Daniel McCarthy, editor of The American Conservative, has started a bit of a controversy with his essay "Why Liberalism Means Empire," the thesis of which is that the "happy accident" of the liberal state was made possible only by the existence and...
A Note to My Readers
I apologize for the absence of a new column, but my health has not been all that great lately. It's nothing serious, so don't worry I'll be back on Monday! NOTES IN THE MARGIN You can check out my Twitter feed by going here. But please note that my tweets are...
China Is a Paper Tiger
The rise of China as America’s chief rival on the international stage has long been a staple of our foreign policy pundits’ alleged wisdom. The Chinese, simply by virtue of their enormous population, have been deemed the inheritors of the earth. China, we are told,...
They’re Making Up Stuff
It’s hard to keep the American people engaged with foreign affairs: notoriously "isolationist," we just can’t stay interested in the various overseas "threats" our rulers would have us in a panic over. While Al Qaeda was Washington’s biggest...
How John McCain Wound Up Canoodling With Terrorists
Did Senator John McCain, a leading advocate of arming Syria’s Islamist revolutionaries, meet with members or allies of the Islamic State in al-Sham [the Levant] (ISIS) during his trip to Syria on May 27 of last year? McCain and his defenders deny it, and McCain’s...
A Murderous ‘Modernity’
Editorial Note: This is the text of a speech given at the Casey Research Summit, 2014, "Thriving in a Crisis Economy." Part I was posted here on Monday: the second and final part is published here today. Ticking at the heart of American society all through the 1920s...
Apocalypse Now – Or Apocalypse Later
Editorial Note: This is the text of a speech given at the Casey Research Summit, 2014, "Thriving in a Crisis Economy." Part I appears here today: Part II will be published here on Wednesday. I’ve been a libertarian since I was a teenager, and so I’m quite...
Anarchy in Washington: Is Anybody in Charge?
The President pledges "no combat troops" in Iraq. The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, says he may recommend combat ground troops in the battle against ISIS. The President, in a speech, reiterates "no ground troops," and...
The McKeon Amendment – A Lend-Lease Act for Terrorists
Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-California, has done President Obama’s dirty work for him by submitting an amendment to the bill that allows the government to continue functioning which would authorize and fund the training of Syrian rebels by the US military –...
A Note to My Readers
I'm working on a special project this week so no column today: more about the project later. I'll be back at my regular stand on Wednesday, so please watch this space. NOTES IN THE MARGIN You can check out my Twitter feed by going here. But please note that my tweets...


