Centralizing Federal Power through Southern Reconstruction
2024-09-27
Many historians have commented on the extent to which Abraham Lincoln centralized federal power in the course of his war against the South. Less often remarked upon is the fact that this trend continued during the Reconstruction era, 1865 to 1877. In his essay “Wichita Justice? On Denationalizing the Courts,” Murray Rothbard observes that the Reconstruction Era provided convenient cover for the expansion of federal authority and further centralization of political power. One striking example of this was the new laws introduced to tackle “racial hate,” in particular to counteract the emergence of white militia groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.The Ku Klux Klan Act was passed “to enforce the Provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other
Enough Already: Stop Provoking Russia
2024-09-27
Like many people, I eagerly await Scott Horton’s upcoming book, Provoked, which will explain in detail the US provocations that led to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But will it come too late?Since the Russia-Ukraine war began, the Biden administration, in collaboration with the Ukrainian government and much of Europe, has continued incessantly provoking Putin toward a wider conflict with the West. One can recognize the dangerous path we tread without justifying any of Russia’s responses to these provocations.The US and Europe have armed Ukraine to the teeth. The West has funded Ukraine’s military effort—and a great deal of corruption—to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars. Supposedly this is good for the US because it aids the US military-industrial complex, but this will be cold