Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Garrett Gravley
“That Trump’s administration chilled protected speech notwithstanding the law is distressing. Jawboning is unconstitutional, as the Supreme Court unanimously held last year in NRA v. Vullo. In that case, the state of New York pressured financial institutions and insurance companies to sever ties with the gun rights organization in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the opinion, ‘Government officials cannot attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors.’ Yet that is exactly what happened here. We just witnessed the FCC attempt to coerce Disney to suppress Kimmel’s speech, just as New York attempted to coerce financial institutions to suppress the NRA’s advocacy.” (09/29/25)
“The United States almost bans nuclear power. Yes, the government allows existing nuclear plants to keep running, producing 19% of all U.S. electricity. But getting a new nuclear reactor approved — much less a whole new nuclear plant — is next to impossible. … Given this draconian regulation, you might think that Americans absolutely detest nuclear power. If you take a hasty look at public opinion, however, that looks totally false.” (09/29/25)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The single dumbest conspiracy theory in the entire world is that every major humanitarian institution on earth is conspiring to falsely frame Israel for the crime of genocide. And yet believing this bat shit insane conspiracy theory is the only way to think it’s not a genocide. There is no other way to claim that there is no genocide happening in Gaza without treating this self-evidently ridiculous theory as true. In order to believe that there is no genocide in Gaza, you need to accept it as a given that the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory is conspiring to frame Israel for this crime. You also need to believe that the International Association of Genocide Scholars is in on the conspiracy. You also need to believe the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem is in on the conspiracy.” (09/29/25)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Laurence M Vance
“It is clear that the Constitution authorizes very few powers and duties of the president. Thus, it is not the job of the president to steer the economy; create jobs; combat discrimination or anti-Semitism; enact trade policy and set tariff rates; authorize assassinations; nationalize land or an industry; set national priorities; initiate a war; lower prices; ban bump stocks; institute an industrial policy; force Americans to buy American-made goods; establish an industrial policy; make, nullify or suspend laws; rename bodies of water; or wage war on drugs, tobacco, salt, cancer, climate change, or obesity.” (09/29/25)
“In today’s political discourse, diametrically opposite viewpoints, or asserted ‘facts,’ seem ingrained. The Sept. 25 indictment of former FBI Director James Comey by the U.S. Department of Justice underscores this rift. Among lawmakers of each party, for example, views are reliably partisan. Yet in the wider arena of public comment, conservative and liberal observers are more in agreement than in argument: They see this action as a proving ground for the country’s system of democratic rule of law and checks on power, while cautioning that ‘lawfare’ (using courts to intimidate or hinder an opponent) does not honor justice. Mr. Comey faces two charges – perjury and obstruction of justice. The administration’s case is seen as generally weak by legal experts from across the spectrum. President Donald Trump publicly demanded that Mr. Comey be prosecuted, even after previous investigations found insufficient grounds to do so.” (09/29/25)
“How can we ever arrive at a true representation of reality? During the Great Covid Disaster, I kept thinking that if only the actual unbiased data could be shared with those who insisted the virus evolved naturally, or those who believed early treatment was impossible, or those who insisted the mRNA agents were ‘safe and effective,’ the impasse could be broken. Alas, that never happened because the source of illumination had been altered from what it was in the past. With the advent of Postmodernism, the literal definition of truth itself has changed.” (09/29/25)
“The announcement arrived with theatrical certainty. Troops would go to Portland to protect federal immigration facilities. ‘Full force, if necessary’. The words were meant to settle the matter and to set the scene. Portland, the script insists, is a place of permanent disorder. The city’s answer was simple. Calm streets, improving crime metrics, and no emergency that justifies soldiers. That clash of frames is the real story. It is not only about one weekend, one building, or one President. It is about how federal power is narrated, how cities are chosen as stages, and how a state with long practice in saying no prepares for the next round.’ The question is why now. The events at the South Waterfront ICE site in June offer the easiest pretext.” (09/29/25)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Sascha Hannig
“On October 4, 2025, Japan will choose its fourth prime minister in five years, since Shigeru Ishiba resigned after only a year in office due to internal pressures within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Although leadership changes in a parliamentary system are common, the process comes at a time of economic uncertainty and social transformations in Japanese society, which are paired with increasing geopolitical tensions around the Asia–Pacific region. As a Latin-American who lived in Japan during COVID-19, I find myself pondering on the implications of Shinzo Abe’s assassination, the rise of lobbying accusations, and the unveiling of a power-connected cult, all against the backdrop of a permanent state of elections. In parallel, the dominant LDP faces a changing political landscape, which might challenge its dominance in the future — as newly formed parties gain momentum.” (09/29/25)
“Extreme partisanship disables principled thinking in almost every arena of American life, but this cycle of tit-for-tat illiberalism is especially dangerous. Liberal democracy depends on a shared belief in individual rights, equality of all citizens, and the rule of law. The major political factions must not behave as if they have a monopoly on the truth or a right to power. Illiberal actors think they have both.” (09/29/25)
“The return of U.N. sanctions will achieve nothing except to inflict more misery on the people of Iran. The U.K., France, and Germany were wrong in pushing for the reimposition of sanctions. If the goal was to revive nuclear negotiations, threatening Iran with more punishment shortly after Israel and the U.S. attacked their country was the worst way to go about it. The three European governments acted as accomplices to the Trump and Netanyahu’s aggression after the fact, and they shredded what little credibility with Iran they had left. The U.S. and Israel did most of the work to kill diplomacy with Iran, but Britain, France, and Germany went out of their way to finish the job.” (09/29/25)
