Rip’s Newsletter
September 2, 2026
Compiled and Edited
by
Jim Reynolds
Articles in This Issue
Victor Davis Hanson - Progressive Regression and the New Medievalism
Josh Hammer - Clarence Thomas Played the Long Game
Andrea Picciotti-Bayer - Massachusetts Court: Town Can’t Build Statues Of Christian Heroes
Jim Reynolds - The Retreat From Net Zero, Part I
Overview
Today’s set keeps circling the same fault line: whether our institutions are restoring order and common sense, or accelerating a slow unraveling.
I see a sharp contrast between the long conservative project of reshaping the courts and the immediate failures of governance that show up in crime, borders, public health, and civic decay.
There’s also a growing backlash against elite certainties, from net zero planning to legal and cultural rulings that seem increasingly detached from ordinary life.
Underneath it all is a broader argument about whether modern progress is actually producing stability, or just a more polished version of disorder.
Note: American Thinker sometimes asks you to “View ad to continue”. Hit the button then close the pre-ad. AT articles are generally worth the extra fuss. Get ready for another “Catch of the Day” on Thursday. One subject, many viewpoints.
Progressive Regression and the New Medievalism
By: Victor Davis Hanson American Greatness
Date: 2026-09-01 · Words: 2,058
The essay argues the modern West increasingly resembles medieval disorder despite advanced technology.
Urban filth, crime, disease, and border chaos are framed as avoidable policy failures.
Progressive ideology is blamed for excusing lawlessness while punishing the law-abiding.
Hanson contrasts elite regulation with tolerance for homelessness, feces, drugs, and violence.
He warns that moral narcissism and utopian politics are driving civilizational regression.
This story matters because it argues Western decline is not inevitable, but a choice shaped by ideology and governance.
🅱️ Hanson isn’t just writing an essay; he’s reading a death certificate for the modern era. He connects the high-tech lab to the street-level filth with a precision that makes the ‘progress’ crowd look like they’re playing in a sandbox. It’s a heavy read, but it hits the nail on the head: we’ve built cathedrals of tech only to live like we’re in the dark ages.
Reader Experience Minor clutter but easy reading.
Read the full original article here
Clarence Thomas Played the Long Game
By: Josh Hammer FrontPage Magazine
Date: 2026-08-31 · Words: 875
Josh Hammer argues Clarence Thomas has won the long game on the Supreme Court.
Thomas helped shift legal culture toward textualism and originalism over legislative intent.
Conservative victories now span religious liberty, abortion, guns, affirmative action, and administration.
His personal kindness and humility make him unusually effective inside the Court.
Hammer says Thomas remains the originalist anchor, with more landmark cases ahead.
Thomas matters because he transformed constitutional interpretation and still shapes the Court’s biggest battles.
🅱️ A solid victory lap that turns a legal history lesson into a character study. It reminds us that while the activists were busy chasing headlines, the real work was being done in the quiet corners of the law. It’s a reminder that patience usually beats the mob.
Reader Experience Moderate ads and interruptions.
Read the full original article here
Massachusetts Court: Town Can’t Build Statues Of Christian Heroes
By: Andrea Picciotti-Bayer The Federalist
Date: 2026-09-01 · Words: 1,000
Massachusetts’ highest court blocked Quincy’s planned statues of St. Michael and St. Florian.
The city spent $850,000 honoring police and firefighters with patron saints.
The court said the statues could imply government support for Catholicism.
Critics say the ruling revives discredited Lemon-style hostility toward religion.
The decision could threaten public commemorations of religious figures nationwide.
This case could reshape how cities honor religious heritage in public spaces.
🅱️ A sharp autopsy of a court trying to legislate the soul out of the public square. It lays out the legal trap clearly, but it’s the warning about the ‘sterility’ of the future that really sticks to your ribs.
Reader Experience Minor clutter but easy reading.
Read the full original article here
The Retreat From Net Zero, Part I
By: Jim Reynolds www.reynolds.com
Date: 2026-09-02 · Words: 1,742
Net Zero assumed decades-ahead forecasts could reliably redesign industrial energy systems.
The article argues politicians turned uncertain predictions into binding law and policy.
Interim 2050 promises are collapsing as real costs, technologies, and demand emerge.
Subsidies and mandates distorted markets, steering capital toward politically favored technologies.
Germany’s energy choices show how reduced resilience and higher costs hit industry hard.
Net Zero is unraveling because reality is exposing the costs, assumptions, and competitive risks policymakers ignored.
🅱️ This isn’t a lecture; it’s an autopsy of a bad idea. It pulls the mask off the ‘virtue on layaway’ scheme and shows exactly who’s left holding the empty bag. Sharp, sober, and hits right where the money meets the reality.
Reader Experience Clean Substack. No ads. Fast loading.
Read the full original article here
You may also be interested in the following selected stories:
Cyber’s New Problem: Robots Are Finding Bugs Faster Than We Can Fix Them — Julio Rivera, American Greatness
Politicians need to stop holding press conferences every time someone dies of measles — Alex Berenson, alexberenson.substack.com
☕️ AESTHETIC INJURIES ☙ Tuesday, September 1, 2026 ☙ C&C NEWS 🦠 — Jeff Childers, www.coffeeandcovid.com
The Staggering Financial Cost of 9/11 — Robert VerBruggen, City Journal
Pandering to Predation — Lars Moller, American Thinker
The Iran War And The Problem Of Victory — Diane Parker, American Thinker
The One-Way Social Contract — Michael Smith Contributor, The Patriot Post
Freedm of Religion now threatened by State Courts? PLease take notice of this issue and the ones now pushing for restrictions?