“Even a few weeks ago, my position on something like the murder of Alex Pretti — sadly not an uncommon occurrence, as cops kill hundreds, sometimes thousands, of Americans per year, many of them unjustifiably — was well outside the Overton Window. … The shots that killed Alex Pretti shattered the window entirely. Not just because it was obviously cold-blooded murder, but because the few government and ‘law enforcement’ officials who tried to justify it were so clownishly dishonest and cartoonishly evil in their deliveries that no one with a shred of self-esteem could pretend to, and no one with an IQ over 40 could actually, believe them.” (01/27/26)
“Late last year, YouTube announced plans to reinstate accounts that had been banned at the behest of the Biden Administration for posting alleged COVID-19 misinformation. The announcement likely came as a relief to groups like the Children’s Health Defense Fund, a group associated with Robert Kennedy Jr.; and to Senator Ron Johnson; both of whom were punished by the social media giant for posting videos that ran contrary to the Biden administration’s official policy on the COVID-19 vaccine and on COVID-19 treatments. This is a good move. But we should remember, it wasn’t just YouTube that decided to punish speech disapproved by the prior administration.” (01/27/26)
“The Trump administration, being the Trump administration, immediately set about lying about what had happened, and the usual politics of gun rights were immediately flipped on their head, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem insisting that [murder victim Alex] Pretti had been an armed rioter, which is — I do not suppose this even needs saying at this point — not true. Among others, the president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Law Center affirmed: ‘I see nothing that Mr. Pretti did that was unlawful,’ at least with respect to his gun. But strangely, a great many people who sometimes call themselves libertarians began to insist that when an officer of the state gives you an order, your choices are: 1) comply meekly; 2) get gunned down. Ernest Hemingway had their number way back in 1940: ‘There are many who do not know they are Fascists, but will find it out when the time comes.'” (01/27/26)
“When President Trump authorized a strike to capture Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, without congressional approval, it was the latest manifestation of the increasingly common belief by presidents that they have broad unilateral authority when it comes to military operations. The Constitution’s original meaning, however, belies this notion. As I have developed at more length here, the Constitution’s ‘declare War’ clause allocates to Congress — and by implication denies to the president — the power to initiate hostile military action against foreign nations.” (01/27/26)
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Greg Lukianoff
“Governments are always tempted to blame words for violence they can’t control. If “heated rhetoric” were enough, dissent would disappear whenever officials felt threatened — which, of course, would end up being all the time. The speech that federal officials have criticized in Minnesota seems like protected political dissent, not obstruction or conspiracy. That raises the discouraging possibility that the point of the Justice investigation isn’t to bring charges that will stick. Rather, it may be to use the threat of prosecution to chill speech. That’s not law enforcement. It’s ideology enforcement, backed by mob-like bully tactics.” (01/27/26)
“Before Alex Pretti was shot and killed Saturday by federal forces, he was defending two women who were being violently shoved after challenging Border Patrol agents. The minute that agent started pushing those women with little provocation beyond whatever words were exchanged, Border Patrol relinquished control of the situation. The scrum that followed — as multiple agents pounded Pretti on the ground — was chaos. Chaos that eventually turned deadly, as agents saw that Pretti was carrying a gun. Much as they did after Good’s death, administration officials tried to control the narrative of what happened, blaming the victim.” (01/27/26)
“Americans are strongly united against people being gunned down on our streets by federal agents. … Republicans at the White House, in Congress and across the country know the voters will crush them if this continues through the fall elections. Now if voters can only unite on reform beyond merely stopping the shooting.” (01/27/26)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Daniel J Mitchell
“For years, China’s control of the 5G and AI future seemed unstoppable. Backed by the Chinese state, Huawei — which is labeled a Chinese military company by the Department of Defense — embedded itself across global telecommunications networks, undercut competitors with pricing subsidized by China’s government, and expanded its footprint in everything from 5G infrastructure to enterprise networking equipment. Western governments warned about the security risks, but many markets ignored them. However, something unexpected is now happening, even inside China. Chinese consumers, once encouraged to buy Huawei products as a patriotic duty, are becoming increasingly skeptical of the company.” (01/27/26)
“We live in a civilization that was built on lies, is made of lies, and is sustained by lies. As soon as the lies stop, the whole thing comes tumbling down.” (01/27/26)
“Until Alex Pretti was murdered, the biggest story of the weekend was Donald Trump’s threat to impose 100 percent tariffs on Canada. Obviously Pretti and the backlash that followed were far more important than trade policy. But while the murder of Pretti and its consquences are the most important issue for America right now, we shouldn’t let the attack on Canada slide. We are, after all, talking about a destructive rupture with a neighbor that was, until Trump returned to power, one of our closest allies and remains our second most important trading partner. And Trump and his minions are lying about the reasons for that rupture.” (01/27/26)
