The quiet curtain call
[Poem] What happens after the heart stops before the brain? What do we call the state of being alive and dead? I have looked. There is no good term. Written in February 2026. The quiet curtain call.pdfGoogle Docs
Lucas Harold Baumgartner
Reverse Libertarianism
[On Power] At one point in time, Nick Fuentes called himself a libertarian. In fact, he partially credits Young Americans for Liberty, of which I worked for, for his initial rise to prominence. He is far from alone. If you have been monitoring the political climate for the last decade,
The Lone High House of Hellen
[Poem] [Mythic] They say it's lonely at the top. Written in January 2026. The Lone High House of Hellen.pdfGoogle Docs
The birth of civic virtue
[On Power] In previous posts, I have analyzed the republic and emphasized its essential reliance on civic virtue, or preference for the common good above all else, as the cornerstone of its health. But where does civic virtue originate, and what sustains it? If you have taken a course of
On Brooding
[Poem] Remember to brood every once in a while. On Brooding.pdfGoogle Docs
Laughter of the Damned
[Fiction] [Short story] [Absurdist sword & sorcery] Blagg the Jester amuses himself when he is sent to hell by a spiteful sorcerer. IN REVIEW AT SWORD & SORCERY MAGAZINE
The four systems of governance
[On Power] The 20th century has spawned a monopoly on governance. With its powerhouse economy, cultural institutions, and unrivaled military, the U.S. has managed to completely dominate the world for a century. The U.S. victory of WWI and WWII has allowed them to "export democracy" to
Wretched Virtue
[Poem] Where do we get when a society no longer rewards virtue and restraint? Resentment and bitterness, probably. Written in December 2025. Wretched Virtue.pdfGoogle Docs
Reviving republicanism
[On Power] With the advent of Trump, the United States has seen something of a renaissance in political thought, particularly on the right. For the first time since World War II, the neo-liberal and neo-conservative monopoly yielded to a surge of nationalism and populism. Political thinkers from the nationalist pre-WWII
What system do we live under?
[On Power] From "we live in a democracy" to "we live in a republic", both are laughable at best. At one point, we might have lived under one of these. However, both terms have been so thoroughly distorted through years of state and media propaganda, that
MOORING EFFECTS ON FLOATING BREAKWATER DYNAMICS UNDER BREAKING WAVES
[Research] [Abstract] [ICCE] Authored by Dr. Shengzhe Wang and myself, this abstract investigates the two-way interactions between a breaking wave and a floating breakwater through the numerical solver, DualSPHysics. Submitted to ICCE (International Conference on Coastal Engineering) for their 2026 conference. I will be giving an oral presentation at ICCE
Montana
[Music] [Instrumental] Co-written by myself and the great Steven Wesson way back in 2018. The first music I have ever recorded.