“The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control has identified and sanctioned an Iranian bitcoin exchange linked to the ‘Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority,’ a front company that enables the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ fee-for-transit scheme for the Strait of Hormuz. In March, just weeks after the U.S.-Israeli strikes began, Iranian forces began an informal practice of charging safe-passage fees for the Strait of Hormuz at a rumored rate of up to $2 million per transit. This was later formalized as an ‘insurance’ fee payment, handled by ‘Hormuz Safe’ and the similar ‘Persian Gulf Marine Insurance Company.’ … In a follow-up action announced Thursday, the Treasury said that it was also sanctioning BitBank, a cryptocurrency handling service used by HormuzSafe to process payments.” (09/17/26)
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“This morning I came across an article critical of Americans voting for Libertarians, as it takes away from Republican wins. I found this interesting because often we are criticized as tilting at windmills and a complete waste of people’s time, yet apparently, according to Edward Ring, we are a critical component in politics. Ring … attempts unsuccessfully to argue that ‘libertarians cause more harm than good.’ Why? Because Americans who vote for Libertarians cause Republican losses. … no political faction owns Americans’ votes. Politicians must earn our vote, and if Republicans and Democrats want Libertarians to vote for them, then they are going to demonstrate that they will protect our civil liberties, be fiscally responsible, and reduce government power. It shouldn’t be much to ask, but Ring doesn’t care about that; he wants Republicans to remain in power, and he views Libertarians as a roadblock and a hindrance.” (09/17/26)
“A US federal judge has ruled the Trump administration must give 30 days’ notice before any ‘demolition’ occurs to the Kennedy Center, as President Donald Trump warned the Washington DC performing arts venue could be ‘ripped down’. The order comes after Trump was photographed onboard Air Force One looking at a poster with a headline that appeared to tout the demolition of the site. US District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered a detailed report of the centre’s ‘temporary closure’ for emergency repairs, and for written notice of any change to the scope of the project. In May, Cooper ordered the removal of Trump’s name from the building.” (09/17/26)
“Postliberals as a group have made no secret of the fact that they view mainstream economics as inhumane with its focus on consumption and GDP growth. Sometimes their arguments are questionable, but it’s true that modern economics has a way of embracing a flat, utilitarian view of the world, sometimes pushing that view into realms where it doesn’t belong. But should economists incorporate concerns about virtue, ethics, and happiness into their economic theory? Yes, but this question is more difficult than it appears. The issue is not whether ethics matter, but whether ethics should shape economic models themselves or merely how those models are applied.” (09/17/26)
“Ousted board members of the U.S. Institute of Peace are asking a federal court to block the imminent carving of President Donald Trump’s name on the headquarters of the nonpartisan institution he sought to dismantle shortly after taking office. Members of the board who were removed by the administration filed an emergency motion Thursday in Washington in a dispute that has echoes of Trump’s effort to place his name on the Kennedy Center. The motion was filed as an emergency petition, alleging that a contractor has already been selected to carve Trump’s name into the Constitution Avenue headquarters that the administration sought to shutter as part of the Elon Musk-led DOGE effort to shrink the government.” (09/17/26)
“As theater artists in America, our most prized freedom should be the freedom to express our views, both on stage and off, even if those views are contentious, unpopular, or offensive. How can any artist hope to ignite meaningful thought or feeling if he can’t dare to say what he believes in his heart to be true? While private employers may generally hire and fire at will in New York State, legality is not the only measure of whether speech is truly free: a legal decision can still produce a chilling effect.” (09/17/26)
“A United Nations fact-finding mission on Iran said Thursday it had reasonable grounds to believe the United States was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in February, and that these constituted war crimes. It also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their deadly crackdown on anti-government protests that occurred just weeks before the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28. The findings in a new report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, examined the American conduct during the Iran war that began in February and the Iranian government’s response to nationwide unrest that began in late December.” (09/17/26)
“The problem with the Princeton syllabus is not the individual courses. Fine, study socialism and Sondheim! The problem is the overall balance. These courses are all held in equal regard. The problem is the lack of insistence upon the canonical works of English. The problem is contemporary fiction instead of Shakespeare, dolls instead of George Eliot. Of the twelve courses you take as an English major, none is obliged to be on Shakespeare, Chaucer, Milton, Wordsworth—authors our grandmothers might have read as school-leavers. Yes, the syllabus is ideological, but it is also just lame.” (09/17/26)
