Author Archives: Lawrence Person

About Lawrence Person

Lawrence Person is a political commentator and science fiction writer living in Austin, Texas. His political work has appeared in National Review, Reason, The Freeman, Liberty and The World & I. His SF has appeared in Asimov's, Analog, F&SF, Postscripts, Jim Baen's Universe, Fear, and several anthologies. He owns such a large library (mostly science fiction first editions) he had to buy a two-story house to put it in, and then adopted a golden retriever to drag him out of his house on a regular basis.

Another Texas Sales Tax Holiday This Weekend

Posted on August 6, 2026 by Lawrence Person

Another Texas sales tax holiday is sneaking up on us this weekend. Texas Comptroller Don Huffines encourages Texans to save money on tax-free purchases of most clothing, footwear school supplies and backpacks (sold for less than $100) during the annual … Continue reading →

Posted in Texas | Tagged Amazon, Don Huffines, education, Sales Tax Holiday, Texas | 2 Comments

Anthropic Destroys Books

Posted on August 5, 2026 by Lawrence Person

I’ve been cataloging various AI sins in this space for a while, but few get my goat as viscerally as the news that Anthropic destroys books in the process of scanning them. Anthropic was at the center of another controversy … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | Tagged AI, Anthropic, Books, Bruce Sterling, Project Panama, technology, Vernor Vinge | 8 Comments

Why Would You Even Want Meta Glasses?

Posted on August 4, 2026 by Lawrence Person

In their ongoing drive to remove every last vestige of your privacy, as well as make the world a worse place, Meta (AKA Facebook) has unleashed a new generation of smart AI-enabled glasses that are evidently already on sale through … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | Tagged AI, Facebook, privacy rights, technology | 1 Comment

Pipers At The Exit Gates Of The Democrat Party

Posted on August 3, 2026 by Lawrence Person

It seems that people who thought they were Democrats are finally waking up to the fact that the party has left them. First up: Bill Maher, who’s not down with the Dem’s open commie turn: “Right before we left, Vice … Continue reading →

Posted in Communism, Democrats, Social Justice Warriors | Tagged Bill Maher, Cea Weaver, Cold War, Communism, coronavirus, cults, Darializa Avila Chevalier, defund the police, Democratic Socialists of America, Democrats, Evan Barker, Francesca Hong, Greg Cesar, Hasan Piker, J. D. Vance, Palestinians, Republicans, Sargon of Akkad, Social Justice Warriors, Zohran Mamdani | 25 Comments

A Deep Dive Into Legal Carry Near Texas Schools

Posted on August 2, 2026 by Lawrence Person

Two pro-gun attorneys do a deepish dive into legal carry dos and don’ts near schools, and its pretty useful stuff. “Can you legally carry a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school? Does a Texas License to Carry protect you … Continue reading →

Posted in Guns, Regulation, Texas, video | Tagged CHL, Emily Taylor, Gun-Free School Zones Act, Guns, Regulation, Richard Hayes (Armed Attorney), Second Amendment, Texas, video | 1 Comment

Movie Review: Margin Call

Posted on August 1, 2026 by Lawrence Person

Title: Margin Call Director: J.C. Chandor Writer: J.C. Chandor Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Paul Bettany, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore, Mary McDonnell A movie scene that came up in my YouTube feed was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | Tagged Economics, movie review, movies, risk management, Subprime Meltdown, thermocline of truth, Wall Street | 4 Comments

LinkSwarm For July 31, 2026

Posted on July 31, 2026 by Lawrence Person

Iran lashes out again and gets pounded even harder for its troubles, Fauci’s diary validates just about everything conservatives have been saying about him for the last six years, DSA is open about wanting to destroy the Constitution, Ukraine blows … Continue reading →

