My, Isn't that Jury Grand  Dear Reader, Happy Weekend fellow conservatives, and wannabes. Join us! Leave the Dark Side of the Force and walk to the light. No, not that light! Now, below you'll find worthwhile links to groovy things mostly located on NRO, and at the sites of some of our friends. And you'll find a deal or two on NR books. But before we huckster, let's consider the offerings from your favorite website. Four Editorials 1. After a long absence, taking on campus affirmative action is back on the political radar. And NR has a strong editorial high-fiving the Justice Department. I encourage you to read the entire thing, but I'll share this cool last line: There is more at work here than white resentment, and more at stake than the deans' ability to luxuriate in the warm bath of their own sanctimony. 2. Urging the Trump administration to do more than level sanctions against the brutal leftist Maduro regime in Venezuela. From the editorial: The aim is to help Venezuelans secure for themselves a government that is stable, democratic, and humane. The alternative is to passively watch Venezuela's decline from police state to failed state -- and we will not be the only ones watching: Spectators ranging from Raúl Castro in Cuba to opportunistic jihadists have an interest in Venezuela. So does the United States, and we should act on it. 3. Then NRO leveled a harsh critique of the Senate health-care bill fiasco, which said "the legislation for which Republican leaders asked their conference to vote was so unpalatable, and the process so objectionable," that one could hardly blame John McCain for his notorious vote. 4. And in what seems like ancient news, NR stood by tweet-stormed Jeff Sessions and thundered The President Is Treating His Attorney General Shamefully. NR Ear Candy Given the relentless craziness on America's political scene, I'm thinking The Editors might need to broadcast daily. Wishful thinking! Anyway, the exciting new episode stars Rich Lowry, Ian Tuttle, Michael BD, and Reihan Salam, who en masse look at political four-letter vulgarity, quotas, and much more. Jay Nordlinger talks with Heather Mac Donald about her attempts to speak at Claremont and much more in the new episode of his terrific QandA podcast. There's a hot new episode of The Liberty Files: David French talks with Young America's Foundation members about campus-based assaults (and threats and reprisals and censorship) seeking to suppress free speech. Listen up here. Sit out in the noon day sun and listen to the new episode of Mad Dogs and Englishmen, as Charlie Cooke and Kevin Williamson discuss immigration and affirmative action. Two low-key issues those! Every day is a Three Martini Lunch day, so there's gallons of Jim Geraghty wisdom to chug at NRO. Here are two glasses (with olives): on Monday Jim was all about Bye Bye Scaramucci, and on Tuesday he was all over the Chris Wray confirmation. While we are talking about listening, the following is not an NRO thing, but so what: Check out and get motivated by my friend Helen Krieble's inspiring Liberty Minutes. Also, as this missive will likely arrive after The Larry Kudlow Show airs live (as it does every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), be comforted by this fact: You can always check out some of the recent great interviews Larry has had at the program's podcast page. Eye Candy David French takes a turn on one of those smart Prager U videos, in his case talking about the Left's sneaky and malicious assault on free speech, under the cloak of "transparency." You can watch it here. And learn even more here: Over at The Philanthropy Roundtable, Seth Parnell has penned an impressive major report on Philanthropic Freedom, Anonymity, and the First Amendment. Six Random NRO Articles for Your Enjoyment and Education 1. Is there ever a bad Andy McCarthy piece? Nope. This one -- Why Doesn't Trump Just Unmask the Unmasking? -- is worth your time. It begins: I wonder. I've watched the story closely but I haven't written about it for a while because I can't get past a nagging question: Why must we speculate about whether the Obama administration abusively exploited its foreign-intelligence-collection powers in order to spy on Donald Trump's political campaign? After all, Trump is president now. If he was victimized, he's in a position to tell us all about it. 2. More Andy: It's a requirement for all to read Mueller's Grand Jury: What It Means. 3. Assessing The Mooch, and looking through "the ramshackle nature of the White House," and seeing the good done by the Trump administration -- that and more is to be found in this typically artful piece by Conrad Black. 4. What the hell is going on with the NAACP's Vendetta Against Charter Schools? Max Eden explains. 