The historic struggle for freedom of speech and press is filled with stories of anonymous pamphleteers who overcame state repression to claim victory over darkness. Governments have historically sought to ban speech which is critical of government. Sometimes government officials claim such speech spreads “sedition,” or promotes violence, or allows “millionaires and billionaires” to control […]
Throughout the early years of the 21st century, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of innocent people–mostly males of the lowest classes–were violently thrown against walls or sidewalks while New York City cops frisked and searched them without warrant. Cop worshippers claimed the “stop and frisks” were necessary to fight crime. When activists, lawyers and judges worked to […]
Municipal planning is for the rich. It circumvents natural markets in which poor people pool resources, innovate and commute. “Planning” almost always means that housing becomes LESS affordable for poor people. Where “planning” has been most heavy-handed, poor people live in cars or travel hundreds of miles to mow the lawns or shovel the sidewalks […]
The government NPR radio network and website is promoting a story suggesting that Baltimore’s high crime rates are owed to a lack of police officers in the city. There is just one problem with this notion: Baltimore has the SECOND-HIGHEST rate of cops per-capita in the U.S.! (1st is Washington, D.C..) Wherever city governments have […]
Fortune and other news sources are reporting that the government of Iran is shutting down the internet in cities where there are anti-government protests. (In Iran, internet providers must obtain government permission–similar to the “net neutrality” system proposed by many government-trusters in America.)
During the final years of the Obama Administration, executives at Google, Facebook and Twitter were regularly meeting with Obama in the White House. Not long after, all 3 internet giants (which together rake in more than 85% of all online ad revenue) began promoting the “net neutrality” concept for a government takeover of the internet, […]