Our current managerial elite predicates its rule on the notion of expertise. Americans once believed that “popular will” granted a ruling class legitimacy‚ but that story has been replaced with one of scientific knowledge and credentials.The modern political formula frames the world as a complex series of interconnected scientific disciplines that‚ if managed with a high degree of proficiency‚ can yield incredible material abundance and miraculous technological innovations. Competency is the key to utopia. Those who are able to obtain prestigious credentials gain the right to rule due to their unparalleled ability to manage complex systems. But a fundamental shift in our political formula has put the system on a collision course with disaster. The woke cultural revolution has escaped the universities that incubated its poisonous rhetoric and rooted itself deeply into every critical institution in the United States. This destructive doctrine seemed strange but quaint when it was being chanted by delusional college students‚ but everyone should have learned by now that the fashionable college ideology of today becomes the ruling dogma of tomorrow. The armed forces‚ major corporations‚ and medical schools now prioritize diversity over the ability to perform tasks that are critical to people’s survival. Major institutions that are supposed to safeguard the critical functions of our civilization are more interested in elevating transwomen of color than the ability of the organizations to properly execute their functions. Selecting brain surgeons by the obscurity of their sexual preferences instead of their success rate would have sounded like a comedy sketch 10 years ago‚ but no one is laughing now.Instead of shaping major events‚ our incompetent and sclerotic institutions will‚ more often than not‚ simply react to the fallout. Part of the managerial formula meant delegating all major social decisions to this distributed network of expert institutions. Power in the hands of a single leader‚ even an elected one‚ could be dangerous. Better to spread that responsibility across many highly competent organizations that specialize in the relevant disciplines. This makes decisive action more difficult‚ but in theory‚ it dramatically raises the quality of the policies that will eventually be implemented. That sounds great when you are still pretending that these institutions are selecting “the best and the brightest.” But now? Please. Expertise became the holy doctrine of our civilization‚ and every decision‚ from how parents educate their children to what we can say to each other on the internet‚ is mediated by these managerial institutions. These organizations‚ which now control our lives to an unprecedented degree‚ are run by those who are most willing to genuflect before the gods of diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion.This selection of ideological loyalty over merit has created a competency crisis inside our critical institutions. The older generations‚ selected for their ability to do their jobs‚ are being phased out‚ and the new generations‚ selected for skin color and gender fluidity‚ simply cannot maintain the civilization they have been handed. In many instances‚ technological innovation continues due to visionary entrepreneurs‚ but the social infrastructure on which those innovations rest is crumbling. We have placed more decision-making power into the hands of massive bureaucracies than at any time in human history‚ but those bureaucracies are increasingly staffed by functionaries who could not make a basic repair to their homes or cars if their lives depended on it. The glue of competency that held this complicated social machinery together is coming apart‚ yet we continue to shift more and more responsibility to these failing institutions.We often assume that the amount of time a society has to make decisions about its future is static‚ but that is not the case. While it is comforting to think that extended deliberation will always yield an educated consensus on what steps to take next‚ the truth is that events often shrink the window of opportunity to make deliberate choices and societies are instead swept away by circumstance.The rapid advancement of technology and the interconnected nature of the modern world have greatly reduced the space in which deliberation can occur before the consequences of an event manifest themselves globally. At the same time‚ the institutions to which we have delegated all our decision-making are less competent and more ideological. The combination of collapsing decision space and the competency crisis inside institutions designed to make those decisions creates a runaway process of acceleration. As the philosopher Nick Land put it‚ “The profound institutional crisis that makes the topic ‘hot’ has at its core an implosion of social decision-making capability. Doing anything‚ at this point‚ would take too long. So instead‚ events increasingly just happen.”As events accelerate and decision space shrinks‚ our incompetent and sclerotic institutions will prove incapable of keeping up. Instead of shaping major events‚ they will‚ more often than not‚ simply react to the fallout. As faith in distributed expertise falters‚ the populace will become more likely to prefer unified and decisive action. Ultimately‚ sovereignty lies in exercising the power to make decisions‚ and if the incompetent bureaucratic institutions or our managerial elite fail to do so‚ the future will belong to leaders who can.

