Independent Country

James Leroy Wilson's one-man magazine.

Saturday, June 28, 2025

Year 237

 Some notes and anniversaries over the past weeks (June 21-28, 2025):


1. "Humble foreign policy" (2000), "No dumb wars" (2008), "America First" (2016, 2024). If I ran for President in 2028, my campaign pledge would be, "War with everyone." Because if history's any indication, I'll accomplish the opposite of what I promised, and we'll have peace with everyone.


2. I visit my library at least once a week. Recently, the librarian was removing books to throw out. Not donate, throw out. She said that when 70 people donate their copies of Angels and Demons, almost all of those copies will never be recirculated or bought at a thrift store; people who had any interest in reading it have done so, and the books just take up space. I think she exaggerated the copies of Angels and Demons she had received as donations, but the point was made.


It's noble to believe that every book copy is precious, and I'd recommend donating books you no longer want to keep; don't throw them out yourself, as someone else might want to read them. But let the librarian or booksellers assume that responsibility. They ought to know the market better than you.


I was reminded of this when I noticed that June 22 is the birthday of Dan Brown, author of Angels & Demons. I wrote "The Da Vince Code Phenomenon," about Brown's most famous work, 18 months ago.


3. June 23 marked the birthdays of sexologist Alfred Kinsey and World War II code-breaking computer scientist Alan Turing. Four years ago, I used the occasion to write about sex laws.


4. Elon Musk turns 54 today. A couple of months ago, I wrote about the curious political journey of Musk's grandfather, who may or may not have influenced Musk and Donald Trump's territorial expansion goals. 


5. Year 237


On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, thereby putting it into effect. 237 years later to the day, President Trump bombed Iran (DC time, not local Iran time). The number 237 holds meaning for some people (including myself, if only for entertainment purposes), although it appears the X/Twitter site obsessed with "Kubrick" numbers didn't notice this anniversary. 237 years may be symbolic of the birth and death of the Constitution. However, it's not the first time a President started a war without congressional authorization, so singling out this attack may seem arbitrary. 



Presidents who start wars commit even greater crimes than those who ignore due process of law in jailing and deporting people, in the same sense that murder is an even greater crime than kidnapping. I hope those who attended the No Kings rallies a couple of weeks ago understand this. Bombing countries without so much as asking Congress for authorization was bad when Clinton did it in Serbia and Obama did it in Libya. Hopefully, Trump has stopped with just the one night.


However, this recent anniversary prompts something I've wanted to discuss. I've perceived the history of the Constitutional Republic as three 80-year periods, with the current one ending in 2028. The first was the Slave Era, spanning from 1788 to 1868. Of course, slavery itself suffered a permanent death in 1865, but there was chaos and disagreement in handling the aftermath, leading to President Andrew Johnson's impeachment. The election of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant to the Presidency was the definitive closure of the first phase of American history.


The second was the Empire Era, where the territorial gains of the Slave Era were consolidated with further displacement of American Indians by new settlers, along with territorial acquisitions beyond the shores. America became an empire and a colonial power, one among several.


After the Empire Era came the Superpower Era, with 1945-48 serving as a transition phase that saw the atomic bomb dropped, the end of World War II, the Nuremberg Trials, and the creation of the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Department of Defense, including a new Air Force branch.  


By 1948, America had established the institutions necessary for its project of global domination. The agenda wasn't about, or only about, stopping the spread of communism. That is clear by American behavior after the Cold War. Not long after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, President Bush invaded Panama to further domestic policy drug-control goals (supposedly). It has been non-stop invasions, bombings, embargoes, and coups around the world ever since, much like the Cold War. Any country that refuses to kow-tow to America's demands is presented to the American people as a "threat" to "national security" and "our freedom.".


Speaking of the Superpower Era, it's important to note that Bill Moyers passed away on June 26 at the age of 91.


Moyers was a White House staffer under Kennedy and White House Press Secretary for two years under Johnson. He later worked for CBS News and then PBS, where he brought Joseph Campbell to fame with The Power of Myth series of interviews. I've seen very little of it, but I may get into it someday.


It was the late 2000s when I watched Moyers's 1987 PBS documentary  "The Secret Government: A Special Report by Bill Moyers." I just watched it again upon hearing of Moyers's passing. If I taught American politics classes, I would make it required viewing.


