edited by:
Arizona Editor
In the early years of the United States, "newspapers were really the only source of news for American voters and they were typically operated by one of the two major party organizations" says an academic study of the period. Democratic-Republican newspapers warned that George Washington would make "a" [...]
Already this month, the Pledge of Allegiance has made news headlines multiple times. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of a Florida high school student who was punished for failing to swear loyalty to the national symbol, a federal judge declined to strip the words "under God" [...]
The Mackinac Center peeks north of the border to see just how single-payer health care is working out, and gets an earful from the folks who have to deal with the Canadian government's idea of good medicine.The most scathing book review I ever wrote was of a copy of a provocative historical work sent to me by the publisher's publicist -- that is, a review copy of the sort that has been provided to writers since the printing press was young. I tore into that book' [...]
During the course of the heated health care debate, as during all matters of excited public discussion, there's been a lot of talk about "what the people want." Do people want single-payer care? Public option? Market-provided medicine? Everybody peddling a scheme for overhauling doctors' offices and chastising insurance companies seems [...]
A federal appeals court may have slapped the Federal Bureau of Investigation last year for its misuse of gag orders to prevent discussion of government investigations conducted under the authority of National Security Letters, but that hasn't slowed the feds very much. According to the American Civil Liberties' [...]
Last year, a ten-year-old boy in North Carolina was suspended from school because he had a broken pencil sharpener in his possession. The tiny sliver of metal that shaves wood away from the graphite was deemed to be the equivalent of a cavalry saber, putting the school in, as [...]
Who is a terrorist? Just as important: How do we differentiate terrorists from freedom-fighters, mere criminals, outspoken political dissidents and soldiers, and keep the "war against terror" from poisoning everyday life? A recent report from a watchdog group suggests that federal agencies can't agree on just what defines a terrorist' [...]
Officials in Drachten, Holland, wanted to reduce accidents and injuries on the town's roads, so they turned to a traffic engineer with an unusual idea: eliminate rules. Hans Monderman believes that people are more careful when they are subject to fewer commandments and less direction. So he removed road [...]
Under siege by Atlanta's gay and lesbian community, as well as by supporters of social tolerance, the Georgia city's police department is scrambling to justify a violent raid on a popular bar that caters to a leather clientele. In a city that is not known for having [...]
Deputies of Arizona's Maricopa County Sheriff's Office are being, rightfully, lambasted, for confiscating a journalist's camera even as they tell him, "We're not on the same level, here. I'm up here, you're down here." But there's more to that dismissive comment than the arrogance of one cop or one' [...]
In Arizona, the shenanigans of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office are an open embarassment. Well, I take that back. Some people actually cheer on Generalissimo Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his merry band of third-world-style goons, but the fact that they abuse prisoners, stage events for the camera, spy on opponents [...]
President Reagan spoke to school children when he was in office over two decades ago; so did President Bush the first. Sadly, there's little doubt that many (but not all) of the people screaming about President Barack Obama's nationally broadcast classroom snooze-inducer had, or would have had, no problem [...]
In the wake of the recent "disorderly conduct" arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates after a confrontation with a police officer, noted civil libertarian Harvey Silverglate wrote in Forbes, "There is a serious problem in this country: Police are overly sensitive to insults from those they confront." Right [...]
Tired of endless pie-in-the-sky promises from Uncle Sugar? Bent out of shape that government largesse is little better than two dollars taken from your left hip pocket and one dollar stuffed into your right hip pocket (unless you're well-connected)? So is funny man Tim Hawkins. But he's a lot better' [...]
According to a recent legal opinion issued in Arizona, if you want to do nothing more than say nice things in public about your favorite elected officials, you have to register as a political action committee and submit to a spiderweb of red tape that's confusing even to legal experts. [...]
The inhabitants of two well-heeled towns on New York's Long Island are reportedly shocked to discover that brothels have been operating in residential neighborhoods -- and enjoying a booming business in otherwise trying economic times. Given the large number of politicians who maintain vacation houses in the area, you'd' [...]
Well, OK, perhaps it's a little early to ponder President Barack Obama's likely assessment by historians of the future. But it's certainly not too early to point out that he's well on his way to high regard according to the usual blood-and-brutality standards set by most scholars -- but that [...]
Through the years, plenty of governments have paid artists to sing the praises of the politically powerful and their programs. No matter how well executed, the collaborative efforts have almost universally struck observers as creepy, and have tainted participating artists as prostitutes willing to peddle their souls to government officials [...]
Last week, Mexico's government did something that ought to be emulated far and wide -- it stopped worrying about America's draconian preferences on drug policy and decriminalized the personal use of not just marijuana, but a wide variety of officially disfavored intoxicants. In a country ravaged by violence and [...]
Memos penned under the late, unlamented Bush administration authorizing the use of torture against people suspected of (but not convicted of) engaging in terrorism are making the rounds -- and political waves. The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility has recommended the government revisit past decisions against [...]
Late August is here, which means college students across the country are contemplating a return to bars, parties and -- oh yeah -- classes. As they arrive at campus, though, many of them are actually entering an environment where free speech and diversity of opinion are less respected than they [...]
