Hornberger's Blog

Exit Afghanistan and Dismantle the Empire

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 10, 2011

One of the U.S. Empire’s big arguments for continuing to occupy Afghanistan is the fear that the Taliban might regain control over the country. The idea is that the Taliban might harbor al Qaeda or other terrorist groups who would use the country to plan terrorist attacks in the United States. Is that a valid argument for continuing a brutal ...

What Better Time than Now to End the Drug War?

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 9, 2011

The Pentagon and the military-industrial complex and other drug-war proponents must be reeling over recent reports on the federal fiasco known as the drug war. Two of the reports were issued by the U.S. government itself. According to theLos Angeles Times, those two reports show that “as drug cartels wreak murderous havoc from Mexico to Panama, the Obama administration ...

Let’s Admit It: Enacting Medicare Was a Mistake

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 8, 2011

The ongoing fiasco in healthcare shows why it was so wrong to have enacted Medicare in the first place. For one thing, Medicare reflects perfectly the mindset of dependency that the welfare state has inculcated in the American people, who have been born and raised under a culture of welfare-statism. All too many Americans are absolutely convinced that they could ...

The Washington Post Condemns the Libertarian Dance Protestors

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 7, 2011

Last week the Washington Post published an editorial condemning libertarians for violating a rule against dancing at the Jefferson Memorial. The Post said that the violation of the rule really didn’t constitute real civil disobedience because it didn’t involve a protest in support of some grand and glorious cause. Permit me to explain to the Post what else might be going on here. It isn’t so much ...

Free John Edwards and Repeal Campaign-Finance Regulatory Nonsense

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 6, 2011

With the ridiculous criminal indictment of former presidential candidate John Edwards, this would be a good time to call for the repeal of all restrictions on the right of people to donate as much money as they want to political candidates for whatever reason they want. During his presidential campaign, Edwards learned that his mistress was pregnant and wished to ...

The Debt-Ceiling Charade

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 3, 2011

Let’s face it: As I have been repeatedly predicting for the last several months, the Republicans are going to cave when it comes to the raising the debt ceiling. Republicans always cave when it comes to principle. Their caving stretches all the way back to the New Deal, when they realized that to please voters, they would have to ...

Reader Feedback

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 2, 2011

A reader asked if we would post online reader feedback on my article “An Open Letter to the Troops: You’re Not Defending Our Freedoms.” Here it is: **** Thank you for your great article on the troops aren't fighting for freedom. I couldn't have said it any better. I don't know what it is with Americans that use this mantra of ...

Socialism Meets the Drug War

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 1, 2011

The headline of this recent New York Times article highlights the problem: “Drug Trade Flourishes in Spanish Port Town.” The article is referring to the Spanish town of Barbate, Spain, a port town located in the southern region of Andalusia. Like other socialist countries, such as Greece, Italy, and Portugal, Spain is suffering a severe economic collapse as a result of ...

Hornberger’s Blog, June 2011

by Jacob G. Hornberger June 1, 2011

Thursday, June 30, 2011 Immigration Controls and a Police State Yesterday I commented on conservative Pat Buchanan’s recent anti-immigration rant. Today, I wish to comment on an aspect of immigration controls that both conservatives and liberals rarely confront — the federal government’s police-state powers that come with enforcing immigration controls. I’d venture to say that most Americans who are upset with the ...

Immigration and Liberal Hypocrisy

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 31, 2011

Let’s give credit where credit is due: When it comes to hypocrisy, liberals can be just as two-faced and duplicitous as conservatives. We’re all familiar with conservative hypocrisy. The favorite mantra of conservatives is: “Private property, free enterprise, and limited government.” Yet, the favorite programs of conservatives are: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, public schooling, education grants, community grants, corporate bailouts, protectionism, ...

Immigration Statism vs. Economic Liberty

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 27, 2011

The Supreme Court has upheld an Arizona law that imposes harsh penalties on employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens. The penalty of violating the law entails the suspension of a firm’s business license. The law requires state companies to verify that employees are legal by using a federal database. Oh, for the days of substantive due process! That was the ...

War Dictatorship

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 26, 2011

Yesterday, I wrote about the president’s dictatorial power regarding the waging of war. I pointed out that when it comes to war, the president can now violate with impunity the constitutional provision requiring him to secure a declaration of war from Congress before waging war. This power to violate the Constitution effectively gives dictatorial power to the president, given ...