The program brought up the "anything goes" or "the ends justify the means" culture of the National Security State, established in 1947. I believe this was extended to domestic policy, especially following 9/11, with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and agencies like ICE. The Secret Government has only gotten bigger and is filled with agents who were apparently raised on ideological hate or were programmed to be cruel.


At this moment, I suspect that "The purpose [of the Trump Administration] is to set the stage for imposing martial law by November 2028 in an attempt to circumvent the Presidential election and keep Trump in power." That may be stopped, or it may succeed. In any case, that year will mark the beginning of a new era.


I'm not predicting what it will be like. I don't know if the U.S. will disintegrate through foreign and civil wars and bankruptcy, or make significant institutional changes while keeping the shell of the Constitution intact. However, we are currently experiencing drastic changes. We're currently in the transition phase.


Over the past 80 years, the overall expansion of rights and tolerance in America is something to be thankful for, as are the technological developments and, in my opinion, the advancements in pop culture. These years could be looked upon with fondness. At the same time, the federal government acted like a mafia boss over the entire planet and placed increasing controls over individuals at home. 


May those who are personally inclined to view their neighbors, whoever they are, as friends rather than enemies be the founders of a new era of freedom and peace.


Subscription prices to JL Cells are the lowest that Substack allows: $5 per month or $30 per year (a 50% discount). If you enjoy the content, please consider a paid subscription, support me using PayPal with an amount of your choice, or contact me if you prefer an alternative method. At this point, I cannot promise that a paid subscription will provide bonus material, but it will help keep this going. Thank you.


James Leroy Wilson writes The MVP Chase (subscribe) and JL Cells (subscribe). Thank you for your subscriptions and support! You can contact James for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.

Monday, June 23, 2025

Finals and Stanley Cup MVPs

Photo credit: Santeri Viinamäki

Hockey and basketball are done for the season. Today, we'll see if the MVP Chase was in agreement with the NHL playoffs MVP and the NBA Finals MVP selections. Plus, we'll see how the NHL and NBA playoffs affect the Century's Greatest Coaches rankings.


Conn Smythe Trophy (most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs)


The NHL's Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded to the player most valuable to his team throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs, not just the Finals. It is possible, then, for a player not on the Cup-winning team to win the award. That's happened six times, most recently last year. I, however, did not follow the proceedings that season.


I determined who (probably) ought to win the Smythe based on these criteria:


  • The number of games a skater's points plus +/- is equal to or greater than 2 in a victory.

  • The number of games a goalie allows two or fewer goals in a victory.


This is what I determined:


  1. Sam Bennett (C), Panthers 12 

  2. Sergei Bobrovsky (G), Panthers 12

  3. Leon Draisaitl (C), Oilers 11

  4. Connor McDavid (C), Oilers 10

  5. Carter Verhaeghe (C), Panthers

  6. Brad Marchand (LW), Panthers

  7. Matthew Tkachuck (W), Panthers 8

  8. Anton Lundell (C), Panthers 8

  9. Evan Bouchard (C), Oilers 7

  10. Eetu Laurostarinen (C), Panthers 6


Sergei Bobrovsky did a great job in the net, allowing two or fewer goals in three-quarters of the sixteen games a team needs to win the Cup. HOWEVER, the Panthers scored FIVE goals or more in THIRTEEN of those victories, and ten games were won by three-goal margins or more. In the Finals, Bobrovsky allowed four goals or more three times, and the Panthers were 1-2 in those games.


Sam Bennett would have gotten my vote for the Smythe (and he did indeed win it). He had a substantially greater number of MVP-worthy games (12) than the next Panther skaters (9).


NBA Finals MVP


The NBA Finals MVP is determined by a point system in which the top eight players are ranked: the best player receives 8 points, and the eighth player receives 1 point. The ranking is based on the player's Game Score plus +/-. As it takes four games to win the Finals, the most MVP points a player can earn is 32, and only if he was the best player in all four victories.


There's a theoretical chance a player on the losing team can win the Finals MVP if it's a 7-game series. He would have to be the best player in all three wins for his team (24 points), and the Finals-winning team alternates who their best players were in their four victories.


That did not happen this year, as the Thunder beat the Pacers four games to two. Here are the final NBA Finals MVP Chase standings. 


  1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder 28

  2. Jalen Williams, Thunder, 25

  3. Alex Caruso, Thunder, 21

  4. Chet Holmgren, Thunder, 19

  5. Luguerntz Dort, Thunder, 14

  6. Andres Wiggins, Thunder, 13

  7. Obi Toppin, Pacers, 13

  8. Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers 11

  9. Bennedict Mathurin, Pacers 10

  10. Pascal Siakam, Pacers, 10


Shai did win the official award, capping off one of the greatest individual seasons in NBA history.



