Ignorance No Excuse for Wrongdoing, Unless You’re a Cop

by John W. Whitehead.        With Orwellian irony, the U.S. Supreme Court chose December 15, National Bill of Rights Day to deliver its crushing blow to the Fourth Amendment. Although the courts have historically held that ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking the law, in its 8-1 ruling in Heien v. State of North Carolina, the   ... MORE

Jonah Goldberg: The Real Person Of The Year

Jonathan Gruber, the true face of government Jonathan Gruber should have been Time’s Person of the Year. The magazine gave it to the “Ebola Fighters” instead. Good for them; they’re doing God’s work. Still, Gruber would have been better. Time’s Person of the Year designation has lost a lot of its stature over recent years. Part of its decline   ... MORE

VIDEO: Walter E Williams - Discussion On Wealth Inequality

Lee Stranahan: Authority’s Threat To Citizen Journalism

The government's persecution of James O'Keefe.        It’s a scenario that smacks of a movie set in a foreign country. A journalist is arrested and put into shackles. Not just handcuffs, mind you; shackles. He’s taunted by the police and thrown in jail on trumped-up charges. The politically connected prosecutors don’t just work to put him    ... MORE

Is Government Faithful To The Constitution?

by Andrew Napolitano.  When the government is waving at us with its right hand, so to speak, it is the government's left hand that we should be watching. Just as a magician draws your attention to what he wants you to see so you will not observe how his trick is performed, last week presented a textbook example of public disputes masking      ... MORE

VIDEO: Will Regulation Ruin School Choice In New Orleans?

Islamic State Promises Crucifixion, Lashing for Unbelievers

by Adam Kredo.    But so far, no threats of waterboarding. The Islamic State (IS) has published it own penal code, which harshly penalizes actions such as sodomy and blasphemy with punishments including execution, crucifixion, lashing, and the severing of limbs, among other penalties. IS (also known as ISIL or ISIS) issued the detailed    ... MORE

Excellent News As E-Cigarette, Or Vaping, Use Rises

by Tim Worstall.   We’ve news from the government that the use of e-cigarettes, or vaping, is on the rise among schoolchildren and teenagers. We might think that this is a health story and it is, but behind it is an interesting little economic point and a guide to public policy. The question really revolves around whether vaping is a substitute   ... MORE

Richard D. Emery: Who's Policing The Prosecutors?

Prosecution is becoming a lucrative business.    In the last fiscal year, the Justice Department collected $24.7 billion from civil and criminal actions (including $20 billion from JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup over their handling of mortgage-backed securities before the financial crisis). Recently, the Manhattan district attorney’s office     ... MORE

Tammy Bruce: Another Blow To ObamaCare Privacy

Personal medical info to be shared with 35 federal agencies. Get ready to fight back: Last week, the Health and Human Services Department announced a plan to share your medical records with over 35 federal agencies — all in the name of “health care,” of course. All in the name of “efficiency,” the favorite excuse used by fascists    ... MORE

VIDEO: John Stossel: Property And Prosperity

Teen Marijuana Use Down Since Colorado Legalization?

by Michael Minkoff.           In a non-intuitive twist, it seems that pot legalization in marijuana has not contributed to a sharp increase in teen marijuana use. In fact, legalization might be contribuing to a drop in teen use: Since the passage of HB10-1284, Colorado’s historical medical marijuana regulation legislation, current marijuana use among   ... MORE

Woman Jailed for Saying 'Fuck the Police' Wins Settlement

Thick badge, thin skin.   A Georgia woman jailed for criticizing police officers as she rode by on a bicycle has been awarded a $100,000 settlement in a civil suit against the local police department.  Cobb County resident Amy Barnes was bicycling to the store in April 2012 when she passed police officers questioning a suspect. She treated    ... MORE

VIDEO: Police State America - Missouri SWAT Tactics


Would this get mainstream media coverage had the victim been black?

Rand Paul: The Conservative Realist?

by Matt Welch.   On October 23, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) gave a major foreign policy address at the Center for the National Interest in which he declared himself a "conservative realist," aligning himself with the tradition of Ronald Reagan and Caspar Weinberger. (See "The Case for Conservative Realism.") As he did in a similar February 2013   ... MORE

John Stossel: Government Vs. Giving

Step aside Uncle Sam.   It's the season for giving. That doesn't mean it's the season for government. Government creates loyalty in the minds of citizens by pretending to be Santa Claus, doling out gifts and favors. Politicians claim they help those unfortunates who aren't helped by coldhearted capitalism. The truth is, government gets in the    ... MORE

Congress OKs Codification Of Warrantless Surveillance

Fourth Amendment fast becoming toothless. Congress last week quietly passed a bill to reauthorize funding for intelligence agencies, over objections that it gives the government "virtually unlimited access to the communications of every American", without warrant, and allows for indefinite storage of some intercepted material, including      ... MORE

Nullification: A Powerful Weapon In The Fight For Liberty

by Patrick Taylor.   We are faced with increasing federal tyranny these days. Most Americans seem unaware or ambivalent about the federal reach into their lives. Most do not know just how invasive it has become. Sitting at my desk, I can see printers, pens, lamps, diplomas, books, a clock, my laptop, and little knick-knacks. All of these items are   ... MORE

VIDEO: FOX NEWS - IRS And Justice Department Collusion

Study Shows Texas Has Most Economic Freedom

by Kristin Tate.    The Lone Star State is the most economically free state in the nation, according to a new report released by the Fraser Institute. The ranking took into account the size of government, taxes, red tape, and labor market freedom. The study said, "When the government taxes one person in order to give money to another, ... MORE

