Brickbats: June 2023
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.
Politics
The Left-Right Spectrum Is Mostly Meaningless
The political landscape doesn’t fit on a simple map.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Police baptisms, candy crushing, and reasonable violations of clearly established law.
Michigan Senate Proposes Onerous Licensing Rules for Hunting and Fishing Guides
Proponents say that the bills would ensure the quality of fishing and hunting guides, but occupational licensing doesn't tend to work that way.
The Post-Liberal Authoritarians Want You To Forget That Private Companies Have Rights
J.D. Vance and Co. are trying to give themselves permission to wield public power unconstitutionally.
Conservatives Pushing 'Common Good Capitalism' Sound a Lot Like Progressives
The ideology champions the same tired policies that big government types predictably propose whenever they see something they don't like.
Montana Sets Itself Up for First Amendment Lawsuits With TikTok Ban
Plus: Americans are increasingly changing religions, court pauses rejection of "free" preventative care mandate, and more...
Baby Ninth Amendments Part IV: All the Rights but Not ALL the Rights
Baby Ninths assume a Lockean social contract—not a Hobbesian one. They protect Lockean rights but not positive or procedural rights.
Do Conservatives Actually Like RFK Jr., or Do They Just Think He'll Hurt Biden?
Democrats spent tens of millions of dollars last year's midterms meddling in Republican primaries. Republicans may now be borrowing a page from their playbook.
Voters Put Arizona Coyotes' Arena Project on Ice
A good example of why so few stadium deals end up on the ballot.
Doctors Detail Dangerous Pregnancy Care in States With Abortion Restrictions
Plus: APA says social media not inherently harmful for kids, senators propose Artificial Intelligence Regulatory Agency, and more...
Vivek Ramaswamy Thinks 'Wokeness Is a Cultural Cancer'
Why the businessman launched a long shot campaign for the presidency.
Trump's Disregard for the Rule of Law Is at Least As Bad As Biden's
The former president reminds us that claiming unbridled executive power is a bipartisan tendency.
Ron DeSantis Confirms (Again) That His Attack on Disney Was Political Retribution
He either doesn't understand or won't admit why this violates the First Amendment.
I Worked for Hodding Carter III at a Small-Town Mississippi Newspaper
He didn't pay much, we fought a lot, and he was one of the best bosses I ever had.
For $6.5 Million, Durham Report Finds FBI Didn't Have Solid Dirt on Trump and Russia
Plus: Reexamining the roots of qualified immunity, who's really hurt by business regulations, and more...
There Is No Party of Immigration in American Politics
Plus: A listener question concerning the key to a libertarian future—should we reshape current systems or rely upon technological exits like bitcoin and encryption?
Simplify the Tax Code Instead of Creating an IRS Rival to TurboTax
Americans collectively spend billions of hours each year preparing their taxes. Rather than adding a government-run website into the mix, politicians should just simplify the tax code.
You Are Not Free to Move About the Country
For better air travel in the U.S., it’s time for Congress to open the skies to international competition.
Reason Is a Finalist in 9 Categories at the Southern California Journalism Awards
From COVID censorship to sex work and Afghani refugees, Reason's coverage is recognized by the Los Angeles Press Club.
Twitter Caved to Censorship Requests From Turkey's Authoritarian Government
Plus: Flight attendants report dad as human trafficker, the suburbs are thriving, and more...
Offices and Officers of the Constitution, Part IV: The "Office . . . Under the United States" Drafting Convention
A synthesis of our prior writings on the meaning of “Office . . . under the United States.”
A Flawed Attack on "Libertarian Elitism" About Voter Ignorance
The authors raise some reasonable issues. But they misunderstand both the libertarians they critique and the problem of political ignorance itself.
Is Biden Replacing Bad Border Policy With Worse Border Policy?
Plus: Schools suing social media companies, a bitcoin mining tax is a bad idea, and more...
Review: The Man Who Hacked the World Captures the Chaos of John McAfee
Author Alex Cody Foster went deep with McAfee for months in an ill-fated attempt to ghostwrite his memoir.
Trump Hopes His Own Delusions Will Protect Him From Criminal Charges
The former president says he did not solicit election fraud; he merely tried to correct a "rigged" election. And he says he did not illegally retain government records, because they were his property.
Trump on Ukraine: 'I Don't Think in Terms of Winning and Losing—I Think in Terms of Getting It Settled'
He's not wrong about that.
CNN Gave Trump a Megaphone and He Used It Exactly as You'd Expect
Plus: American conservatives are becoming more European, FDA approves birth control "mini pill" for over-the-counter sale, and more...
George Santos Arrested, Indicted on 13 Federal Counts, Pleads Not Guilty
The serial fabulist is accused of wire fraud and lying to Congress.
