doesn’t so matter if you don’t respond; just that you get the feed.
Please please do Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, with Walter’s love of the hitchhiker genre, and the understanding of Martin (both Candide’s philosopher and the robot) it would be a great follow up book. Plus I’m listening to the radio drama now and he predicts every absurd issue of the modern day. It’s in my top 3 books of all time.
Douglas Adams is my personal deity.
It didn't age well for me.
That would give me an excuse to upgrade my heavily worn paperback. I've been eyeing this version from The Folio Society for a while:
https://www.foliosociety.com/usa/the-hitchhiker-s-guide-to-the-galaxy
I was a bit surprised to hear Walter and Matt’s take on “tending the garden.” I thought the ending was perfect. I had to stop listening with about 8 minutes to go to write this.
I understand why it can feel disjointed… but that’s the point.
In some ways, it’s akin to the ending of The Sopranos. The reader slams into an abrupt change of tone, and that sudden stop is the message.
The whole novel exposes the folly of grand designs. Kingdoms, wars, even romantic pursuits. In the end, it’s all noise. For 29 chapters we’ve been immersed in the absurdity of seeking happiness in others, or in places beyond one’s own garden.
To “tend a garden” is to create and foster life. Whether that means cabbage or children, crafts or ideas. And just as important, the garden’s produce nourishes the community.
That’s a crucial point I think Voltaire is making. It’s not creation for creation’s sake, as with Pangloss’s abstract philosophizing. It’s practical, tangible, and necessary. People need nourishment, and the garden provides it. Philosophy that doesn’t help people live better lives is hollow. A novel that doesn’t improve its readers is a waste of potential.
We see this embodied in Cunegund’s pastries, Paquette’s embroidery, the old woman’s linen care, and Giroflee’s carpentry.
Every person has a garden that matches their skill. Tended well, bit by bit, those gardens make the world a better place.
I don’t know if your 2024 DC official crime numbers were YTD or full year, but what you failed to mention is that the guy responsible for producing those numbers was suspended for cooking the books on crime stats.
More interesting were Trump's homicide rate comparisons between DC and a variety of national capitals.