Police charged a 14-year-old male with murder after a 15-year-old male was fatally stabbed during a Monday brawl caught on video inside a Raleigh‚ North Carolina‚ high school.What are the details?Multiple students posted video clips on social media appearing to show a fight beginning in a hallway and spilling into a gymnasium at Southeast Raleigh High School‚ the News &; Observer reported‚ adding that a knife is visible on video.The Raleigh police officer assigned as the school resource officer responded just after 11 a.m. to a stabbing report‚ the paper said.A 15-year-old student and a 16-year-old student received first aid at the scene and were taken to a local hospital‚ the paper said‚ adding that the 15-year-old student died while the 16-year-old student has non-life-threatening injuries.Authorities haven't released the names of the two stabbing victims‚ but the News &; Observer said the family of the deceased student told its partner WTVD-TV that they are processing what occurred‚ working through their grief‚ and planning to hold a balloon release in his memory later this week.The paper said Raleigh police obtained a secure custody order for a 14-year-old suspect who was charged with murder on a juvenile petition. Due to his age‚ the suspect’s name has not been released‚ the paper also reported‚ adding that it's unclear if other students will face criminal charges or school discipline in connection with the incident.The school is closed Tuesday‚ the News &; Observer said‚ adding that parents whose children need support Tuesday can speak to someone by calling the school at 919-856-2800. Members of the school system’s crisis team and Employee Support and Wellness team will be available to support students and staff members‚ the paper said‚ adding that the date classes will resume hasn't been announced.Police are asking those with information or evidence related to the stabbing to call 919-996-1193‚ the paper said.Wake County Superintendent Robert Taylor and school board chair Lindsay Mahaffey issued a joint statement Monday saying the district will continue to review all its safety processes and protocols to determine what happened and what changes may be needed‚ the News &; Observer said‚ adding that the school doesn't use metal or weapon detectors.The school board’s safety and security committee is meeting Tuesday‚ the paper said‚ adding that the meeting was scheduled before the fatal stabbing. 14-year-old Charged with Murder: Southeast Raleigh High School closed Tuesday after deadly stabbing youtu.be Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Vapes were sold as a way to help those addicted to cigarettes quit. However‚ all they actually did was get a generation of Americans hooked on electronic cigarettes — which aren’t healthy either. Netflix’s “Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul” highlights the multibillion-dollar vape company that caused an epidemic and hence its own downfall. “That was one of these Big Tech start-ups that was in the e-cigarette or vape business and that had a rocket ship of an ascension‚ and it turned out that‚ guess what‚ folks‚ news flash‚ inhaling smoke is not good for your lungs or your body and overall health‚” Steve Kim of Jason Whitlock’s "Fearless" explains. Kim notes that one of the most interesting things about Juul is “that it really used social media influence” in order to make the product go viral. This is where it got dicey. “They paid certain celebrities and influencers to go out there and market this. And it turned out‚ based on the social media craze‚ that it specifically seemed to target‚ unintentionally or intentionally‚ younger kids‚” Kim says. Before vapes there were cigarettes‚ which dealt with the same issue of marketing to children. “I still remember the days of Joe Camel‚ another cartoon character‚ which [was] basically banned because the government stepped in‚” Kim says‚ adding that it’s a little ironic that the government cares so much about the health of children when it comes to smoking — but not when it comes to permanently altering their bodies via “gender-affirming” care. “Isn’t that a little bit strange? Isn’t there a bit of an inconsistency in a sense that we are telling people at certain points ‘my body‚ my choice‚’ except when it comes