By Mark Wilson Policies designed to encourage people to do things that are good for them, and discourage people from doing things that are bad for them, are not in vogue. They’re derided as the province of a “nanny state” that wants to override private individuals’ ability to decide what’s good for them. …
Why I boycotted the Oscars
By Najah Farley As a young person, my parents were very strict about what types of movies and television shows my sisters and I saw. Because we were Muslim, many films and television shows were off-limits, due to subject matter. Some would say they were over-protective. Over the past few years, I have attempted to make up for lost time, viewing old movies that were banned, like “Dirty Dancing” and “Goodfellas.” Although I still have quite a few classics to catch up on, I have been fully …
State Attacks on Choice Not Letting Up
By Craig Auster This past month, our nation celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed American women the right to choose to have an abortion. Yet, despite 40 years of Roe as the law of the land, state legislatures are continuously trying to find new ways to undermine women’s rights. The latest attempt to end a woman’s right to chooseis coming in the form of so-called “fetal heartbeat” bills. In direct violation of the right to an abortion …
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How’s that Peace Prize Treating You?
When the Nobel Committee awarded President Obama the Peace Prize in 2009, the world assumed that the Committee was making a political statement. The New York Times wrote that awarding President Obama the prize was “a (barely) implicit condemnation of [George W.] Bush’s presidency.” Indeed, President Obama had held the office for only nine months when the Nobel Committee announced he had won the Peace Prize. That’s hardly enough time to change the world. Awarding the Peace Prize to President …
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If You Must, Mustache
It is not only the changing meaning of words that federal judges must navigate these days. There have also been some recent cases where federal courts have had to confront the physical world and make tough choices about the reality we see before us. To begin with, a D.C. District Court judge has settled the fact that decorative fireplaces are not meant to heat anything, so the Department of Energy has no business regulating them. The fireplaces are “designed to stay cool and look pretty,” …
Women’s Rights in Saudi Arabia Under Scrutiny—Again
Unconfirmed reports that a Saudi Arabian man who brutally murdered his five-year old daughter would be released after paying “blood money” to the girl’s mother have sparked intense debate and condemnation. The victim suffered horrific injuries, including a crushed skull, broken back, broken ribs, a broken left arm and extensive bruising and burns. The father, a self-styled “cleric,” has claimed that he was motivated by the child’s “inappropriate” behavior and his suspicions about whether her …
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