But-cept II

A few days ago, I wrote a blog criticising, by the way, the so-called founding fathers.  When I shared that post elsewhere, a treasured colleague took exception to my generalization, and he informed me that I need to read more Thomas Jefferson.

Lame Duck Shutdown Theater Time: Pride Goeth Before a Wall?

The way to really “win” a fake shutdown isn’t to successfully shift blame, it’s to successfully seize credit. Trying to shift blame and seeking a compromise looks like weakness. “Proudly” taking credit and refusing to bend looks like strength. And voters, as a rule, seem to value strength more than they value morality or intelligence. In politics, boldness tends to win the day.

Wilson and The State Police

“Wilson” never had a driver’s license in all the years I knew him. He normally traveled by bicycle. He wasn’t usually in a hurry and it was cheaper than buying fuel. Especially at our local prices. When he needed to carry a load or make a longer trip he drove his old full-sized van. He avoided being pulled over because he wasn’t a reckless or impulsive driver. But one day his luck ran out when he was a few miles outside of town.

Foreign Policy III: AnCapistan

In my first article on foreign policy, I discussed normative foreign policy in the context of the United States Constitution. In the second article, I focused on a specific aspect of foreign policy when I posited that the United States should diplomatically recognize Liberland. In this article, I discuss “foreign policy” in a stateless society: “AnCapistan,” if you will.

“Red Flag Laws”: Rights Can’t be “Suspended,” Only Violated

Hanna Scott of Seattle’s KIRO radio reports that prosecutors in Washington are wrestling with the question of whether or not the state’s “Red Flag law” applies to minors, and trying to stretch it to do so. Under the “law,” Scott writes, a judge can issue an “Extreme Risk Protection Order” to “temporarily suspend a person’s gun rights, even if they haven’t committed a crime.”

Cassowary

On the way to work this morning, I saw a cassowary.  Right or wrong, I saw a cassowary (two of them, in fact).  Let me be quick to point out that casuarius casuarius does not occur by Darwinian nature in the Bluegrass of Kentucky.  But it does occur by the workings of the law of unforeseen consequences, and this too is a part of nature.