The Libertarian Angle, 04/16/26
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“The Horror of the Income Tax.” (04/16/26)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
You don’t need to live in China to experience China’s censorship
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Sarah McLaughlin
“You’re most likely reading this article from a country that is not China. So, naturally, you might think that China’s censorship laws have nothing to do with you. Not so fast. The interconnectedness of global commerce has created crevices for authoritarian censorship to seep in, and the latest news out of the Victoria and Albert Museum offers a perfect illustration of how it unfolds. The Victoria and Albert Museum, the United Kingdom’s famed art institution, joins the growing list of institutions that have consented to censorship rules imposed by the Chinese government in order to print goods more affordably in the country.” (04/16/26)
Advisory Opinions, 04/16/26
Source: The Dispatch
“There Is No Historic Defeat for Civil Rights.” (04/16/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/there-is-no-historic-defeat-for-civil-rights/
Getting The Bureaucracy Out of Broadband
Source: The Daily Economy
by Satya Marar
“Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer recently signed an executive order directing state and district agencies to work together and expedite permits for broadband and other infrastructure projects. The order aims to expand statewide internet connectivity and keep Delaware businesses competitive by reducing regulatory bottlenecks. It’s one of many state and federal initiatives to remove barriers to the deployment of next-generation broadband. Delaware has the right idea.” 904/16/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/getting-the-bureaucracy-out-of-broadband/
The Problem With Trump’s War Bombast
Source: The Dispatch
by Geoffrey S Corn
“A U.S. president has suggested that he may order the destruction of an entire civilization. This is the same president who stated in an interview that he’“doesn’t need’ international law and the same president who appointed as his secretary of defense someone with a record of disparaging the importance of law and the role of legal advisers in relation to U.S. combat operations. … These laws matter. They matter because they strike a logical balance between the necessities of war and humanitarian protection. But they also matter because they protect our own forces — not just from what may happen if they fall into enemy hands, but by enabling them to live with the consequences of their actions.” (04/16/26)
Two Lessons from Hungary for 2026 and 2028
Source: Liberal Currents
by Alan Elrod
“Our system is wildly different from Hungary’s. The story of our last decade and a half is different, as well. But what Sunday did show us is that, so long as a toehold of democracy remains, a people can come together to throw off authoritarian rule.” (04/16/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/two-lessons-from-hungary-for-2026-and-2028/
Lebanon: Israeli strike destroys last bridge over Litani River
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“An Israeli strike destroyed the last bridge over the Litani River into Lebanon’s south, according to a senior Lebanese security source, fully severing almost a tenth of Lebanon from the rest of the country, after Israel destroyed other crossings during the war. Fighting continued to rage in south Lebanon on Thursday, notably in the Lebanese border town of Bint Jbeil, a Hezbollah stronghold and strategic prize that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military was about to ‘overcome,’ in a briefing a day earlier. A senior Lebanese official said that Lebanon’s assessment was that Israel wanted to secure a victory in Bint Jbeil before diplomatic progress could be made. Israeli warplanes also unleashed an intense barrage of strikes Thursday on the southern town of Nabatiyeh, sending giant plumes of black smoke billowing over the regional hub of southern Lebanon.” (04/16/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/israeli-strikes-lebanon-litani-river-9.7165708
Underthrow Podcast, 04/16/26
Source: Underthrow
“Seven Vices Rotting Civilization from Within.” (04/16/26)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/seven-vices-rotting-civilization
Trump’s “Great Healthcare Plan” To Replace Obamacare Isn’t Much of a Plan
Source: Reason
by Peter Suderman
“For the better part of a decade, Republicans ran on a single mantra when it came to health care: repeal and replace Obamacare. When the slogan was conceived, it made political and strategic sense. But Republicans never had a plan for what to replace it with. … In January 2026, Trump finally delivered something he dubbed ‘The Great Healthcare Plan.’ Whether it’s great might be a matter of debate. But it is in no way, shape, or form an actual plan.” (for publication 05/26)
https://reason.com/2026/04/16/trumps-great-healthcare-plan-isnt-much-of-a-plan/
Keep the Kurds Out of the Iran War
Source: The American Cosnervative
by Nicholas Spyridon Kass
“It’s good for the U.S., and for them too.” (04/16/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/keep-the-kurds-out-of-the-iran-war/