5. Michael Auslin reflects on The Last Great American Western as it turns 25 -- Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. From the piece: The end of history was not supposed to be this way. It was thought that our Cold War triumph would usher in a golden age of opportunity, prosperity, and peace. What makes Unforgiven so prescient -- and so sad to watch at this late date -- is that it forces us to confront a profoundly disquieting idea: Sometimes in life, there are no heroes, no spots of refuge or compassionate respite. 6. Get a Job, Get a Life: Our pals at The Foundation for Government Accountability have released an important new study, "Work Requirements Are Working for Kansas Families," which finds that "adults with children who left the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program have higher incomes and are better off than they were before gaining their independence." Josh Archambault explains it all on NRO. Six Pieces from Our Journalism Friends 1. Can you believe a college would ban a 9/11 Memorial? Sure you can! The College Fix's Kayla Schierbecker files this maddening report that Southern Methodist University in Texas has kyboshed one, lest special snowflakes get "triggered." And there is even an anti-pro-life angle to this madness. 2. And what the heck is in the water down there? The College Fix's Rebecca Downs reports that University of Texas at Austin is calling for the embracing of "fluid sexuality." Thankfully, it's not that kind of fluid. 3. Over at Gatestone Institute, my pal Ruthie Blum pens a very troubling analysis: "Britain: A Summer of Anti-Semitism." It ain't pretty. 4. It's hard to resist a piece with this line: "we realized just how onerous the legal process to remove a homeless man's trash pile can be." Allison Lee Pillinger looks at Manhattan's mean and dirty streets over at City Journal. 5. David Seidemann explains CUNY's Love Affair with Violent Radicals over at the must-read Minding the Campus. 6. At Ballotpedia, Scott Rasmussen reports that "between January 2015 and March 2016, the IRS rehired 213 workers who left because of significant misconduct issues. This reflects roughly 10 percent of all the former employees rehired during this time." Hello media. Hello!! Anyone there??!! Buckley Gala Our friends at National Review Institute want you to be a sponsor of the upcoming William F. Buckley Jr. Prize Dinner. So do I. It will take place in NYC on October 25th (Tom Wolfe, the great novelist and friend of WFB, will be honored, among others). Be there. Check Your Local Listings This Sunday, Ramesh Ponnuru will be on ABC's This Week, and Rich Lowry will be on Fox News Sunday. National Pastimery The 1967 Chicago White Sox came in 4th place in the AL, but a mere 3 games behind the Red Sox. It was a humdinger of a pennant race. Anyway, I stumbled over the roster this week and noticed they had a quartet of pitchers who proved to have very long careers: the crazy-durable rubber-armed Wilbur Wood (17 seasons), Don McMahon (18 seasons), Tommy John, (26 seasons, and who else has a surgery named after him?), and Hoyt Wilhelm (21 seasons, he started as a rookie for the New York Giants at the tender age of 29). As for Hoyt: The Hall-of-Famer, then a minor leaguer (playing for the Class D Mooresville Moors), served in the Army in Europe in World War 2, was awarded a Purple Heart, and pitched his entire career with German shrapnel in his back. By 1972, at the age of 49 and still hurling his knuckleball, Wilhelm may have been the last WW2 vet to take the field (if I am wrong email me at jfowler@nationalreview.com). For a bunch of reasons, you gotta love the guy. That about does it. Be nice to the kids and the dog. If you don't have a dog, get one. Tip generously. Don't leave the cup in the sink for someone else to wash. Fly your flag. Check up on an elderly neighbor. Root for the Yankees. Catch you next Saturday. Best, Jack Fowler P.S.: I almost forgot to sell! The late Priscilla Buckley wrote a beautiful memoir, Living It Up at National Review. We're moving our offices next month and in the prep work came across a box of these beautiful hardcovers. Would you like a copy? It's only $15, including the shipping. Order here. We also discovered a box of pristine paperback copies of Bill Buckley's acclaimed novel, Brothers No More. It's a terrific read. You can have one for $12, which also includes shipping. Order here. One last thing! My good pals Dick Morris and fellow Bronx paysan Eileen McGann have written a new book, Rogue Spooks: The Intelligence War on Donald Trump, which is out on August 15 (although you can use the preceding link to order a copy via Amazon). The premise is this: "A clandestine war is being waged against the Trump administration by rogue elements of the intelligence community, with the collusion of the media and liberal establishment. It amounts to an intelligence coup against the Trump presidency." I'd tell you more, but then I'd spoil the book. Get it. | 
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