Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Making Sense of Failures in US Defense Funding

Source: Cato Institute
by Benjamin Giltner

“Congress and the Trump administration are not at blame for investing too little in America’s military; they are at fault for taking on too many national security projects. To quote a favorite line from the Rolling Stones, ‘You can’t always get what you want.'” (09/03/26)

https://www.cato.org/blog/squaring-defense-budget

Thomas L. Knapp

Gloria Steinem, 1934-2026

Source: Reuters

“Gloria Steinem, the American writer, lecturer, activist and organizer who fought for gender equality and women’s civil and reproductive rights for more than five decades, has died, her foundation said. She was 92 years old. The co-founder and consulting editor of Ms. Magazine championed the feminist movement from the late 1960s onwards and inspired generations of women. … Steinem founded the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 with former U.S. Representatives Bella Abzug and ​Shirley Chisholm and writer Betty Friedan, whose 1963 book ‘The Feminine Mystique’ ushered in the second wave of feminism. Among other groups, she also created the Coalition of Labor ⁠Union Women, the Women’s Media Center, Voters for Choice, and the Ms. Foundation for Women.” (09/03/26)

https://www.reuters.com/world/feminist-activist-gloria-steinem-dies-age-92-2026-09-03/

Thomas L. Knapp

Saving Lives Should Not Require Permission

Source: Brownstone Institute
by Joseph Varon

“When did saving a life start to feel like breaking the rules? When did the doctor at the bedside become less trusted than the people making decisions from far away, such as administrators, regulators, or distant experts who have never met the patient? And how did a profession built on judgment, uncertainty, and moral responsibility end up rewarding people for just following orders? These aren’t just abstract questions. They decide who can act when someone is dying, and who gets blamed if the official plan fails.” (09/03/26)

https://brownstone.org/articles/saving-lives-should-not-require-permission/

Thomas L. Knapp

Germany: Far-right party targets iconic Bauhaus school ahead of landmark state election

Source: Asssociated Press

“Nearly a century after the Nazis shut down the world-famous Bauhaus school of design, it has once again become a cultural battleground between Germany’s establishment and the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which has called the art movement an ‘aberration of modernism.’ Founded in 1919, Bauhaus blurred lines between art and industry, influencing global design to this day. … Attacks on Bauhaus by Alternative for Germany, also known as AfD, come as Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany is about to vote in an election that could see a far-right party take control of one of the country’s states for the first time since World War II. AfD hopes to gain an absolute majority in the state legislature in the election on Sunday, an outcome that would shake German politics and possibly have repercussions for the region’s cultural freedom.” (09/03/26)

https://apnews.com/article/germany-far-right-afd-bauhaus-school-election-e98d278a30dbed6fb9848e824e1b37e7

Thomas L. Knapp