Yes — no better opportunities in all the world: “I believe in the American dream,” said [accountant Julia] Arata-Fratta. “This is a country of opportunity. If you work hard, you are rewarded.”That meant learning the language and renewing her tax accounting skills to re-enter the work force. Now, she’s dedicated to making it easier for…
Liberty
Liberty, Politics
God and gods
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve mentioned something of Nietzsche recently, but it’s another German philosopher I’ve in mind today. (Of Nietzsche, see Nietzsche and the Dark Hope Against a Better Local Politics.) Centuries before Nietzsche, a German theologian observed that everyone has a god, if not a faith in God: So, too, whoever trusts and boasts that he possesses…
Laws/Regulations, Libertarians, Liberty
Nanny of the Month (Jan 2011) Drug Testing 11-year-olds! Fining iPod Users!
by JOHN ADAMS •
Free Markets, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Institute for Justice Defends the Rights of Street Vendors
by JOHN ADAMS •
The presence of a street vendor should be a welcome sign for a community, as evidence of a flourishing, diverse economy. More to the point — should government be used to discriminate against popular, efficient street vendors and in favor of less popular, less efficient brick-and-mortar retailers? Shouldn’t picking one over the other be a…
Liberty
Using Cameras to Fight Human Rights Abuses: Yvette Alberdingk Thijm of WITNESS
by JOHN ADAMS •
In 1988, musician and activist Peter Gabriel traveled the world with Amnesty International’s “Human Rights Now!” tour. He brought a big, bulky camcorder with him and used it to interview victims of human rights abuses. Gabriel realized that capturing those stories made it harder for them to be forgotten, and that’s what spurred him to…
Freedom of Speech, Liberty
Institute for Justice Fights to Unleash Free Speech
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s not too much to ask that American business people — like all other citizens — should be allowed the rights of a free people. Unfortunately, not every local official understands or respects those rights. Consider the illegitimate and unconstitutional restrictions that Arlington, Virginia wants to place on Kim Houghton’s liberty. The Institute for Justice…
Freedom of Speech, Liberty, Music
Canada Bans Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing” for Being Too Offensive
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’m sure the song is offensive to many — but that’s no reason to ban it. The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has ruled that Dire Straits’ 1980s hit Money for Nothing is too offensive for Canadian radio. The ruling, released Wednesday, was in response to a complaint against St. John’s radio station CHOZ-FM. The listener…
Law, Liberty
Via Reason’s Rough Cut Blog — Sean Malone’s Series on the Bill of Rights
by JOHN ADAMS •
Law, Liberty
Bill of Rights Day: Libertarians, National Archives celebrate
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s more on yesterday’s Bill of Rights day: On Dec. 15, 1791, the ten amendments to the Constitution known as the Bill of Rights were ratified. In 1941, in honor of the amendments’ 150th anniversary, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made the date a holiday: Bill of Rights Day. The National Archives this year held a…
Liberty, Press, Press Release
U.S. to Host World Press Freedom Day in 2011
by JOHN ADAMS •
As we should, as a free press is a fundamental part of our heritage — Press Statement Philip J. Crowley Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs Washington, DC December 7, 2010 The United States is pleased to announce that it will host UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day event in 2011, from May 1 – May…
Liberty
How Capitalism Saved the Pilgrims | Cato @ Liberty
by JOHN ADAMS •
Daniel Griswold wasn’t the only one whose father told him the truth about how the Pilgrims survived. It’s a story worth repeating each year, generation to generation — When I was growing up, my father would occasionally tell me the story around this time of year of how private property rights saved the Pilgrims from…
Law, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
The Volokh Conspiracy » Greenwald v. The Nation
by JOHN ADAMS •
Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Raw Foods Raids: The Fight for the Right to Eat the Food that You Want
by JOHN ADAMS •
Guns drawn, property destroyed — all over milk. Here’s the description accompanying the video: This summer armed government agents raided Rawesome Foods, a Venice, California health food co-op. What were the agents after? Unpasteurized milk, it turns out. Raw milk raids are happening all over the United States. The Food and Drug Administration warns that…