Archives for: August 2014

De-militarize the Police Mindset

by Will

Liberty Minute August 15 2014 Shortly after the creation of the city?s Police Department in the mid-1800s, the New York Times expressed misgivings about the agency?s use of lethal force in dealing with criminal suspects. ?The pistols are not use… more »

No Such Thing as "Necessary" Force if the Arrest is Unnecessary

by Will

Liberty Minute August 14 2014 ?We?ve heard a lot in the last number of weeks about what ? police officers shouldn?t do,? complained Patrick Lynch of the Patrolmen?s Benevolent Association, New York?s largest police union. ?No one?s te… more »

An Economic Berlin Wall

by Will

Liberty Minute August 13 2014 For decades, left-leaning Americans have treated loyalty oaths as a symptom of McCarthyite authoritarianism. Leaving aside the fact that Senator McCarthy never endorsed the use of such measures, that critique is sound: Sin… more »

The Third Iraq War

by Will

Liberty Minute August 12 2014 The bombing campaign against the terrorist group calling itself the Islamic State has inaugurated what will likely become the third Iraq war. The first was waged to compel Saddam Hussein?s regime to withdraw its troops f… more »

Russia Shouldn't Be Our Enemy

by Will

Liberty Minute August 11 2014 Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia was the largest component of a regime committed to a global ideological crusade. By that time the USSR was economically bankrupt, and in many ways a ruined society.… more »

What It Takes to Remove a Tyrannical Police Chief

by Will

Liberty Minute August 8 2014   Victor Pierce claimed that the Lord had called him to be police chief of Barry Township, a Michigan village of about 3,700 people. When he obtained four armored vehicles from the Pentagon, Pierce said that this was nece… more »

The NYPD Retaliates Against a Vigilant Citizen

by Will

In a development as predictable as the next sunrise, police in New York City have arrested 22-year-old Ramsey Orta, who used his cell phone to document the police killing of Eric Garner. Orta?s mother says that the NYPD has been shadowing her son sinc… more »

Internationalizing the Military

by Will

Liberty Minute August 6 2014 We?re often told that if not for the military exploits of the ?Greatest Generation? during World War II, we would be taking orders from German military officers. Yet this is precisely what will happen to U.S. military… more »

When Cops and Prosecutors Become Civil Libertarians

by Will

Liberty Minute August 5 2014 As a federal prosecutor and legal scholar, Utah resident Paul Cassell distinguished himself as a critic of the Supreme Court?s Miranda ruling, and the ?exclusionary rule? it articulated. That ruling protected a suspec… more »

A Sniper's Misfire Hurts his Family

by Will

Liberty Minute August 1 2014 As a military sniper, the late Chris Kyle earned notoriety by killing people from the shadows, striking at them from a distance and then disappearing.  In his memoir, American Sniper, Kyle attempted the literary version of… more »

Costumed Beggars vs. Costumed Bullies: Which are Worse?

by Will

Liberty Minute July 31 2014 New York?s Times Square is in habited with costumed characters who pose for photos with tourists in exchange for tips. These street performers have no way to compel people to pay them. The street performers are outnumbere… more »

Public Safety Isn't a Law Enforcement Priority

by Will

Liberty Minute July 30 2014 Whenever a police officer detains a citizen, officer safety is the highest consideration. When the citizen is injured or killed without justification, officer safety and institutional protection for the agency employing him… more »