Source: Rutherford Institute
by John & Nisha Whitehead

“Twenty-five years after 9/11, one has to ask: has the nightmare ever really ended? For a quarter-century, Americans have been governed by fear: fear of terrorists and foreign enemies, fear of domestic extremists and political opponents, fear of the next attack, the next crisis, the next emergency.That fear has given us endless war, mass surveillance, militarized police, secret courts, indefinite detention, government watchlists, domestic military deployments and an imperial presidency armed with powers that would have been unthinkable before 9/11. Now the man entrusted with the imperial powers of the modern-day presidency is publicly imagining himself enthroned over robotic armies, raining destruction on his enemies and promising nightmares. The imagery may be unhinged from reality, but the powers of the presidency are not.” (09/08/26)

https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/john_whiteheads_commentary/america_after_9_11_25_years_of_fear_war_surveillance_and_permanent_emergency

Source: Independent Institute
by William J Watkins, Jr.

“An appreciation of the Constitution’s role in fashioning the American republic must begin with the American Revolution. More precisely, the impetus for the Revolution. The literature of the period yields one overarching theme: self-government.” (09/08/26)

https://www.independent.org/article/2026/09/08/a-republic-if-you-can-keep-it/

Source: Liberalism.org
by Sarah Skwire

“One of the reasons some people scoff at virtue signaling is because they say it is performative—that the actions taken by virtue signalers are only done because other people see them. … But I think the performative aspect is exactly why virtue signaling is valuable. I marched because I wanted my kids to know that anti-immigrant actions and sentiments are not something that I will silently accept. I marched because I wanted my neighbors to know the same thing. And, though I didn’t know it when I set out, I marched because I wanted the families who stood in their doorways wearing traditional dress from their home countries to see friendly faces on the sidewalks of their town on a day when they felt threatened. None of that will change the political kerfuffle over immigration one bit. But it might help change my neighborhood just a little. And that’s valuable to me.” (09/08/26)

https://www.liberalism.org/p/bite-by-bite-the-value-of-virtue-signaling

Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by staff

“We live in a world of surveillance states, militarized police, and crackdowns on dissent. Meanwhile, corporate behemoths will often ally with the state to shut down dissident speech or aid and abet surveillance. In this context, it’s important for independent groups to develop and maintain encrypted communications platforms and independent web hosting. But the Trump administration recently declared that an Italian tech collective is a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’ for doing exactly this. … The executive branch can unilaterally declare that a provider of web hosting, email services, and other communications infrastructure is a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist.’ By doing so, they can impose sanctions, and thereby destroy that provider. This can impose serious costs on speakers, organizers, and researchers that use the providers’ services. And the executive branch can do all of this unilaterally. No charges, warrants, trial, or due process is necessary.” (09/08/260

https://c4ss.org/content/61296

Source: Fox News
by Ted Jenkin

“You work. You get paid. Washington takes its cut. But have you ever stopped to ask one simple question: Where does the money actually go? Forget trillion-dollar numbers for a minute. Most Americans can’t comprehend the difference between $1 trillion and $7 trillion anyway. Let’s shrink Washington down to something we all understand: a $100 bill. In fiscal year 2025, the federal government spent roughly $7 trillion. Social Security alone consumed about $1.6 trillion. Major federal health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, were another enormous piece. Defense approached $900 billion. And then there’s the number that should make every taxpayer spit out their morning coffee: interest. The federal government spent about $970 billion just on net interest on the national debt. Not roads. Not teachers. Not soldiers. Not Social Security checks.” (09/08/26)

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/congress-spends-7-trillion-heres-math-works-100