Earlier this month the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Carson v. Makin. The appellants in this case, co-represented by the Institute for Justice and my firm First Liberty Institute, are parents and students in Maine who have been denied a state benefit available to residents of rural areas unable to support publicly funded secondary schools. Continue Reading...
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January 03, 2022
This billionaire from Hong Kong is standing up to China’s oppression behind bars
Hong Kong was once a beacon of opportunity, of democracy. It was a political refuge, a blip in a territory controlled by communist China.
Seemingly overnight, 7.5 million Hong Kongers have had their freedoms stripped from them by an oppressive Chinese regime intent silencing any voice of dissent — and that doesn’t mean revoking the odd Twitter account. Continue Reading...
December 31, 2021
Resolve this New Year to visit Billy Wilder’s The Apartment
Christmas movies tend to be sentimental, to emphasize the struggles that define our society and our souls, but ultimately they are hopeful and even joyful. Humanity triumphs at the end of the story—for evidence, read my series of essays on The Bishop’s Wife, The Shop Around the Corner, Christmas in Connecticut, and Miracle on 34th Street. Continue Reading...
December 30, 2021
Acton Rome Fellow is making a difference in Africa
For over 20 years, the Acton Institute’s Rome office has enjoyed a number of extremely impressive academic fellows as part of its prestigious scholarship programs offered to graduate students at pontifical universities. Continue Reading...
December 28, 2021
Facebook is a symptom of a much deeper Big Tech problem
At this point, most have heard about Frances Haugen, the whistleblower who leaked documents to the Wall Street Journal this fall detailing how Facebook knew about many of the downsides of its platform, yet chose to prioritize engagement. Continue Reading...
December 24, 2021
Pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai wins one in court, as Hong Kong prosecutor’s appeal is denied
Hong Kong prosecutors lost their appeal against a magistrate’s decision in September 2020 that cleared charges against media tycoon Jimmy Lai on “intimidating a reporter from a rival newspaper,” according to the South China Morning Post. Continue Reading...
December 23, 2021
The American family needs a Miracle on 34th Street now
My Christmas movies series has hitherto considered church (The Bishop’s Wife), work (The Shop Around the Corner), and family (Christmas in Connecticut), the communities that constitute America. Continue Reading...
December 22, 2021
This Advent, the Christmas child calls you and me
We arrive at the Christmas stable. We have prepared. The Christ child is come to us—Immanuel.
We begin by taking a step back. The candle that is lit for the final Sunday of Advent reminds us of Mary, the one who brings the Lord into the world. Continue Reading...
December 21, 2021
Take recent polls about COVID hastening the demise of American religion with a grain of salt
The latest Pew Research Center survey on American religion reflects a familiar trend in recent years: declining levels of Christian affiliation and growing numbers of religiously unaffiliated (the “nones”). Almost 30% of those surveyed told Pew that they identify with no particular religion, compared to 16% in 2007. Continue Reading...
December 20, 2021
The University of Austin is scaring all the right people
Conservatives tend to be skeptical of the uses of the word diversity, but they love variety. They believe that American higher education is better when you have a rich choice among schools—uniformity being a feature of progressive ideologies—that each has a particular mission and identity. Continue Reading...