Greatest Coaches Update


My Greatest Coaches of the 21st Century (across NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB) featured coaches who won at least one championship. They were ranked by number of championships and then by the number of semifinal appearances.


I made one exception. Pete DeBoer, who was still the coach of the Dallas Stars when the list was published, has not won a title. However, he had made seven semifinals, which only four other coaches had done, and that warranted his elevation over the 53 coaches with one title and not nearly so many semifinals. Since publication, DeBoer achieved his eighth semifinal, a feat only three have accomplished, but he lost in the Conference Finals and was fired. When I update the list next year, I will keep him in the same spot: behind all the 2x title winners and ahead of all the 1x winners.


Panthers coach Paul Maurice got his 6th semifinal and 2nd title. This moves him up from the 16th to the 9-12 range, among coaches of identical achievement.


Rod Brind'Amour, in his seventh season as a head coach (all with the Hurricanes), made his third semifinal appearance in 2025 and has no titles; he won't be on the list when it's updated next year (after the World Series and Super Bowl). Neither will Edmonton's Kris Knoblauch,  who made and lost the Finals in both of his seasons as head coach.


The Thunder's Mark Daigneault won his first championship last night and has two semifinals under his belt. He will need another title or two more semifinals to join the club. Indiana's Rick Carlisle, the Finals loser, now has his 5th semifinal appearance to go along with one previous championship, and will move up four or so spots (depending on what happens in football and baseball). Tom Thibodeau, recently fired by the Knicks, reached his second semifinal in 2025. So did Minnesota's Chris Finch. 


In next year's list, we'll see Maurice and Carlisle ranked higher and DeBoer staying where he is. 


Subscription rates to the MVP Chase are the lowest that Substack allows: $5 per month or $30 per year (a 50% discount). You can also support me through PayPal or contact me using an alternative method. The more support I have, the more content you'll see. Contact me for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.

Check out JL Cells for my non-sports weirdness.

Saturday, June 21, 2025

Two things to consider when voting for the President

 Welcome to the first day of summer. Six items to share with you this weekend, none of which warranted a full essay at this time.


1. Two things to consider when voting for the President of the United States:


  • What issue are you most in agreement with each candidate on? Assume they'll do the opposite of what they promised.

  • What issue are you most in disagreement with each candidate on? Assume they'll do their utmost to keep their promise.



2. What was the most agreeable thing about Trump?


During the 2016 Presidential campaign, I appreciated some of what Donald Trump said regarding foreign policy, particularly after 15 years of failed wars. I supported his diplomacy with North Korea and Russia. Unfortunately, he cluelessly brought on John Bolton as National Security Advisor even though Bolton was an extremist of the bloodthirsty John McCain/neoconservative wing of the Establishment. Trump also failed to pull out of Afghanistan and continued the bombing campaigns of his predecessors.


That said, Trump was still insufficiently hawkish, according to the Establishment. The Democrats - every bit as hellbent on global domination as the neocons -  tried to bring him down with Russiagate and other questionable accusations. (I thought Trump was bad, but not for the same reasons the Establishment thought he was bad.) 


After losing re-election in 2020 and regaining the White House in 2024, the new Trump got "wiser." His voting base can't do anything to him, but the Democrat-Neocon Establishment can still destroy him. So, Trump may very well do the one thing his "America First" base doesn't want him to do, but precisely what the neocons have demanded for 20 years: go to war with Iran.


Another war, particularly an Iran war, could throw America into greater chaos, which would lead to the next point.


3. Last Saturday, I showed up at the nearest "No Kings" rally. 

We are in a new kind of Constitutional crisis – a planned one, a revolution from the top. The Trump Administration is sowing chaos in many areas of American life, from immigration raids to trade disruptions to taking us to the brink of a new war. Create numerous "emergencies," each of which will invite protests, ultimately leading to riots. Start classifying more and more people as "domestic terrorists." The purpose is to set the stage for imposing martial law by November 2028 in an attempt to circumvent the Presidential election and keep Trump in power.


I think Trump has surrounded himself with advisors who hate "The Left" more than they support the Constitution. These advisors will tell Trump what he wants to hear, that there is a path to a third (or indefinite) Presidential term. They feed him false information and affirm his opinions, regardless of facts. 

