“On March 14, Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly berated South Africa’s Ambassador to the U.S. Ebrahim Rasool in a most undiplomatic tweet, writing: ‘South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country. Ebrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS. We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA.’ On Sunday, March 23, the South African ambassador returned home to a hero’s welcome. The United States lost a seasoned South African representative who had previously served as ambassador under President Obama, was a member of South Africa’s National Assembly, and was active (and imprisoned) during his country’s anti-apartheid struggle. And ginning up the conflict with a country that has such tremendous international standing may prove to be a bad move for President Trump.” (03/24/25)
“Even before President Trump invoked powers under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, the historical meaning of ‘alien enemy’ had become a topic of controversy, because the distinction between an alien enemy and an alien friend is also relevant in the context of immigration and birthright citizenship. Largely overlooked in this debate has been the legal doctrine that defines the difference between an alien enemy and an alien friend: the doctrine of allegiance, which our Founders inherited from English law. The English doctrine closely paralleled the international law concept of the same name. To understand the Alien Enemies Act, it is important to understand the Founding-era rules of allegiance and how they divide alien friends from alien enemies.” (03/25/25)
“Americans are understandably preoccupied with the extensive damage that the administration is causing at home, but the public still needs to be aware of the danger that the U.S. is on course to start a war with Iran for no good reason.” (03/23/25)
“Pity poor John Roberts. No, he’s not corrupt or compromised. He is simply a man who has found himself at a pivotal time and place in a position of great responsibility for which he is utterly unsuited. He’s not a dumb man. He is, in fact, a very smart man – Hugh Hewitt knew him personally in the Reagan administration and testifies to that. I have no doubt it’s true. I know many smart people who have similar flaws. As objectively intelligent as John Roberts is, he is unwise, and he is endangering the institution he wants to preserve because he does not understand human nature or the times he finds himself in. Frankly, I’ll take wisdom over raw intellect any day of the week.” (03/24/25)
“At the end of the day, aren’t we all just one big, disorganized tribe of freaks biologically compelled to obstruct the status quo? In fact, it wasn’t all that long ago that Queer people were considered crazy by the same therapeutic state that has labeled my existence to be an illness. Members of the Gay Liberation Movement worked very hard to have every letter of LGBT removed from the DSM but what we should have done was burn that normie bible and declare all forms of neurodivergence to be expressions of Queer individuality. Instead, we left our comrades at the asylum behind in the name of assimilation and opened up a Pandora’s Box that afforded an old white lesbian the ability to call me trash with a rainbow flag on her lapel.” (03/23/25)
“Vaping products are not riskless, but they are substantially safer than smoking and probably the most effective tool for adult smokers trying to quit. Vaping provides nicotine without the harmful effects of burning tobacco and is also satisfying in addressing the ritualistic aspects of smoking. UK health authorities have even encouraged hospitals to hand out free vaping starter kits to recruit smokers into cessation programs. In short, the science on vaping, while not entirely settled, points to a fairly obvious policy recommendation. Regulate vaping products to ensure they are safe, don’t let children access them, and tax them at a fairly low rate so that you nudge smokers towards vaping. UK policy has historically followed this approach, but today is wavering. US policy has always been a mess and is getting worse.” (03/23/25)
“On March 5, four state attorneys general visited a high school auditorium in Phoenix, to take testimony from people affected, directly or indirectly, by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency’s rampage through the federal government. At this ‘community impact hearing’, AGs from Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, and Minnesota, all Democrats, heard from fired VA and Department of Agriculture employees; school superintendents; abortion care and HIV providers who are struggling with funding freezes; navigators who help people connect with federal benefits that may not be there for long; nonprofit leaders in energy efficiency and food security who are seeing the people they serve suffer; and many more. All the speakers articulated the damage to Arizona’s economy and its people. The AGs framed the event as the bare minimum of small-d democratic responsiveness.” (03/24/25)
“Whatever steps are necessary, from the point of view of lovers of liberty, the ultimate solution is clear. And one advocated by many in past decades and today. The complete separation of school and state. Precisely the same measure taken by the Founding Fathers regarding government and religion.” (03/23/25)
