Author Archive | Ilya Somin

In a recent post (linked below), Jonathan Adler cites evidence that the Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think thank has “banned” conservatives and libertarians critical of the Bush administration from its events. I don’t know enough to comment on Heritage’s alleged banning of Bruce Bartlett and Ryan Sager (referenced in the links in Jonathan’s post). […]

In this recent article, Martin Kramer of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy criticizes the famous John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt argument against the the US-Israel alliance from the standpoint of their own “realist” theory of international relations. Kramer and other commentators, including the VC’s own David Bernstein, have pointed out numerous flaws in […]

Commenter Sparky reports, and the Oxford English Dictionary confirms: The term “taser” comes from “Tom Swift’s Electric Rifle.” “Yup, THAT Tom Swift,” writes Sparky; “He had an electric rifle in a 1911 story.” Sparky (and Wikipedia) report that it comes from “Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle” (Wikipedia: “The ‘A’ is gratuitous; the character’s middle name […]

From the Borowitz Report.

(among others). The the ACLU’s Complaint claims that the libraries are using filters to block certain material, and refusing to manually unblock the material on the user’s request: [T]he NCRL has configured its SmartFilter software to block Web sites in the following categories, or in categories equivalent to the following categories: Alcohol, Anonymizers, Chat, Criminal […]

David Bernstein’s post on the excesses of Israeli socialist ideology remind me of Milton Friedman’s 1972 essay, “Capitalism and the Jews: Confronting a Paradox,” (I haven’t been able to find an online link, but it’s available in Kurt R. Leube ed., The Essence of Friedman at 43-57 (1987)). Friedman addressed the interesting question of why […]

As numerous commentators will point out today, Milton Friedman, who just passed away, was probably one of the two most influential economists of the last century, along with Keynes. Along with F.A. Hayek, Friedman also played a key role in rescuing libertarian and classical liberal political thought from the intellectual oblivion that threatened to engulf […]

From Aldrich v. Wright, 53 N.H. 398 (1873) (paragraph breaks added): Higher and earlier in its origin than the constitution or the common law, not superseded by those temporal and finite systems, but sustained and enforced by their declaration and sanction of the highest, primary, eternal, and infinite law of nature the right of defence […]

“That the sole object and only legitimate end of government is to protect the citizen in the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property, and when the government assumes other functions it is usurpation and oppression.” Says so right there, in the constitution.

in an opinion by Judge Kozinski. As a former Kozinski clerk, I’m doubtless biased, but one thing I’ve long admired about many of the Judge’s opinions is how they combine clear writing with effective use of the facts. This is an excellent example, one that students of legal rhetoric (whether they are law students, lawyers, […]

The AP reports: Edwin Crayton was chased away by a Natchitoches police officer from the front of [a] Wal-Mart store in early October when he tried to protest what he believes is the company’s stand on gays, according to the ACLU, which filed a lawsuit on his behalf. The ACLU said the police officer told […]

is back in the news, and Ann Althouse comments (with a “bonus gripe” thrown in for good measure). This reminds me of my earlier warning about something even worse than Internet addiction: “Internet Addiction,” experts say, is just the tip of the iceberg. Recent research shows that Internet Addiction is just a special case of […]

It’s happening later this week in Washington, D.C., and the lineup is excellent, as always. See here for the details, including registration information. Justice Alito is giving the keynote address (though that may be sold out), with an introduction from Justice Scalia; Dick Cheney is giving the Barbara Olson Memorial Lecture. Other participants include Secretary […]

It is interesting that, as Orin Kerr notes in his recent post on the partial birth abortion case, liberal Supreme Court justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Paul Stevens are suggesting that the 2003 federal law banning partial birth abortions may fall outside the bounds of Congress’ power under the Commerce Clause. This is an […]

During this fall’s elections, voters in twelve states considered anti-Kelo referendum initiatives that sought to ban or curtail the condemnation of private property in order to promote “economic development.” Ten of the twelve passed, all by lopsided margins ranging from 55% to 86% of the vote. For a complete list, see here. The only two […]