Free Republic

There are no other constitutional rights in substance without freedom to transact Being meaning to write this for 6 months, but the Canadian response to the trucker protests is illustrating this so vividly, that today is the day. I assume we are in agreement that constitutional democracies are a good form of government or, at least, a better form of government than the other methods we have found to-date. This means that I am taking for granted the following assumptions. - People have fundamental rights to speech, assembly, religion and so on - People are innocent until proven guilty -...

Freedom to travel is a fundamental and internationally recognized human right. Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states: Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country. Congress ratified the UDHR on April 2, 1992. But it’s now having second thoughts. The “right to travel” makes some politicians very nervous. Consider the issue from their viewpoint. Leaving the country makes it more difficult to detain you if the Feds suspect you of...

Weston resident Maria Story talks to her mother in Venezuela at least once a day, but the call from Caracas came unusually early Saturday. "My mom called me crying this morning," said the 29-year-old graphic designer, as news spread that Venezuela plans to drastically cut U.S. airline service starting Wednesday. "She is super sad and scared that this might limit the visits she will be able to make to see us." Across South Florida, the Venezuelan community and those doing business with the oil-rich nation reacted with sadness, dismay, anger and concern, with many deriding the flight cuts as yet...

PINELLAS PARK - When the exam was over and score tallied, John Cox felt his spirit sag. He failed his driver's license test. "You're going to see a lot of me until I get my license," he promised the man behind the desk. Cox returned a month later in July and passed. His license is valid through 2010. "I'll be 103 then," Cox said Friday. "I'll keep driving until I can't. I don't let age get to me." The often difficult issue about elderly drivers resurfaced this week when a pedestrian was killed by a 93-year-old man who drove 3...