Is President Obama Ending Perpetual War, Or Institutionalizing It?

“President Obama Vows to End the Perpetual War”–so reads the New York Times‘ editorial about President Obama’s speech on counter-terrorism policy. The Times hailed the president’s remarks as a “momentous turning point in post-9/11 America,” but given Mr. Obama’s history of broken pledges, failed expectations, and underwhelming performance, we are less than enthusiastic about this latest among … Continued

Quote Files: James Madison on Christianity: ‘Superstition, Bigotry, and Persecution’

The Founding Fathers are always everyone’s top choice when looking to bolster their argument, and despite being a generally skeptical lot (Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Paine, and Franklin were deists), they are frequently and inaccurately invoked by the religious to support the claim that “America was founded as a Christian nation.” But despite so many irreligious … Continued

IRS Scandal: Conspiracy Not Required

The recent revelation that the IRS targeted conservative political groups is now moving into the second stage of a DC scandal: the first is finding out what happened; the second is finding out how high up it goes. Although it is important to find out many, if any, high-level officials are culpable, high-level participation is … Continued

Don’t Let Boston Derail the Discussions on Immigration Reform

Guest post by Sandra Sanchez. Cross-posted from our friends at Thoughts on Liberty. In the later half of the 20th Century, the Central American country of Nicaragua was undergoing a revolution. In 1983, two Nicaraguan immigrants came to the United States seeking asylum due to the Nicaraguan Revolution. Both of them were children of the Revolution and … Continued

Fake Quote Files: V.I. Lenin on Inflation and Taxation

It occurred to me, while researching alleged quotations from historical figures, that for every time someone cites a source for a quote, there are about 10,000 instances where people simply stick the purported author’s name under it with an emdash (—), as though it was a sufficient reference. This is quite maddening, because even if … Continued

No Libertarian “Truce” With Conservatives On Social Issues

For the first time, a majority of Americans now support legalizing marijuana, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center. For the first time in more than four decades of polling on the issue, a majority of Americans favor legalizing the use of marijuana. A national survey finds that 52% say that the use … Continued