I showed up to the No Kings protest prepared to say these things just in case a news reporter would stop and ask me why I was there. None did, but it was a pleasant, peaceful day anyhow.

I came with nothing, but a young lady offered me this sign. To be fair, one of Trump's three wives was American-born. (The other two are what we called not too long ago "ethnic white," as undesirable to the Ku Klux Klan 100 years ago as Middle Easterners and Latin Americans are to the Right today.)  Nevertheless, lots of people at the rally liked the sign: 




4. I liked someone just for their looks. What's new?


There was a television host and commentator who I thought was smart and funny. However, she bounced from network to network, show to show. Recently, I've heard her as a sometime sidekick on a podcast I've listened to a few episodes of. (By podcast, I mean the old definition, something to listen to rather than watch.)


She's energetic on the podcast, but I've come to realize that I liked her because she's pretty. She's not particularly interesting and doesn't add much to the show. It must be said that the other sidekick and the host, both men, aren't great at banter either. 


I think she got onto television primarily because of her looks, but she also had the personality to make people think, "Not only is she smart, she's also beautiful!" That's what beautiful people can fool you into thinking. Take away the looks, which is what I do when I listen to an audio podcast, and I'm led to conclude she has the job because of name recognition.


(Oh, and this person is by no means dumb, it's that she's smart enough and witty enough that, because of her looks, I thought she was even brighter and funnier than she is.)


There's nothing wrong with television featuring beautiful people, unless there is a comedic or dramatic reason for someone on television not to be attractive. But, because of good looks, we might overestimate someone's overall talent. 


I wonder how this works for singers, if you saw one perform a song first on the radio, or first on television, and how long it took to shake the first impression.


I'm not calling this person out publicly because I'm not a paid critic and see no need to be hurtful. However, if you'd like to know who I'm thinking of, become a paid subscriber. Then ask me, and I will tell you.


5. How the godawful version of David Bowie turned him into a god.


Although I don't call myself gnostic, I'm a regular listener to Miguel Conner's Aeon Byte Gnostic Radio podcast. Conner is authoring a book about David Bowie, and in the June 11, 2025 episode (11:30 mark), Conner mentioned the different bodies that Bowie wore, such as Ziggy Stardust and the "godawful" Phil Collins-esque crooner of the 1980s.


That made me wonder: How would David Bowie be remembered if not for his Let's Dance hits in the MTV rotation? 


In the 1980s, MTV was for kids, for tweens and teens who would not have known about or listened to Bowie's 1970s work. And although Bowie had several platinum albums in the UK during that time, those were "only" gold albums in America (if Wikipedia is accurate). What Bowie accomplished in the United States in the 1980s was to win over a whole new audience, who began buying his old albums and became devoted fans. 


Because Bowie became part of 1980s nostalgia, his legend grew, and his back catalog went along for the ride. I wouldn't call the 1980s work godawful, and I don't dislike Phil Collins either. Although if I think about it, probably only "Modern Love" would be among my 100 favorite songs of the 1980s. Perhaps also "Absolute Beginners." But to Miguel Cooner's point, they are probably the two most Collins-esque of Bowie's hits.


In the 1960s, Louis Armstrong had hits like "Hello, Dolly! " and "What A Wonderful World," which aren't representative of Armstrong's contributions to jazz (although there's great trumpet in "Dolly"). But, Louis Armstrong is still the most famous name from jazz because of his not-so-jazzy mainstream success.


The 1980s were similar for David Bowie. His fame grew exponentially, and he became permanently famous. That is, he went from being respected and revered to being regarded as a god.


6. Reeling in the years.


Speaking of the 1970s-80s, my Facebook algorithm is giving me several videos from Generation Xers trying to explain what things were like when they were young. I watched a couple, but am consciously avoiding them, hoping they'll go away soon.


I recommend the film The Bad News Bears (1976) for young people to get a feel for the era. Some aspects are exaggerated for comedic purposes, and the actors are several years older than I, but it captures childhood in a way that is similar to what I remember.


Subscription prices to JL Cells are the lowest that Substack allows: $5 per month or $30 per year (a 50% discount). If you enjoy the content, please consider a paid subscription, support me using PayPal with an amount of your choice, or contact me if you prefer an alternative method. At this point, I cannot promise that a paid subscription will provide bonus material, but it will help keep this going. Thank you!


James Leroy Wilson writes The MVP Chase (subscribe) and JL Cells (subscribe). Thank you for your subscriptions and support! You can contact James for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.