Outside the Beltway

Constitutional interpretation is easy, right?

With DADT Repeal now on its way to being fully implemented, the right is now claiming that it poses a threat to the religious liberties of military chaplains. As with their other arguments, this one is totally without merit.

Contrary to current conservative talking points, Net Neutrality is not a nefarious government scheme to takeover the Internet, but is aimed to address a real problem. Like most ideas that involve the government, though, it doesn’t really address the real source of the problem; not enough freedom

Wayne State has canceled the Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity in the Media Award, citing its namesake’s controversial remarks.

Sarah Palin has taken to her Facebook page to raise “Serious Questions about the Obama Administration’s Incompetence in the WikiLeaks Fiasco.” They’re more interesting than I’d expected.

Some Republican Senators-elect are imploring Harry Reid not to consider any treaties during the lame duck session.

Yet another sign that the GOP’s biggest nightmare may actually end up coming true.

Former Congressman Bob Barr argues that the right should not be so eager to rehabilitate George W. Bush. He’s right.

Yesterday’s outrage of the day involved an odd book written by a creep, and it has lessons galore for everyone.

Eliminating earmarks is good policy and good politics.

The mental gymnastics people go through to justify their position on marijuana legalization are exhausting.

Reason’s Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie have a pretty amusing rejoinder to the Obama administration’s attempts to smear the anonymous funding of television ads opposed to their agenda in a video titled “Who is Publius? or, Who’s Afraid of Anonymous Political Speech?”

Should members of the Armed Forces and other public employees have the same rights under the 1st Amendment as the rest of us? Or should they be more like journalists?

A Federal Judge in California has struck another blow to the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Now, the ball is in President Obama’s court.

The Supreme Court yesterday heard oral argument in a case where being on the right side means supporting some vile people, but that’s what the First Amendment is all about.

Everyone from David Petraeus to Sarah Palin is speaking out against a nutbag pastor’s Koran burning event. While they’re right, they’re emphasizing the wrong message.

The plan by one fringe church in Gainesville, Florida to burn copies of the Koran on September 11th is igniting fires of protest across the Muslim world.

Not surprisingly, Radical Islamists are taking notice of the tone of debate in the United States over the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque.”

Sarah Palin’s decision to jump to the defense of “Doctor” Laura Schlessinger has many Republicans confused as to what her plans for the future are.

Sarah Palin decided to get involved in the “Doctor Laura” Schlessinger controversy, and in the process displayed a blatant misunderstanding of the First Amendment.

Should black people quit using the N-word to set an example for white folk?

The 9th Circuit yesterday ruled that Stolen Valor laws violate the 1st Amendment and that there is a limited right to lie.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, appearing on San Francisco’s KCBS radio, called for an investigation in the efforts to stop the building of a Muslim cultural center at the hallowed Burlington Coat Factory location blocks from Ground Zero.

There’s not as much conservative unity on the gay marriage issue as there used to be.

You aren’t allowed the sing the Star Spangled Banner at the Lincoln Memorial.

Sharron Angle has moved on from Second Amendment solutions to First Commandment ones…

The Obama administration wants the FBI to be able to look at your Internet records without the inconvenience of respecting your 4th Amendment rights.

There are some lessons for the blogosphere in this week’s Andrew Breitbart dust-up.

Once again, the Supreme Court affirmed today that there is no Constitutional right to receive public funds.

Press can assert all he wants that his call to suppress Beck’s rights “has nothing to do with freedom of speech,” but that’s transparent hokum.

When it comes to the Supreme Court, most Americans have no idea what they’re talking about.