Sam Hananel: The Supreme Court Rules Traffic Stops Are OK Even When The Police Are Mistaken About The Law

Might is always right even when wrong. Police can use evidence seized during a traffic stop even if it turns out the officers initially pulled a car over based on a misunderstanding of the law, the Supreme Court ruled Monday. The 8-1 decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts said that such a stop does not violate the Constitution's protection  ... MORE

VIDEO: Fort Hood Massacre Not About Workplace Violence

Thomas Sowell: Tortured Reasoning

The question is "compared to what."  Critics and defenders of the harsh interrogation methods applied to captured terrorists can argue forever over whether those methods were "torture." But any serious discussion of a serious issue — and surely terrorism qualifies as serious — has to move beyond semantics and confront the ultimate      ... MORE

Ed Krayewski: Time For A Police Offenders Registry

Can we agree police job is a privilege, not a right? This week, the Department of Justice announced new guidelines against racial profiling. The changes don't actually change all that much. As regular incidents of police brutality get more and more mainstream media attention, it's time for a bold move from the White House.   ... MORE

Why Americans Keep Losing To The Police State

by John W. Whitehead.          The game is rigged. Being a citizen in the American police state is much like playing a game of cards against a stacked deck: you’re always going to lose. The game is rigged, and “we the people” keep getting dealt the same losing hand. Even so, we stay in the game, against all odds, trusting that our luck will change.    ... MORE

Keith Weiner: The Doctor-Laborer Inversion

Clear thinking on minimum wage.  The battle over minimum wage is raging. Emotions are running hot. Some cities are setting the bar very high. For example, Seattle is mandating a $15/hour wage. Economically, the issue is very simple. Minimum wage laws do not raise anyone’s wage. This is because it’s not sustainable to overpay.  Suppose you run  ... MORE

VIDEO: John Stossel: Why Are Indians Poor?

Walter E Williams: Should Profiling Be Banned?

Upon further review.        Last week, the Obama administration announced new curbs on racial profiling by federal law enforcement. Before deciding whether this is good or bad policy, we might try to develop a description/definition of racial profiling or any other kind of profiling. A good definition of profiling in general is the use of   ... MORE

Over 700 Million People Taking Steps to Avoid NSA Snoops

by Bruce Schneier.    The Snowden effect. There's a new international survey on Internet security and trust, of "23,376 Internet users in 24 countries," including "Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, South Africa, South Korea,    ... MORE

VIDEO: How To Just Say No To Police State Bullies

Elf On The Shelf Conditions Surveillance State Acceptance

by David McCormack.    Best-selling children's book The Elf On The Shelf is a disturbing cultural phenomenon which instills in young children the idea that a surveillance state is perfectly acceptable, claims a university professor. Laura Pinto, a digital technology professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, has published a     ... MORE

Did Congress Stop Marijuana Legalization in D.C.?

by Jacob Sullum.   The omnibus spending bill that Congress approved last week includes a rider aimed at blocking marijuana legalization in Washington, D.C. Whether it actually will do that is a matter of debate, and the way this provision was passed suggests that pot prohibitionists are in a weaker position than ever before. The rider, introduced  ... MORE

Texas To Set Precedent For Another Shakedown By Cops?

by Wendy McElroy. To “serve and protect" = to “ticket and collect." A bill before the Texas legislature is being widely misreported by the alternative media. That's a shame because H.B. 121 could set a dangerous precedent by giving law enforcement a procedure that invites corruption and could quickly expand in scope. H.B. 121 dramatically     ... MORE

Congress Just Says No To Funding War On Medical Pot

by Ryan Burns.     People pulling politicians by the ear again. When the U.S. government loses a war it does so quietly, with an utter dearth of fanfare. True to form, in the latest spending bill to pass the U.S. House of Representatives there appears to be a tiny, inconspicuous white flag signaling the end of the Justice Department's war on medical    ... MORE

VIDEO: Milton Friedman - The Trend Away From Freedom

Radley Balko: Police Officer Fired For Not Using Force

Canned for his aversion to brutality.    Here at The Watch, we’ve looked extensively at how difficult it can be to fire cops who use excessive force, even when independent bodies have found that they’ve done so on multiple occasions. So what can get a cop fired? In the case of one campus police officer in California, it was his decision to not ... MORE

A Need To Regulate What Constitutes A Federal Regulation

by Todd Gaziano and Mark Miller. Last Monday, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in two cases challenging whether regulatory agencies must use notice-and-comment procedures to alter the interpretation they have previously given to their own regulations. Those cases, Perez v. Mortgage Bankers Association and Nickols v. Mortgage Bankers   ... MORE

VIDEO: EconPop - The Economics Of It's A Wonderful Life

Congress Poised To Allow Cuts To Private Pension Payouts

by Evan Halper.     More than 1 million Americans who were promised secure, predictable retirement income probably will see part of their monthly benefit checks evaporate as Congress moves to stabilize some private pension systems veering toward insolvency. The expected congressional action to allow previously promised private-sector   ... MORE

Comedian Destroys Illogical Beliefs of Modern Liberals

The oxymoron of liberal logic.    Conservative Comedian Michael Loftus of the show the Flipside is one very funny man. Watch as he lays bare the bankrupt logic of today’s political left. If you’ve ever had that “aha” moment when talking to a liberal, where you realize that what they are saying makes absolutely NO SENSE… this is for you.        ... MORE