Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Elyse Everest
“From 1896 until 1986, and over 5,000 miles from where the U.S. Constitution was written, the Hawaiian Islands were subject to one of the most harmful and forgotten large-scale violations of free speech in our nation’s history. Although Hawaii did not become a state until 1959, the Hawaiian language ban of 1896, or Act 57, made English mandatory in all public and private schools. In practice, this meant corporal punishment and public humiliation for children caught speaking the Hawaiian language (ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi) on school grounds, a policy that survived annexation, the territorial period, and statehood itself, remaining on the books until the state legislature quietly discovered and repealed it in 1986.” (07/22/26)
“When you hear the phrase ‘Ancient Greece’, what are the first words that come into your head? The names of a few great thinkers, perhaps: Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Zeno? Or maybe some grand abstractions: democracy, philosophy, geometry, reason? If so, then you are in good company: if there is one thing everyone knows about the Greeks, it is that they forged the great systems of knowledge and philosophy upon which all Western thought depends. But this is precisely the conception you ought to put out of your mind if, like thousands of others this week, you decide to go to the cinema and watch The Odyssey.” (07/22/26)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“In his 1961 Farewell Address, President Dwight Eisenhower issued a remarkable warning to the American people. He stated: ‘This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. . . .Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. . . . In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.’ … Ironically, Ike’s successor, President John F. Kennedy, would bear the brunt of Eisenhower’s warning. That’s because Kennedy, even though he came into office as pretty much a standard Cold Warrior, ultimately achieved a breakthrough that enabled him to see that Ike was right — that this new governmental structure posed a grave and perilous threat not only to America but also to the entire world.” (07/22/26)
“Last week, House Republicans tried to embarrass Democrats by offering a floor amendment ending all military aid to Israel. But then 103 House Democrats, more than half of the Democratic caucus, voted for the amendment as a badge of honor. They included former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts. In the space of a few weeks, the Israel issue has finally flipped. The critics have become the mainstream and the defenders of Israel are now the outliers.” (07/22/26)
“Immigration restrictionists are losing their collective minds over recently introduced legislation that would overhaul the H-2A visa program. Their loudest criticism centers on one provision involving undocumented agricultural workers already in the United States. We’ll come back to that provision shortly because understanding the rest of the bill provides important context. The bill in question is the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, H.R. 9535. It was introduced on June 30 by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, and it boasts a bipartisan group of 51 original sponsors. You may think that the cosponsors are mostly moderates, but that’s not the case. Although the bill has bipartisan support, the cosponsors are overwhelmingly Republican and include Reps. Brian Jack (R-GA), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Austin Scott (R-GA), and Brett Guthrie (R-KY).” (07/22/26)
“President Donald Trump on Tuesday set a two-year deadline for manufacturers of generic drugs to move production plants to the United States, lest they face a 100 percent tariff. That would be a great way to jack up prices for lower-cost drugs that millions of Americans rely on — just ahead of the 2028 election. … Trump made lowering drug prices a central promise of his campaign. Voters will see these tariffs for what they are: a tax that will make health care more expensive.” (07/22/26)
“There has been a quiet expansion of ‘must be certified’ rules across trades and services marking a backward step toward ‘guild’ rules, and therefore marking a setback for the free exchange of goods and services. The pattern is real, and it rhymes with guild practice. Modern licensing schemes rarely announce themselves as guilds, but they perform the same function. They restrict entry, they raise the cost of setting up in a trade, and they hand incumbents a legal shield against new competition. The language has changed from ‘guild’ to ‘professional standards’ or ‘consumer protection,’ but the effect is often the same gate.” (07/22/26)
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Athena Rem
“Televangelist Jerry Falwell once confessed in an interview to drunken sex with his unconscious mother in an outhouse. Except it wasn’t a real interview. It was a fake Campari ad in a 1983 issue of adult magazine Hustler. Falwell sued the magazine and its publisher Larry Flynt for emotional distress, libel, and invasion of privacy. … Flynt won the case, Hustler Magazine v. Falwell (1988), because parody is not a statement of fact made with ‘actual malice’ and because print media, shows, or any other publications can generally criticize public figures under the First Amendment. Yet such critical speech is under fire today more than ever before.” (07/22/26)
“[Wilhelm von] Humboldt’s precise criticism of paternalist government was threefold. First, when the state treats citizens like children, it denies them their essential humanity, which he regarded as consisting in the freedom to choose and develop in their own manner. Second, by restricting behavior, the state inhibits various experiences and diversity from flourishing, which he, like Mill, viewed as critical for the development of civilization. Third, paternalism would inevitably weaken human beings’ initiative and independence, which would not only harm individuals but also the progress of society.” (07/22/26)
