Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by William L Anderson
“There is no doubt that people who identify as democratic socialists are making large gains in the Democratic Party. They control mayoral offices in major cities like New York and Seattle and are going to be a force in the next Congress, having seen enormous success in the Democratic Party congressional primaries. However, there is much disagreement over the extent of how far this current batch of socialists want to push social, political, and economic changes. Most claim that they just want to turn the US into Denmark or Sweden, and that they are democratic, not autocratic. Yet, despite their claims, there is good reason to believe that this latest movement of ‘democratic’ socialists is far from benign, and if they gain the kind of power they want, the US will be permanently changed—and not for the better.” (07/23/26)
“Normalising genocide was a way to normalise colonial expansion in Gaza. Only three weeks after Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich revealed plans for three Israeli settlements, the Nachala settler group organised a march last Sunday, in which settlers and ministers, including Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Economy Minister Nir Barakat and other Likud politicians, marched to a closed military zone, bypassing the Israeli military’s roadblocks to reach the border with Gaza. The call was for rebuilding the former settlements of Elei Sinai, Dugit and Nisanit which were evacuated in 2005 under the Disengagement Plan by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.” (07/23/26)
“Few political ideas have proven as durable as the complaint embedded in the Declaration of Independence that the British Crown was ‘imposing taxes on us without our consent.’ That grievance was not merely rhetorical flourish; it captured a central concern of the American colonists about the relationship between political authority and individual liberty. More than two centuries later, citizens continue to debate taxation, representation, and accountability, albeit within a vastly different institutional and economic landscape. The question, then, is not whether taxation remains contentious—it clearly does—but whether the underlying concern about consent still has meaningful relevance in contemporary governance.” (07/23/26)
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Alina Khamatdinova & Matthew Blackburn
“In Western policymaking circles, the destruction of Russian infrastructure, the rise of fuel shortages, and the resultant public dissatisfaction lead many to conclude Russia is on the ropes. The strategy of expanding Ukraine’s deep strike capacities enjoys the support not only of major European NATO states but also of the White House, as recent comments from President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio make clear. The Western pressure strategy rests on a simple calculation: raising the costs of continued fighting will increase discontent in Russian society to the point of forcing the Kremlin to the negotiating table via a ceasefire. For most Russians, who interpret the war as a struggle to secure concrete geopolitical goals, this calculation holds true; mounting costs erode support for war. Missing from this picture, however, is a vocal and intense minority who see the war in moral terms, as a zero-sum struggle over sacred values.” (07/23/26)
“The seizure of Max Blumenthal’s phones shows how the war on Iran and the border-security state can turn foreign conflict into domestic repression. Max Blumenthal returned from a reporting trip to Iran and left Washington Dulles International Airport without the two phones that contained much of his working life. According to a federal filing submitted on his behalf, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers questioned him about his journalism, funding, and travel plans and seized the devices after he declined to provide their passcodes. The Committee to Protect Journalists called the episode alarming. What happened at Dulles exposed how war abroad, exceptional border powers, and hostility toward dissenting media can converge in a single act of state pressure.” (07/23/26)
“Drive through almost any established suburb in the United States, and you’ll see the pattern: single-family homes large enough for growing families occupied by just one or two retirees whose children left the nest a decade ago. Meanwhile, young families double up in cramped apartments, first-time buyers are priced out of the communities where they grew up, and school enrollment data tells the story of whole neighborhoods closed off to the people who would benefit from access to what they offer. It’s a problem made worse by our tax code, but it’s one that the tax code can help correct.” (07/23/26)
“Liberty is a big jewel with many facets. All its facets are important, but you can pick favorites. I do. Even then, don’t try to dull the shine of the facets that don’t affect you as much. To someone, those are the important ones. No one can focus on every important liberty issue. Pick a few that matter most to you, or the one most under attack at this moment. If the threat shifts, adapt. Some people try to pass off cut glass or shiny plastic as jewels. Don’t be fooled. If it obligates you to provide something for someone else, or requires someone else’s life, liberty, or property to be violated, you have no right to it.” (07/22/26)
“Chief Judge James Boasberg is frustrated … and he is not alone. Recently, the D.C. federal judge reportedly groused that the D.C. appellate court had ordered him to reconsider a case about whether the D.C. government engaged in biased enforcement against political graffiti. Conversely, the litigants are equally irked over what they see as Boasberg’s bias after he responded by, again, dismissing their claims without a trial. For a second time, Boasberg has barred pro-life groups from access to a jury after members were arrested for writing in chalk, ‘Black Pre-Born Lives Matter’ on a sidewalk while Black Lives Matter writings were left untouched.” (07/22/26)
“We recognize that developing and operating large facilities which consume megawatts of power constantly and require constant disposal of the waste heat generated by their operations can create major problems. Just as we recognize that noise, electromagnetic emissions, sound levels and types, and the exhaust from internal combustion engines all have the potential for significant impacts on human health and the environment. But it appears that the truth, and rationally addressing the issues, including those of surveillence and privacy, is not adequate for a growing (but still tiny) minority of Americans.” (07/23/26)
