This week I'm trying something a little different. I am still trying to figure out the best way to do this. So, this week I am writing an abbreviated Newsletter but also reprinting some revised, previous essays that I think are necessary to really understand the perspective that I am bringing to the Newsletter. The short article, 'The Transformaton' summarizes many of the major points that are not part of either the Right or Left media narratives but are almost certainly correct. Now is the right time to republish them since the Summer tends to be the slow news season and they are not competing with important stories.
Should I publish 2 or 3 shorter articles per week, or, as I have been doing, publish one 3,500 word Newsletter. It is not an easy call. I don't want to flood your inbox, but by separating them, it is easier for you to just focus in on the articles that interest you. Also, you can share just the article that you think will be of interest for someone you know. Also, my views for each article is less, my aggregate views are greater which tends to increase those all important, 'Direct' views that grow the newsletter.
I'm not in a big hurry, but the full articles will at some point only be available to paid subscribers. At that time, I will have an Abstract which will be available to free subscribers, but the whole article will only be available to paid subscribers. Paid subscribers will also receive periodic white papers that delve more deeply into the most important issues. There is a Founders' Level that, will get all that, plus complementary copies of my e-books when published and also a couple of 40 minute Zoom calls per week. Some of these will be open discussions while others may be tightly focused on one specific issue.
The EU Farmer Revolt
At present, farmers across the EU are protesting the imposition of NOx restrictions. This does play into the EU crisis of authority and extent of sovereignty, because the Dutch restrictions that sparked the protests, are an extension of EU requirements, promulgated in 2019 and strengthened in late 2021. In that sense, it could increase the potential for additional EU exit sentiments, especially in Poland and Hungary, which aren't too happy with the EU for other reasons. This has nothing to do with Climate Change. The concerns are the way in which NOx compounds lead to air pollution and how nitrogen based fertilizer run-off can cause algae blooms in lakes as well as other environmental modifications.
As is receiving some press coverage, Ukraine and Russia are the main producers of Nitrogen based crop fertilizers and because of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine and the resulting restricted availability of fertilizers, a global food shortage was already predicted. The NOx restrictions by the EU certainly appear to turn an already worrying food shortage into a potential for regional famines.
Are the leaders of the EU, especially, but North America also, intentionally putting their populations in a more or less permanent state of panic. I will undoubtedly talk about that in a future Newsletter, but, currently, the situation is too unclear to make anything close to definitive conclusions. However, the prospect for Winter 2022-2023 is looking quite unsettled. No rest period after COVID.
Protecting Culture or Xenophobia?
The governors of Texas and Arizona and, perhaps, Florida seem ready to declare that the more than two million people crossing the Southern border annually without proper authorization to be an 'invasion'. They use this to make the rather controversial claim that, due to this, the Constitution allows the States to repel the invasion if the Federal government will not. This is likely to be the first, not the last, 'Red State' tactic undertaken in an effort to stem the tide of unauthorized visitors.
I am, honestly, surprised that more Red States have not created laws forbidding people who are not authorized to work in the U.S. to work in their states and make it a serious misdemeanor with jail time. The State would have the ability to enter a business and demand I9s that prove right to work. Employees who had none would be charged and employers would be fined. This would almost surely get unauthorized workers to flee to Sanctuary States and improve the local job market for low skill workers.
Recently, there have been several articles from the Liberal press, charging hypocrisy on the part of Poland for refusing entry to Middle Eastern refugees, but more recently accepting over four million refugees from Ukraine. To the Left, this is hypocrisy and to the Right it is not. The difference is simply a matter of whether regional cultures mean anything and are worth protecting. The Right thinks so, and the Left does not.
In 1999, French Icon, Brigette Bardot started complaining that France was being taken over by Muslims. She was branded a Xenophobe and threatened with jail time is she didn't stop spreading her 'racist' rhetoric. It has taken a long time, but her perspective is getting traction with Macron's moderate party recently losing the Parliament to more France First parties. One can be unbigoted but still wish to retain the historical French culture and that difference is becoming better understood in France.
The large cities of Europe have become global. Less than half the population of London is British, for example. The Left's view of the future is one in which non-European cultures swamp European culture within Europe. The Right wishes to preserve European culture and so they are unwilling to allow substantial populations from other cultures to enter without the intent to assimilate. These are fundamentally different views of the future that inform the two sides to fundamentally different policy positions.
Personally, though I have abandoned an America identity, if I ever had one, I am most definitely Euro-American. The Renaissance replaced the Golden Age of Islam as the intellectual center of the world and then, in turn, evolved into the Enlightenment and the scientific revolution. One can justifiably wish to preserve the culture that gave these movements to the world without being a bigot. One can support the preservation of the Chinese, Indian, Arabian (etc.) cultures without supporting processes that allow them to overwhelm the European culture. Islam believes in Sharia Law and I can support the preservation of it (without agreeing with it) but reject the notion that Muslims can enter Europe in large quantities and demand that they be judged according to Sharia Law. There is, in fact, a vast conceptual territory between the Cultural relativism of the Left and the Jingoism often espoused by the Right. I would argue that we Intellectually Sophisticated people should occupy and argue for residence in that territory.
For example, Poland may wish to maintain their unique culture and thus refuse the entry of large numbers of refugees that do not respect their culture and simultaneously accept refugees from Ukraine who clearly are children of Western culture. The position is 'Culturist' but not necessarily 'Racist.'
Non-Partisan, But Also Mostly Polymathic
My primary purpose with my Newsletter is to correct the misinformation that is flooding out of both the Leftish and Rightish news media / silos. Over time, I believe that it will become clear that we who register at MichaelWFerguson.Substack.com, Polymaths.Locals.com or join the Facebook Group, Polymathica, are not your run of the mill consumers of news, analysis and commentary. Polymathica is my proposed subculture that, as Western culture fragments along ideological lines, does not fit in any of the Leftish or Rightish subcultures. We are smart, lifelong learners, dedicated to objectivity and to thinking things all the way through before taking a position.
While the vast majority of my entries in the Newsletter will be dedicated to helping my subscribers build an objectively supportable, intellectually sophisticated world view, I will, at times, promote the notion of polymathy. That will entail lifelong learning and objective analysis, fully considered in the formulation of opinions. But it will also promote 'Polymath' as a profession. It is intended as a strategy of remediation for the Inappropriately Excluded. This profession will be engaged in interdisciplinary research, providing enterprise leadership and functioning as a Public Intellectual for our Polymathic subculture.
I understand that I am a broken record, but there are probably about ten to twenty million Polymathicans (members of the polymathic subculture) out there and we are currently connected to only a couple hundred of them. Let's allow our rationality to attract the rest and we can do that by sharing the newsletter.
Both shorter articles here were interesting. I prefer these over the longer deep dives, as these take less of my time to cover; however, I realize I’m learning less without the stronger Ferguson research analysis.
Your outside-the-US perspective is very valuable from inside our MSM-regulated bubble!
Thank you!