Quick Roundup 315

Yaron Brook on Campaign Finance "Reform"

Yaron Brook's editorials in Forbes Magazine are outstanding not simply on the merits of what he says, but also because he invariably discusses things that ought to be far more prominent in the public debate than they are.

Recently, he took a look at campaign finance reform, explaining how it threatens freedom of speech:

Sen. McCain was once asked whether McCain-Feingold abridges freedom of speech. He implicitly admitted that it does: "I would rather have a clean government than one where quote 'First Amendment rights' are being respected that has become corrupt. If I had my choice, I'd rather have the clean government." We should tell Sen. McCain and those who agree with him that a government which strips us of our right to free speech is by that very fact corrupt. [bold added]

Quite true. If we cannot openly discuss the merits of a given policy, political proposal, or candidate, how can we make rational, informed decisions at election time?

Any threat to freedom of speech is a dire danger to the Republic.

Anyone wondering why I will not under any circumstance vote for John McCain need look no further.

Read all of this, and recommend it to anyone you know who may appreciate its significance.

Guidance and Inspiration

Someone I hold in very high regard recently took the time to point out the existence of an abridged video of Professor Randy Pausch's now-famous "Last Lecture" on the off-chance I hadn't heard of it.

I hadn't, and I needed to hear it.

However, when time to watch the video came, I'd forgotten about this being the shortened version, simply googled for it, and ended up finding the full-length lecture. Happy chance. Here's the embed:

It's about eighty minutes long, and it may seem a little on the corny side at first, but make the time to watch this. You will not regret it.

My thanks again for that email.

Open Animosity Would Be Preferable

Over at Principles in Practice, John Lewis discusses yet another Islamist demand for censorship cloaked in the language of victimhood. As a bonus, this is being promoted as part of a "declaration against terrorism".

How should this "grip of fear" by Muslims be ended? The declaration demands that the Indian government shift the fear onto anyone criticizing Islam, by forcibly banning freedom of speech for critics of Islam.

And if you think governments in the West are going to stand up to this on their own, you have another thought coming.

Incidentally, you should stop by Principles in Practice and just start scrolling. Lots of good stuff there lately.

-- CAV