Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: The UnPopulist
by Berny Belvedere

“The contrast between their and his behavior is a measure of America’s moral descent.” (09/16/25)

https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/other-presidents-tried-to-heal-america

Source: Reason
by Scott Beyer

“The authors [of Farewell to Westphalia] premise the book around the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, a set of treaties that ended Europe’s 30 Years’ War and established state sovereignty as the principle for international relations. They argue that while this new order was effective at toppling monarchies, religious despots, and other so-called medieval institutions, the new nation-states haven’t been perfect either. At worst, they further inflamed tribal tensions by drawing arbitrary lines around them. At best, they produced mediocre governance. … Nation-states are also, they argue, already getting disrupted by alternative forms of governance, some preferable to others. These include large corporations, nongovernmental organizations, cartels, special economic zones (SEZs), and homeowners’ associations. It is within this disruption that new, anarchic Web3 technologies enter.” (09/16/25)

https://reason.com/2025/09/16/a-replacement-for-the-nation-state/

Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp

“On September 10, Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeal looked at the state’s law against ‘open carry’ of firearms, looked at the US Constitution’s 2nd Amendment, and noticed that the latter supersedes the former. Five days later, Florida Attorney General James Uthmier issued ‘guidance to Florida’s prosecutors and law enforcement,’ notifying them that ‘as of last week, open carry is the law of the state.’ … Such a straightforwardly correct court ruling, and its relatively quick acceptance by a power-hungry politician whom one might expect to reflexively contest it, may seem strange even by Florida standards (interestingly, the now-common ‘Florida Man’ phenomenon emerged a few months after I moved to the state … make of that what you will). Even stranger, though, is the reaction I’m seeing from some hoplophobes — people who suffer from an irrational fear of guns — in Florida (and elsewhere, but let’s stick to Florida).” (09/16/25)

https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/19943

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Nasiyah Isra-Ul

“The only thing ‘traditional’ about my schooling was my time in front of the whiteboard, where I practiced vocabulary and math problems. I spent most of my days taking trips to local libraries and museums, studying online, having hands-on experiences, journaling, and designing a schedule that worked for me. By the time high school hit, self-directed education was my main mode of learning …. You could easily think I ‘missed out’ on some valuable experiences that most children in America grow up having in public school. But between the four-hour school days and being grades ahead in certain subjects by the time I hit middle school, I don’t think I missed out on too much. In fact, I’d argue that the way I was educated taught me an important lesson about the value of education.” (09/16/25)

https://fee.org/articles/empowered-learning-how-homeschooling-through-high-school-helped-me-thrive/