Patriotism vs. Nationalism “That’s what they, they start when you’re young, y’know. When you’re little they, at school they, they Baden-Powell all the boys and they Betty Crocker all the girls and they, then they air condition ya’ and put ya’ in the Heat N’ Bake Oven and ya’ can’t breathe any more.” Jerry Fletcher, […]

Mitt Romney and the Teen Torture Industry George Romney’s presidential ambitions were scuttled by his infamous remark that he had been “brainwashed” about Vietnam. It is to be hoped that Mitt Romney’s statement that he wants to “double Guantanamo” will prove similarly fatal to his presidential bid:As I’ve pointed out before, Romney’s credentials as a […]

The Last Full Measure … Of Murderous Opportunism An armored vehicle patrols “liberated” Fallujah. “If the cause be not good, the king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make, when all those legs and arms and heads, chopped off in battle, shall join together at the latter day and cry all ‘We died at such […]

September 11, 1857 “You guys do know what that movie is about, don’t you?” inquired the friendly young lady in the admissions booth as Korrin and I bought tickets to see September Dawn.”Yes, of course,” I replied, a twinge of puzzlement creasing my care-worn brow. “Are you required to offer a disclaimer of some sort […]

Illegal Immigration, Past and Present: An Exercise in Thinking Out Loud A Border Patrol Agent detains 12 Mexican nationals apprehended near Sells, Arizona. Smuggled into the U.S. by a Coyote, the Mexicans shared a single canteen.”Wherever there’s a prohibition, there’s a bootlegger” — James Burnham, “Burnham’s Laws,” No. 5.Indifferent to borders, the invaders swarmed over […]

Free Larry Craig! Jose Luis Vela of Alton, Texas stands accused of sexually assaulting two men during parties at his house. On the strength of criminal complaints from the two alleged victims, Vela was arrested, and investigators from the Sheriff’s Department “searched his home and office for evidence that would corroborate witness statements,” reported local […]

“To Punish and Enslave” The Cult of Nationalism Punishes a Patriot: Mark Kuhn, the fellow on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back as his wife looks on in disbelief, offended the tender sensibilities of local jingoists by flying the American flag upside down. Note the arrogant, triumphalist posture of the enforcement officer […]

The Highway to Serfdom A state-organized mob led by a Chekist (secret policeman) calls for the extermination of “kulak” farmers in Soviet Ukraine during the early 1930s.”[T]he theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property.” — Marx and Engels, The Communist ManifestoAnastasio Prieto, a truck driver from […]