In January 1920, the 18th Amendment became the law of the land in the United States, banning the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol. It took almost fourteen years for us to realize and acknowledge what a huge mistake that had been, but the 21st Amendment finally repealed Prohibition. But not before a huge and […]
Same sex marriage is an extremely controversial issue in this country. And nowhere is this controversy more acute than in California where voters passed Proposition 8 in 2008, banning same sex marriages within the state. Opponents of the move challenged its legitimacy in court, and the case eventually found itself before Judge Vaughn Walker. After […]
A group of about a dozen gunmen surround a car stopped at a Miami Beach intersection and open fire, the muzzle flashes from their weapons lighting up the night. After brutally murdering the driver, and injuring four innocent bystanders, some of the gunmen start going after witnesses, assaulting them, stealing or breaking their cell phones […]
I’ve written before about the Law of Unintended Consequences, and I never have to go far to find another example of it in action. With a scenario that is right out of Atlas Shrugged, Oregon lawmakers are scratching their heads wondering where all of the state’s millionaires are disappearing to after they targeted the rich […]
A few years ago, I wrote about how I believed the Missouri Department of Transportation had wasted a million dollars installing variable speed limit signs all along Interstate 270. I also pointed out that these signs were illegal because they did not comply with the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), not to mention […]
If Thomas Jefferson had used Powerpoint, the first slide of the Declaration of Independence might have looked like this: Self-evident truths: * all men are created equal * they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights * among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness * to secure these rights, Governments […]
Today’s story on CNN about protests in Egypt describes them as “an unprecedented display of anti-government rage.” It further ascribes the rage to similar anti-government tumult in nearby Tunisia. I would also offer the influence of last week’s referendum in neighboring Sudan, which had roughly 99% of southern residents of that nation demanding independence from […]
I did not read much Dr. Seuss as a child, so it has only been since I’ve had children of my own that I’ve really been exposed to his stories. I am both pleased and surprised to see that, concealed within the fanciful illustrations and anapestic tetrameter, he covers some pretty heady subject matter. Beyond […]
There are those who would argue that we need government to act as a watchdog for no other reason than people need to be watched or they will do bad things. But the fact that people are imperfect is not an argument *for* government, it is an argument against it. For these same dishonest, greedy, […]
I just read Robert Parry’s essay regarding an anticipated showdown with the Tea Party over the Constitution. I share his suspicions about what motivates the Tea Party, and I applaud his contention that “reason and consistency have little place in the U.S. political/media system.” However, I have to take issue with a couple of points […]
It has apparently been around a few years, but I was just made aware of A Note From Gary Larson (via Reddit). In the note, he makes a personal appeal to all fans of The Far Side who have published copies of his cartoons on their web sites. Referring to his creations as his children, […]
I came across this article by author Henry A. Giroux recently, and I found myself drawn in by the first paragraph or so, strongly agreeing with his words, and then the cracks began to show. He rails against the invective of the talking heads on television, and the mindless jingoism of the current Tea Party […]