by Dan Flynn. We are going to have to wait a little longer to see if supporters of Wisconsin raw milk dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger can pull off a rarely used legal maneuver called jury nullification. Sauk County Judge Guy Reynolds has moved the start of the Hershberger jury tail to Jan. 7, 2013. Evidence and witness lists are due Oct. 19, and the final ... MORE
High court misses chance to overturn speech restrictions. Pity the poor speech regulators at the Federal Communications Commission, who are charged with sifting through complaints about TV and radio programs in a farcical attempt to determine which references to "sexual or excretory organs or activities" are "patently offensive as measured ... MORE
Instinctively, we look for people's motives. We need to know whom we can trust and whom we can't. We're especially skeptical of business because we know business wants our money. It took me too long to understand that business's desire for profit is a good thing. To get our money, businesses — if they can't look to the government for favors ... MORE
Authorities overriding freedom of expression and speech. The Supreme Court this week heard oral arguments in FCC v. Fox. In this important first amendment case, the Judges will determine whether to enact significant limitations to the Federal Communication Commission’s power to censor the airwaves. The proximate issue concerns FCC’s ... MORE
His autobiography is a great American story. "Racial discriminatory preferences do not explain all they are purported to explain" is the central theme in economist Walter Williams' new book, Race and Economics: How Much Can Be Blamed on Discrimination? That's not surprising to anyone familiar with Williams' work. However, it is somewhat puzzling given his background ... MORE
Who defines fairness? The most prevalent theme in President Barack Obama's Dec. 6 Osawatomie, Kan., speech was the need for greater "fairness." In fact, though the president never defined the term fair(ness), he used it 15 times. Explaining his new hero, Teddy Roosevelt, Obama said: "But Roosevelt also knew that the free market has never been a free license to take ... MORE
Proposal will treat tractors like big rigs. Tim Strobel has been driving a tractor for 20 years, so he's a bit puzzled that federal officials are kicking around an idea that could ultimately force him - and anyone else operating farm machinery - to get a commercial driver's license. Yes, the same kind of license that interstate truckers must have to operate their rigs. ... MORE
2011 Milton Friedman Legacy for Freedom Essay. Milton Friedman was always a more-than-able educator about the dangers and internal contradictions of socialism. But he also recognized another danger to capitalism and freedom, from the most -- rather than least -- successful corners of the economy. He said: "With some notable exceptions, businessmen favor free enterprise in general but are opposed to it when it comes to ... MORE