A lot of people get really, really angry about burning the American flag. In fact, over the last few weeks, I’ve read numerous social media comments by people suggesting they would gladly subject flag burners to severe physical injury. Many threats involve kicking a certain part of the offender’s anatomy. The more rational commenters advocate..
Read moreBlack Churches Burning: Beware of False Narrative
Over the last few days, I've seen a number of stories in national media reporting on fires at black churches, predominantly in southern states. (Some reports include a fire at an Ohio church, but many don't.) Graphics like this one push the narrative. In fact, many readers will draw their conclusions on the map alone...
Read morePodcast: Pushing Beyond the Confederate Flag Soundbites
In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I try to push beyond the simple soundbites in the Confederate flag debate. After listening to the Confederate flag debate for several days, I was left feeling like neither "side" of the issue really captures the crux of the matter. One side screams racism. One side screams..
Read more133 Words or Less: Illogical Conclusions
It is perfectly congruent to simultaneously support people's right to do something and oppose their reasons for doing it. For instance, I can support the right of the southern secession, but emphatically reject slavery, even though it was undeniably a factor in the decision to leave the union. To assert, or even imply, that I..
Read more133 Words or Less: Anarchy on the Beach
I witnessed anarchy on the beach this afternoon. I saw about a dozen people playing some sort of ball game. It resembled baseball, but the players clearly made up some of the rules and agreed to them on their own. The most striking thing about the game was the total lack of a central authority..
Read moreTyranny: Smells Like Lemons
Cops in Overton, Texas, shut down two little girls' lemonade stand because they didn't have the proper permit. According to KTRK TV, the kids were trying to earn money for so they could buy their dad a Father's Day present. The girls' mom summed the whole thing up perfectly. I think that's ridiculous." Anybody with..
Read morePodcast: Nullification, Slavery and Segregation; Not what You Think
In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about nullification, slavery and segregation. Opponents of nullification love to slap down the race card as a way to discredit Madison and Jefferson's principles without having to actually engage in an intellectual debate. They call us "neo-confederates" and imply that we must harbor racist motives...
Read more133 Words or Less: Blowing Stuff Up
According to gatekeeper of acceptable opinion Nina Burleigh, of the people you know, I'm probably the one most likely to blow up a building. Why? Because I distrust the federal government and hold the extremist view that it should be limited. Nina thinks my views mirror those of Timothy McVeigh's, ergo my latent homicidal tendencies...
Read morePodcast: The Pledge of Allegiance
In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about the Pledge of Allegiance. We've said the words thousands of times. We know them by rote. "I pledge allegiance to the flag..." But does the Pledge of Allegiance actually represent an accurate vision of the United States? Or is it communicating something altogether different..
Read more133 Words or Less: Economic Dummies
The level of economic ignorance in America astounds and saddens me. This morning and advocate for a local project told a TV reporter that, "The cost won't be as high because we've got some federal money." Wrong. Wrong. Absolutely wrong. The fact you obtained funds doesn't change the cost of your project. The price-tag remains..
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