by Jonathan Reisman

Maine and the country are divided — on Trump, gender, capitalism, freedom, and the fundamental understanding of those terms. Division in a polity with a healthy respect for freedom of speech can be productive, if uncomfortable. Division in a polity with a growing tolerance and acceptance of political violence is a prescription for disaster. Maine and the country look more like the latter to me.

Analysis by Jon Reisman

Maine is a largely rural state, but that rurality is not distributed evenly across the State or by Congressional District (CD). Rural demographics differences include being poorer, older, more spread out (lower population density), more agrarian, and more Republican. Maine’s Congressional districts both contain significant rural/non- metro areas, but the 2nd CD is decidedly more rural, with associated demographics. 

by Jonathan Reisman

Sullivan oyster farmer and Democratic socialist Graham Platner is running for the Democratic nomination to challenge Senator Collins. He has money ($3.4 million in “small” donations claimed, no breakdown of in-state vs. out-of-state offered), energy, charisma, youth (born 1984), veteran status (100% disabled, three tours in Iraq as a Marine, one tour in Afghanistan in the Army), digital chops, and fire in his belly. He held a town hall in Calais on Oct. 6, and I left believing him to be the likely Democratic nominee.

by Jonathan Reisman

Riots Versus Revivals

When career criminal and fentanyl-infused George Floyd died in police custody, the left’s response was months of violence, arson, riots, and grievances. When conservative evangelist and faith-infused Charlie Kirk was assassinated, his political brethren responded with a revival and forgiveness.

by Jonathan Reisman

August brought my 69th birthday and big personal, political, and policy challenges which shocked and shattered my retired widower/curmudgeon existence. My initial reaction to the personal challenges was a hiatus from Freedom Studies, as I was pretty upset and not thinking or writing clearly. When Charlie Kirk was assassinated, my depression deepened. 

by Jonathan Reisman

“Don’t it always seem to go,

That you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone?”

-- Joni Mitchell (Big Yellow Taxi)

Freedom Studies is going on hiatus while I ponder Joni Mitchell’s lyrics on my 69th birthday,

Including:

“I’ve looked at life from both sides now,

From up and down, and still somehow

It’s life’s illusions, I recall

I really don’t know life at all.”

-- Joni Mitchell (Both Sides Now)

by Jonathan Reisman

by Jonathan Reisman

Increasing encounters and concerns with Artificial Intelligence, robots, challenges to prove my humanity/not-a-robot, and the Trump administration’s decision to challenge the 2009 Obama era “Endangerment finding” that is the basis and foundation for our flawed, opaque, dishonest, and ultimately ineffective climate policy regulation of greenhouse gases, led me to a Baby Boomer-centric memory/meme from the 1960s sci-fi TV series “Lost in Space.”

by Jonathan Reisman

Economists were invented to make weather forecasters and astrologers look good.

An economist is a trained professional paid to guess wrong about the economy.

How many economists are needed to run a country? It doesn't matter, because nobody listens to them.

What do you get when you cross an economist with a Mafia godfather? An offer you can’t understand.

by Jonathan Reisman

The increasingly likely prospect that the voters of New York City will select Zohran Mamdani as mayor has left me appalled but not really surprised. Nominating an openly antisemitic communist is at least an honest move by the Democratic Party, and perhaps it follows the sage advice of AOC (top House Democratic fundraiser) and “JC” (Jasmine Crockett) for “authenticity.”