Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: The American Conservative
by Andrew Day

“I AM THAT I AM. Thus spake God to Moses, instructing him to ‘say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.’ President Donald Trump has been saying something similar lately: I AM MAGA! Trump’s latest declaration of his MAGA-ness came in a long post on Truth Social defending the Israel-first blowhard Mark Levin, who has gotten into recent spats on social media with conservatives who criticize the war with Iran. … Many Trump voters have been surprised to learn that ‘MAGA is about’ war on Iran. To be sure, Trump hasn’t always been rhetorically consistent on matters of war and peace, but in 2016 he distinguished himself in the Republican primary by lambasting the Forever Wars, in particular the one in Iraq. And in the 2020 and 2024 elections he bragged about not starting any new wars in his first term.” (03/18/26)

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/yes-magas-fracturing-over-iran/

Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum

“The First Amendment does not allow the FCC chairman to police news coverage.” (03/18/26)

https://reason.com/2026/03/18/brendan-carrs-crusade-to-reshape-tv-journalism-is-blatantly-unconstitutional/

Source: The Watch
by Radley Balko

“Stephen Miller has reportedly set a quota that federal immigration officers deport 3,000 people per day. Do you think arrest/deportation quotas are good policy? Miller’s reported ultimate goal is to deport more than a million people per year. No country has ever forcibly displaced that many people without mass casualties, particularly in such a short period of time. Do you think this is a realistic goal? Do you think the U.S. currently has the infrastructure to deport that many people humanely? Does it matter if it’s done humanely? DHS has routinely denied members of Congress access to immigration detention facilities despite a federal law that authorizes members to enter and inspect any facility unannounced. Will you enforce that law, or will DHS continue to ignore it under your watch?” (03/18/26)

https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/immigration-questions-for-markwayne

Source: Isonomia Quarterly
by Jacob Rodriguez

“During his inauguration ceremony, the newly elected mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani pledged to run the city as he had run his campaign, as a committed socialist. He stirred much discussion during his speech when he claimed that ‘We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.’ A variety of public thinkers and politicians commented on this statement, taking it as a moment to reflect on what they perceived as a referendum on uniquely American ideals.” (03/18/26)

https://isonomiamag.substack.com/p/must-liberalism-be-atomistic

Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob

“‘F*ck this sh*t.’ That’s how the erudite opponents of Michigan’s Citizen Only Voting Amendment responded to supporters submitting a petition with more than 750,000 voter signatures to place the measure on the November ballot. Sans the asterisks, actually, which I supplied. Back in 2022, these oppositionists, fraudulently calling themselves Voters Not Politicians (VNP), helped politicians weaken Michigan’s voter-enacted term limits. Now they’re fighting an initiative that I’m promoting, which would: (1) clarify that only U.S. citizens are eligible voters at the state and local level, (2) mandate that the Secretary of State check the voter rolls to ensure it contains only citizens, and (3) require photo ID to vote.” (03/18/26)

https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/03/18/obscenely-unacceptable/

Source: EconLog
by Maria Pia Paganelli

“Smith attributes the remarkable economic growth that Scotland experienced in the 18th century to the development of a vigorous banking system, made prudent through competition. In the 18th century, banks are a bit controversial. Some believe that banks, by introducing paper money, increase the quantity of money in a country, thus making it richer. Others claim that banks make a country poorer instead, because paper money substitutes for gold and silver as a means of domestic payment, thus decreasing the quantity of gold and silver, thereby decreasing the country’s wealth. Smith differs. For Smith, banks do help an economy to grow richer (not poorer) by decreasing (not increasing) the quantity of gold and silver in the country! Smith’s logic relies on economic forces and government regulations to generate the prudent financial conduct needed for stable growth.” (03/18/26)

https://www.econlib.org/econlog/wealth-of-nations-book-2-prudence-competition-and-party-walls-at-econlib-2