Some Media on the Right to Self-Defense _Washington Post_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/09/AR2007030901090_pf.html) : Tom G. Palmer, one of the six plaintiffs, said that the court’s ruling will help residents protect themselves from being victims. “Let’s be honest: Although there are many fine officers in the police department, there’s a simple test. Call Domino’s Pizza or the police and time which one gets there first,” he said. Palmer is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a non-profit group that advocates personal liberties, which aided the plaintiffs. Posted by Tom Palmer at _11:52 PM_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042070.php) | _Comments (2)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042070.php#comments) | _TrackBack (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi?__mode=view&entry_id=42070)
WE WON! In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has upheld the Constitution of the United States and the natural rights of free people: Amendment II: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. The decision is _here_ (http://pacer.cadc.uscourts.gov/docs/common/opinions/200703/04-7041a.pdf) . Here’s the _original complaint_ (http://www.cato.org/pubs/legalbriefs/gunsuit.pdf) . Posted by Tom Palmer at _6:51 PM_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042069.php) | _Comments (14)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042069.php#comments) | _TrackBack (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi?__mode=view&entry_id=42069) Science Marches On What causes people to become heterosexual? It’s a puzzle that has intrigued some investigators, as _Paul Varnell_ (http://www.indegayforum.org/staff/show/124.html) chronicles in “_Origins of Heterosexuality_ (http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2007/03/08/245) .” It is possible for instance that young pre-heterosexual males may become fixated on their mothers as sources of nourishment and care, but, finding as they grow up that an erotic attachment to the mother violates a cultural taboo, they repress their early childhood desires and find a way to transfer their attraction to another female who can more safely serve the same psychological function. The obsession of most heterosexual males for the female breast is well known. (Note: if any reader doesn’t understand the article, he or she should look up the meaning of the word “satire.”) Posted by Tom Palmer at _7:09 AM_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042068.php) | _Comments (2)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042068.php#comments) | _TrackBack (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi?__mode=view&entry_id=42068) Libertarianism'Libertarianism'<WBR>s History (http://www.cato-unbound.org/issues/libertarianism-past-and-prospects/) This month’s _Cato Unbound_ (http://www.cato-unbound.org/2007/03/07/brian-doherty/libertarianism-past-and-prospects/) features a discussion of libertarianism kicked off by Reason’s _Brian Doherty_ (http://www.cato-unbound.org/contributors/brian-doherty/) , author of a remarkable book, _Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement_ (http://www.amazon.com/Radicals-Capitalism-Freewheeling-American-Libertarian/dp/158648350 1/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-2654352-3659152?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173441259&sr=8-1) . The discussants are Brink Lindsey, Tyler Cowen, Virginia Postrel, and myself. I hope and expect that it will be a stimulating discussion. (Just to be clear, the person depicted above my name int he graphic above is actually Milton Friedman, not me.) Posted by Tom Palmer at _6:51 AM_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042067.php) | _Comments (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042067.php#comments) | _TrackBack (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi?__mode=view&entry_id=42067) March 8, 2007 A Peek Into Our International Network Raja Kamal and I have written several articles on Kareem’s case (for the Washington Post, the Beirut Daily Star, and other publications)Raja Kamal and I have written several articles on Kareem’s case (for the Washington Post, the Beirut Daily Star, and other publications)<WBR>. Thank_Russian_ (http://www.cato.ru/pubs.php?idcat=309) , _Spanish_ (spanish: http://www.elcato.org/node/2300) , and _Arabic_ (http://www.misbahalhurriyya.org/commentary/show/274.html) . It’s hard to track what happens to new items in the blogosphere (especially across several languages), but the word is getting out to other areas of the world, as well. Posted by Tom Palmer at _8:07 AM_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042066.php) | _Comments (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042066.php#comments) | _TrackBack (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi?__mode=view&entry_id=42066) My Article in Al Hayat: "The Mistaken Campaign to 'Spread Democracy'" A condensed version of _the talk I gave at the Federalist Society_ (http://www.fed-soc.org/audio/2006lawcon/LimitedGovernmentandSpreadingDemocracy-11-16-06. mp3) (in a quasi-debate format with William Kristol**) appeared today in one of the most important publications of the Arab World, Al Hayat, “_الحملة الضالة « لنشر الديموقراطية»_ (http://www.daralhayat.com/special/issues/03-2007/Item-20070307-2d8b7cc0-c0a8-10ed-019c-59493481576d/story.html) ” **I’m the third speaker, before Kristol. Posted by Tom Palmer at _2:54 AM_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042065.php) | _Comments (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042065.php#comments) | _TrackBack (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi?__mode=view&entry_id=42065) Free Kareem Campaign Full On! (http://www.freekareem.org/) There’s _more on the site_ (http://www.freekareem.org/) , too! Mohammed and Esra’a have been doing a great job of collecting materials and keeping friends of freedom the world over informed. (Image from _Boakes.org_ (http://boakes.org/freekareem/) .) Posted by Tom Palmer at _12:31 AM_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042064.php) | _Comments (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042064.php#comments) | _TrackBack (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi?__mode=view&entry_id=42064) March 7, 2007 Pro Bono “I don’t want to talk about Forbes right now, but I will say this: One of the things that I have learned of in Africa is the crucial role that commerce will play in taking its people out of extreme poverty. Everyone talks about China being the next big thing, but if you spend any time in the bars or hotels in Africa, you see a lot of Chinese doing deals there. There is tremendous opportunity there.” Bono, quoted in the New York Times, “_Citizen Bono Brings Africa to Idle Rich_ (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/05/business/media/05carr.html?ex=1188709200&en=046a0e51b239c597&ei=5087&mkt=bizlink1) .” Hat Tip: Jude Blanchette Posted by Tom Palmer at _9:00 AM_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042063.php) | _Comments (1)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042063.php#comments) | _TrackBack (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi?__mode=view&entry_id=42063) March 5, 2007 Pathetic Response from the Egyptian Embassy (http://www.freekareem.org/) In response to the Washington Post’s editorial on “_Blogger on Ice_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/27/AR2007022701456.html) ,” the press attache of the Egyptian Embassy, Karim Haggag, sent a letter (“ _Media Freedom in Egypt_ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/04/AR2007030400970.html) ”). His letter and my response follow: Media Freedom in Egypt Monday, March 5, 2007; Page A14 Your Feb. 28 editorial “Blogger on Ice; Once again Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak shows zero tolerance for a secular democratic dissenter,” regarding the sentencing of Egyptian blogger Abdel Karim Soliman, provided a grossly misleading context to this incident. First, contrary to your portrayal, freedom of speech is safeguarded in Egypt’ s constitution and its legal framework. However, it is not an absolute right. It is superseded by values that Egyptian society holds sacred, including the sanctity of religion — not just Islam but all religions. A legal prohibition against defamation of religion is designed to prevent the bigotry and intolerance that Egyptian society does not accept. Second, your suggestion that Mr. Soliman’s case was politically motivated could not be further from the truth. His sentence was the result of an impartial judicial process with due process, including the right of appeal. The assertion that the judicial process is subject to political control reflects a lack of familiarity with Egyptian law, under which government decisions regularly are overturned. But perhaps the greatest distortion is the implication that Mr. Soliman’s case is but one example of the stifling of free speech in Egypt. Criticism of the government, even the head of state, is now a staple diet of the media. The media sector — both print and broadcasting — has been liberalized to allow for greater independent ownership. Assertions that the government monopolizes the media cannot stand in the face of the expanding scope of freedom of expression in the print and broadcast media in Egypt. KARIM HAGGAG Press Attache Embassy of Egypt Washington I hope that the Egyptian authorities will act to correct a clear mistake. One year of Kareems sentence was for insulting the president, a little matter the irony of which Mr. Haggag does not address: jailing a college student for calling the president a dictator merely verifies the claim. One would think that the best way to rebut the claim would be to let him go. The authorities should correct that mistake immediately. It’s not the only irony in this case, which started when Kareem was expelled from Al Azhar university for complaining that the university was suppressing thought. The university authorities not only verified the claim, but strengthened it by turning him over to the police and demanding that he be arrested. With regard to criticism of religious extremism or of any religion per se, civilized people do not strike others or put them in cages when they don’t like what they say. The most dedicated supporters of Kareems case are devout and pious Muslims who do not fear criticism. They are secure in their dedication to their religion and respond to words with words, not with clubs. Kareem should not be punished for his online remarks with jail and beatings, especially when the original cause of Kareems prosecution was his documentation of the unpunished persecution of the christian minority in his home town of Alexandria. I refer Mr. Haggag to the information available at www.freekareem.I refer Mr. Haggag to the information available at www.freekareem.<WBR>org. I hope that Mr. Haggag and others will visit the site for the facts and that they wi Tom G. Palmer Posted by Tom Palmer at _8:06 AM_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042062.php) | _Comments (4)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042062.php#comments) | _TrackBack (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi?__mode=view&entry_id=42062) March 4, 2007 Political Bankruptcy I’ve had a short stay in the UK for meetings on my way back to D.C. from Nairobi. Despite being astonishingly expensive, the UK remains a lovely country, except for the lack of any classical liberal political movement (rather like the US). Here’s the latest from the Tory Party: “_Cameron Speech Backs Marriage_ (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6416779.stm) .”It included such gems as Conservative leader David Cameron has strongly defended marriage in a speech to the party’s Welsh spring conference in Cardiff. and On Saturday assembly Conservative leader Nick Bourne has said the party will give every household £20 of low energy light bulbs if they win power in May’ s poll. I’m all for marriage and even energy-saving light bulbs,* but it’s a sign of how far the Nanny State mentality has gone that they’ve been put at the cutting edge of a party’s political platform. *When left left to voluntary choices in civil society, that is. Posted by Tom Palmer at _9:09 AM_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042061.php) | _Comments (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives/042061.php#comments) | _TrackBack (0)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi?__mode=view&entry_id=42061) | _Archives (All Posts)_ (http://www.tomgpalmer.com/archives.php) | ____________________________________ AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at _AOL.com_ (http://www.aol.com/?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000339) . <BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
