Articles

A man has a property in his opinions and the free communication of them. He has an equal property in the free use of his faculties, and free choice of the objects on which to employ them. In a word, as a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be … Read more

I have yet to see any problem, however complicated, which, when you looked at it in the right way, did not become still more complicated. — Poul Anderson, in New Scientist, Sept. 25, 1969 At this time, three fruits—oranges, apples, and bananas—account for 50% of all fruit servings. Iceberg lettuce, frozen potatoes, and potato chips account for … Read more

If the law says that . . . a [government] board or authority may do what it pleases, anything that board or authority does is legal—but its actions are certainly not subject to the Rule of Law. By giving the government unlimited powers, the most arbitrary rule can be made legal; and in this way a democracy … Read more

In Thompson v. Western States Medical Center, 535 U.S. 357, 371 (2002), the U.S. Supreme Court “made it clear that if the Government could achieve its interests in a manner that does not restrict speech, or restricts less speech, the government must do so.” Ib. 373: “If the First Amendment means anything, it means that regulating speech … Read more

The second half of the [twentieth] century has been incomparably more peaceful than the first, simply by putting power into the hands of those people who wanted peace.— Edward Teller  Ye have made the way from worm to man, and much within you is still worm.— Friedrich Nietzsche. . . the agency [FDA] should avoid using … Read more

My goal is to cut government in half, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub. — Grover Norquist We couldn’t agree more, especially after reading the 547 pages of the FDA’s proposed rule imposing druglike Good Manufacturing Practices on dietary supplements. At the end of this newsletter, … Read more

‘After the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775, General Washington and the Continental army lay in wait around beleaguered, British-occupied Boston for nine months, refusing to attack.’ Why the delay? The city was gripped by an epidemic of smallpox, and Washington knew that, unlike British General Howe’s troops, his own forces had not been … Read more

The human brain is not an organ of thinking but an organ of survival, like claw and fangs. It is made in such a way as to make us accept as truth that which is only advantage. — Albert Szent-Györgi But how can it be an advantage if it is not true? — Sandy Shaw … Read more

It is the purpose of the First Amendment to preserve an uninhibited marketplace of ideas in which truth will ultimately prevail. — Byron White, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, 1917–2002 The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a bit longer. — Henry Kissinger Nothing could so completely divest us of . . . liberty as … Read more

In questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution. — Thomas Jefferson What a glorious morning this is! — Samuel Adams, comment to John Hancock at the Battle of Lexington, April 19, 1775 We have it in our power … Read more