Hornberger's Blog

It’s All about Empire

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 9, 2011

Just as I suggested last Monday, the killing of Osama bin Laden isn’t going to change a thing. The war on terrorism will continue, along with the invasions, bombings, occupations, sanctions, embargoes, kangaroo tribunals, torture and abuse, assassinations, indefinite detention, foreign aid, support of dictatorships, and, of course, the out-of-control federal spending and ever-growing infringements on the freedom ...

Will Mexicans Lead Us to Drug Legalization?

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 6, 2011

There is good news coming out of Mexico. CNN is reporting that hundreds of protestors have begun a 3-day march to Mexico City seeking an end to the drug war. It’s seems that the group might be calling for some kind of truce between the government and the drug gangs, rather than legalization, but it’s nonetheless a clear sign ...

Bin Laden and Yousef: Dead and Alive

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 3, 2011

The operation in Pakistan that ended in bin Laden’s death brings to mind the case of Ramzi Yousef. He was one of the terrorists who committed the bombing of the World Trade Center some 8 years before the 9/11 attacks on the WTC. Yousef’s 1993 attack on the WTC was handled differently from that of the 2001 attack. After Yousef ...

Mired in the Socialist Muck

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 3, 2011

A controversy over food stamps in New York City shows what happens when people plunge into the muck of socialism. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is trying to prohibit food-stamp recipients from using their food stamps to purchase sugar-sweetened beverages. The mayor’s rationale? You guessed it! Paternalism, the ism that goes perfectly with socialism. The mayor says that sugar is bad ...

Is This the Wrong Time to Question Foreign Policy? Part 2

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 2, 2011

My hunch is that once the jubilation over the killing of Osama bin Laden dissipates, everything will return to normal. The war on terrorism will continue indefinitely into the future. New official enemies will appear to take bin Laden’s place. The periodic terror alerts will remain. The president’s emergency powers that came into existence after 9/11 will stay. The ...

Hornberger’s Blog, May 2011

by Jacob G. Hornberger May 1, 2011

Tuesday, May 31, 2011 Immigration and Liberal Hypocrisy 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 ...

Nutrition and the Nanny State

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 29, 2011

Even while bombing and killing people overseas, the federal government hasn’t forgotten its important role of being a daddy for the American people. According to an article in today’s New York Times, the Food and Drug Administration is issuing rules directed to food companies that target children in their advertising. Since child obesity is a national problem, the FDA is telling ...

Thanks to the Fed, They Already Are Defaulting

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 28, 2011

The doomsday crowd claims that the sky will fall in if the Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling. If the ceiling isn’t raised, they say, the federal government will be forced to default on its debt payments, which apparently will then cause the sky to fall in. That’s, of course, ridiculous. For one thing, just because the federal government ...

Syria and Standing Armies

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 27, 2011

The brutal military crackdown in Syria confirms the wisdom of our Founding Fathers’ opposition to standing armies. The Syrian military is loyally obeying the orders of their commander in chief to suppress the protests sweeping the country by opening fire and killing peaceful protestors. That is one of the big problems with standing armies, as our American ancestors repeatedly emphasized. ...

The Debt-Ceiling Charade

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 26, 2011

With respect to the debt ceiling, let me issue an easy prediction: The Republicans are going to cave. They are going to vote to raise the debt ceiling. Oh sure, there will be plenty of posturing. There will be expressions of anger and outrage over out-of-control federal spending, borrowing, and debt. There will be strategic political posturing, including threats ...

Economic Crimes in China and the U.S.

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 25, 2011

The U.S. government is criticizing the Chinese government for one of the communist regime’s favorite tactics: using “economic crimes” as a legal cover to prosecute, convict, and incarcerate people who are actually guilty of political crimes. The latest instance involves Chinese celebrity artist and social critic Ai Weiwei, who is being held on suspicion of violating “economic crimes.” As Ayn ...

Physician, Heal Thyself

by Jacob G. Hornberger April 22, 2011

Outgoing U.S. ambassador to China Jon M. Huntsman Jr. recently issued a broadside against China’s human-rights record, a pointed attack that comes in the wake of a brutal crackdown on dissent by the communist regime. “The United States will never stop supporting human rights because we believe in the fundamental struggle for human dignity wherever it may occur.” What hypocrisy. ...