Senior Pentagon officials today leaked the news that Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta plans to end the military’s long-standing ban on women serving in combat. This decision, which could potentially give women access to over 230,000 previously denied roles, comes on the heels of last year’s move that opened up over 14,000 combat positions to … Continued
For libertarians, it can be frustrating to watch elections: no matter which party wins, all to often, we lose. The same was true of this year, as President Obama was ushered into a second term by voters. But it wasn’t all bad: good news trickled in from across the country tonight, from ballot initiatives on … Continued
The Wall Street Journal has published an article on what has now become a distinct genre in political journalism: why libertarians should vote Republican. Normally these articles warrant no rebuttal, amounting to little more than hysteria about “Obama-the-Socialist,” but this piece was written by Georgetown Law Professor Randy Barnett, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. He defended … Continued
America’s favorite reality television program, the presidential election, aired its latest episode this week. As I have argued previously, presidential debates and television debates in particular degrade public discourse by their very nature, regardless of who the candidates are. Nonetheless, it is hard to ignore the two men seeking to be chief executive. For the conspiratorial, … Continued
“If there’s an Arab-American family that is being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties,” proclaimed Barack Obama during his famous Democratic National Convention Speech in 2004. “It is that fundamental belief–I am my brother’s keeper. I am my sister’s keeper–that makes this country work.” How far he … Continued
Something many people don’t realize is that gay marriage has been legalized by state legislatures in just three states, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York. Given the popular support for gay marriage nationwide, it is simply deplorable that so little has been accomplished so far. More states have decriminalized marijuana than extended the equal rights … Continued
If there’s one lesson to be learned about polarization and heated rhetoric, it’s that the Other Guys are murdering Commie terrorists who want to bring down the government. On no account let Them win. Yesterday, the great sage and eminent philosopher Jerry Springer compared the Tea Party to Osama bin Laden and various unnamed dictators, … Continued
In the course of tracking down and verifying a quote on Facebook attributed to Daniel Webster, I came across the speech from which it was derived. It was so good I thought I would repost it here. It is titled “The Philanthropic Love of Power.” I believe the power of the executive has increased, is … Continued
