“Ever since England’s first written quasi-constitution—the 1653 Instrument of Government which created Oliver Cromwell’s Protectorate but lasted only four years before being superseded—there have been documents that might have evolved into genuine constitutional frameworks. Yet even those that have acquired permanent symbolic status, such as the 1689 Bill of Rights, are still subject to the interpretative vagaries of the zeitgeist. This is, of course, true of the US Constitution, too, as the Supreme Court’s decisions in recent years have cast a new light on doctrines such as the separation of powers or the efficacy of checks and balances. A written constitution does not necessarily guarantee stability, let alone certainty. But in the British case, the absence of definitive rules is integral to the character, even the existence, of the state, which has always prided itself on its flexibility.” (11/04/26)
“The much-anticipated U.S. midterm elections—so consequential, in fact, to President Donald Trump that he promised Americans $5,000 in cash if Republicans prevailed—have drawn to a close. As of writing, the much-discussed ‘blue tsunami’ has become a political reality: Democrats have seized control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, delivering a stunning repudiation of a president whose second administration has been nothing short of disastrous. The political ramifications are immense. Although Democrats lack the two-thirds Senate majority necessary to convict and remove Trump following impeachment, they will soon possess something they have been deprived of for two years: the institutional power to investigate his administration, subpoena witnesses, compel testimony, and expose the inner workings of a political machine that has operated with extraordinary impunity.” (11/04/26)
“Those who are confident about the safety of vaccines have before them an easy route to shore up public confidence and completely shut down the anti-vaxx movement. They could open the data to what’s called the Vaccine Safety Datalink or VSD. Right now and for the past quarter century, access is severely restricted to only a handful of people at the CDC and the employees of the National Center for Health Statistics Research Data Center, which has the impossible acronym NCHSRDC, in Hyattsville, Maryland. No one can buy the database or access, not the public, not researchers at NIH, not statisticians at universities nor medical doctors at hospitals. … In effect, the VSD is among the most secretive services in the entire government, comparable to Fort Knox, the Federal Reserve, and the National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency. It’s the real Puzzle Palace” (11/04/26)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“Prior to the midterms, there were indications that President Trump might initiate another intense bombing campaign in Iran after the elections. I’ve got a better idea for the president. In light of the tsunami-like rejection of his presidency at the hands of American voters — owing partly to his illegal and unconstitutional war of aggression against Iran — this would be a great time for him to do a complete reset with respect to not only Iran but also Cuba and Venezuela. Rather than bomb Iran again, Trump should order an immediate exit of all U.S. troops from the Middle East. … Lift the brutal decades-old U.S. economic embargo and the U.S. oil blockade. Leave the Cuban people alone …. It’s the same with Venezuela. Leave that country to the Venezuelan people. Stop cooperating with and making deals with Venezuela’s socialist-communist regime and Marxist ruler.” (11/04/26)
“The MAGA people appear to have been laboring under a number of delusions. First, they seem to be genuinely surprised by the fact that they suffered a crushing defeat in the midterm elections. In fact, polls, forecasts, and prediction markets had all been calling a Democratic victory for months now. But a lot of MAGA types appear to have believed that America always has some big hidden reservoir of shy Trump supporters out there that everyone always misses, and that this silent majority would ride to the GOP’s rescue and prove all the pollsters and forecasters wrong, as they did in 2016. To put it mildly, that did not happen.” (11/04/26)
“Over the last year, a common narrative has circulated through conservative commentary about Latin America’s political shifts. Washington dismantled the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the argument goes, and conservative candidates began winning because American taxpayers stopped subsidizing their opponents. This narrative is misleading once placed under the microscope. But that has not stopped prominent figures on the MAGA right to spin a narrative.” (11/04/26)
“To call Tuesday’s results a mere blue wave doesn’t do justice to the force and size of the impact. That was a blue tsunami that delivered a near-total destruction of the Republican power structure. Just don’t call it a surprise. Any fair reading of the polls in recent weeks clearly revealed the depths of public unhappiness with President Trump and the GOP Congress. Those polls meant it was widely assumed the House would fall, and it collapsed with a thud early in the evening. GOP control of the Senate was also consigned to the dustbin of history. It turns out that Fate has a sense of humor. Thinking he would pump up their turnout, Trump told Republican voters to pretend his name was on the ballot. They may or may not have heard him, but Democrats and most independents heard him loud and clear and soundly rejected him.” (11/04/26)
“The Democrats have swept to victory in the US midterm elections, taking control of Congress. While the incumbent president’s party generally tends to have a bad night in these elections, the scale of the Republican defeat is being viewed as a resounding rejection of Donald Trump’s two years in the White House. From angry voters to an unpopular president, here are five reasons why the Republicans lost so many seats. 1.) Soaring cost of living: From coast to coast, voters across the US have been grappling with the soaring cost of essentials. That anger was palpable on the ground in key races. … 2.) Unpopular Iran war: A major factor in surging prices has been the war with Iran which the US and Israel launched in February….” (11/04/26)
“Time zones, a subject we’ve discussed recently, were invented by the railroads (not government) to help schedule rail traffic. But then, along came the automobile and freedom from rails. And from effective monopolies in many areas, because of the complexity of railroads – and their cost. But times change. Automobiles, like horse-drawn wagons, could and did do more than just serve an area around a railroad station. They began to go long distances. And then… well, read on.” (11/03/26)
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Ryan McMaken
“Perhaps one of the most abused and misunderstood phrases in American history is found in the Declaration of Independence where Thomas Jefferson wrote “all men are created equal.” Since at least as early as the mid nineteenth century, the phrase has been used by many American politicians as justification for government intervention in the name of imposing whatever interpretation of ‘equality’ happens to be popular at the time.” (11/03/26)
