As the major costs of ObamaCare loom over America, here’s a history quiz: Who’s most responsible for instituting ObamaCare? (a) President Barack Obama (b) President George W. Bush (c) Chief Justice John Roberts (d) President Franklin Roosevelt The answer is (d) President Franklin … [Read more...]
I Got More Guns Than the KGB
Dan Smyth | May 20, 2013
This month, an organization called Defense Distributed discovered how to “print” a plastic pistol that really shoots. Defense Distributed, which is dedicated to preserving the right to keep and bear arms, used a 3-D printer to read a real pistol’s electronic blueprint and print out a plastic … [Read more...]
Gardens, Property Rights, and Property Values
Joseph S. Diedrich | May 10, 2013
Chicago resident Kathy Cummings was recently fined $600 for growing milkweed in her garden. Ironically, the fine was issued by the same city that honored her in the past for her exceptional displays of flora. Her plight is the merely the most recent in a series of similar cases. Jason Helveston of … [Read more...]
Abortion and Gun Control: Any Hope for Change?
Paul Wilson | May 8, 2013
The shocking trial of abortion provider Kermit Gosnell, who allegedly snipped the necks of babies in a filthy clinic, has stirred outrage even among abortion supporters. Meanwhile, following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, CT, in December 2012, the Senate recently rejected a … [Read more...]
The Origination Clause II: Die Harder with a Vengeance, ObamaCare!
Dan Smyth | April 25, 2013
A U.S. district court could soon decide if the Pacific Legal Foundation's (PLF) case against ObamaCare will continue in the U.S. court system. PLF alleges that ObamaCare is unconstitutional because it violates the Origination Clause, which reads, "All bills for raising revenue shall originate in … [Read more...]
“Hear, Americans, the Sacred Cry: Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!”
María Belén Eyheramonho | April 22, 2013
The introductory verse of a South American country’s national anthem reads, “Hear, mortals, the sacred cry: Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!” This country has one of the biggest surface areas in the world, thundering rivers and falls, mountains and valleys, endless forests and jungles, cattle and wheat … [Read more...]
Avoiding Bloodshed? U.S. Journalists and Censorship in Wartime
Dan Smyth | April 10, 2013
“[Union journalists]…are the direct cause of more bloodshed than fifty times their number of armed Rebels.” -Union General William Sherman, 1863 Should the U.S. government or military censor wartime information in national security’s name? In my recently published article “Avoiding Bloodshed? US … [Read more...]
Maryland Repeals Capital Punishment: A Positive Step?
Tony Escobar | March 20, 2013
Last week, the Maryland legislature repealed capital punishment in favor of life sentences with no parole for the most heinous crimes. This repeal makes Maryland the eighteenth state to ban capital punishment. But for libertarians and other liberty advocates, what could be wrong with capital … [Read more...]
Should Religion Influence Government?
Paul Wilson | March 13, 2013
As a Catholic social conservative, my ideological opponents often accuse me of “forcing my religious views on others.” Of course, my opponents are wrong, since I don’t seek to make Catholic teachings the laws of the land. After all, according to the First Amendment such an imposition would be … [Read more...]
A Lesson in Politics from Senator Rand Paul
Maggen Elizabeth Stone | March 7, 2013
Yesterday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) took a page from the 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. At 11:47 AM, he began a filibuster that lasted 13 hours. Afterward, he thanked everyone from his fellow senators to the doorkeepers. Paul’s filibuster was an amazing event to behold and a production that … [Read more...]
