A football player made a self-help book the hottest seller in the country. The player is A.J. Brown, of the Philadelphia Eagles. The book is Inner Excellence, by Jim Murphy. Brown was spotted reading the book on the sideline during a playoff game.

Suddenly, everyone had to read Inner Excellence. For a news story, go here. And check this out:

I had a memory of President George W. Bush, in 2002. He made sure he was seen holding a copy of Eliot A. Cohen’s new book, Supreme Command. I mentioned this to Bush years later, when I interviewed him in 2016. With a chuckle, he said, “It’s amazing. Kind of a non-commissioned agent.” He added, “I think I helped The Aquariums of Pyongyang as well.”

Yes. That is a memoir by Kang Chol-hwan about the North Korean gulag.

Another book that Bush put in a word for, or several words: The Case for Democracy, by Natan Sharansky.

People who are famous and influential have the opportunity to do lots of things. They can promote books they think ought to be read. That must be very, very satisfying.

• The opening paragraph of a report from the Associated Press:

Despite failing to deliver his promise for broad student loan forgiveness, President Joe Biden has now overseen the cancellation of student loans for more than 5 million Americans — more than any other president in U.S. history.

Caesarism is a great temptation, for both Left and Right. I think people prefer Caesarism to constitutionalism — in all times and places. As long as the Caesarism goes their way. If it doesn’t: well, then, constitutionalism sounds all right.

Liberal democracy is a rare, almost freaky thing. Contra naturam, you could say. Truly experimental — as in the once-familiar phrase “the American experiment.”

• A headline from the AP: “Incoming Trump team is questioning civil servants at National Security Council about their loyalty” (article here). I wonder: loyalty to whom? and to what?

People in our government, from the president on down, swear an oath to the Constitution. To the rule of law. Not to a person, not even to electoral majorities, or pluralities.

Mike Pence understood this on January 6, 2021. Much to the displeasure of President Trump, and many of his howling supporters. Is Trump now rid of turbulent constitutionalists?

• After 2016, many Americans started calling themselves “nationalists.” I question their credentials. Many of them are completely unsympathetic to the Ukrainians, if not outright hostile to them. The Ukrainians are engaged in a great national struggle: trying to save their country from destruction and subjugation. Defending their very right to exist.

You often hear more sympathy for Putin and the Kremlin and their attempt to rebuild the Russian and Soviet empire than you do for their targets and victims.

By rights, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, should be a nationalist hero. Often, however, he is a villain, in the eyes of American and other Western “nationalists.”

Our nationalists can sound rather imperialist, can’t they? Donald Trump has refused to say he would not use military force to take Greenland and the Panama Canal. (To read about this, go here.) Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous territory, is an ally of ours. So is Panama. So is Canada — which Trump trolls as “the 51st state.”

(Nationalists ought to recognize that people in other countries have patriotism too.)

Apparently, the rule is: belligerence toward our friends, tenderness toward our enemies, or some of them.

“The United States of America,” wrote Trump, “feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.” This could be very useful to Putin. And to Xi Jinping.

Putin might say, “Look, we, too, feel that the ownership and control of Ukraine is an absolute necessity.” He might say that to his public, and to the world at large. Xi Jinping might say, “Look, we, too, feel that the ownership and control of Taiwan is an absolute necessity.” He can say that to his fellow Chinese, and to the broader world.

“But those are completely different cases!” you might claim. Be realistic, however: Talk such as Trump’s could be very useful to those expansionist, rapacious tyrants.

If it weren’t for the tribal imperative, every Republican would recognize this.

• You can criticize California governor Gavin Newsom without calling him “Newscum” — that is, unless you’re Donald Trump, the leader of the Republican Party and the American Right, soon to be president once again.

Trump has normalized this. Normalized such talk and behavior. Millions of young people think this is how conservatives are supposed to talk and behave. Otherwise, you’re not a real conservative.

This will have long-lasting effects, and bad ones.

A previous generation had Bill Buckley, Ronald Reagan, Milton Friedman, Tom Sowell, and so on. They left a permanent stamp on us. I have no doubt that Trump, Elon Musk, Catturd, TPUSA, and the rest are leaving a stamp on young people today. I have seen it, firsthand.

Influences matter.

• A friend of mine often laughs (not mockingly) when I speak of “civilization.” “This is civilized,” I will say. “This is uncivilized.” I believe that Starbucks is re-civilizing itself.

(You recall Huck Finn: “Aunt Sally, she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it.”)

A news report says,

If you want to hang out or use the restroom at Starbucks, you’re going to have to buy something.
Starbucks on Monday said it was reversing a policy that invited everyone into its stores. A new code of conduct — which will be posted in all company-owned North American stores — also bans discrimination or harassment, consumption of outside alcohol, smoking, vaping, drug use and panhandling.

A company spokesman said, “We want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable in our stores. By setting clear expectations for behavior and use of our spaces, we can create a better environment for everyone.”

Let Starbucks, indeed, re-civilize itself.

Several years ago, a reader of mine said, “The Starbucks in my neighborhood has become essentially a homeless shelter — and an aggressive one. We ought to have homeless shelters — good ones. But Starbucks should be a coffee shop.”

Yes.

• A headline: “No pants? No problem. London subway riders bare their legs to brighten a gray winter day.” (Article here.) British people are some of the most traditional people on earth and some of the quirkiest. I do love them.

• Another headline: “Pope Francis baptizes 21 babies in an annual ceremony at the Sistine Chapel.” (Article here.) What a classy baptismal joint.

• Jean-Marie Le Pen has died — a detail of history?

(“I’m not saying the gas chambers didn’t exist,” Le Pen said in 1987. “I haven’t seen them myself.” Ah. “I haven’t particularly studied the question.” No. “But I believe it’s just a detail in the history of World War II.”)

(I believe that Le Pen-ism may triumph in France yet.)

• Headline: “Paul Oreffice, a Combative Chief of Dow Chemical, Dies at 97.” Obit here. We learn that he pronounced his name “like orifice.” Oh, dear. That’s too bad.

The deceased was born in Venice, in 1927. He had a classic Jewish name: “Goldsmith” (which in Italian is “Oreffice,” a lovely name, whose pronunciation is a far cry from “orifice”). In America, I might have changed my name to “Goldsmith.” Or something entirely different.

But, what the hell, we each get to live our own life and make our own choices.

• “Charles Person, Youngest of the Original Freedom Riders, Dies at 82.” Obit here. They were incredibly brave, these people. And incredibly important. Many details from the obit stood out to me, including this one: Doctors were reluctant to treat the beaten and bloodied, “for fear of retribution.”

All of us Americans owe the Freedom Riders a lot. They helped redeem the promises of our Declaration.

• I have a lot of music to throw at you — concert and opera reviews:

The pianist Igor Levit in recital at Carnegie Hall.

La bohème at the Metropolitan Opera.

Tosca, also at the Met.

A New York Philharmonic concert, led by Daniele Rustioni, with Joshua Bell, violin soloist.

Another Phil concert, this one led by Kevin John Edusei, with Isabel Leonard, mezzo-soprano.

That oughtta hold you.

• A little language: Do you prefer “oughta” or “oughtta”? Good writers use both. (The 1934 pop song is titled “You Oughta Be in Pictures.”)

• A friend of mine posted this — yikes, man:

• I saw a sign that said, “Sworn to fun, loyal to none.” I have known many people — both men and women — who have lived like that. A modern credo.

• This sign, at Converse University, in Spartanburg, S.C., I very much liked:

• Hmmm — I’ll have to think about this one . . .

Thank you for joining me, my friends, and catch you soon.

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