Author Archive | Ilya Somin

Representative Pete Stark (D-CA) has publicly confirmed that he is an atheist, thereby become the first openly atheist member of Congress in American history (hat tip: Radley Balko). However welcome, Stark’s announcement is not much of a counterexample to my argument that atheists are severely discriminated against in the political arena (see here and here). […]

Like most of the other VC bloggers, I am sympathetic to the idea that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to bear arms, not just a “right” limited to members of state-controlled “militias.” The DC Circuit’s recent decision in Parker increases the likelihood that that view will soon triumph in the Supreme Court. However, […]

Star Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling has begun writing his own blog, 38 Pitches. Unlike most celebrity athletes, Schilling is often very frank, insightful, and controversial in his public statements. His first few blog posts follow that pattern, and he has even enabled comments. In just a few days, Schilling has already posted a […]

This recent Washington Post article focuses on a Yale Law School student who believes that false derogatory statements about her personal life posted on a anonymous internet chat site prevented her from getting any offers for summer associate jobs. The article has generated a major blogosphere debate about the dangers of anonymous commentary on the […]

Glenn Reynolds/Instapundit has an interesting post collecting links about The 300, the new movie about the Battle of Thermopylae, in which 300 Spartan warriors held off a massive Persian army for several days, and helped save Western civilization from destruction in its infancy. I’m far from certain that The 300 will actually prove to be […]

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US Ambassador to Iraq, presents an optimistic take on the new Iraqi draft oil law in this Washington Post op ed. Here is his summary of the law’s benefits: · [The draft law] Reaffirms that oil and gas resources are owned by all the people of Iraq and contains a firm commitment […]

There is little say about Ann Coulter, but to second Orin Kerr’s post below. Coulter has said a great many idiotic, bigoted, and offensive things over the years, and calling John Edwards a “faggot” is actually tame by her standards. For a very partial sampling of Coulter’s wit and wisdom, see this 2006 article by […]

Parents who are looking for an elementary school curriculum that takes a more favorable view of private property than that found at the Hilltop Children’s Center may want to try the Ayn Rand School for Tots.

Teachers at the Hilltop Children’s Center in Seattle decided to use Legos to teach children that private property is evil: [T]he students had been building an elaborate “Legotown,” but it was accidentally demolished. The teachers decided its destruction was an opportunity to explore “the inequities of private ownership.” According to the teachers, “Our intention was […]

The New York Times has an important article on the new oil revenue deal about to be enacted by the Iraqi parliament. As I have explained in past posts, the distribution of oil revenue is the most vital part of setting up a viable federalism in Iraq, which in turn is the most important part […]

Egyptian blogger Sandmonkey has a detailed post providing updates on the situation of Egyptian blogger Abdel Kareem Soliman, who was recently sentenced to four years in prison for the “crimes” of “contempt of religion” and “insulting the president.” It is ironic that the “insult” to President Hosni Mubarak for which Kareem was convicted was that […]

ABC News has recently posted this handy Sunni-Shiite quiz. The quiz tests your knowledge of which important Middle Eastern Muslim countries and political factions – such as Al Qaeda and Iran – are Sunni and which are Shiite. As I explained in this post, many members of Congress, including some who sit on the House […]

In this Slate column, Pepperdine law professor Doug Kmiec decries two recent 5-4 Supreme Court decisions because they undermine Chief Justice Roberts’ effort to promote unanimity on the Court, which in turn makes Supreme Court decisions less clear. As Kmiec puts it, “[w]hen the justices work out their disagreements before they write opinions, unanimity has […]

Dennis “DJ” Johnson, a star player on the Boston Celtics teams that I grew up rooting for in the 1980s died suddenly today at the tragically early age of 52. Johnson was one of the most widely admired and respected NBA players of his generation, a star on three championship teams (two with the Celtics), […]

Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, and space policy analyst Taylor Dinerman have written an interesting article on the economic potential of space. They argue that the Moon and possibly other parts of the solar system might contribute greatly to fulfilling future energy needs, and also produce other valuable products. More […]