Ron Paul spoke in front of a crowd of approximately 10,000 at the “Rally for the Republic” (AKA the “Ron Paul Convention”) across the river from the Republican National Convention. Below are the first 3 parts of his speech, the full text of the speech can be read here. Other speakers on the last day [...]

Time has an ongoing series which advocates the need for “voluntary” national service. In the magazine’s latest article by Managing Editor Richard Stengel, the author praises both John McCain and Barack Obama for their urging of Americans to “serve interests greater than self.” It is a unique moment for the idea of national service. You [...]

I found this little gem on reason.tv. On April 16, 2008 a group called Ad Hoc National Network to Stop Evictions and Foreclosures held a protest in Washington D.C. What were they protesting? As the name of the organization suggests, Ad Hoc was advocating a freeze on all evictions in the U.S. Many of the [...]

There are some things that Newt Gingrich has said over the years that I agree with, and I’m somewhat a fan of his alternate history novels, but this is just plain daffy: Newt Gingrich gave a luncheon talk about education at the American Enterprise Institute today.  Among other things, he said he’d “argue with any [...]

Or, maybe not… Last year the statistics institute launched its own study on the impact of the social missions. This was supposed to be ready by January. But delays in buying equipment mean it has yet to start, according to Irene Gurrea, the economist in charge. Asked if there were any reliable statistics on the [...]

That’s the issue that the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is currently dealing with: Avery Doninger, 17, claims officials at Lewis S. Mills High School violated her free speech rights when they barred her from serving on the student council because of what she wrote from her home computer. In her Internet journal, [...]

Many years ago, coach Hayden Fry of the Iowa Hawkeyes chose to paint the visiting team’s locker room pink. In the world of big-time college football, he believed that putting his opponents into a pink locker room would pacify them and give the Hawkeyes a better chance for victory. Such a sentiment, though, doesn’t quite [...]

One way that is particularly poignant in attracting individuals to libertarianism is bringing to mind the image of the gun in the room. The idea is that when you’re dealing with government, you’re dealing with force. As long as you comply with that force, the gun stays in its holster. When you act to defy [...]

Just over one year ago, the world lost perhaps the greatest economist of his generation. Milton Friedman had the ability to explain complex economic theories to the average person. I just recently watched his 1980 (and updated 1990) PBS series Free to Choose (based on a book Friedman had published with the same title). I [...]

I’d call Thompson’s response to this question a cop-out, but it’s typical of the lazy way he’s been campaigning since he announced. And yet more reason to categorize him as a non-entity:

It is the greatest scam in history. I am amazed, appalled and highly offended by it. Global Warming; It is a SCAM. Some dastardly scientists with environmental and political motives manipulated long term scientific data to create an illusion of rapid global warming. Other scientists of the same environmental whacko type jumped into the circle [...]

The bad news from last night…Utah rejected school vouchers: Voters decisively rejected the will of the Utah Legislature and governor Tuesday, defeating what would have been the nation’s most comprehensive education voucher program in a referendum blowout. [...] More than 60 percent of voters were rejecting vouchers, with about 95 percent of the precincts reporting, [...]

This time from Portland, Maine: PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — After an outbreak of pregnancies among middle school girls, education officials in this city have decided to allow a school health center to make birth control pills available to girls as young as 11. King Middle School will become the first middle school in Maine to [...]

Considering this happened to seniors in high school, I don’t think anyone was surprised… I’m sure they’ve all seen it before. The guys have invariably all searched for it on their own computers, and the girls have those anatomical features, so I’m sure they’ve seen them. I think the only surprise would have been if [...]

That, it appears, is the attitude shared by a sizable plurality of Senators and Members of Congress who choose to send their children to private schools rather than public schools: Many Members of Congress value the opportunity to choose a safe and effective school for their own children, yet many of these same Members consis­tently [...]

A quiz for the readers: what is the drawing below supposed to be? Does this picture in any way seem threatening to you? The answer is below the fold.

Rudy Giuliani says he believes in school choice, but it’s not the kind of school choice you might think: MERRIMACK, N.H. (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani on Friday argued for taxpayer-funded vouchers for private elementary and secondary schools, saying school choice works for the nation’s colleges and universities. People come from all over [...]

I’m pulling for Ron Paul, but I have to have a question in the back of my mind. If Ron Paul doesn’t get the nomination, should I vote Republican or Libertarian in 2008? The question comes down to this: “Is there anyone other than Ron Paul in the Republican field that I want to vote [...]

The Supreme Court declined the opportunity to strike a blow for the rights of students, instead choosing to uphold a Principal’s decision to suspend a student for displaying what was clearly a nonsensical sign: WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court tightened limits on student speech Monday, ruling against a high school student and his 14-foot-long “Bong [...]

While most of us learn from the words of those who we admire, it is also possible to learn from those we detest. Here is a collection of quotes from some of the vilest despots in human history. From these quotes, perhaps we can gain some insights from their thought processes. You may also find [...]