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I finally joined Shrewdm, though I’ve been a long time reader of this and the previous Fool boards.

In the new Fool incarnation, there is more censorship, sometimes inconsistent or inscrutable.

I hope I don’t offend anyone here if I post what was censored there, twice, a good article in The New Yorker about Curtis Yarvin and his influence on current tech and government leaders:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/09/curt...

Glad to see you here. There is a US Policy board that is much more political that you might enjoy.

The history of mankind is one in which autocratic monarchies are the assumed type of government with only limited exceptions. All societies, whether living above the Arctic Circle or the depths of the Amazon jungle have enough in common that I would call those traits hard-wired. All societies sing. All societies dance. All societies have something which passes as religion with a revered priesthood. All societies practice ancestor worship. Most societies have legends which include "little people" who are hard to find and are very mischievous. All societies are "tribal" based on either demographics, geography, religion or even political party (can be anything ending in "ism") and leaders of these tribes were assumed.

During the tenure of humans, various groups, whether religious or aristocracy (frequently overlapping) have figured out how to take the reins of power

Over the last century, a science of how to manipulate a democratic, or weak monarchy, state (the exception over human existence) back toward the acceptance of an authoritarian one. It is important in that context to break the function of government which espouses democracy, take over the courts, turn the bureaucracy from one that serves the "people" into one that serves those at the top of the government. The efficacy of the theory was practiced by politically diverse ideologies stretching from Fascism and Nazi on the right to Communism on the left. Today, though many of those legacy autocracies are behind us, new ones are their successors. Those include countries who are in the process of destroying the judiciary which is required to guaranty the rule of law. Some countries are clearly autonomies such as Russia, China, Cuba, North Korea and so on. Those countries which are teetering on the edge of a structural autocracy include Hungary, the United States, Israel, Belorussia and Turkey.

Given the "right" type of propaganda, it is not unusual to have, even the most rational of countries, succumb to this outgrowth of tribalism. The piece referenced in the OP is in parallel with similar efforts by the Heratage Foundation and the Federalist Society which are designed to concentrate power in the "executive department".

Jeff

One of our sons shared this article with me, asking for my opinion on its validity. After reading it I replied that it was scary, and that it begged for validation, perhaps by ProPublica. Among those mentioned: Leonard Leo, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, J.D. Vance, in addition to Curtis Yarvin.

Tom


She Won. They Didn't Just Change the Machines. They Rewired the Election.

How Leonard Leo's 2021 sale of an electronics firm enabled tech giants to subvert the 2024 election.

Jun 11, 2025

https://thiswillhold.substack.com/p/she-won-they-d...

For ‘fun,’ watch Mountainhead, a movie on HBO/Hulu, about what could occur if tech giants proceed with no restraint. In the movie, they made an AI where users can create videos of wars and violence. People accept the videos as real and then act in panic. As the world melts down, the tech giants weigh how to take over the world.

Just a movie, sure, but Curtis Yarvin’s writings surely inspired the director.

I sent the article "She Won" to Bruce SSchneier, one of the nation's leading IT security experts and asked if it was plausable.

His answer:

"It’s not.

Please don’t spread baseless conspiracy theories. We don’t need more people doubting democracy."

I highly recommmend subscribing to Bruce's free monthly newsletter "Cryptogram" which I find to be an invaluable must-read.

Today's newsletter table of contents:

1. Communications Backdoor in Chinese Power Inverters
2. The NSA’s "Fifty Years of Mathematical Cryptanalysis (1937–1987)"
3. DoorDash Hack
4. More AIs Are Taking Polls and Surveys
5. The Voter Experience
6. Signal Blocks Windows Recall
7. Chinese-Owned VPNs
8. Location Tracking App for Foreigners in Moscow
9. Surveillance Via Smart Toothbrush
10. Why Take9 Won’t Improve Cybersecurity
11. Australia Requires Ransomware Victims to Declare Payments
12. New Linux Vulnerabilities
13. The Ramifications of Ukraine’s Drone Attack
14. Report on the Malicious Uses of AI
15. Hearing on the Federal Government and AI
16. New Way to Covertly Track Android Users
17. Airlines Secretly Selling Passenger Data to the Government
18. Paragon Spyware Used to Spy on European Journalists

To subscribe, or to read back issues: https://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram/

Jeff

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