The battle over the right to drink natural, unpasteurized milk is a national one, as a story in the Los Angeles Times confirms. If government can ban raw milk because of the supposed danger, why wouldn’t it ban the uncertain practice of potluck dinners at schools, churches, and workplaces? I wouldn’t support a ban on…
Liberty
Cartoons & Comics, Liberty
The True Fashion-Setters
by JOHN ADAMS •
Liberty, Music
Monday Music
by JOHN ADAMS •
Liberty
Reason.tv Interviews Author Joel Miller About Paul Revere
by JOHN ADAMS •
Reason.tv interviews Joel Miller about his book on Paul Revere, and asks — Is Paul Revere still relevant in contemporary America? Joel Miller, author of The Revolutionary Paul Revere, says he is. Miller sat down with Reason.tv Editor in Chief Nick Gillespie to discuss the man, his famous ride, and his relationship to the contemporary…
Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Advocates Say Raw Milk Is Worth The Risk : NPR
by JOHN ADAMS •
We’re a dairy state that calls itself America’s Dairyland while banning sales of natural, unpasteurized milk to adults. This ban, and ones like it across America, are harder to justify each day. See, Advocates Say Raw Milk Is Worth The Risk: NPR. Even an critic of raw milk consumption, like FDA bureaucrat David Acheson would…
Liberty
Reason.tv: New Threats to Freedom
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at Reason.tv, there’s a half-hour video of a panel discussion about a recently-published anthology, New Threats to Freedom. That title sounds ominous, but it needn’t be, as discussions about liberty forfend the prospect of a more restrictive and regulated society. The panel discussion makes me eager to read the book — available from Amazon,…
Holiday, Liberty
Citizens, Not Subjects
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a fine story at the Washington Post (free registration req’d) entitled, “Jefferson Changed ‘Subjects’ to ‘Citizens’ in Declaration of Independence.” It’s long been known that Jefferson made changes as he worked on his draft of the Declaration, as anyone would. ONly in one case, however, did he erase a word entirely, and substitute a…
Law, Liberty
Reason.tv: “Citizenship and the Pursuit of Happiness”
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over an Independence Day holiday, I can think of no more inspiring story than that of people who have become American citizens. Enjoy. “Reason.tv caught up with immigrants to learn why they moved to a country that defines itself as a multicultural melting pot. Citizenship: The Pursuit of Happiness was produced and edited by Dan…
Law, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Can Government Tell You What You Must Eat? Is There No Limit to Federal Power Under The Commerce Clause?
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a lot of commentary about the Kagan nomination, although public interest seems tepid. I’ve not mentioned anything about her nomination, mostly because I have no strong view. I believe she’s surely adequately qualified in education, experience, and intellect. She’s no one’s ideal nominee, but absent a showing of official misconduct, the president’s qualified nominees…
Freedom of Speech, Liberty, Politics
Our Robust Heritage: “The Feuding Founding Fathers”
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve contended consistently that robust, polemical commentary is part of the American political tradition, and that it always has been. (On the left side of FREE WHITEWATER, there’s a link to a few examples from different times in our long history.) Ron Chernow, author of Alexander Hamilton and Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller,…
Law, Liberty
Reason: Libertarians Respond to [Victory for Individual Rights in] McDonald v. City of Chicago
by JOHN ADAMS •
Law, Liberty
Ilya Shapiro on McDonald v. City of Chicago: “The Court Restores a Fundamental Right”
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at Cato@Liberty, Ilya Shapiro offers his early assessment of a United States Supreme Court case correctly applying the Second Amendment to the states. See, Ilya Shapiro on McDonald v. City of Chicago: “The Court Restores a Fundamental Right.” He’s right to note how close this decision was, and how unfortunate and unsettling it is…
Law, Libertarians, Liberty
Cathy Young on Racism, Civil Rights, and Libertarians
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s been a controversy over remarks that Rand Paul, a Republican candidate for U.S. senate made, about the 1964 Civil Rights Act. While on an MSNBC program, Paul (the son of libertarian-leaning Republican Ron Paul) implied that he supported the right of private private businesses to decide whom to serve. (The 1964 Act prohibits the…
Free Markets, Laws/Regulations, Liberty
Huffington Post: Making the Business Case for Dairy Farmer Civil Disobedience
by JOHN ADAMS •
The war against raw milk sales in a dairy state, a war whose generals are big business interests, is underway in Wisconsin. I’ve written about previously about Governor Doyle’s veto of a bill allowing modest raw milk sales, and about regulatory badgering of dairies that offer raw milk for sale. (Some raw milk may be…