Authoritarians Drunk on Power by John W. Whitehead July 28, 2021 The executive power in our government is not the only, perhaps not even the principal, object of my solicitude. The tyranny of the legislature is really the danger most to be feared, and will continue to be so for many years to come. The tyranny of the executive power will come in its turn, but at a more distant ...
Still Divided, Enslaved & Locked Down by John W. Whitehead July 22, 2021 A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. — Abraham ...
Under Biden Free Enterprise Means Government Control by Richard M. Ebeling July 21, 2021 George Orwell famously coined the term “newspeak” in his 1949 anti-utopian futuristic novel, 1984, in which commonsense words were reversed in their meaning. Thus, “peace” meant “war,” and “love” meant “hate.” In our current world of political correctness, “equal rights” means “privilege,” and “freedom” means “oppression.” Now, with President Biden’s recent executive order on “active” enforcement of antitrust laws, ...
Neither Necessary nor Proper by Laurence M. Vance July 16, 2021 It was sixteen years ago last month that the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case of Gonzales v. Raich (2005), ruled that the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801) did not exceed the power of Congress under the Commerce Clause as applied to the intrastate cultivation and possession of marijuana for medical use. In this case, Angel ...
Appreciating F. A. Hayek’s Insights on Money and the Business Cycle by Richard M. Ebeling July 14, 2021 Over the last few months, fears over rising price inflation have, again, become the focus of political policy makers and media pundits. While generally rising prices have a variety of deleterious effects, attention is often not given to how inflationary processes work, their negative effects beneath the surface of measured movements in the “price level.” Ninety years ago, the ...
The Second Amendment’s Right to Bear Arms: What It Means by John W. Whitehead July 13, 2021 “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” — The Second Amendment to the US Constitution You can largely determine where a person will fall in the debate over gun control and the Second Amendment based on their view of government ...
Help Us Defend Our Civil Liberties by Jacob G. Hornberger July 13, 2021 On the heels of our very successful online Zoom conference in April and May on “The National Security State and the Kennedy Assassination,” we now wish to do another online Zoom conference this fall on the critical importance of “Restoring Civil Liberties in America.” I am writing to see ...
Is School Choice the Answer to Critical Race Theory? by Laurence M. Vance July 9, 2021 Following the lead of lawmakers in Tennessee and Idaho, my state of Florida has become the latest state to ban the teaching of critical race theory in its public schools. As adopted by the Florida State Board of Education, the amendment banning the teaching of critical race theory states in part: Examples of theories that distort historical events ...
“Race Manners” Reinforce a Harmful Race Conscious by Richard M. Ebeling July 7, 2021 Which one of us does not want to be treated with respect and dignity, rather than rudeness and disregard? Which one of us does not hope for empathy and support from those who know us when misfortune or tragedy befalls our lives, rather than indifference or callousness? We all do. It’s normal, it’s human. But what happens if this ...
Private Charity, Personal Choice by Laurence M. Vance July 2, 2021 Although Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.)—the son of former House member and Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul—would identify more as a conservative and a constitutionalist than a libertarian, he is certainly the most libertarian member of the U.S. Senate. Sen. Paul is usually the top scorer on The Freedom Index: A Congressional Scorecard Based on the U.S. Constitution, ...
Healthcare Whack-a-Mole by Jacob G. Hornberger July 1, 2021 Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of libertarians and conservatives have played an extensive game of Whack-a-Mole. That’s the Japanese game in which plastic moles pop up at random on a board and a person whacks each mole as it appears. In Healthcare Whack-a-Mole, governmental assaults on liberty have continuously popped up during the course of the pandemic. As ...
Ambrose Bierce’s Pro-Freedom Cynicism by James Bovard July 1, 2021 The friends of freedom must recognize the verbal charades that sway people to surrender their rights and liberties. The political establishment and its media allies are continually abusing the English language to lull people into submission. From pupils being required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of each school day to adults being endlessly hectored to vote, ...