to this or that?” Kim asks. Want more from Jason Whitlock?To enjoy more fearless conversations at the crossroads of culture‚ faith‚ sports‚ and comedy with Jason Whitlock‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy exposed on Monday the hole in the Biden administration's narrative that the economy is doing great because of President Joe Biden.The number-one issue Americans are concerned about‚ polls show‚ is the economy. Those same polls have shown that the "Bidenomics" message — the Biden administration's attempt to gaslight Americans about the state of the economy — completely flopped with voters. Whatever Biden is trying to sell‚ most Americans aren't buying.At the White House press briefing‚ press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed "the data" shows the economy is "improving" and that "households remain in a strong financial position." And for any economic woes that may exist‚ she blamed Trump for those. — (@) After Jean-Pierre dodged his initial questions and regurgitated her trite narative‚ Doocy finally had enough and confronted her with the facts."Almost three years in office‚ inflation is up over 17% since President Biden came here. And you're saying that’s still Trump's fault?" Doocy asked.Jean-Pierre claimed in response that "inflation is moderating because of the actions that this president has taken‚" forcing Doocy to highlight the significance of her admission."Doesn't that just mean that prices are going up slower?" he observed. "They’re still high."Facts on the table‚ Jean-Pierre tried to deny reality. She claimed "prices are going down‚" pointing to the cost of turkey and gas. She attributed those purported deceases to "the actions that this president has taken."Unfortunately‚ Jean-Pierre did not specify a single action that Biden has taken to drive down prices as she claimed. Additionally‚ the price of turkey has decreased compared to last year‚ but according to the American Farm Bureau Federation‚ a "decrease in avian influenza cases and the resulting recovery in the turkey flock" are responsible for the decease — not anything Biden has done.Meanwhile‚ inflation has improved from its alarming highs last year‚ but it's still above the Federal Reserve's targeted rate of 2%. That means‚ as Doocy pointed out‚ prices are not going down as Jean-Pierre claimed; they are simply going up slower today compared to last year. 11/27/23: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and John Kirby www.youtube.com Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Female competitive powerlifter April Hutchinson was briefly featured in a Canadian museum exhibit entitled‚ "Resilient London: Meet Your Neighbours." The point of the exhibit was to detail how various locals had surmounted obstacles and found joy in achievement. Hutchinson was a natural choice for the exhibit. After all‚ she successfully overcame addiction‚ excelled as a female powerlifter‚ and refused to back down despite an onslaught of attacks from radical activists. However‚ upon realizing that Hutchinson was critical of the invasion of women's sports by middling male athletes‚ Museum London in London‚ Ontario‚ wrote the female athlete out of its history. Although upset by the removal of her feature and the museum's accompanying denunciation‚ Hutchinson told Reduxx she is not backing down in the fight over the integrity of her sport. "I will not lie to myself‚" said Hutchinson. "I will not play charades and I will not give in to delusional thinking." What's the background? Blaze News previously reported that Hutchinson has been critical of transvestites leveraging their biological advantages to take trophies and award money away from real women. One of the more egregious cases that prompted Hutchinson to speak out involved male competitor Anne Andres‚ who destroyed all of his female competitors at the Canadian Powerlifting Union's 2023 Western Canadian Championship with a combined score of 1‚317 pounds — 450 pounds more than the female runner-up. Andres‚ who has only been identifying as a female powerlifter since 2020‚ has placed first in eight out of the 10 competitions he has participated in since January 2020. Hutchinson called Andres' denigration of women and participation in women's powerlifting "disheartening." She noted in a Daily Mail op-ed that her "boyfriend could basically walk in tomorrow‚ identify as female‚ compete‚ and then the next day‚ go back to being a man again. No proof‚ no ID required‚ just basically going on how you feel that day or whatever gender you want to it." Hutchinson figured her union might "com[e] to its senses"; however‚ the Canadian Powerlifting Union‚ acting on a complaint from Andres‚ recently dashed those hopes‚ seeking instead to shut her up. In early October‚ Hutchinson appeared on "Piers Morgan Uncensored‚" telling the titular host the Canadian Powerlifting Union was threatening her with