Category: Constitution

Splitsylvania: State Secession and What to Do About It

This short piece looks at the growing phenomenon of intra-state secession movements. From California, where plans have been floated to split the state into two, five, or six pieces, to more traditional secessionist movements in Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington, to plans to separate upstate New York and downstate Illinois from the large metropolitan areas that dominate state politics, various states are facing internal separatist movements. The paper looks at the sources of the dissatisfaction driving these movements, and suggests a number of solutions to address that dissatisfaction without amending the Constitution or adding stars to the flag.

A paper by Glenn Reynolds. Download the pdf file.

Animal’s Daily Involuntary Servitude News

There’s a word for involuntary servitude encoded in law, Mr. O’Rourke, and it ain’t a pretty one.

O’Rourke, who currently represents the 16th District of Texas, which includes El Paso, held a town hall in Corsicana on Thursday and shared his idea with those in attendance.

O’Rourke’s idea would require “every young person,” regardless of their socioeconomic background, to serve their country in some way whether that be in military service, a medical unit, a teaching unit etc.

The only time I would consider bringing back the draft, and that’s what this is, would be if the US of A were invaded. Otherwise this is just as bad as requiring high school students to complete ‘community service’ in order to graduate. Mandatory ‘community service’ is slavery and is outlawed under the 13th Amendment:

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Source: Animal Magnetism

Seems an awful lot of elected officials have no clue about the Constitution they are sworn to uphold. But we knew that.

How To Spot And Critique Censorship Tropes In The Media’s Coverage Of Free Speech Controversies

Example: “hate speech is excluded from protection. dont [sic] just say you love the constitution . . . read it.” CNN Anchor Chris Cuomo, on Twitter, February 6, 2015.
Example: “I do not know if American courts would find much of what Charlie Hebdo does to be hate speech unprotected by the Constitution, but I know—hope?—that most Americans would.” Edward Schumacher-Matos, NPR, February 6, 2015.

In the United States, “hate speech” is an argumentative rhetorical category, not a legal one.

“Hate speech” means many things to many Americans. There’s no widely accepted legal definition in American law. More importantly, as Professor Eugene Volokh explains conclusively, there is no “hate speech” exception to the First Amendment. Americans are free to impose social consequences on ugly speech, but the government is not free to impose official sanctions upon it. In other words, even if the phrase “hate speech” had a recognized legal definition, it would still not carry legal consequences.

This is not a close or ambiguous question of law.

When the media frames a free speech story as an inquiry into whether something is “hate speech,” it’s asking a question of morals or taste poorly disguised as a question of law. It’s the equivalent of asking “is this speech rude?”

source: Popehat

 

Putting Homicide in Perspective vs. the Media’s ‘Atrocity Narrative’ Propaganda : The Other McCain

What causes gun violence in America? Liberalism and ignorance, but I repeat myself.

Obvious.

Source: Putting Homicide in Perspective vs. the Media’s ‘Atrocity Narrative’ Propaganda : The Other McCain

Why Obama Really Spied on Trump | Frontpage Mag

Obama and his allies had violated the norms so often for their policy goals that they couldn’t afford to be replaced by anyone but one of their own. The more Obama relied on the imperial presidency of executive orders, the less he could afford to be replaced by anyone who would undo them. The more his staffers lied and broke the law on everything from the government shutdown to the Iran nuke sellout, the more desperately they needed to pull out all the stops to keep Trump out of office. And the more they did it, the more they couldn’t afford not to do it. Abuse of power locks you into the loop familiar to all dictators. You can’t stop riding the tiger. Once you start, you can’t afford to stop.

Source: Why Obama Really Spied on Trump | Frontpage Mag

The Trace: Civilians Own 70 Times More Guns Than U.S. Police and Military Combined – The Truth About Guns

“She found that with an estimated 270 million firearms owned by everyday Americans, civilians own 70 times more weapons than all police and military services combined.” Boldly played sir! Only . . . police are civilians. Mind you, it’s a common mistake made by statists agitating for civilian disarmament.

We can do better! 100 times or more!

Source: The Trace: Civilians Own 70 Times More Guns Than U.S. Police and Military Combined – The Truth About Guns