“I think one of the key challenges of living in an era of internet alienation and rising authoritarianism is finding the will to be sincere, to embrace a certain unvarnished and earnest form of expression in a world where affect and posturing predominate. This means foregoing an aura of coolness or detachment in favor of emotionalism and vulnerability. It means resisting the impulse to cruelty and snark and instead opting for restraint and compassion. And it means being unembarrassed and authentic.” (03/26/26)
“Far from cementing Israel’s regional and global standing, the war has accelerated its isolation. According to a June 2025 Pew Research Center survey, majorities in most of the 24 countries surveyed held unfavorable views of Israel, while confidence in Netanyahu remained low across nearly all regions. This shift is not limited to the Global South. It reflects a broader erosion of Israel’s legitimacy, even among traditional allies. In response, Israeli political discourse has returned – almost instinctively – to the language of existential war. Even when Netanyahu attempts to revive earlier narratives about shaping a ‘new Middle East,’ the rhetoric repeatedly collapses back into warnings of annihilation. This reveals a deeper truth: within Israeli political thinking, the alternative to dominance is not coexistence, but destruction.” (03/26/26)
“I hate these people, I really do. When was the last time you actually thought a Democrat politician had your back on something? I mean, really had your best interest in mind, even if only in words and not deeds? I’ll wait. I can’t think of one. Maybe on 9/11, from the moment of the attack, through the spontaneous singing of God Bless America on the steps of the US Capitol, and for about a week after that. Then the wheels came off and they started to return to, well, themselves. They asked: ‘What did we do to deserve this attack?’ And it was off to the races ever since. How a party that actively roots against the best interests of the people who elect them, and enacts policies to harm them, manages to win elections is a mystery (I know people are into masochism, I just didn’t realize there were that many people into it).” (03/26/26)
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Ari Cohn
“An Instagram post isn’t a cigarette. A YouTube short isn’t a shot of whiskey. Social media platforms and the information, ideas, and entertainment they connect people to aren’t tangible items that inherently and invariably have physical impacts on the human body. No matter how you feel about social media, the minute we start treating speech as if it were just another physical product is the minute we hand the government the power to decide what we can read, watch, and say. That’s dangerous — and the First Amendment forbids it.” (03/25/26)
“Are young boys everywhere on the verge of being pulled down into the abyss of online gambling? If you’ve been reading the news lately, you might be tempted to think so. Young men are all addicted to sports betting, and now the industry’s incessant advertising is luring in kids, so say some media outlets. If something isn’t done to limit ads for gambling apps, some argue, kids will continue to be taken advantage of. … In reality, gambling ads pose very little threat to children.” (03/25/26)
“Four years after the Twitter Files, the Missouri v. Biden case ends in a consent decree barring government from threatening protected speech – a belated but important victory.” (03/25/26)
“The city of Herculaneum in Jefferson County is showing how use taxes can be properly added into the municipal revenue mix. A use tax is simply a sales tax on goods you purchase online (or through catalogs) and have delivered to your home. Many cities and counties have added them in recent years as online shopping has grown. Voters often approve them, but sometimes they say ‘“no, thank you.’ Supporters of use taxes say they level the playing field between online purchases and actual stores from a cost perspective, along with raising revenue for local services. That is true, and I have generally been supportive of use tax expansion in recent years. Broadening the sales tax base is a good thing. However, I have also called for cities and counties to offset the increased revenues from use taxes with cuts to other taxes (at least partly).” (03/25/26)
