A report in the New York Times said a lot about science and politics — and the effect of the latter on the former. The gist: In a study, a doctor and her team found that puberty blockers do not improve the mental health of children with “gender distress,” to use a going phrase. They have declined to publish the study, however, out of fear that opponents of puberty blockers will use it for their own ends.
“I do not want our work to be weaponized,” said the doctor. “It has to be exactly on point, clear, and concise. And that takes time.”
Fair enough. But if the study had found that puberty blockers do indeed improve mental health, would the study still be unpublished?
For the Times’s report, go here. It is revelatory and important, even if it is unsurprising.
In Britain, a woman named J. K. Rowling summarized the attitude of the blockers — of those who are blocking the study on puberty blockers:
We must not publish a study that says we’re harming children because people who say we’re harming children will use the study as evidence that we’re harming children, which might make it difficult for us to continue harming children.
She has a way with words, this lady. She should consider going into writing.
• A colleague of mine sent me a note, reminding me of a National Review cover package many years ago. Early 2000s. Bill Buckley wrote an article on the “mainstreaming” of pornography, especially child or adolescent pornography. I wrote an accompanying article, discussing some of the ways in which people were trying to combat this scourge.
My Googling skills aren’t good enough to find these articles. But here is a column by Bill, published in June 2001. It is about an Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue. It was this catalogue — its porniness — that spurred Bill’s larger piece and the NR cover package.
Why was my colleague reminding me of all this? Here is a news article from last week:
Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries, his romantic partner, and a third man were arrested Tuesday on charges of luring men into drug-laced, outlandish, and coercive sex parties by dangling the promise of modeling for the retailer’s once-defining beefcake ads.
For almost 20 years, Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith, and their employee James Jacobson used Jeffries’ status, wealth, and a web of household staffers to fulfill the couple’s sexual desires and keep it all secret, according to a federal indictment.
Unsurprising and damnable, in equal measure.
• The above makes a person’s blood boil. Long ago, I read a statement that went something like, “Every now and then, you should read a book that really makes your blood boil.” The same applies to articles, I suppose.
Here is another: “How elderly dementia patients are unwittingly fueling political campaigns.” The subheading: “A CNN investigation reveals how deceptive political fundraising has misled elderly Americans into giving away millions of dollars.”
This is detailed and appalling stuff, and great credit is due the investigative team.
• As you know, John Kelly has been speaking out about Donald Trump. He was one of Trump’s chiefs of staff in the White House. He had also been homeland-security secretary. As a news article tells us, Kelly said that, “in his opinion, Mr. Trump met the definition of a fascist, would govern like a dictator if allowed, and had no understanding of the Constitution or the concept of rule of law.”
A different article says, “More than a dozen former Trump administration officials on Friday came out in support of former chief of staff John Kelly.” John Bolton, one of Trump’s national-security advisers, said that you could take Kelly’s word “to the bank.”
Others, such as Senator Marco Rubio, called Kelly a liar.
Kelly is a retired Marine Corps general with an impressive record. He is an impressive man. He has been through hard things. (Not least, one of his sons was killed in the Afghan war.) He is a serious man who weighs his words carefully. He was not eager but reluctant to speak against Trump.
I admire him. And I think the snorting at him and his testimony is — well, again, I admire Kelly.
In June 2016, shortly before the Republican Party nominated Trump for the first time (of three, so far), I wrote a piece called “The F-Word: Donald Trump and concerns about fascism.” I re-read it a few days ago. Some may find it interesting: here.
Speaking personally, I have been called a “fascist” all of my life — or at least since I adopted Reaganite views, in college. “Fascist” can be a knee-jerk and mindless epithet (as Orwell famously observed). But a word misapplied is not a word without meaning. And if the shoe fits?
I have also been called a “racist,” over and over. Practically any conservative has. But a thousand, a million, false accusations of racism does not mean that there aren’t racists in the world. Mature people recognize this.
Still, the abusers and cheapeners of such words — “racist,” “fascist” — have a lot to answer for.
• I would like to give you a slice of George Weigel, then make a comment. Here’s George:
Pizza in the Eternal City tends to exemplify a proposition I have long defended: What crossed the Atlantic going west was usually improved in the process. I like Roman pizza, as I like Rome, but I like New York pizza, Chicago pizza, Detroit pizza, and just about every other variant of American pizza — Hawaiian excepted — more.
I have had Greek food in Greece, lots of it. I have had Indian food in India, lots of it. I could go on, to other countries, other cuisines. And the restaurants in America — Greek, Indian, etc. — well, George Weigel makes a good point.
• America is a funny country, not least when it comes to race. Periodically, you read stories about white people pretending to be black people. Do you read stories about the reverse? I read fewer.
In any event, this was interesting:
“Black Insurrectionist,” the anonymous social-media persona behind some of the most widely circulated conspiracy theories about the 2024 election, can be traced to a man from upstate New York.
He’s also white.
You could almost have bet on it. Foreigners must be so confused by us, as we often are about them.
• By now, you have probably read your fair share — more than your fair share — about Sunday’s Trump rally at Madison Square Garden (New York). Everything MAGA was on display. The MSG rally was an encapsulation of all things MAGA.
There is one thing I appreciate about MAGA, as a movement. In the main, they’re not sneaky. They’re not furtive. They let it all hang out. What you see is what you get.
The voter votes with his eyes wide open.
To the rally, there have been various reactions, of course. What delights some, appalls others. George F. Will recalled something in a podcast with me the other day. Campaigning for president in 1968, George Wallace said, “Hell, we got too much dignity in government now, what we need is some meanness.” The Wallace spirit is in the ascendant.
In late October 2002, Senator Paul Wellstone (D., Minn.) died. He was running for reelection. He was replaced as his party’s nominee by Walter Mondale, the former vice president (and senator). There was a memorial event for Wellstone which turned into a political rally — a sharply partisan one. The public was repulsed. The rally sank Mondale’s chances.
Will the Madison Square Garden rally have a similar effect? Not on your life (say I).
That rally showcased a host of isms — “old” isms, you mighty say. But they are not really old. They simply wax and wane, in popularity.
America’s fate is in Americans’ hands. “Here, the people rule,” for better or worse.
• Regardless, Lee Trevino will be lovin’ life, I think — as he long has. Quoted in this article, he describes his day:
I go to the golf course seven days a week. I get there about 10. I’ll chip a little bit, putt a little bit. I’ll hit five balls with each club in my bag, then I’ll go home. I usually get home about 11:30. So I’ve got the whole day to do nothing, that’s the whole thing.
Later, y’all. Thanks.
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