Back in 2008, Reason surveyed its contributors and fellow travelers about how they intended to vote, and quite a few said they would pull the switch for Barack Obama over libertarian candidate Bob Barr. Several said they weren’t voting and only a few mentioned John McCain. This year Reason has done it again, and the […]
Author Archive | Jonathan H. Adler
Ledbetter v. Goodyear Explained
Politicians and even some fact checkers seem to have a hard time understanding the Supreme Court’s decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., suggesting legislation was necessary to ensure women could challenge past discriminatory pay treatment that was only recently discovered. But as I’ve noted before, the Ledbetter decision had nothing to do […]
Fair Weather Federalism in the Forecast
David Rivkin and Elizabeth Price Foley stress the importance of federalism in the WSJ, and lament its lack of support among politicians. Despite federalism’s many virtues, it is not much in vogue. Democrats view it as a quaint, 18th-century relic, another disposable constitutional concept that stands in the way of “progress.” The Obama administration has […]
Seventh Circuit Blocks Indiana Law Defunding Planned Parenthood
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed aspects of a district court injunction against an Indiana law barring Planned Parenthood from participating in Medicaid. The opinion, written by Judge Diane Sykes, begins as follows: In 2011 Indiana adopted a law prohibiting state agencies from providing state or federal funds to “any entity […]
More Bayonets, Fewer Horses – UPDATED
Not that any of you were wondering, but the WSJ‘s Julian Barnes reports that the U.S. military has over 600,000 bayonets and plans to acquire nearly 200,000 more. Even though bayonets are not a primary weapon in the contemporary military, this number is almost certainly greater than in 1916. Horses? Not so much. Apparently there […]
Mann v. Steyn — Popcorn Time
By Jonathan H. Adler on October 23, 2012 2:19 pm in Climate Change, Defamation, Freedom of Speech, Politicizing Science
Climatologist Michael Mann, creator of the infamous “hockey stick” graph, has filed suit against National Review and the Competitive Enterprise Institute for allegedly defamatory blog posts attacking Mann and his work. Dr. Mann has posted a release about the suit on his Facebook page. I’ll post links to the complaint once it’s on-line. In the […]
When Fact-Checkers Fight
Last night, President Obama accused Mitt Romney of saying Russia is the “biggest geopolitical threat facing America”? According to Politifact, this charge was true. According to FactCheck.org it was false. So each campaign can cite a “neutral” fact-checking organization in defense of their candidate. Who’s right? Decide for yourself. Here’s the transcript of the CNN […]
“We Can’t Kill Our Way Out of This”
Did I actually just hear this from a major party candidate for President? I hope this sentiment does not become a footnote – and is embraced by whoever wins the election.
Our Pathetic Debate Format
Presidential debates don’t much resemble actual debates, in that they are generally moderated by questioners who have an exaggerated sense of their importance in these events and tend to limit the extent of any actual back-and-forth between the candidates. Insofar as Jim Lehrer did not so much direct the discussion as bring up general areas […]
Misrepresentations of Ledbetter Case Continue
Politifact is not alone in having trouble with the facts of the Lilly Ledbetter case. Bloggers at Think Progress and the American Constitution Society can’t get the facts right either. Both make the same mistake Politifact does in claiming that the issue was whether a 180-day statute of limitations precluded Ms. Ledbetter from suing over […]
Lebanon v. Showtime
The Telegraph reports Lebanese officials are considering their legal options to challenge the negative portrayal of Beirut on Showtime’s “Homeland.” Fady Abboud, Lebanon’s minister of tourism, who has spent a small fortune trying to revive the country’s reputation as the Paris of the Middle East, expressed outrage at the “serious misrepresentation” of the city. “We […]
Can You Tebow(TM)?
The AP reports: The New York Jets backup quarterback is trademarking “Tebowing,” the move in which he goes down on one knee and holds a clenched fist against his forehead while praying during games. . . . The devout Christian says his representatives filed on his behalf not for financial gain, but “to just control […]
A Few Thoughts on the Second Circuit’s DOMA Decision
This week a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. Section 3 is the portion of DOMA barring federal recognition of same-sex marriages, even where recognized under state law. In this case, Windsor v. United States, […]
On a lighter note . . .
Last night, both President Obama and Governor Romney roasted themselves and each other at the annual Al Smith dinner. Their remarks, available on Mediaite are more entertaining (and perhaps even more enlightening) than the debates. They are also mericfully shorter. Here are links: Obama. Mitt Romney.
When Fact Checkers Have Trouble with Facts
Media fact checkers not only have a problem characterizing matters upon which reasonable people can disagree as questions of “fact,” they also have problems with facts. So, for instance, ABC’s fact checkers labeled indisputably true statements about energy production on federal lands as “not quite true.” Romney claimed that oil and gas production on federal […]