Introduction
Welcome to The Cameron Journal Newsletter.
Each week I send out the latest headlines, the latest videos from The Cameron Journal and commentary about the week’s events. If you’re new here, my name is Cameron Lee Cowan, and I’m the Creative Director here at The Cameron Journal. You can learn more about me on the about page.I do research and commentary on politics, culture, and the world around us. Remember, The World is Hard, This is Not.
Updates
Welcome to the first newsletter of 2025. I realized, far too late, that my Merry Christmas newsletter never was emailed out because of an admin error. So, for many it has probably been a long time since you’ve heard from me. However, we are back in action in 2025. This was my first working week in 2025 and right now I feel like I need a week to recover from my week. I was up running some errands this morning and just absolutely dragging along. But there are some great things happening!
After I get done with this, I’m going to dive back into the final edits for America’s Lost Generation. I am eager to get this book out as it is more timely now than it was when I first had the idea for it in 2020. I know it has been much delayed but I am on top of it and eager to get it out into the world.
I am doing more press this year so be on the look out for updates on where I am going and who I am talking to!
I want to welcome all our new subscribers too! There are many new people on the newsletter list now and I want to say a very special welcome to you!
Write your book in 2025!
You can write a book in 2025 and I can help! My new writing courses are out now, and you can sign up for Fiction, Non-Fiction or both! To learn more, please visit The Cameron Journal Academy and check out my course: The Power of Story.
The Latest
Let’s dive into the headlines this week. There was alot of news over my winter break and I covered many of those stories on the Newshour (video below!). Thank you for reading!
Facebook gives it up for Trump
Mark Zuckerberg announced this week that he would be ended fact-checking on Meta platforms and embracing Twitter/X style “free speech” and that Meta employees were no longer supposed to combat misinformation, disinformation or snide comments. In one particular change, it has been reported via screenshots from the new policy that people are allowed to call LGBT+ people “weird” and “mentally ill.”
This all comes on the heels of TikTok choosing to shut down rather than divest from its American division. The TikTok ban goes into effect on January 19, 2025 and that means there are 8 days and counting before TikTok could be finito in the US.
My thoughts on this are mixed. I am a free speech absolutist and I believe that free speech is our most sacred right because it is the only one that matters. Every other right extends from free speech. However, I have also seen the harm that comes from certain kinds of free speech. I believe that if you are actively harming someone, that kind of speech should not be allowed. I think much of the hubbub about this comes from who is determining what is “harm” and the idea that words cannot hurt anyone. I do think words can be harmful. Over on X, I’ve seen more racism and anti-semitism than I ever thought I would see. I think most people don’t mind seeing that kind of speech limited but there are far more innocuous things that people do mind. They want to call things, “gay” and “retarded” and they don’t want to be policed for it.
Zuek went on Joe Rogan to talk about the situation and admitted that the Biden administration had pressured them to hide information about COVID-19 vaccine side effects for fear that people would not take the COVID-19 vaccine. I hate to say it but the anti-covid vaccine people had a point. This also dovetails in with what Matt Taibbi said about Twitter in the Twitter files. Although the Twitter files did not have nearly the proof that this disclosure from Zuckerberg had, it seems like it is all falling together. We might not like the truth but we have to acknowledge it. As John Adams said, “Facts are stubborn things.”
The fight over media continues as Kara Swisher from the popular Pivot podcast tries to get a consortium together to buy the Washington Post from Jeff Bezos. Many folks on the Left view the actions taken by various publications and Meta to be a capitulation to the incoming Trump administration. The fight for information, platforms, and distribution will continue. I had a great conversation this week with Jesse Hirsch about this very topic. It’ll be out on The Cameron Journal Podcast very soon.
California is Burning….Again
This week, Los Angeles took the headlines as a trio of fires in Los Angeles and Ventura counties burnt up billions in valuable real estate, including the homes of several celebrities like James Woods, Paris Hilton, and others. At least one of the fires is suspected to be started by arson but all the fires were whipped into a firestorm by Santa Ana winds that naturally occur in the area and are natural to the environment. There has been major controversy along the way with fire hydrants running dry and fire fighters being unable to stop the fire or save homes. Governor Gavin Newsom has been criticized for his lack of response to the disaster. With 180,000 people displaced, it is a major disaster for Southern California and it is the largest loss of property by fire in American history.
These fires are devastating but you can’t stop nature from doing what nature does. The hills around Pacific Palisades (where most homes were lost) have fire as part of their ecology. There are plants that have to burn in order to reproduce. This goes far beyond fire management, it is an ecological question and problem. I will say that the issues with Governor Newsom around the fire (water, looting, disaster recovery) will definitely follow him if he plans to run for president 2028. Someone told me it was the end of his political ambitions. I can’t say I don’t disagree.
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