Oral Argument in Moore v. Harper and the Perils of Finding “Compromise” on the Independent State Legislature Theory

The Supreme Court’s cert grant last June in Moore v. Harper was an ominous note on which to end an explosive term. The grant seemed to broadcast an openness to embracing what’s known as the “independent state legislature theory,” or ISLT. It is a once-fringe idea that the U.S. Constitution, and in particular Article I’s “elections clause,” grants to

Become Unconquerable | Stoic Philosophy – Einzelgänger

The ancient Stoics produced a treasure trove of wisdom on becoming unconquerable. They believed that people cannot be conquered by anything external, as long as they don’t give away the power over their faculties. The only way external things can influence us is when we, ourselves, let them. If we feel that something has defeated

Let’s talk about foreign policy’s new normal and anti-Russian sentiment – Beau of the Fifth Column

Richard Slotkin on Guns and Violence – Moyers & Company

Ahead of the one year anniversary of the massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, in which Adam Lanza took the lives of 20 school children and six educators, Bill speaks with cultural historian and scholar Richard Slotkin about the role of guns in America’s national psyche. Slotkin has spent his life studying and

Let’s talk about manufacturing pretexts – Beau of the Fifth Column

Florida police officer arrested on excessive force charges

A white Florida police officer with a history of excessive force is charged with aggravated battery during his arrest of a Black man accused of trespassing outside a grocery store. West Palm Beach Officer Nicholas Lordi turned himself in at the county’s main jail on Tuesday night and bonded out on Wednesday morning, officials said.

27 House members sign letter asking Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy to bring stock trading ban to the floor: ‘We came to Congress to serve our country, not turn a quick buck’

27 House members are calling on leadership to “swiftly bring legislation” to ban stock trading to the floor. Rep. Jared Golden, who led the letter, says he wants to “make sure that we’re pushing for legislative action.” House Speaker Pelosi is now open to banning lawmakers and their spouses from trading stocks “if members want to

How Feel Good Stories Let A Broken System Off The Hook – Second Thought

We’ve all seen those “heartwarming” stories about kids with cancer selling lemonade to pay for their chemo, or janitors being gifted a car because they’ve walked ten miles to work every day for twenty years, or all the other sugar-coated dystopian failures of our capitalist system. In this episode, we’re going to talk about that.

Let’s talk about how the media covers foreign policy – Beau of the Fifth Column

Let’s talk about identifying with the bad guy a little more – Beau of the Fifth Column