suspension for pointing out a transvestite was indeed a man. — (@) Weeks later‚ Hutchinson indicated on X that she received notice from the CPU indicating she faces a two-year ban for speaking out against "the unfairness of biological males being allowed to taunt female competitors &; loot their winnings." "Apparently‚ I have failed in my gender-role duties as 'supporting actress' in the horror show that is my sport right now‚" wrote Hutchinson. "Naturally‚ the CPU deemed MY written (private) complaint of the male bullying to be 'frivolous and vexatious.'" Hutchinson has indicated she's appealing the suspension. First canceled‚ then erased Days after learning she was facing a multiyear ban from the CPU‚ Hutchinson received a letter from the executive director of the London Museum‚ Julie Bevan‚ indicating her feature was being removed from the months-long exhibit‚ reported Reduxx. — (@) The Nov. 10 letter‚ signed by the museum's executives‚ reportedly indicated the removal was prompted by Hutchinson's media appearances — where she spoke against transvestites competing in women's sports. Bevan's letter further accused Hutchinson of "denying" the existence of "transgender women" and issuing comments harmful to the "2SLGBTQI community." The letter reportedly insinuated that Hutchinson had violated the Ontario Human Rights code‚ noting‚ "Misgendering someone intentionally is a form of discrimination." Hutchinson told Canadian state media‚ "I'm highly disappointed and very hurt. My exhibit was me telling the whole world my personal struggle with alcoholism and how I beat that and I became a Team Canada powerlifter. … It had nothing to do at all with transgenders." "The museum is basically telling women they don't care about us. Our safety or our sports. It's absolutely wrong‚" Hutchinson explained to Reduxx. "I am standing for truth and saying the things that 99% of society thinks. I will not lie to myself. I will not play charades and I will not give in to delusional thinking." Stevie Bees‚ a female transvestite featured in the exhibit‚ celebrated the museum's decision on Meta‚ writing‚ "I am EXTREMELY proud to be on that wall and I also want everyone to know that Trans Women ARE Women! April Hutchinson SHOULD be deplatformed for spouting garbage like this." Museum London's head of marketing‚ Linda O'Connor‚ told Canadian state media‚ "We have no further comment on this. We take seriously our responsibility to uphold our values‚ promote inclusion and ensure dignity for our team‚ our contributors‚ and our audiences." The leftist efforts to cancel Hutchinson do not appear to have shaken her resolve. "Women need and deserve their own sports. The female category has always been protected‚" she said. "Women are fighting back and we will send a strong message: Bodies play sports‚ not identities." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A new study of big tech censorship claimed that online companies such as Google‚ X‚ and Meta had censored President Biden's opponents who are running for the Oval Office 162 times.Topping the list‚ according to NewsBusters‚ were Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and newly independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. The Republican was censored 18 times‚ while RFK Jr. was censored 17 times. These numbers did not include any community notes added to messages on Elon Musk's platform X.Third on the list was Nikki Haley (14)‚ followed by Larry Elder (13) and Donald Trump (nine). President Biden was reportedly censored by big tech platforms seven times‚ as were six other candidates such as Chris Christie and Ron DeSantis.Young Turks host Cenk Uygur was even noted on the list as being censored twice‚ while the Green Party's Jill Stein was hit with one infraction.Nearly every major platform participated in the alleged censorship: Google/YouTube‚ Facebook‚ X‚ Instagram‚ LinkedIn‚ and TikTok all reportedly engaged in at least one act of alleged censorship of at least one candidate. Google was reportedly the worst for this and censored every candidate except for President Biden.This totaled 112 different acts by the search-engine giant.Ramaswamy was censored chiefly by Google‚ which reportedly included not showing his campaign website on the first page of search results. As well‚ Google AI allegedly left him off a list of presidential candidates for 2024 when prompted by researchers.Ramaswamy was also hit by a flurry of context labels for his comments on climate change in YouTube videos. As well‚ LinkedIn temporarily suspended his account in May 2023 for three specific posts that allegedly violated the platform's user agreement. The most censored candidate - for the high crime of stating hard facts about the climate agenda. — (@) Ramaswamy said that "the CCP is playing the Biden administration like a Chinese mandolin" in one of the posts. LinkedIn told Media Research Center that it restored the candidate's access to his account after it took the action "in error."Ramaswamy called it "an intentional act of censorship."The censorship runner-up‚ Kennedy Jr.