Hate crime legislation perpetuates injustice

An unbiased perspective cannot prevail among a people whose government legally differentiates between individuals on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, income, economic status, political ideology, or any other such distinction. Ironically, it is the self-proclaimed champions of the unbiased perspective that–perhaps unwittingly–prevent it from taking root.

Melville’s Billy Budd: a Commentary on Burke vs. Paine?

 
Paine (left) wrote Rights of Man as a dagger against Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France
When I began reading Billy Budd, I established a literary and apolitical mindset, but it was an admittedly weak one that could not withstand Melville’s torrent of political references. For example, Melville named Billy’s merchant ship Rights-of-Man, which [...]

Jefferson v. Hamilton, federal powers, and the Marshall Court

Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were the most prominent representatives of two contrary interpretations of the U.S. Constitution. Two landmark Supreme Court cases, Marbury v. Madison (1803) and McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), show the relative influences of these two interpretations on American political thought.
Jefferson was a strict constructionist. He desired a limited government, [...]

Thomas Jefferson on “implied powers” of the Congress

Thomas Jefferson gave his opinion on the Constitutionality of a national bank on February 15, 1791. In that testament, he not only provided a brilliant legal argument against the institution of a national bank; he also explained the intent of the Constitution’s two most controversial phrases. Today’s political analysts exchange differing opinions on [...]

Sifting through the crap

99.9% of everything you will ever hear from a U.S. politician or media pundit is total crap. I present to you five widely discussed issues that do not matter, so that next time you hear them on the radio or television, you can say to yourself “this is pointless conversation”:

Energy policy: The energy industry [...]

Letter to the neo-American

I wrote the following to a dear friend and fellow American who will remain anonymous:
When I reflect on our conversations, and consider the compassionate and insightful person I know you to be, I find it hard to believe that you sincerely support the hostilities in Iraq, or that you cannot see through the confines that [...]

The Road to 1984: Corporatism and the International Police State

Below is an excerpt from my upcoming book (title undetermined): 
Washington, D.C. is broken. The tweaks and levers of contemporary politics offer no fixes for the economic and social problems the United States faces, as they are more of the same. The more energetic a government becomes, the fewer freedoms its citizens enjoy.  Still, the petty partisan battles [...]