What struck me most about revisiting the Salem Witch Trials with my children was the fact that these English Puritans who had recently settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony had no presumption of innocence. Those accused of a crime at the time, both in the New World and elsewhere, were guilty until proven innocent. The presumption of innocence in trials, with court defenders and impartial juries, would take centuries to catch on.
Tag: order
Owning the Past
My excellent fellow writer and contributor here at EVC, Kent McManigal wrote a piece recently in which he pointed out that racism is not a permanent affliction. It is only enduring when the holder of racist views continues to stoke that fire.
The Mighty Difference Between Immigration and Trade
International trade is a wonderful thing, but merely trading goods across borders has no blatant effect on the productivity of the workers who produced the goods. When a worker migrates from a low-productivity country to a high-productivity country, however, he becomes vastly more productive almost overnight.
Nationalism, the Ideological Delusion at the Heart of Protectionism
To ask the question is almost to answer it. People who would balk at city, state, or regional protectionism will not only tolerate national protectionism, but actually hail it as a godsend for overall national prosperity. The doctrine of nationalism, a dangerous brew in which Americans have long indulged to great excess is the cause of this bizarre public sentiment.
Expectations, Agreements, & Making Your Dreams Happen Through Communication
If you know you’re going to feel resentful because of an unmet expectation, translate your expectation into a request. Then proactively solicit the other party’s agreement.
The Fired Next Time: A “Shutdown” Proposal
I’ve got a better idea. Instead of taking off work in support of furloughed federal employees, why not seize the jobs those employees are doing and free the employees, and the customers, from the competing manipulations of Donald Trump, Charles Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi?
Addicts Can’t Think Outside Their Box
No part of statism is a given. Any of it can be eliminated; all of it can be eliminated. That one part of it excuses another part doesn’t mean you have to keep either part. Ditch them both. It’s the sensible thing to do.
Time to Break Government Addiction
When an addict’s supply is cut off, it’s usually an agonizing journey through withdrawal to the other side of the addiction; where the poison finally loosens its grip on the person, giving him a new chance at life. I’m not talking about a chemical dependency this time, but a far more deadly condition: government addiction.
Are Your Dreams Keeping up with You?
Whenever you follow a dream, it leads to new observations, discoveries, and relationships. These experiences will modify your sense of what is possible and what is preferable. To chase after a dream is to undertake a surprising and challenging process of personal transformation.
By Excluding The Good Guys
One of the justifications most commonly used by borderists for property rights-violating, violent government “border security”, including theft-funded walls and such, is that it will make it harder for people to cross, and any “friction” applied to the process will reduce the total numbers of people crossing. As a result, they claim to believe this will reduce the total number of bad guys getting into America. Theirs is a faulty argument.