The New York Times reports that European officials are moving ahead with plans to impose caps on greenhouse gas emissions from air travel. Airlnes have been exempt from Europe’s carbon dioxide cap-and-trade progrma, but that exemption could end in 2011. If this plan goes through, the costs are likely to be reflected in higher airline […]
Author Archive | Jonathan H. Adler
Sandy Burglar:
From today’s Washington Post: On the evening of Oct. 2, 2003, former White House national security adviser Samuel R. “Sandy” Berger stashed highly classified documents he had taken from the National Archives beneath a construction trailer at the corner of Ninth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW so he could surreptitiously retrieve them later and take […]
Lindsey Defends “Liberaltarianism”:
Brink Lindsey returns to the pages of The New Republic to defend “liberaltarianism” from Jonathan Chait’s critique (available only to TNR subscribers). Lindsey’s bottom-line: “Liberals deserve better than to wind up as tax collectors for the gerontocracy. Moving in a libertarian direction offers a way out.”
Goldberg on “Liberaltarians”:
NRO’s Jonah Goldberg weighs in on the prospects of a Liberal-Libertarian fusion, such as that advocated by Brink Lindsey. Among Goldberg’s more interesting claims is that a significant portion of the libertarian movement has shifted its focus (and here I paraphrase) from “freedom from coercion” to “freedom from constraint.” In Goldberg’s words: Libertarianism was once […]
A Moral Code for Counterterrorism:
My colleague Amos Guiora comments in today’s Baltimore Sun on the Israeli High Court’s recent decision allowing the use of targeted killings as a method of preemptive counterterrorism. Here is a taste: The decision, the last in Mr. Barak’s corpus of rulings on fighting terrorism, is the final piece in a puzzle of judicially mandated […]
Could Irradiation Eradicate E.Coli?
Probably not, but it could help prevent many E.Coli outbreaks and reduce foodborne illness in the United States. As the WSJ editorializes today: The American Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization have all certified that a big reduction in disease could result from […]
Anti-Evolution Suit in Russia:
A Russian school girl is challenging the teaching of evolution as a violation of her religious liberty. Kristi Bowman has some details (and is looking for more) on BioLaw here.
Will Isiah Get Off Easy?
Today the National Basketball Association handed out substantial suspensions to the players involved in Saturday’s brawl during the Denver Nuggets-New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. NBA Commissioner David Stern issued 47 days worth of suspensions in total, and fined each organization $500,000. NBA scoring leader Carmelo Anthony got the biggest penalty. His 15 […]
EU vs. USA on CO2:
European nations have assumed the mantle of global leadership on climate change while the United States sits on the sidelines. This standard narrative contains some truth, but it also grossly overstates Europe’s demonstrated commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The reality is more complex. While talking tough about the need to reduce emissions, many European […]
Major Cities – Environmental Friend or Foe?
Many environmentalists celebrate the environmental benefits of densely developed urban centers. Urban living reduces the scope of humanity’s footprint on the earth in many ways. Not only do cities fit more people on less land, but urban density generates tremendous economies of scale that lead to greater energy efficiency and other material savings. There are […]
Poli Sci’s Limitations:
Daniel Drezner has an interesting post on “The Limits of Political Science.”
Sunday Song Lyric:
Is it a sign of the apocalypse that “The Lonely Goatherd” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music is used to open the latest Gwen Stefani pop dance track, “Wind It Up” off of her new album The Sweet Escape? The motif infuses Stefani’s video as well. I know classic show tunes are supposed […]
Israeli Court Allows “Targeted Killings”:
Earlier this week the Israeli High Court of Justice held that the practice of “targeted killing” of terrorists by the Israeli military is not prohibited by customary international law. As Julian Ku explains on Opinio Juris, the opinion held that international law “does not prohibit all targeted killings of Palestinian terrorists, but that it might […]
David Duke, “Academic”:
Earlier this week, Reuters reported on David Duke’s participation in the Holocaust revisionism conference in Tehran. Particularly curious about Reuter’s report was it’s description of Duke as: “U.S. academic David Duke, a former Louisiana Republican Representative.” Yet, as Jonah Goldberg observed, “it’s not like he was in the U.S. Congress and it ain’t like he […]
Crisco Cops in Cleveland:
Ohio’s statewide smoking ban took effect this week. Now, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports, the Cleveland City Council is endorsing a ban on trans-fats.