Summoning Demons

In the battle of the civilized man versus the uncivilized man, always choose the civilized man.

I had some airplane time this afternoon as I made my way from Tulsa to Houston and I kept thinking about just how dishonest Gavin Newsom’s little performance from last night was.

I listened to the speech again and after listening to all of it, uninterrupted, was amazed at the extreme mendaciousness - and the complete treachery - of it.

The parallel that came to mind was that of Don Quixote, and like Don Quixote, Newsom is a man driven insane to the point of tilting at windmills in his quest to kill dragons. Newsom’s curse is to fight the Trump he constructed in his own mind, one that resembles a dragon about as much as does a windmill.

Thomas Sowell’s assertion, “If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism,” carries the weight of his characteristic clarity and unapologetic reasoning. However, I propose a slight refinement to sharpen its edge: “If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to use it to defeat barbarism, because some of us will fight to preserve civilization.” This adjustment underscores the resolve of those unwilling to surrender to chaos, emphasizing that the fight for order and reason will persist, even if others falter.

Pamela Geller’s words from years ago resonate here: “In the battle between the civilized man and the uncivilized man, side with the civilized man.” Her call to choose sides in this existential struggle is as urgent today as ever. Yet, what we are witnessing is not just a failure to choose but a deliberate alignment by an entire political faction with the uncivilized man. This alignment reeks of a modern twist on 17th-century romantic primitivism - only now, it’s amplified by a reckless, almost frenzied idealism.

Why would a political party champion the uncivilized? The answer lies in a dangerous cocktail of arrogance and ambition. They believe they can harness the raw, destructive energy of barbarism as a tool to secure permanent power. They see the uncivilized man - untamed, volatile, and unbound by the constraints of reason or morality - as a weapon to dismantle their opponents and reshape society to their liking. It’s a calculated gamble: unleash chaos to destabilize the existing order, then step in as the supposed saviors to impose their vision.

But history is littered with cautionary tales of those who thought they could tame evil. Like sorcerers summoning demons, these political actors are convinced they understand the forces they’re unleashing. They believe their intellect, their moral posturing, or their ideological purity will keep the beast in check. Yet, hubris blinds them to the inevitable outcome. If the uncivilized man prevails, those who aided his rise won’t be hailed as allies - they’ll be the softest targets, the first to fall under the very savagery they enabled. The barbarian does not negotiate, nor does he reward those who opened the gates for him.

This pattern is as old as civilization itself. From the French Revolution’s descent into the Reign of Terror to the 20th-century experiments with utopian ideologies that birthed unimaginable suffering, the lesson is clear: those who flirt with chaos underestimate its appetite. The summoners, drenched in their own self-assuredness, lose control, and the demons they thought they could master turn on them. The result is always the same - widespread suffering, shattered societies, and a painful, bloody effort by others to restore what was lost.

The stakes could not be higher. Defending civilization requires not just vigilance but the willingness to confront barbarism head-on, with force if necessary. Those who romanticize the uncivilized man, believing they can bend his violence to their ends, are not just wrong - they are dangerously naive. The rest of us, who see civilization as a fragile, precious achievement, must be ready to fight for it. Because if we don’t, the cleanup will fall to us, and the cost will be measured in lives, liberty, and the hard-won progress of centuries.

I’m not sure the arrogance of the Democrats allows them to understand how close to the abyss they are pushing American society through their outright lies, their performative posturing and their misplaced sense of loyalty – or that they even care.

They have demons to summon.