Richard Gayle on Independence Day. July 4, 2026 - 'For me, July 4th also resonates with the United States victory in the Civil War, another revolution won by the forces for freedom. On July 3, 1863 we had the resolution of the battle at Gettysburg in the East and of the siege of Vicksburg in the West. That two such amazing events not only happened virtually simultaneously but also so proximate to the 4th always makes my heart sing. No one could have written a better script. The South would never be as strong. Lincoln knew of both almost immediately via telegraph and gave an impromptu speech from the White House to a celebrating crowd.'
on Independence Day. July 4, 2026 - 'By the time the US (or its successor nation state) celebrates its 500th anniversary in 2276, , in Star Trek future history, Captain Jame Kirk will have completed his second 5 year mission aboard the Enterprise and the Enterprise underwent a extensive refit before the V’Ger incident in 2273 under his command as Admiral Kirk. If we are to get to that future history where humans are traveling among the stars and there’s peaceful coexistence on Earth as well as neighboring star systems, we have a hell of a lot more work to do. Supposedly, Zephram Cochran successfully uses his prototype Warp Drive to achieve faster than light travel in 2063, a scant 37 years from now. Maybe AI helped with its theoretical and physical development?'
on Independence Day. July 4, 2026 - 'From my unscientific research of listening to people from these recent generations, it’s obvious that American History is no longer being taught anywhere outside of possibly kids who are being home schooled. Financial literacy is nonexistent so I have no clue what is being taught these days because “reading, writing, and arithmetic” seems to have gone the way of the buffalo in public schools. Perhaps the religious schools are churning out much better students? Education was always the backbone of a strong society and IMO still is today. But I have no clue what these local school boards have instituted recently in the arena of academics as kids currently have no basic skills or knowledge by comparison to what I can remember from my days of K-12.'
on Independence Day. July 4, 2026 - 'I’m currently reading a history of what might be called the “manifest destiny” imperative of non-Native Americans. (The Westerners, by Megan Kate Nelson) Even those who fought against slavery here bought into that group-think. Yes, Native Americans were murderous in their interactions between one another long before Europeans came on the scene, so it’s not an issue without shades of gray. Yes, there were tremendous untapped resources lying fallow, but there was also a profound lack of respect for a different way of life. We were a representative democracy, but we didn’t apply that term fairly, and across the board. So as we celebrate the fact that we’re still here, we should also recognize how far we fell from perfection in getting here, and how far we have yet to go to live up to the promise that our form of government represents. Nothing represents that continuing failure better than our present circumstances. After our celebration is over, it’s time for us to roll up our sleeves and get to work, and to do a better job of it than those who preceded us. 250 years is a blink of the eye in comparison to how far we have yet to travel.'
on Independence Day. July 4, 2026 - 'Somehow, I don’t think Jefferson, et.al. used bulleted lists in creating the Declaration of Independence… A recent poll (that got a lot of press coverage) said “46% of those polled don’t know what we’re celebrating the 250th anniversary of.” That just shows either the appallingly poor state of civics education, or the ability of half of Americans to remember what they were taught in school. (and probably lots of each… I often hear how “xxx is not taught in schools” only to remember clearly discussing many of those things in classes. But I have pretty good retention for stuff I learned in high school.) Other polls say that Americans tend towards optimism for the future of the US. Once again, I guess I’m an outlier. Ask me how I feel after the mid-term elections. Anyway, a happy 4th of July to those of us in the US, or US citizens living abroad.'
on Independence Day. July 4, 2026 - 'I asked the new Siri to give me a take on these lines, and here’s the response: The first lines of the Declaration of Independence serve as an introduction, explaining that when a group of people needs to separate from their government, they owe the world a clear explanation of their reasons. It sets a respectful tone, grounding the decision to seek independence in natural law and reason, rather than acting out of haste. The opening lines establish several key ideas: • A Duty to Explain: The founders believed that “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind” required them to clearly state the causes for their separation. • Natural Law: They claimed their right to a “separate and equal station” was granted by the “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” • A Serious Step: The language suggests that dissolving political ties is a serious necessity, not a choice made lightly.'
on Making sense of Apple's 4.8% gain on 'artificial Friday' - 'In my opinion, though I am late to the game, this is 15 minutes of my life that I will never get back.'
on Apple's contempt in Epic case goes to the Supreme Court - 'Thanks for the compliment Michael, but I don’t look good in black among facists. If Epic has spent a $Billion pursuing this issue, then he is the worst CEO of the 21st Century. I’ll bet his attorneys genuflect at his feet, thanking him for their fees. Don Quixote is a piker compared to Sweeney. “A fool and his money are soon parted”. Sweeney is certainly proving this to be true.'
on Premarket: Apple is green - 'Following Friday’s close at $308.63 (a gain of $14.25 or 4.84% on the day), Apple is now up 13.53% year-to-date and up 45.28% over the past 12 months.'
on Apple's contempt in Epic case goes to the Supreme Court - 'I keep a copy of our Constitution always within arm’s reach. I had to look up the 10th Amendment the other day. It’s the ‘Anti-Commandeering’ clause, meaning that unless the Federal government already has that power, that power remains with the States as to mobilizing troops. Thus why Trump lost that case in MN. States’ rights rule. Would be interested in anyone’s views on Apple v. Epic with respect to the articles in the Constitution, especially as they might be interpreted by various Justices.'
on Making sense of Apple's 4.8% gain on 'artificial Friday' - 'That’s quite the slant, when the cause and blame rests entirely on the hyperscalers.'
on Counterpoint: Apple is snapping up 29% of the foldable screen supply - 'I still do not find value in a device that requires more effort to use, and is shrouded in compromises: Cost Quality Durability'
on Tim Cook is tying up loose ends before the handoff - '<> No. And I still do not. Why he would? I only have a feeling that if you play with a fire named Trump you are going to get burned. Golden gifts and his presence on command around the world helped Apple and was, perhaps, unavoidable to have to support the man who epitomizes everything that Steve Jobs and Woz founded Apple to fight and then, with the Mac, threw the world’s most memorable hammer. The Lord alone (and if the Devil is not on speaking terms with Him maybe not) knows what threat was given and what gift was refused to be given under duress. Tim Cook did not, I think, step down so much as tripped over some sort of political landmine. Just a guess, a hunch if you will.'
on Tim Cook is tying up loose ends before the handoff - 'Thank you Tim Cook, for such a great job, from beginning to end. He may not be setting off fireworks at home, but he sure set off fireworks in my 401k.'
on U.S. Markets are closed to start the July 4, 2026 weekend - 'Happy 250th! I’m in World Cup heaven. Back to reality after July 19th, unless my team wins it all.'
