Brickbats: March 2023
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.
Politics
On Elections and Gender, Fox Hosts and New York Times Critics Gave Up on Persuasion
Erasing sincere disagreement doesn't make it go away.
The Militant Pacifists of World War II
War by Other Means tells the story of those conscientious objectors who did not cooperate with the government's alternative-service schemes.
Rupert Murdoch Called Trump's Stolen-Election Fantasy 'Really Crazy Stuff.' Fox News Promoted It Anyway.
Hosts and producers privately called Trump lawyer Sidney Powell's claims "complete bs," "insane," and "unbelievably offensive."
'Patient Zero' Is Not Hate Speech
Reason talks with the transgender historian who used the term to describe a revolutionary gender-affirming treatment for teens.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Dam removal, malicious prosecution, and pre-trial diversion.
Once Upon a Time in the California Court of Appeal
Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood doesn't infringe 1960s actor Christopher Jones' right of publicity.
Harlan Institute-Ashbrook Virtual Supreme Court Semifinalists
26 Teams of HS Students presented oral argument in Students for Fair Admission v. UNC
Businesses See Political Advocacy As a No-Win Situation
Companies who embrace political agendas to please some of their employees or customers risk alienating others.
Social Security and Medicare Cuts Are Coming, Whether Politicians Do It or Not
As legislators refuse to act, benefits will be cut without any possibility of sheltering those seniors who are poor.
Four Months After Biden Promised Marijuana Pardons, He Has Not Issued Any
The president reaped political benefits with his pre-election proclamation but has yet to follow through.
U.S. Will Add $18.8 Trillion in New Debt by 2033
Plus: Age verification for social media, a bill to ban cannabis "gatherings," and more...
What Was The Most Consequential Supreme Court Decision Over The Past Five Years?
No, it was not Dobbs or Bruen.
PredictIt Helps Forecast Election Results. Bureaucrats Are Trying To Kill It.
Election betting markets are often more reliable than pundits. Did the site steal user funds? No. Did they lie to people? No. Harm anyone? No.
Nikki Haley's Presidential Bid Is an Unappealing Mix of MAGA and RINO
Is she an heir to Trump's throne? Is she a second coming for the pre-Trump Republican establishment? She doesn't even seem to know.
Happy Trails: Sen. Dianne Feinstein Won't Run for Reelection
The longest-serving California senator was a hardline drug warrior, a surveillance hawk, and no friend of freedom.
Studies Find Conservatives More Committed to Free Speech Online, Federalism
Plus: Government regulation of speech is on trial, biohackers flock to experimental charter city in Honduras, and more…
Libertarian History/Philosophy
The Founding Mothers of Libertarianism
Freedom's Furies tells how three women offered their own unique defenses of individual liberty and how their disagreements anticipated the differences among libertarians and classical liberals today.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Chastising finger wags, derogatory reports, and steel threats.
Do Politicians Have a First Amendment Right To Lie to You?
Plus: Missouri's "Don't Say Gay" bill, exempting parents from income tax, and more...
Biden's Drug Price Controls Will Kill More Patients in the Long Run
And increase total health care costs to boot.
For Joe Biden, Competition Is Essential. Except When It Must Be Banned.
It's a fundamental contradiction that's affected the Biden administration's economic policy for the past two years.
The Fight Over the Debt Ceiling Is Just Beginning
Legislators will increasingly argue over how to spend a diminishing discretionary budget while overall spending simultaneously explodes.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders' State of the Union Response Offers a Grim Glimpse of the GOP's Future
Biden's speech offered plenty of opportunity to present a counter-narrative to continued taxes and spending. Instead Sanders went a different direction.
The State of Our Union Sucks
The bipartisan (if shouty!) embrace of big-government nationalism ensures our populist moment won't end any time soon.
The Cops Who Killed Tyre Nichols Could Be Convicted of Murder and Still Get Qualified Immunity
In his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Joe Biden said that he wants to hold police "accountable." But he neglected to mention the elephant in the room.
Joe Biden, Travel Agent in Chief
Plus: Bill would make all social media platforms check IDs, appeals court rejects rent control challenge, and more...
