"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head I talk about presidential executive orders and the constitutional limits of executive power. Earlier this week, President Obama issued his promised executive orders relating to firearms. Many Democrats and gun control advocates praised the president for "taking action when Congress won't." Meanwhile,..
Read moreAmerica Embraces Tyranny it Fought to Reject
Americans fought a long, bloody war to free themselves from a tyrannical government, only to eventually embrace the very system they struggled to throw off. That may seem like a stinging indictment, but careful examination of U.S. governance today reveals that it rests on essentially the same philosophical foundation as the 18th century British system..
Read moreSpying: It Can Happen to Me; It Can Happen to You
When I talk about NSA spying and mass warrantless surveillance, I’m pretty sure most people react something like this: yeah, it’s bad, but it doesn’t have any direct impact on me. I mean, why would the government ever bother to spy on me? Really, that’s for the bad guys, or the Muslims. It can't happen..
Read moreSecond Chance: A Christmas Story
John O’Reilly looked dejectedly out the airport window. Cold wind blew across the empty ramp and taxiway, pushing wisps of snow over the barren concrete. Even within the warm confines of the gate area, John felt the chill. Or maybe it was his soul. A plane had just pushed off the jetway and taxied off..
Read moreConstitutional Professor Attacks Article Apparently without Reading It
Today, I received an email from a "constitutional law professor" chastising me for an argument I made in the most recent installment of my continuing series on The Federalist Papers at the Tenth Amendment Center. It was clear from the outset of the email that this professor either had not read past the article's headline,..
Read moreTrump is Obama 2.0; But Talking About Things Republicans Like
Apparently, a lot of Republicans only hate executive orders when President Obama signs them. Last week, Donald Trump announced he would sign an executive order mandating the death penalty for “cop-killers.” "One of the first things I do, in terms of executive order if I win, will be to sign a strong, strong statement that..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #27: Screw D.C.; Focus on the States
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I explain why I focus my attention on state politics and not Washington D.C. For the next year-and-a-half, virtually every politically engaged American will focus almost exclusively on the presidential horse race. The country will spend millions and millions of dollars to..
Read more133 Words or Less: You Don’t ‘Need’ an ‘Assault Rifle’
Over the last few days, several people have said to me, “Nobody needs an ‘assault weapon.’” The implication: nobody should oppose banning such firearms because nobody needs them. I can think of many scenarios I would need a weapon more powerful than a handgun to defend myself, my family and my property. These include any..
Read moreDriving America Toward Twin Hammers of Destruction
With an iron fist in a velvet glove We are sheltered under the gun In the glory game on the power train Thy kingdom's will be done And the things that we fear are a weapon to be held against us... The events in San Bernardino last week stoked the fear furnace to a white-hot..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #26: Seeing the Individual
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about why we should fight our impulse to look at people in terms of groups and instead focus on them as individuals. We tend to look people in terms of groups - blacks, immigrants, gays, refugees, white men, liberals, conservatives,..
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