A high percentage of people I’m close to are politically left-leaning. They, along with me, have been looking on with unhappiness at the attention paid to what is by all rights an open-and-shut case of property rights, the case of the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque”. I have nothing to add to a discussion of either the [...]
Victims of domestic abuse deserve protection, but there are far more victims than there are police resources to provide such protection. Often, a victim who obtains a Temporary Restraining Order against an abuser is left with little but the hope that the abuser will have more respect for the law than he did for her. [...]
I noticed in the comment thread to this post (h/t Donald Heath) that there is a second live video broadcasting app for the iPhone, Qik. I was already aware of Ustream’s app, and both support other smartphone platforms, and there’s very likely other solutions out there as well. This is part of an important trend [...]
Reason.com comments on Barney Frank’s H.R.2267 passing committee, and quotes him discussing online gambling back in 2006: People have said, “What is the value of gambling?” Here is the value: Some human beings enjoy doing it. Shouldn’t that be our principle? If individuals like doing something and they harm no one, we will allow them [...]
Just pointing out the obvious: When Pakistan’s government banned Facebook over “Everybody Draw Muhammed Day”, this was not an act of self-defense. I really dislike reality television game shows, but I don’t need to ban them, because I can just not watch them. No, Pakistan’s government banned Facebook because they knew that people _did_ want [...]
In five years, in late 2013, the notion of a global scientific consensus about the severity of global warming will be shattered, and governments will no longer introduce legislation to limit carbon emissions. I know I’m not the first to say this, but I’m just going on record.
Speaking of Proposition 8, I was having a quick conversation the other day with a dear friend in California about the success of the ballot measure. She had worked for its defeat, and was understandably dismayed by the results, given that her preferred presidential candidate won California so handily. She had said (and I’m paraphrasing [...]
Among my more liberal friends are another homeschooling and Oberlin couple like us, and when the conversation drifts over into politics, they always give us good food for thought. One particular position of theirs has always intrigued me, but never sat quite right (and I hope I’m not misrepresenting them here in my explanation). It [...]
I’ll come out of retirement to note this hopeful turn of events in Zimbabwe: Mugabe aides discuss ceding power. Things are likely to still turn pretty ugly and violent, but that’s been the likely scenario for awhile now. I hope the inevitable difficult transition is mercifully short, and that Zimbabweans can begin reclaiming their lives [...]
Zimbabwe wasn’t always like this. You might think the fact that his every brutal action requires additional (and more brutal) action to deal with the unintended consequences might give Robert Mugabe pause. Just as it should give Hugo Chavez pause. But I think the only thing on Mugabe’s mind is how long can he hold [...]