Posted in Border Control, Communism, Crime, Democrats, Elections, Foreign Policy, Jihad, Media Watch, Military, Social Justice Warriors, Technology, Texas, Waste and Fraud, Welfare State | Tagged 2028 Presidential Race, ActBlue, Addie Hovland, AI, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Amazon, Andy Burham, Anthony Fauci, Anthropic, Babylon Bee, BeardMeatsFood, Belgorod, Border Controls, Bradford Plumer, Brandon Klayme, Breakthrough News, Bruce Stokes, Buzzfeed, California, campaign finance fraud, Canada, cars, Ceuta, Charlie LeDuff, China, Christino Rodriquez, Christopher Rufo, Claude Cowork, Communism, coronavirus, Craig Gilbert, crazy cat lady, Cristi Kempf, Critical Drinker, Cyberpunk, Dallas, Daniel Gross, David Rohde, David Sweeney, defund the police, DEI, Democratic Socialists of America, Democrats, Department of Defense, Dhillon Law Group, dogs, Donald Trump, drones, drugs, Dunes Sagebrush Lizard, Ed Bolian, Egypt, Elizabeth Waffle, Ezra Klein, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Fifth Amendment, Florida, food, Foreign Agent Registration Act, fraud, Gail Giustino, Gaza, Google, hacking, hamburgers, Huffington Post, hypercar, immigration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Iran, Israel, Jeremy Clarkson, Jihad, Jim Geraghty, Jon Healey, Jonathan Alter, Jonathan Broder, Julian Pecquet, Kathleen Deveny, Kazan, Ken Paxton, Kenya, Krasnodar, Labour, Lawsuit, LinkSwarm, logistics, Los Angeles, Marilyn Geewax, Marjorie Miller, Matthew Yglesias, Media Watch, Megan Romer, meth, Michigan, Midland, Mikie Sherrill, Morocco, Muslim, Natalie Winters, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Neuromancer, Nevada, Neville Roy Singham, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, NFL, OpenAI, Operation Epic Fury, Pakistan, Pedro Sanchez, Penza, People's Forum, Permian Basin, Podcast of the Lotus Eaters, Port Taman, Rand Paul, Red Sea, reparations, Reporting from Ukraine, Ronald Brownstein, Rostov-On-Don, Russia, Russo-Ukrainian War, Ryazan, Saudi Arabia, Shikha Dalmia, Skid Row, Slovenia, South Carolina, Spain, Spinal Tap, Steve Chapman, Steve Clemons, Strait of Hormuz, Suchomimus, Sudan, Supreme Court, Swords, Teacher Incentive Allotment, Terry Johnson, Texas, Texas Education Agency, Texas Scorecard, Tom Omestad, Tony Semerad, Tricontinental Institute, Tung Chee-hwa, Turkey, TV, Tyumen, Uber, UK, Ukraine, vaccine mandate, Virginia, Volgograd, Washington D.C., Ways and Means Committee, Welfare State, Wildberries, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Zaporizhia, Zohran Mamdani | 13 Comments

The Texas Data Center Dilemma

Posted on July 30, 2026 by Lawrence Person

For most of the 21st century, Texas had a pretty welcoming attitude toward data center construction: Come on down! Like every other type of economic investment, from factory to fab to corporate HQ, if you had just about any need … Continue reading →

Posted in Regulation, Technology, Texas | Tagged AI, Amazon, BlackRock, Brad Reynolds, Carol Alvarado, Chuy Hinojosa, data centers, El Paso, Energy Policy, ERCOT, Facebook, Grant Halk, Greg Abbott, infrastructure, Isaiah Mitchell, Joan Huffman, Paul Bettencourt, Pete Flores, Public Utility Commission (PUC), subsidies, Taxes, technology, Texas, Texas Scorecard, The Texan News, Thomas Gleeson, water | 3 Comments

ICE Dismantles Criminal SIM Farms

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Lawrence Person

Remember last year’s story about a “SIM farm” that was later linked to China? ICE just shut down a whole lot more. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE’s) Homeland Security Investigations carried out a nationwide operation between June 22 and July … Continue reading →

Posted in Border Control, Crime, Technology, Texas | Tagged Border Controls, California, China, Crime, Florida, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement, John Condon, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Operation Signal Break, SIM farm, technology, Texas, Zero Hedge | 8 Comments

Austin’s Secret Amazon Land Grab

Posted on July 28, 2026 by Lawrence Person

The Austin City Council is supposed to serve the people of Austin, but recent actions suggest that they’re a lot more interested in doing the bidding of a Fortune 5 company than serving mere citizens. The Austin City Council has … Continue reading →

Posted in Austin, Democrats, Regulation, Texas | Tagged Adam Cahn, Amazon, annexation, Austin, Austin City Council, Bill Bunch, Democrats, eminent domain, real estate, Regulation, robots, subsidies, Tax Increment Financing (TIF), Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ), Taxes, Texas, Texas Public Policy Foundation, Texas Scorecard | 14 Comments