“There Is No Arizona”*
I’m a committed believer in open borders and, failing that, of a robust guest worker program and something in the neighborhood of absolute amnesty for illegal immigrants. Moreover, I’ve got no real affinity for...
Author: Mark of New Jersey
Are Drone Strike Operators “Unlawful Combatants”?
Steve Hynd provides a compelling case that, whatever one may think about the utility of drone strikes in countries where we are not officially engaged in hostilities, those CIA officers who operate the drones...
Pop Quiz
Faced with rapidly increasing public debt and an World Trade Organization decision that its market-distorting, third world poverty-reinforcing cotton subsidy program is illegal, and awarding Brazil the right to impose up to $800 million a year in...
Why Fact-Checking Is Important
UPDATED …Even for a blogger. This morning I linked to a story suggesting that the EPA is running a contest to celebrate the wonders of the regulatory state. The EPA is in fact running...
Bigotry Comes Out of the Closet
In some ways, I was happy to read this little piece of anti-gay bigotry on the American Family Association’s website regarding a hypothetical appointment of an openly gay Supreme Court justice. At least it’s...
A Pertinent Question
“[W]hich has been more of a problem: anti-government violence, or government violence?” Via IOZ. [DISCLAIMER: This post not to be read as an endorsement of anti-government violence, just as a question about priorities.]
Through Thick and Thin
I’ve been working on a post on this subject all week, but for now I’d like to recommend John Holbo’s latest post identifying two particular strains of libertarianism and how that analysis relates to...
More on Confederate Apologia
I should have linked this yesterday, but Transplanted Lawyer’s barrage on Confederate apologia makes a fitting companion piece to the Ta-Nehisi Coates post. Not only fitting, but a particularly succinct disposal of virtually all...
“The Ghost of Bobby Lee”
There are few things in life I find more intellectually compelling and challenging than a considered piece by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This is such a piece.
Beating the 10 Books Horse
Ezra at Popehat is still playing the “10 Influential Books” game. I’d hate to allow him to feel like he’s the only one still playing, and besides, today is the single best day of...
These Are Our Allies
Tomorrow, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia intends to behead a 46-year old father of five for the “crime” of hosting a Lebanon-based fortune-telling satellite television show. There are no words…
Political Trolls: What the GOP Hath Sowed
Scott’s post last week attacking the Republican behavior before, during and after the health care debate generated quite the lively discussion in the comments thread. Scott and many primarily left-of-center commenters argued that the...
Sin Taxes and the Welfare State
In the comments to E.D.’s post on a hypothetical tax on alcohol, Michael Drew writes: A significant portion of the negative externalities come in the form of medical costs from DUI and long-term disease,...
Push Comes To Shove
I said awhile ago that, despite some early promisnig signs, the real test of whether Governor Christie is taking our state’s budgetary problems and tax problems seriously would be in the details of his budget...
Lack of Self-Awareness Watch
Sean Penn: Because every day, this elected leader [Chavez] is called a dictator here, and we just accept it! And accept it. And this is mainstream media, who should – truly, there should be...
Death of a Blogger
I didn’t know Jon Swift/Al Weisel well enough to appropriately eulogize him, but his death hits close to home nonetheless. Beyond being a gifted writer capable of earning the respect of one of his...
The Crow’s In The Oven
It’s not quite ready to eat yet, but it’s definitely getting closer. Push still hasn’t come to shove, but Gov. Christie is increasingly looking to have a better idea of how he’s going to...
The McDonald Bust
Orin Kerr has a preliminary summary up of the argument in McDonald v. Chicago from this morning. As one may have anticipated, it looks like the Court is going to sidestep the opportunity to...
Day-um!
Check out the line at 11PM last night to get into this morning’s oral arguments on McDonald v. City of Chicago. It’s almost as if the possibility (however remote) of restoring the privileges and...
