The Meritless Language Argument by Scott McPherson May 10, 2006 Anti-immigrant types often use the language argument to make their case: that without a common language, people will never be able to get along and prosper. I couldn’t help but think of this recently when my wife and I decided to get some much-needed work done around the house. I’m no handyman, ...
Speaking Spanish and Assimilating by Jacob G. Hornberger May 10, 2006 I’m always intrigued by people who complain that Latino immigrants who don’t learn English aren’t “assimilating” within American society. Consider my hometown of Laredo, Texas, where I was practicing law in the 1970s. The jury pool for judicial trials consisted of citizens whose names had been taken from the voter ...
Oil Feeding Frenzy by Sheldon Richman May 3, 2006 The feeding frenzy in Washington over oil prices and profits may win pander-points for cynical politicians, but it takes the public’s eye off the ball. The regular outcry over rising prices, which, you’ll notice, requires a previous period of falling prices, highlights some fascinating puzzles. For example, there is a ...
A Democratic Dictatorship by Jacob G. Hornberger May 1, 2006 Amidst all the discussion and debate about whether President Bush has violated the law by ordering the National Security Agency (NSA) to record telephone conversations, we must not overlook an important fact: the United States is now traveling in uncharted waters, ones in which the ruler of the nation is exercising omnipotent power over the American people. A more ...
Free Cory Maye by Sheldon Richman May 1, 2006 Where are all the celebrities and human-rights activists? Where are Mike Farrell and Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon? Bianca Jagger, call your office! I watch cable news a lot, but I have yet to see one word about death-row inmate Cory Maye. Why not? You haven’t heard of Cory Maye? Few people have, despite the best ...
Nonsense on the Inevitability of Democracy by James Bovard May 1, 2006 Many Americans are being lulled into assuming that democracy is inevitable. This is a favorite theme of President Bush’s beating on the same drumhead used by President Clinton, President Wilson, and other notable demagogues. But the fact that politicians agree does not make something true. Since Woodrow Wilson proclaimed that ...
Lessons in Living from Great-Grandma Ladd by Ridgway K. Foley Jr. May 1, 2006 From the first glance, she evoked the quiet self-reliance and rectitude that imbued the spirit of the American pioneer. She favored long homemade dresses of faded, flowered print. Tall for her generation, and thin and angular to the point of gauntness, she often looked sober but not severe, although at times a slight smile creased her face. She outlived ...
The American Heritage of “Isolationism” by Gregory Bresiger May 1, 2006 You’re against the war in Iraq. In fact, you’re skeptical about the concept of nation-building and wonder about all of the U.S. interventions in history, from Haiti to the Philippines, the latter resulting in a bitter insurgency at the beginning of the 20th century in which U.S. ...
Death and Taxes by Gary D. Barnett May 1, 2006 A friend of mine recently passed away at his home. This, in and of itself, is not surprising, as he was 80 years old and had cancer, but this story is about what happened before and up until his death. My friend worked very hard for many years, had a successful career, and then retired. ...
For and Against Libertarianism: A Debate, Part 1 by George Leef May 1, 2006 Part 1 | Part 2 Libertarianism: For and Against by Craig Duncan and Tibor Machan (Rowman & Littlefield, 2005); 167 pages. What is a debate? Most of the “debate” that contemporary Americans see consists of the pathetic events featuring political candidates on the same stage, frantically trading sound bites calculated to ...
The Immigration Debate We’re Not Having by Scott McPherson April 28, 2006 As the nation finds itself embroiled in a debate over immigration, we hear the standard arguments for and against. Those favoring a more liberal approach to immigration warn of the economic consequences of turning away low-cost workers. On the other side, we’re warned that immigration itself “costs” too much — ...
The Price of Empire by Sheldon Richman April 26, 2006 Empire — sorry, benevolent hegemony — has its price. Terrorism is one. Every empire in history probably had terrorism directed at it, because it’s one of the few weapons available to relatively weak nonstate adversaries. Another, less dramatic price is the determination of other countries’ rulers to go their separate ways. This can range ...