‚ had seven videos deleted by YouTube for speaking about COVID-19‚ vaccines‚ and the assassination of his father. Google's AI chatbot didn't much care for Kennedy either and allegedly left him off lists of 2024 presidential candidates‚ as well as a list of 2024 specifically Democratic presidential candidates‚ despite the fact that he was polling higher than Governor DeSantis for the former and was second to President Biden in polling for the latter.Also according to the report‚ X applied at least 115 community notes to posts made by 2024 presidential candidates.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

When I met John J. Waters at the Claremont Institute’s Lincoln Fellowship this summer‚ I was dismayed to hear him mention the impending publication of his first novel. I had nothing against the soft-spoken family man from Omaha; it’s just that years of slogging through unimaginative‚ MFA workshop-honed narratives purporting to teach very important lessons about race‚ sex‚ class‚ and the like had soured me on contemporary fiction. In fact‚ in 2009 I publicly resolved that I would never read a novel again.As I spoke to Waters‚ however‚ I began to second-guess my decision. His unusual resume – graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy‚ six years as a Marine in Afghanistan and Iraq‚ law school at the University of Iowa – at least seemed to suggest he’d been working with richer material than the average first-time novelist. Also promising was the revelation that he had no formal training in fiction writing. When I learned we shared an affinity for the writing of John Cheever and other nearly forgotten masters of 20th-century fiction‚ I was sold.In "River City One‚" Waters tackles painful questions about war‚ personal identity‚ coming home‚ and the banality of the everyday‚ while steadfastly resisting the facile answers that characterize so much of today’s fiction.I caught up with the author to talk about learning to listen‚ balancing imagination and memoir‚ and finding escape in “realness” on the eve of the novel’s release by Simon and Schuster’s Permuted Press imprint.Adam Ellwanger: You’re a military guy. Where were you stationed?John Waters: In Iraq and Afghanistan‚ although in the military the question of where you were stationed is just the tip of the iceberg. Just as important are “Who were you with?” and “When were you there?”I went to Afghanistan in February 2011. I was on a division staff. I worked for a general‚ primarily doing all-source intelligence‚ painting a picture of the enemy. I was giving briefings and writing things and working with the general and his staff to ensure he understood what we thought of classified reporting‚ detainee reports‚ files overlaid on Google Earth that pinpointed IED caches‚ enemy bed-down locations‚ and the like. We were synthesizing all of this information into a package or profile‚ something specific enough for people to use. And then‚ over the course of the deployment‚ it became very focused on finding individual people and coming up with ways to kill or capture them.Later‚ I became a scout sniper platoon commander at an infantry battalion. I did that for a year‚ and then I was promoted to the battalion intelligence officer. In 2014‚ I went to Baghdad to the embassy complex and fortified the embassy during a time when ISIS was on the march. They had retaken Mosul. The black flag was flying on the technical pickup trucks running down the roads.In hindsight‚ though‚ we were in Baghdad primarily to protect against Iranian-backed Shia militias in and around the city‚ filling the void left by the departure of American troops and Iraqi security forces in 2011. Then I came home and got out of the military.You began law work after that‚ right?JW: I went to the University of Iowa for law school‚ then went back to my hometown and became a lawyer at a firm in Omaha.One of the things that motivated me to read your book is the fact that on paper you don't seem like a guy who would write one – someone with a background in law and the military. You also don't have an MFA‚ which is a plus in my book. Could you talk just a little bit about how you refined your craft if you didn't have this formal training? How did you learn to write fiction?JW: Watching. Listening. My father's from Brooklyn and Long Island thereafter‚ and his family are Irish-American. They're talking people – very talkative. And when they tell stories‚ they tell the same stories‚ but they get a little different each time. They're good at embellishing and exaggerating‚ and usually their stories are about people and about memory. I grew up listening to them.On the other side‚ my mother is from a farming town in Nebraska‚ four generations