Why did Payton Gendron (allegedly, but he live-streamed it, so it’s not like there’s much doubt) murder ten people at a Buffalo, New York grocery store on May 14? The pat, and at least partially correct, answer, is that Gendron subscribes to something called the “Great Replacement” theory. That’s mostly what we hear about in … Continue reading Suppressing Insane Ideas Doesn’t Stop Insane Conduct
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
Tom has worked in journalism — sometimes as an amateur, sometimes professionally — for more than 35 years and has been a full-time libertarian writer, editor, and publisher since 2000. He’s the former managing editor of the Henry Hazlitt Foundation, the publisher of Rational Review News Digest (2003-present), former media coordinator and senior news analyst at the Center for a Stateless Society (2009-2015) and also works at Antiwar.com. He lives in north central Florida.
Crime Begets Crime, ICE Edition
On May 10, Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy & Technology released a report — “American Dragnet: Data-Driven Deportation in the 21st Century” — which you should find disturbing but shouldn’t find surprising. The part you should find disturbing: “ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] has created a surveillance infrastructure that enables it to pull detailed dossiers … Continue reading Crime Begets Crime, ICE Edition
“Privacy”: Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others
Even if one considers the interests of unborn children more important than privacy, there’s no question that privacy would be a casualty of the ruling. It would allow state legislatures to ignore privacy in at least two areas — women’s uteri and doctor-patient relationships.
Can Elon Musk Save Twitter?
Musk has a tough row to hoe. Changing an entrenched corporate culture and bringing an aging platform up to date to deal with its infestation of spammers and scammers won’t be easy. I still think he’d have been smarter to start from scratch. But I wish him luck.
Why Elon Musk Shouldn’t Buy Twitter
Instead of spending $46 billion on Twitter, Musk should spend $4.6 billion: $1 billion on initial infrastructure, $1 billion hiring a work force that’s on board with doing things his way, $1 billion on promotion, and a $1.6 billion bonus to me for suggesting this.
Mariupol: Let’s Talk About “Chemical Weapons” Propaganda
As an 81mm mortarman in the US Marine Corps, I often trained on what we called “shake and bake” missions, involving a mix of white phosphorous and high explosive rounds. The justification? We would be firing at the enemy’s “equipment.” That would include their uniforms, canteens, etc. If they chose to stay with that “equipment,” well, that was their problem.
War is the Crime; Its Perpetrators Seldom Face Justice
What actually happened in Bucha is uncertain and may remain so forever. The Ukrainians claim that Russian soldiers murdered the civilians. The Russians seem to alternately claim the entire scene was staged, or else that the victims were suspected Russian sympathizers/collaborators killed by fellow Ukrainians. Probably mass murder, but who did it?
Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill Is Really About Politics, Not Sex
On March 28, Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1557 — the “Parental Rights in Education Bill” — into law.
Global Food Shortages: How Does Your Garden (or Pantry) Grow?
“President Joe Biden and other leaders of the world’s major industrialized democracies pledged action on Thursday [March 24] to address food shortages caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine,” Politico reports. Biden says food shortages “are going to be real,” although he seems to see them as an opportunity to increase US grain production and food … Continue reading Global Food Shortages: How Does Your Garden (or Pantry) Grow?
Daylight Saving Time: Finally, Some Government Action I Can Get Behind
The august deliberative body, in an unusual collective seizure of wisdom, voted to stop demanding that everyone move their clocks forward one hour each spring, and back one hour each fall, by making “Daylight Saving Time” permanent as of November 2023.