Let’s take a moment to look at the Supreme Court’s new-ish standard for deciding whether the State is allowed to do a new thing: does the State have a “history and tradition” of doing that thing? In other words, the…
Actually Obscene: The State Should Not Be Legislating Obscenity
The State should not be regulating obscenity. In general, the State should not be regulating speech. That is, after all, one of the main points of the 1st Amendment: Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech…
Surreality TV: The United States Hits Another New Low
This should come as no surprise for an administration soaked in the inky residue of “reality” TV gameshows. And yet, somehow, I can still be surprised. Apparently Kristi Noem and DHS think that it’s somehow a good idea to give…
Fine: Let’s Talk About The Stupid Airplane
So, apparently Quatar wants to give an all-luxed-up Boing 747 to Trump. Just, ya know, because they’re known for their generosity. Ha. On it’s face, such a gift would be spectacularly illegal. As-in, specifically-forbidden-in-the-Constitution levels of illegal. No Title of…
Spreading It Around: One Person, One Job
I discussed this problem before during what was at the time the worst and most corrupt Presidency in this country’s long and distinguished history of terrible Presidencies. But of course it’s back again. There was a whole presidential term in…
Mind The Gap: The Are No Actual Guardrails
The U.S. government was created by a bunch of comfortably-well-off dudes who never really thought it’d be controlled by people who seriously disagreed with them. That’s why it has no real blocks to serious abuses of power. Sure, they figured…
GenAI Hate: Yes, It’s Luddism But Not How You Think (And Not Just That)
Boosters of the generative AI slop that’s taking over everywhere these days like to call everyone who objects “Luddites”. Which is actually true, but not how they think. The popular conception of the Luddites is that they simply objected to…
Consider The State: What Is It For? And Is It Worth It?
Historically, of course, the State arose as an expression of the personal power of the ruler to impose their will on a population. But that idea of the State was made obsolete thousands of years ago. Though it is still…
Identity Politics: They’re All Doing It
There’s been a lot of whinging about “identity politics” lately. From both major parties. The Democrats complain about how white, male, rural, evangelical christian the rhetoric of the Republicans is. Which is true, they do do that. And the Republicans…
Reorganize This: De-engineering The Corporation
I’m going to step away from writing about the coup today, and talk about a better way to organize corporations. Because I wanna, that’s why. And because, when … this … is all dealt with, and we’re deciding how the…