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Culture War Roundup for the week of September 1, 2025

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But tell me, would handing out passports and giving full unconditional citizenship to every Chinese or Russian make a lot of sense to you in the current geopolitical situation?

If you're going to ask me about implementation details given current political realities, I admit that I would have to moderate my position. I would still be happy to give citizenship to every chinaman and russian-- but only after they spent time living in america, working, without access to welfare, subject to assimilation and naturalization. While still holding onto the highest principles I laid out-- the bailey, if you will, I'll concede that an illiquid political/economic situation required adjustments to reality, and a retreat to the motte. For example, I'll concede that

because they were only effective at it back when they were a lot more forceful about assimilation

is a good point. We're insufficiently forceful about assimilation, and that makes it hard to be a credal nation. Opening the borders and becoming a fully credal without toughening up would probably be a disaster. But why would we consider a policy in isolation without considering every other self-consistent supporting policy? If we're assuming a massive, unlikely change, we don't need to limit that change to a single axis. If we're considering strictly limited interventions imaginable within the current system, again, those interventions can include compromise policies. My maximalist vision is "assimilationist credal nation." But it's not an all-or-nothing policy. I would still be happy to let in modestly more muslims, paired with child-protection-service and educational mandates designed to make it harder for them to isolate their female children and force them into wearing burkas. I would still let in more poor hispanic immigrants, paired with a reduction in the taxpayer-funded subsidies for the noncitizen poor.

if you're not enforcing a creed. ... but when I asked you about it before you started talking about property rights.

I don't understand this point. I consider a respect for property rights part of a specific creed. I consider education and police work as valid methods of enforcement for property rights. Therefore, I'm presenting them as a method of enforcing the creed.

Are you looking for a complete creed and list of enforcement mechanisms? If so, I'll concede that I haven't thought that deeply about it. But as a summary, I'd say, "I'm imperfect, so I'll just go with whatever the pope wants." (See also: Edict of Thessalonica)

Is communism more beneficial in North Korea and Cuba, than other economic systems?

North Korea and Cuba are both continuously reforming themselves to be less communistic (though understandably they're not very open about it.) See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jangmadang . And each of their individual citizens probably have (close to) the most beneficial ideas to hold for maximizing their performance within the systems they find themselves in.

There is absolutely no way that in practice America today is a creedal nation.

It's not a perfectly creedal nation, but it's far more creedal than the vast majority of the nations on the planet, and I would like it to be yet more creedal still.

Are you looking for a complete creed and list of enforcement mechanisms? If so, I'll concede that I haven't thought that deeply about it. But as a summary, I'd say, "I'm imperfect, so I'll just go with whatever the pope wants." (See also: Edict of Thessalonica)

Yes, you need to think deeply about it. Who is the Pope (or Council, if you happen to be Conciliarist) who gets to decide what the Creed is?

When the Creed changes, what should happen to Americans who do not get along fast enough, and to Americans who actively reject it?

Who is the Pope (or Council, if you happen to be Conciliarist) who gets to decide what the Creed is?

The... the actual pope. The pope who is chosen by the holy, apostolic, catholic church. The pope who is chosen through the direct guidance of infallible God.

When the Creed changes, what should happen to Americans who do not get along fast enough, and to Americans who actively reject it?

Whatever the pope says. Probably some mix of compassionate incentives and stern-but-fair punishments ranging from financial inducements to banishment or life imprisonment (but strictly excluding execution.)