Comedian Andrew Heaton reimagines Star Wars through libertarian eyes in this short parody video clip for Reason. He did a similar one for Star Trek. … [Read more...]
A Very Libertarian Christmas
Reason Magazine offers A Very Libertarian Christmas as its annual Christmas cheer. … [Read more...]
Private Property Defended: Glitter Bombs vs. Thieves
Two million packages are stolen from porches and doorways in the US every year. Ex-NASA engineer Mark Rober is doing his bit to take on these thieves with his brilliantly-designed "glitter bombs," fake packages that explode with glitter and noxious smells, and best of all -- record the entire experience via hidden cameras. There are some definite law-enforcement possibilities … [Read more...]
1619 Project Denounced by Escaped Slave In New Book
In 2019, the NYT published The 1619 Project, an attempt to reframe American history as being all about racism and slavery, the focus du jour of the intellectual left. (It's part of a larger project to demoralize the US.) The project's creator, Nikole Hannah-Jones, attacked the US Constitution as racist and anti-democratic.The 1619 Project has been slammed by historians and by … [Read more...]
Happy Bill Of Rights Day!
December 15th is Bill of Rights Day. I was delighted to find this short educational video performed by middle school students from the excellent Meritas private school network. It explains the Bill of Rights to the tune of Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off." Teachers: The Bill of Rights Institute offers free lesson plans and activities for middle and high school students, … [Read more...]
The Onion: Should the Government Stop Dumping Money Into a Giant Hole?
It's one of the great economic questions of our time. Does dumping money into a giant hole create jobs and stimulate the economy, or is it simply a waste? Paul Krugman has suggested that even faking an alien invasion would be good for the economy, the idea being that any activity, with or without production of value, is beneficial. Likewise, Forbes published an article on the … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving: a Celebration of Property Rights?!
Journalist John Stossel explains how Thanksgiving would have been (and nearly was) "Starvation Day," but for a change in policy from communal planting to...private property. [4 min/ Anti-socialism, Econ 101] Reason tells the the true story of how the introduction of property rights by Governor Bradford saved the Pilgrims. [3 min/ Anti-socialism, Econ 101] The … [Read more...]
The Disposable Life of a 20 Year-Old Confidential Informant
This powerful Reason investigation of the death of a young college student — who had been blackmailed by police into being an undercover drug war informant — won the Southern California Journalism Award and led to a 60-minutes report. "On June 27, 2014, the body of 20-year-old Andrew Sadek, a promising electrical student at the North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) … [Read more...]
Government Bureaucracy Sketch: Jameson Notodofilmfest
An excellent short film from the Jameson Notodofilmfest, a Spanish short film festival, on what it’s like to deal with government bureaucracy. [3 min] Topics: Anti-Regulation … [Read more...]
Would You Sign a Petition to Repeal the First Amendment? These People Would.
In this now classic clip from 2013, Mark Dice asks ordinary people to sign petition to repeal the First Amendment in order to silence the president's critics---and they readily sign. [4 min/ Freedom of speech] Links about the First Amendment Films About Freedom of Speech Wikipedia: First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Bill of Rights Institute: First Amendment … [Read more...]