The Libertarian Party's Internal Strife Is as Old as the Party Itself
An oral history of the Libertarian Party
October 2022
The Authoritarian Convergence
The problem with American politics isn't polarization—it's rising illiberalism.
Features
It's (Almost) Always the Feds: How the FBI Fabricates Schemes To Entrap Would-Be Radicals
The FBI's long history of using informants and manufactured plots to prosecute extremists
The Fight To Stop Research Into a Cheap, Effective Backup Plan for Climate Change
Why are activists trying to stop research into a promising backup plan to handle climate change?
Goodbye, Globalization?
As American politicians turn against economic openness, history suggests the consequences could be dire.
Interview
What Wikipedia Can Teach the Rest of the Internet
Jimmy Wales talks about why his online encyclopedia works, how to improve social media, and why Section 230 isn't the real problem with the internet.
Topics
The New Abortion Prohibition Era
We already know what happens when governments try to impose prohibitions: messy, deadly black markets.
Photo: The TSA's Liquid Haul
The TSA at Syracuse Hancock International Airport showed off their loot of confiscated items over a three-day period.
No, Google Isn't Dying. Internet Search Is Better Than Ever if You Know How To Use It.
Getting the best information when we need it will likely always be a challenge, but the Reddit hack helps.
Michigan Rolls Back Reforms of Civil Asset Forfeiture
Michigan is now a more dangerous place for anyone who flies with large amounts of cash.
The Supreme Court's Ruling in Bruen Was a Big Win for Gun Rights
You don't have to prove to a government official that you have “proper cause” to exercise your constitutional right, the Court ruled.
Are Paper Bags Really Better for the Environment Than Plastic Bags?
New Jersey is the first state to ban single-use bags made from both plastic and paper, but one is actually worse for the environment than the other.
A Young Joe Biden Mocked Gerald Ford's 'Whip Inflation Now' Slogan. Now He Faces His Own Inflation Mess.
During his own inflation crisis, President Ford called on the American public to do their part through personal fiscal discipline.
Biden Forgets That Workers Are Consumers Too
Who does he think ultimately pays those taxes?
Republican Governors and Attorneys General Think Every State Is a Border State
Some states that do not border Mexico have sought to play a role in immigration policy.
Biden Administration Guts Due Process Protections for Students Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Under the new regulations, Title IX investigators can deny students access to the evidence against them.
As California Embraces Development, San Francisco Mayor Vetoes Fake Housing Reform Bill
The proposed policy was offensive to property rights and disincentivized construction. The mayor's rejection of it shows the state's increasing interest in allowing more building.
Books
Should Libertarians Root for the Abolition of Police and Prisons?
Libertarians have some common ground with the abolitionists—but if they insist on anti-capitalism as a litmus test, abolitionists will find themselves isolated and marginalized.
How the U.S. Paid for the Civil War
Lincoln's wartime governance had dire, and longstanding, economic consequences.
Are We Past 'Peak Petrostate'?
It's the economics of energy production that make petrostates more trigger-happy, Emma Ashford argues in Oil, the State, and War.
Reviews
Review: Is Prison for Rehabilitation or Punishment?
High recidivism rates are not surprising when life in prison features the same factors that drive crime.
Review: With Depictions of Politician Beheadings and Plunger Abortions, How Has GWAR Not Been Canceled Yet?
Joe Biden, MAGA fans, and Xi Jinping all fall victim to the band's violent displays on its current tour.
Review: Prohibition Makes for Good TV but Bad Government Policy
Peaky Blinders reminds us that when the government bans or artificially limits a resource, control of that resource often gets decided through violence.
Review: Barack Obama and Adam Conover Want To Shift the Blame for Government Failures
Netflix's The G Word tries and fails to restore faith in big government.
Review: Slow Horses Thriller Displays the Dangers of Bureaucracy
The British spy series shows the lengths to which government overseers will go to protect themselves.
Review: HeidiWorld Wants You To Rethink Prostitution
Podcaster Molly Lambert's gambit to get listeners to critically examine the conflation of sex work is mostly successful.
Review: After Cult Leader Was Convicted, His Compound Was Raided by Child Protective Services
The Netflix docu-thriller Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey shows the downfall of Warren Jeffs and the unjustified taking of 450 children inside his religious community.
ETC.
Glenn Greenwald on the Deep State, Capitalism, and Identity Politics
"One of the things that the left and right have in common is an awareness that our government has essentially been co-opted by corporate power," says the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist.
Brickbats: October 2022
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.