back: German-American people‚ country people. And they told stories too. Their stories were about time‚ it seemed: times of life‚ times on the farm‚ movements of land from one family to the next.And so both sides of our family were obsessed with stories. That was also true of my mother in a professional sense; she was a news reporter and an editor. When someone would tell a story and she didn't like it‚ she would not hold back her criticism.Then I majored in English at the Naval Academy. That’s how I found a background in storytelling and writing. I thought about an MFA when I was leaving the Marine Corps‚ but there are so many artists who say you have to invent your own style and your own method. I think that's true.When did you start writing?JW: I made a lot of lists as a kid – lists of goals. I was a guy writing lists about how I was going to defy expectations or how I was going to win something or achieve something or beat someone in tennis. I was a tennis player as a child. So‚ initially‚ writing was a place where I could name my private goals and ambitions. It wasn't a journal. It was things I wanted. Who I wanted to be came through in my writing.Let's get into your novel. It deals with war‚ which haunts the book. But I wouldn’t call it a “war story.” Still‚ there are so many similarities between what I know about your life and what occurs in the book. Your main character is John Walker‚ and your name is John Waters. Like you‚ your main character served in the War on Terror. You set this story in Omaha. You could have set it anywhere‚ but you set it in your hometown.These continuities invite readers to question the genre of your book. Is this a novel? Is it a memoir? An autobiography? How much of Walker’s story is your story?JW: Well‚ it's all my story. It absolutely comes from me: what I've thought‚ remembered‚ dreamed‚ and observed. It comes from what I've imagined. That's me too: what I've seen and then what I've changed. Somebody asked Bob Dylan where he got all of his songs‚ and he said he just listened to old folk songs and then just imagined how they could be continued. That’s similar to the things I’ve written.So it's all me. Is this a memoir? Is this autobiography? Am I recounting things that took place in my life? No. Some of it’s real‚ though. Omaha. Some other details‚ sure. But this is a work of imagination. Now‚ about the name John Walker – that’s true‚ and true life is weird. When I started at the law firm that we talked about‚ people said‚ “You're a funny guy. You know what? You're the new John Walker.” And I said “OK‚ I don't know who that is.” But that stuck with me for a year or more. They assigned me an office like the office in my book – the only office without windows. I opened a drawer in my desk and there was a business card in it that said “John Walker.” This man Walker had moved on from the firm‚ but it started this thing where it was like “OK‚ if I have become whatever my colleagues say I am‚ then am I John Waters or John Walker?”Also‚ the name is restless. Walker and Waters are so similar‚ but they're also so different. Waters is kind of a cool name. It makes me think of the ocean. It makes me think of blue. It makes me think of things that are relaxing and calm and cool. But Walker makes me think of something anxious‚ restless‚ moving. And that's the thumbprint I wanted on this character.Without giving too much away about the book‚ the name “Walker” also hints at the seminal experience from the war that sort of torments this character – walking plays a critical role there‚ and that's fascinating.We have a shared appreciation for Tim O'Brien‚ author of "The Things They Carried‚" "Going After Cacciato‚" and a number of other “fictional” books that closely parallel the author’s real experiences in the Vietnam War. But whenever he’s been asked about the line that divides the real and the imaginary in his work‚ he’s been very coy. What’s your take? Does that line matter in terms of how an audience receives a book like yours?JW: I think it's highly relevant to the quality of what's produced. It's highly relevant to a text’s capacity to capture me intellectually‚ emotionally‚ psychologically. I like O'Brien‚ but not because of the craft. I like O'Brien because it's so dangerous in a way. I like stories where the writer is getting so personal. I feel it's most creative. And I think that you have to be daring. Good writing demands that you be willing to destroy yourself‚ to obliterate a past self or expose yourself: Let it all hang out. So the line between fiction and real life is highly relevant in that regard. That sort of realness is what gets me the escape that I'm looking for in fiction.That’s an interesting contradiction: that it's the realness that gives you the escape. Strange thing to say.JW: I want to read something that makes me feel more alive. I want to see or hear something that makes me feel