I’m hardly one to espouse a naive (or sophisticated) self-interested view of political action. That being said, I chuckled when I read the following: ” Last year’s tax cut proved to be a significant windfall for its main architect and political instigator, saving President Bush tens of thousands of dollars on his 2003 return.” Bush’s […]
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Wall of Separation:
You might find this excerpt from Attorney General John Ashcroft’s testimony before the 9/11 Commission to be of interest: The single greatest structural cause for September 11 was the wall that segregated criminal investigators and intelligence agents. Government erected this wall. Government buttressed this wall. And before September 11, government was blinded by this wall. […]
Fast-Track
Ramesh Ponnuru writes: While I’m on the subject of this blog, I may as well mention a post there that had caused me some puzzlement. Jacob Levy, in the course of making a point about originalism that I think is wholly sound, remarked that he thought that the “fast track” procedures for approving trade agreements […]
Does Europe face a Muslim demographic time bomb?
Maybe not, read this article. Here is one provocative bit of several: “Figures of eight million French Muslims are regularly tossed around, based, it seems, on panicked fears of high Muslim immigration and a high Muslim birth rate. These figures are vastly overestimated, though. Figures on religious affiliation and ethnic background aren’t kept by the […]
“Intoxicated Man Seeks Job With Police”: Thanks to the CrimLaw blog: Robert Gulley, an unemployed radio technician, was ticketed for alleged drunken driving as he drove away from the patrol office in this city near Vancouver. He had asked for a job application. . . . When Gulley walked into patrol headquarters Wednesday afternoon, he […]
“First Amendment right not to speak on radio or television”:
I agree with those who fault Justice Scalia for asking that “the electronic media . . . respect[] my First Amendment right not to speak on radio or television when I do not wish to do so.” Scalia probably has a constitutional right not to speak on radio or television when he does not wish […]
Scalia and print vs. electronic media:
Will Saletan of Slate points out that Justice Scalia’s policy — to “permit recording for use of the print media,” but to ask the “electronic media” to “respect[ his] First Amendment right not to speak on radio or television when [he does] not wish to do so” — seems to prohibit recording for transcription onto […]
The Passion of the Easter Bunny:
My friend Arvin Tseng points to this story: A week ago Saturday, about 250 residents of the community settled into their seats at Memorial Stadium, expecting a local version of an Easter play. Depending on whom you talk to, what the audience got was either a sadistic torturing of the Easter Bunny or a lesson […]
Please save us from ourselves, Ms. Legislator!
News.com reports: A California state senator said Monday she was drafting legislation to block Google’s free e-mail service “Gmail” because it would place advertising in personal messages after searching them for key words. “We think it’s an absolute invasion of privacy. It’s like having a massive billboard in the middle of your home,” said Sen. […]
More on Free Speech in Canada:
While Canadian authorities are busily penalizing speech critical of homosexuality, Daniel Pipes reports that Mohamed al-Asi recently presented a speech at York University in Toronto (sponsored by Muslim, Middle Eastern and Pakistani student groups) accusing the “Jewish Lobby” of responsibility for the 9-11 attacks. As blatantly false speech intended to promote hatred against a specific […]
NYT on DDT – Better Late than Never: This Sunday New York Times magazine story, “What the World Needs Now Is DDT” has sparked lots of comment. The story points out that DDT is arguably the most important tool for fighting malaria in the developing world. A recent Cato Institute paper makes the same point […]
The New York Times Needs A Lesson on The First Amendment:
The Times closes an editorial today on Justice Scalia’s apology as follows:Justice Scalia’s apology is welcome. Most unwelcome, though, and offensive to the First Amendment, was his suggestion that he retains a “First Amendment right” to bar audio and visual coverage of his public speeches by the electronic media. There is no such right, as […]
Light blogging and conference advertising:
Blogging will be low, and responses to blog-oriented e-mails will be slow or nonexistent, until I’m through the next several weeks of conferences– especially this one:”Colonialism and Its Legacies,” the 2004 Annual International Meeting of the Conference for the Study of Political Thought, will be held April 23-25, 2004 at the University of Chicago’s Gleacher […]
Scalia and the Fourth Amendment:
Justice Scalia really ought to apologize to the reporters whose recordings of his speech were illegally seized and erased by federal marshals. I know that Scalia did not ask or authorize the marshals to do this, but they were acting on his behalf, in an attempt to enforce with his anti-recording policy. It would be […]
Jeff Jacoby on the 9/11 Commission:
I haven’t been following this issue closely, but Jacoby seems to make some pretty good points.