Are We Still Allowed To Ask Questions?

(Originally published January 18, 2021.)

Aside from a breathless stream of headlines and a few random inputs, I haven’t seen many facts regarding the events of January 6th. Circumstances made things that way for me, and now I’m glad they did, because it set me up for the really important issue: Am I allowed to ask questions about this, or am I not? Continue reading “Are We Still Allowed To Ask Questions?”

The West That Was, Part 3

19th Century America

If we wish to grasp American life in the 19th century, it’s probably best to start by understanding that when America was young, it had no myth. Once we really understand that, the rest falls into place fairly easily. Here’s how Alexis de Tocqueville (in National Character of Americans) described it in the 1830s: Continue reading “The West That Was, Part 3”

Why Ross Ulbricht Must Be Pardoned

I’ve written about Ross Ulbricht before, but I want as many people as possible to know about this horrible miscarriage of justice.

I’ll be brief, but I want you to have the facts. I think they matter a great deal, not only for getting Ross out of prison – a place he clearly does not belong – but because the administration of justice in America, at least in cases that people in power care about, has been deeply corrupted. Continue reading “Why Ross Ulbricht Must Be Pardoned”

Why Americans Shouldn’t Respect Offices or Laws

It has become a common belief among Americans that they should “respect the office” of an official, even if they don’t respect the person holding that office. The same, of course, goes for “the law.” And while I understand that people saying such things are trying to be virtuous, they are mistaken. Continue reading “Why Americans Shouldn’t Respect Offices or Laws”

We Must Stop Trying To Be Unassailable

Guilt, as I’ve noted before, is the great vulnerability of the Western world. I’ll pass up an explanation of why for today, but the validity of this statement is made ever so clear by the fact that political types rise to power by championing one class or another of victims, portraying everyone else as somehow guilty. It works brilliantly, and by it bizarre and unbalanced people leap into power. Continue reading “We Must Stop Trying To Be Unassailable”