Jay Nordlinger
@jaynordlinger.bsky.social
5.4K followers 220 following 1.6K posts
Senior resident fellow, the Renew Democracy Initiative. Music critic, The New Criterion. Substack: Onward and Upward.
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jaynordlinger.bsky.social
A friend sent me a glorious postcard with a picture of Frederick Douglass, and a statement by him: "I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence."
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
You are too reasonable for social media, LCH -- part of what makes you extraordinary ...
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
Laura, by saying "West Village," are you conceding that "East Village" is a legitimate concept (instead of a gimmick by real-estate brokers)? Isn't Greenwich Village "the Village," plain and simple, with no "East," or need for the qualifier "West"? LCH, we turn our lonely New York eyes to you!
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
There is an English saying, admired by Lincoln: "Once a man establishes a reputation as an early riser, he can sleep till noon." Has New York, where pizza is concerned, been sleeping till noon? This incendiary question leads my column this evening. www.jaynordlinger.com/p/parlor-gam...
Parlor Games, &c.
On pizza in New York, and elsewhere; a golf story; a song; and more
www.jaynordlinger.com
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
"THE BIDEN FBI PLACED 274 AGENTS INTO THE CROWD ON JANUARY 6." As you know, Biden wasn't president on that day. Trump was. Don't you think Trump should know it? And doesn't his message, below, suggest that he is unfit for the office?
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
I was talking with a friend and made this confession: When I was younger, I thought everything was settled, pretty much. Feudalism bad. Nazism bad. Communism bad. Liberal democracy good. Etc. How weird it has been to discover, at this stage, that nothing is settled.
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
He plays our president like a violin, Putin does. This is dangerous for our country, and for the Free World generally.
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
The Nobel prizes began in 1901. The peace prize always went for international efforts -- until the 1960 prize, which went to a freedom struggle in one country: South Africa. The laureate was Albert John Luthuli, a great man. The 2025 prize is in that spirit.
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
Sometimes a Nobel prize aids a freedom struggle, sometimes it does not. Let us hope that the prize to María Corina Machado, a brave woman, aids the freedom struggle in Venezuela.
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
"If 'mainstream' politicians don't address public problems forthrightly, the public will turn to rough men and 'mainstream' them." This and other observations from me, in a smorgasbord of a column. Take your pick. www.jaynordlinger.com/p/imperative...
Imperatives of Government, &c.
On crime, free speech, chess, technology, and more
www.jaynordlinger.com
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
"The largest country on earth," Russia, "doesn't need more land. It should take better care of what is already within its internationally recognized borders." True words, from Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/o...
Opinion | I’m the Foreign Minister of Poland. This Is How to Negotiate With Putin.
www.nytimes.com
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
Surely, the committee made its choice weeks ago. Surely, that choice was not Donald Trump. But could the committee switch its choice overnight? Yes. Don't bet on it. But, yes.
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
I have been fielding a number of inquiries about the Nobel Peace Prize. (A pleasure to do. I wrote a history of the prize.) Could Trump win it, for a Gaza deal? Well, the 2025 laureate will be announced tomorrow. I imagine discussions in Oslo are interesting just now.
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
"Tend it. Tend the garden of liberty. This is an imperative, now and always."
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
Free speech can be vexing. You want it for yourself, your friends, and your allies. But, in an open society, the other guys get it too. I have written a little essay, with doses of autobiography, and a killer statement by Ortega y Gasset at the end. www.thenextmove.org/p/we-need-fr...
We Need Free-Speech Consistency
What you want for yourself, you have to grant to the other guy.
www.thenextmove.org
Reposted by Jay Nordlinger
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
I met Jonah Goldberg when he was a research assistant at AEI (1993-ish?). I enjoyed talking with him then and I enjoy talking with him now. It was a privilege and a kick to be on his "Remnant" podcast. We discuss issues grave and lighter. thedispatch.com/podcast/remn...
Eternal Vigilance | Interview: Jay Nordlinger
‘If they lay down their arms, we’ll have peace tomorrow. If we lay down our arms, there’ll be no Israel tomorrow.’
thedispatch.com
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
For the music-minded, a post about Opening Night at Carnegie Hall. Yuja Wang played the Tchaikovsky Concerto (you know which one). But conducted it, too? Yup. newcriterion.com/dispatch/wan...
“Wang with a bang,” by Jay Nordlinger
Jay Nordlinger on the opening-night gala at Carnegie Hall.
newcriterion.com
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
Free speech can be vexing. You want it for yourself, your friends, and your allies. But, in an open society, the other guys get it too. I have written a little essay, with doses of autobiography, and a killer statement by Ortega y Gasset at the end. www.thenextmove.org/p/we-need-fr...
We Need Free-Speech Consistency
What you want for yourself, you have to grant to the other guy.
www.thenextmove.org
jaynordlinger.bsky.social
I met Jonah Goldberg when he was a research assistant at AEI (1993-ish?). I enjoyed talking with him then and I enjoy talking with him now. It was a privilege and a kick to be on his "Remnant" podcast. We discuss issues grave and lighter. thedispatch.com/podcast/remn...
Eternal Vigilance | Interview: Jay Nordlinger
‘If they lay down their arms, we’ll have peace tomorrow. If we lay down our arms, there’ll be no Israel tomorrow.’
thedispatch.com