Two notable events in last night’s Colbert Report regarding capitalism/the free market and walking the walk vs. talking the talk: 1. At the end of his interview with Michael Moore about his new film Capitalism: A Love Story, which focused on how capitalism is an evil, which causes the rich to do all they can […]
Political and Opinion Writing
(Lance comments on) PETA will never let Michael Vick be
(Back when this was in the news) fellow Nevada Countyian Zuri Berry posted his concern about PETA’s reaction to Michael Vick being signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. I posted more than my fair share of response in the comments section of his blog. I’ve been meaning to mention it here for some time. Check it […]
Lance In the Media, Political and Opinion Writing Across the Blogosphere
Bill of Rights Day Op-Ed (2001)
This is an Op-Ed piece I wrote in 2001 about Bill of Rights Day and threats to the Bill of Rights in the post-911 America. It was published in The Union(Nevada County, CA) on December 15th, 2001. Today is Bill of Rights Day, the anniversary of the ratification of the first ten amendments to our […]
Atlas Shrugged and me (and a movie makes three)
May 28, 2003 There is no book which has had a greater influence on me than Atlas Shrugged. I first read Atlas when I was 15. My favorite teacher ever, Jim Duquette, was a major fan of Ayn Rand — a rarity among high school educators, I believe. He was a rarity in almost every […]
DNA Exonerates Fla. Man After 24 Years; 24 Years Still Gone
January 25, 2006 This story, and all those resembling it, should serve to highlight one crucial fact that we need to remember about our criminal justice system: when we incarcerate people, we are taking their life from them. Years of their life are essentially being snatched away from these folks. In a case like Alan […]
The Essential Hurdle for Libertarians
Modified from an article originally published at Liberty For All June 20, 2003 I come from Massachusetts, the heart of the Democratic Party in many ways. Home of the Kennedys — and hardly a day goes by there when some reminder of that fact doesn’t come up. My mother is a Democrat — a Massachusetts […]
The Nader 2004 "threat", and those poor, pitiful Democrats
Salon.com has a decent story about Ralph Nader’s potential 2004 bid for the presidency, and how it’s causing a painful split in the hard left — between those who have utterly given up on the Democrats and who support Nader, and those who are scared enough of Bush madness (and trusting enough of the Dems) […]
Sashwat Singh's Rap CD Suspension
November 10, 2003 Sashwat Singh is an honor student at Brookfield Central High School in Brookfield, WI. He’s a big music lover — he’s in the school band and choir, and he’s a big fan of local live music as well. And, like most kids these days, he’s good on the computer. So 15-year-old Sashwat […]
The poem that got me suspended, and the story behind it
First, the backstory. When I was in high school, there was a Geometry teacher, Mrs. Johnson. She was a teacher that few students liked, and the impression was that it went both ways. I was one of those kids that was “too smart for my own good”, as the saying goes. The kind of smart […]
On the Virtues of Schooling (sort of)
July 10, 2003 You’re not likely to find someone who’s more opposed to the modern American system of education than me. Technically, I don’t think you could, because I’m completely and utterly opposed to it. There are two issues that I am more adamant and solid on than any others, I think, and those two […]
Time to get serious about the Bill of Rights
Time to get serious about the Bill of Rights Originally published as an Op-Ed in The Union (Grass Valley, CA) December 14, 2002 I just got the call from the doctor. It doesn’t look good. I don’t think the patient is going to pull through. It’s sad, but by the time you read this, the […]
10 Reasons Why MoveOn's "10 Reasons Why the Recall is Wrong" is Wrong
September 12, 2003 I get a fair amount of e-mail from MoveOn.org, a group that is probably the hottest thing to hit the political left wing since the 60’s. I have a lot of mixed feelings about MoveOn, as I do for most successful projects from the well-intentioned-but-misguided Left. I’m not here today to muse […]
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