more alive. And it can happen. It's happened to me at some points – some that led to me writing this thing. And you can feel it transmit through the page when it's right.Well‚ let's talk a little bit about process then. When you and I were talking back in August‚ one of the things that surprised me is that you wrote this book by hand. Why?JW: I was in this battalion called 1/6‚ and our tagline was “1/6 hard” and all the Marines would be like‚ “Yeah …1/6 harder than it has to be!” In the Marine Corps‚ suffering was a virtue‚ and sometimes it’s suffering without a purpose. The hardest school renders the strongest soldier. If I was going to do this‚ it had to be difficult. I wanted it to be challenging. Plus‚ I have a job and I have to type on a computer: clack‚ clack‚ clack‚ clack‚ clack‚ clack‚ clack. You can feel it: It’s automatic‚ and what comes out sounds very proper and professional. It’s not the type of language that's going to move someone. So I hand-wrote it in pencil. I bought little notebooks.I did it late at night after work‚ after I put my kids to bed. Handwritten pages in cursive. And once it was written through‚ maybe in 30 to 45 days – it didn't take too long – I went back and rewrote it in pen‚ reinterpreting the thing. When you have to read your own scribbles and try to figure out what you were saying‚ you're rethinking. That was my purpose‚ I suppose.What happens after the draft in pen?JW: Then the cleaning really begins. Once I got that nice‚ clean draft‚ then I sent it to my wonderful mother‚ the retired editor. But‚ you know‚ there was a moment of reticence: “She's going to see this … is this embarrassing?” But it was time to shut off the embarrassment.There's some spicy stuff in there. As I read it‚ I was thinking‚ “Geez‚ I wonder if John's wife was pissed …”JW: Yes‚ she’s heard it all‚ probably to the point where she doesn't need to read it. But yes. I exposed it to her. She gave me great edits. As I said‚ my mother read and ruthlessly edited the whole thing once. She refuses to go back and take a second look because she's so thorough and detailed the first time.The whole process was probably three years in total.You’ve talked about the exhilaration that good writing can produce. A major reason I stopped reading fiction was that it’s all become so didactic. Contemporary novels always seem to have some stupid lesson that we're supposed to learn. It became so exhausting that I just couldn't read another book that was trying to school me about oppression or injustice.One of the things that fascinated me about your book is that it almost feels anti-didactic. It willfully resists any sort of neat resolution or any attempt to convey “a message‚” whether that's pertaining to war‚ love‚ family life‚ or anything else. What is your sense of the theme of the book (or lack thereof)?JW: One person under pressure. A thin line separating him from tragedy. Despair; trying to deal honestly with a world he doesn't seem to understand. That's the theme.There is no argument. I agree. My book isn't a complaint. I'm not offering any answers. I have characters setting off‚ seeking to achieve something. They find themselves derailed‚ challenged in ways they're not prepared to navigate. That fascinates me. And of course‚ when we start talking about a man entering middle age with lofty ideas about how his life should unfold and finding those ideas crashing back into reality and making a mess‚ I'm thinking of John Cheever‚ John O'Hara‚ Richard Yates. Novelists who may be maligned today but who were popular and dominated the 1950s and ‘60s. They captured something about the American experience that persists today‚ even if their work isn’t so popular at the moment.You’ve said your main character is trying to purge some trauma and put the past to bed. I suspect you hoped that writing the book would play the same function for you. So‚ two questions: First‚ is that an accurate thing to say? And secondly‚ if that is an accurate assessment‚ did you succeed in that capacity?JW: Yes‚ and yes. I have a strong relationship with the past. I'm a nostalgic person by nature‚ whether it's for the military‚ or tennis‚ or childhood friends. I don't lose names or people. I keep hearing their voices and things they have said to me. I keep waiting for them to come back around. But as you get older‚ certain paths close down. Adam‚ you've mentioned that a part of aging is seeing options just dissolve or evaporate. That's difficult for me.I have a very intimate relationship with my memory‚ and the military served a big part of that for me. I needed to get past the military — and not because I was traumatized. My experience was one of achievement‚ one of pride‚ one of accomplishment. And when that was over‚ I felt nostalgic for who I had been in that time and place. I needed to get beyond that. You create the thing to expiate that experience‚ get it out in front