Civil Liberties

United Way RI tweet on Chauvin case

Justice is supposed to be about the facts of the case.

By Justin Katz | April 21, 2021 |

We agree on the rules and the process, in light of inalienable rights, and justice is the result.  If the system manifestly is not producing justice, then we adjust the rules and the process.  But the process cannot simply be a show we put on to give the impression of rules. That is the context…

To Save Constitutional Liberty, Save Marriage

By Justin Katz | January 17, 2013 |

With advocates’ having finally managed to bring the issue of same-sex marriage to the Supreme Court, it is critical that those who believe in limited government understand one thing: If the Constitution does not allow the people of the United States to maintain the traditional definition of marriage, then it does not allow them to…

This Same-Sex Marriage Bill is Not Marriage Equality

By Patrick Laverty | January 4, 2013 |

First a disclaimer. I’ve been asking questions about this and trying to get information from various sources, but I think the questions coming from me, a known conservative, leads the receiver to believe I’m being sarcastic with my questions. I’m not. I’m being truly honest, as is what I’ll state below. The same-sex marriage bill…

Things We Read Today (44), Wednesday

By Justin Katz | December 19, 2012 |

Government’s corrupt pension handling; the discount rate scam; fighting off the zoning inspector; government peeking doesn’t count as privacy invasion. Continue reading on the Ocean State Current…

Things We Read Today (42), Weekend

By Justin Katz | December 17, 2012 |

The lesson of current events and history; what the 2nd Amendment means; what that means for change; government control and healthcare insecurity; government control and economic stagnation; a couple positive notes. Continue reading on the Ocean State Current…

Looking for Reasons

By Justin Katz | December 15, 2012 |

There are no words to capture the horror of the school shooting, this morning, in Western Connecticut. Beyond the wave of raw emotion that nobody who hears the news can fail to feel, there isn’t ultimately one thing on which to focus that emotion. Things that go so terribly wrong have a multitude of causes,…

The Self-Censorship of the Community and a Loss of Rights

By Justin Katz | December 10, 2012 |

This is quite a thing to read, in a region and a nation that prides itself on tolerance and freedoms of expression and religion. A Tiverton family has spent recent years investing in a spectacular show of Christmas lights on their house, to the extent that they’re finding the visitor traffic to be an opportunity…

U.S. Grant and the Left-Right Lines

By Justin Katz | September 29, 2012 |

Two lines of debate in the battle of Left versus Right cross frequently. One is the question of whether history has an inexorable pull toward which it progresses, making it possible for there to be a “right side” of history that one can predict beforehand for a given issue.  The other is whether one’s side…

Things We Read Today (15), Thursday

By Justin Katz | September 20, 2012 |

Issuing bonds to harm the housing market; disavowing movies in Pakistan and tearing down banners in Cranston; the Constitution as ours to protect; the quick failure of QE3; and Catholic social teaching as the bridge for the conservative-libertarian divide. Continue reading on the Ocean State Current…

The Nanny State, Part 4

By Patrick Laverty | June 15, 2012 |

I’m hearing a bit of a buzz about this new law the General Assembly just passed about requiring a doctor’s note or a parent’s signature every other visit to a tanning bed for minors. My first thought was also as some are making this out, “More anti-business legislation.” But then, it’s really a decision on…