Given the fanaticism of the managerial class, most political topics are useful only in sorting people into political buckets. Liberals support “taxing the rich” while conservatives oppose “socialism”. The only thing that matters in these “debates” is which side you are on as nothing is ever debated. In fact, the debate around the topic looks more like a distraction. The point of the debate is to provide cover for what is happening behind the scenes between pols and their handlers.

While those ceremonial debates are useless, there are some issues that are useful, because they reveal truths about the system and the people in it. Firearms policy is one of those issues. The 2A community in America is large and extremely well informed on the topic of guns and gun laws. Knowing the rules is an important part of every subculture within the gun community. Knowing the local laws is often a prerequisite for entry into the community, so the members are highly informed.

This is one reason the Left struggles with the issue. The Left wins when they can claim the moral high ground, because that means Conservative Inc. will fold up like a cheap tent and beg for forgiveness. Part of seizing the moral high ground though is claiming a thoroughgoing knowledge of the issue. The reason the Left is festooned with barnacles claiming to be policy experts is so they can claim a mastery of the topic. This lets them say “we know best” and push through their policies.

With guns, this is not possible. All of the facts work against gun grabbing. Whether it is the mythological gun show loophole or the assault weapon ban, any discussion of the issue quickly reveals the Left knows nothing about guns. In fact, it is like they make a point of not knowing anything about guns or gun laws. They say insane things that even the sympathetic find cringe inducing. One result is the people in favor of gun grabbing tend to come off as ignorant fanatics.

The gun issue is useful in another way. All of those normies on the other side of the divide think that facts matter when dealing with the Left. Gun grabbing is a great issue to show them that facts really do not matter much at all. No matter how many times they explain the facts of firearms to these people, they will keep chanting the slogans from their cult about guns. The reason for that is the Left is about morality, their morality, not facts or reason. They are the anointed, so facts do not matter.

Here is an example of how a sense of moral superiority is what really matters, rather than factual accuracy or rational debate. Taken at face value, it would mean Arne Duncan knows nothing about guns or voting. There has never been a time when voting was more difficult than buying a gun. In fact, voting has always been easier than doing pretty much anything. The most difficult part of voting today is not vomiting all over the voting booth when looking at the choices on offer.

Now, Arne Duncan is not just another airhead on Twitter. He is a very special airhead, who is the executive director of something called the Emerson Collective. This is a not-for-profit founded by the widow of Steve Jobs. They are another monastery in the ruling class theological framework, promoting the usual stuff. Amusingly, Arne Duncan wrote a book titled, How Schools Work, which is his firsthand account of how he was a terrible Secretary of Education during the Obama years.

Note his Twitter profile. He has a picture of himself with a gaggle of black people, which is supposed to tell us he is a member of the anointed. He is such a good guy; black people just want to be around him. Sure, he lives in a gated, whites-only neighborhood with a bunch of other rich white people, but the brothers just love him. The picture would be better if he were wearing a pith helmet and a safari outfit. His act is the modern version of the white man’s burden, without doing any heavy lifting.

That was the point of his tweet. In fact, it is the point of his entire life. He and his fellow travelers on the Progressive carny circuit are all about their virtue. He does not have to be troubled with facts about voting and gun laws, for example. Those are for the servant class to quarrel over. Arne has a dream, a dream where everyone gets a ballot, even the imaginary, and those votes are dutifully ignored. The point of democracy is so worthless layabouts like Arne Duncan can express their moral superiority.

For the most part, it is a pointless waste of time for dissidents to engage in the nuts and bolts of political discourse. Most issue are of the first type, where the debates are about signaling your team affiliation. Some issues, like the gun issue, are useful in that they can be used to reveal to the open minded, the reality of liberal democracy. After all, what is the point of engaging with someone like Arne Duncan, who is a noxious blend of breathtaking stupidity and sanctimonious codswallop?

It goes beyond that though. The people behind these ridiculous operations like the Emerson Collective are not interested in making society better. The widow Jobs just wants some grace on the cheap. She has plenty of money, so she can underwrite this stuff, because it makes a nice addition to her moral charm bracelet. Nothing about the Emerson Collective is about helping people. It is about boosting the ego of the people involved, by letting them pretend they are on the side of angels.

A new year brings new changes. The same is true for this site as we adjust to the reality of managerial authoritarianism. That means embracing crypto for when the inevitable happens and the traditional outlets are closed. Now more than ever it is important to support the voices that support you. Five bucks a month is not a lot to ask. If you prefer other ways of donating, look at the donate page. Thank you.

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