In an earlier post, I pointed out that not even the most heartless Ayn Rand disciple would go as far as some city governments and make it a crime to feed homeless people. I singled out Las Vegas as an example, citing a report by the ACLU: In 2006, the City of Las Vegas became locked in a bizarre war with homeless advocates, and decided that no one should be engaging in charity … [Read more...] about No Comps For the Homeless in Vegas
More About Talking To a Lawyer When Arrested
A few weeks ago, I wrote about an organization called First Defense Legal Aid that provides legal advice to people arrested or detained by the Chicago Police, just by calling 1-800-LAW-REP-4. Criminal defense lawyer Matt Haiduk (whose blog I quoted in the original post) adds this note in a comment: ...don’t ever think it’s as easy as mentioning you want a lawyer and thinking … [Read more...] about More About Talking To a Lawyer When Arrested
“I’ve got mine, Jack!” Is a Lie
I've heard Stephen Colbert summarize the Objectivist mindset -- and by extension, libertarian mindset -- as "I've got mine, Jack!" This is true as far as it goes, but it is also a lie by omission.Consider this story in the Wall Street Journal: There’s no free lunch, goes the old saying. The IRS may take that literally.The Internal Revenue Service is looking into the … [Read more...] about “I’ve got mine, Jack!” Is a Lie
Yet Another Tale of the Awful, Awful People at DHS
[Update: An earlier version of this story blamed ICE, but since it happened at a border crossing, I assume it's actually Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and I have revised the story accordingly. I regret the error, but they both suck.]I have long maintained that the U.S. immigration authorities in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have some of the … [Read more...] about Yet Another Tale of the Awful, Awful People at DHS
Going To The Movies Won’t Be The Same
Dammit, Roger Ebert died.Over at the Chicago Sun-Times, Neil Steinberg has an obituary/eulogy for him. As with other great eulogies I've read, I finish it feeling like I've missed out on something good by never getting to know the subject personally.Yet, in a way I can't help feeling like I did know Roger Ebert personally. He's been part of my life since I was a child, … [Read more...] about Going To The Movies Won’t Be The Same