and look at it. Does the book serve that role for me? Yes‚ I feel somewhat like that. I’m over it now. It's exciting to see the book come out and to talk about it‚ but it's also sort of like‚ “What next?”I think that we see that in John Walker‚ too: He seems kind of stalled‚ and he thirsts for a new direction that doesn't seem to present itself.JW: I was talking just recently to a classics professor about coming home from war‚ and I asked‚ “Is it possible?”She said‚ “Well‚ it's considered in the Homeric poems‚ but it's not answered.” And she went on to discuss Achilles. He has a choice‚ but he chooses not to go home. He chooses to fight and die in Troy. Odysseus also has an interesting journey because when he comes home and kills the suitors‚ he is reunited with Penelope and his son Telemachus. And many people want the story to stop there‚ but it doesn't. He keeps killing until Athena stops him. Why does the story end unhappily? We love happy endings‚ but Tennyson picked up this thread in his poem “Ulysses”: It ends by calling us “to strive‚ to seek‚ to find‚ and not to yield.” That's the nature of some people‚ and they have to grapple with how their nature might conflict with what they think they want to do.So is this book a one-off for you‚ or is it the first of many John Waters novels?JW: I recently talked to another Army veteran who's written about war and he was like‚ “Enjoy this one because it's always about the next one.” I understand what he's saying‚ but I don't want it to be like that. I've got to live a little bit more to have something new to say. My life doesn't move so fast that I’m “on to the next one.” I don't want to write something new unless I really have something to say. The seedling will crack the surface when it’s ready."River City One" is available now from booksellers everywhere.

An artificial intelligence firm may give millions of Americans' genetic data to the Chinese government‚ two intel officials warned‚ according to a Monday report from the New York Times.G42‚ a technology company based in Abu Dhabi‚ claims that AI is a "powerful force for good" that will be a "complement and enhancer to humanity‚" according to its website. It states that the firm offers cloud computing‚ data centers‚ and AI research.The company‚ headed by CEO Peng Xiao‚ has worked with AstraZeneca‚ OpenAI‚ Dell Technologies‚ and Huawei. G42 also purchased $100 million of shares in ByteDance‚ the Chinese parent company of TikTok.In June‚ National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates warned the White House that G42 appeared to be hiding the extent of its work with China‚ the Times reported. At the time‚ the Biden administration pushed for the AI firm to cut ties with the Chinese companies and even reportedly weighed issuing sanctions against G42‚ the outlet stated.The CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies have expressed concerns about the tech firm's partnerships with Chinese companies. Officials sounded the alarm that G42 may be providing the foreign companies or the Chinese government with millions of Americans' genetic data‚ according to intelligence reports‚ two officials told the Times.According to the intel officials‚ the CIA compiled a classified profile on Xiao‚ but the document's conclusions are unclear. The Times noted that it is also unclear whether U.S. officials have shared their concerns regarding the AI firm with the American companies that have partnered with it. The outlet reported that G42 is at the center of the AI arms race between the United States and China.The CIA has flagged some concerns regarding the firm‚ such as G42's "stack‚" or technology infrastructure‚ being built with assistance from Chinese-based companies. Kathleen Waters‚ a deputy spokeswoman for the National Security Council‚ told the Times that the Emirates is an "important partner." Waters further noted that U.S. officials have communicated with Emirates and others regarding their "strong concerns about the [People's Republic of China] seeking military and intelligence advantages through the acquisition of sensitive U.S. technologies and data‚ which the Biden administration is determined to protect.""This will continue to be a focus of intensive engagement with the U.A.E. and many other countries‚ and we welcome progress to date‚" Waters said.In a statement to the Times‚ Talal Al Kaissi‚ a G42 senior executive‚ said the company has partnered "with various international technology players from around the world." He stated that the firm began talks with Microsoft last year to replace its stack. Al Kaissi said that G42 "remain[s] in full compliance" with U.S. government regulations and that it is "partnering with leading companies and institutions with shared values and developing responsible A.I. solutions."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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