Free Republic

Thomas DiLorenzo, Professor of Economics at Loyola College in Maryland, discusses his latest book, "Hamilton's Curse: How Jefferson's Arch Enemy Betrayed the American Revolution--and What It Means for Americans Today." Recorded at the annual Austrian Scholars Conference, Ludwig von Mises Institute, 12 March 2009. Introduction by Dr. Mark Thornton.

As many as 13 potential wind-farm projects in western Kansas could be in danger because of the state's decision to reject two coal-fired generating plants near Holcomb, proponents of the wind farms said. New transmission lines were to be part of the $3.6 billion Sunflower Electric Power Corp. project, which was rejected by Rod Bremby, the state's secretary of health and environment.

Writing about that recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll on the number of books Americans read in the previous year, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Debra J. Sauders pounced on how AP reported the findings – specifically, that "liberals read more books than conservatives": The poll found that among people polled who read at least one book in the last year, liberals read nine books and conservatives read eight.When I called Michael Gross, associate vice president of Ipsos public affairs, to find out more about the Ipsos poll, he told me the one-book difference "is within the margin of error, it's not a...

Former Vice President Al Gore called Monday for an independent investigation of President Bush's domestic spying program, contending the president "repeatedly and insistently" broke the law by eavesdropping on Americans without court approval. Speaking on Martin Luther King Jr.'s national holiday, the man who lost the 2000 presidential election to Bush was interrupted repeatedly by applause as he called the anti-terrorism program "a threat to the very structure of our government." Gore charged that the administration acted without congressional authority and made a "direct assault" on a special federal court that authorizes requests to eavesdrop on Americans. One judge on...

Among the many highlights of my winter break were being accepted to law school and watching portions of Samuel Alito’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings. And, having now studied the latter political process and come to fully realize the long-shot potential of my forthcoming legal education, I have a plan. It is simple. It is politically savvy. And, should the stars align in the right way to give me such an opportunity, it can’t fail. The night before my Supreme Court confirmation hearings begin, I will send a case of scotch to Ted Kennedy’s house. Because, let’s be honest — without...

Instead, they turned the sessions into a festival of long-winded bluster, from which President George W Bush's nominee emerged unscathed and almost certain to be confirmed to the Supreme Court bench. A breakdown of the hearing transcripts provides indisputable evidence, if the American public ever needed it, that their Senators are much more interested in hearing their own voices than in listening to answers.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D.-N.Y.) crafted the following questions for Samuel Alito in hopes, I suppose we're to assume, trap him on the question of a "right" to abortion. Here's the transcript: SCHUMER: Does the Constitution protect the right to free speech? ALITO: Certainly it does. That's in the First Amendment. SCHUMER: So why can't you answer the question of: Does the Constitution protect the right to an abortion the same way without talking about stare decisis, without talking about cases, et cetera? ALITO: Because answering the question of whether the Constitution provides a right to free speech is simply responding...

During the John Roberts confirmation hearing it became clear that the Senators from both parties were not interested in the nominees views on matters as much as they were in love with the sound of their own voice. So we did something that was highly popular. We did a statistical analysis of the percentage of words spoken by each Senator compared with the number of words spoken by the nominee. We found that in nearly every case the Senators spoke far more than the nominees. So, by popular demand we have done the same thing for the Alito hearings. And...

must admit I'm a little shocked that The New York Times ran an article titled, 'But Enough About You, Judge; Let's Hear What I Have to Say'. Judicial confirmation hearings have always been a circus, but I didn't expect The Newspaper of Democrat Record to accurately describe the banality and affectation of these show trials until a liberal nominee was being flogged by Republican Senators. Still, there it was - above the fold, on the front page. Here are some of the better excerpts......

Let's have some fun with statistics, shall we? In the senate judiciary committee hearings this morning, Ted Kennedy clumsily attempted to make use of a Cass Sunstein "study"... Writing for National Review Online two days ago, Byron York pointed out in advance that, with all its caveats, qualifications, and disclaimers, Sunstein's report is useful "to prove virtually nothing." Well, it does prove that if a bloated liberal senator gives Cass Sunstein enough money, in a very short time that scholar of unimpeachable credentials will produce a study of sufficient rigor to convince the bloated senator that what the bloated senator...

Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito told reporters today that despite Sen. Charles Schumer’s hostile questioning in yesterday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, the federal appeals court judge would “keep an open mind” about the New York lawmaker. The remark reflected the same approach that Judge Alito told the committee he would take toward any abortion cases that might come before him as a Supreme Court justice. “Despite the precedent of Sen. Schumer’s disparaging questions yesterday, and his implication that my testimony is dishonest,” Judge Alito said, “I will treat him as if the slate is clean and evaluate his performance today...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 - The Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. were supposed to be about the judge, but on Tuesday it sometimes seemed as though somebody forgot to tell the senators on the Judiciary Committee. The lure of 50 cameras and the captive audience in the Senate Hart Office Building appeared too much of a temptation for some of Capitol Hill's windiest lions, who began by promising not to run a marathon session of questions, then did so anyway. At one point Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, was even granted two extra minutes...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. DOUGLAS, Scotland - When the breeze blows the wrong way over the grassy hilltops above this quiet Scottish village, coal dust from the mines below can darken the air that powers rows of slim white wind turbines. The two coal pits, providing one of Britain's oldest and dirtiest forms of energy, are just hundreds of yards from the sleek, modern windmills that many environmentalists hope will lead the way toward a future of clean, renewable power. Britain's still-tiny wind power industry is in the midst of a major expansion, with vast...