Tag Archive

Was George Washington REALLY the USA’s First President?

Published on July 3, 2022 By sirrahc

In case you are wondering, the titular question (or some form of it) is one of those that historic mythbusters like to test regular folk with. I don’t typically count myself as a “mythbuster”, but I do like trivia, and I thought this topic appropriate to address as we Americans celebrate Independence Day. Before answering […]

A Primer on SCOTUS, Abortion, and the Leaked Opinion Draft

Published on May 8, 2022 By sirrahc

“It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” — Justice Samuel Alito (in the leaked opinion draft) If you are like me, you may feel a bit overwhelmed by all of the articles from the last few days talking about SCOTUS, the leaked opinion draft, […]

What’s at Stake in the Dobbs v. Jackson Abortion Case

Published on January 9, 2022 By sirrahc

“While the line of questions posed by the conservative members of the Court were encouraging, a lot can happen in the next few months to alter opinions. I do not believe this current administration will tolerate any decision in the case that favors the pro-life side, especially if it undermines Roe.” — Troy Newman, President […]

Superpowers, Supervillains, and Constitutional Law

Published on July 22, 2018 By sirrahc

“[E]xplore the hypothetical legal ramifications of comic book tropes, characters, and powers, down to the most deliciously trivial detail.” Don’t worry, you’re on the right blog. Not long ago on my “Heroes and Aliens” pop-culture blog, I shared three posts in which I presented some material from the book The Law of Superheroes (2012) by […]

Still Happy to Be an American

Published on July 8, 2018 By sirrahc

“Gallup reports that just 32 percent of Democrats call themselves ‘extremely proud’ of their national identity, compared with 74 percent of Republicans who say the same.” — Ben Shapiro, Newsweek The amount of anti-American sentiment these days is truly amazing. Even those who benefit from the (relative) freedoms and wealth of American society and business […]

Is America a Democracy?

Published on July 1, 2018 By sirrahc

“I sought there [in America] an image of democracy itself, its tendencies, its character, its prejudices, its passions; I wanted to know democracy, if only to know at least what we must hope or fear from it.” — Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America I’m no political historian, but if I had to guess, I’d […]

A Few Ideas Re DACA Replacement

Published on October 8, 2017 By sirrahc

While mulling over what to write on this week, I kept thinking about last week’s post. So, I decided to follow it up with a few thoughts — not entirely original, of course — on what I’d like to see in the imminent DACA/DREAMer-oriented legislation. Nothing profound, just my two cents. Knowing that I am […]

The American Idea

Published on July 2, 2017 By sirrahc

“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” — James Madison Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) aggravates and annoys me as much as he does/says things I like. Just when I really start to appreciate him again, […]

Who Would Trump Put On the Supreme Court?

Published on October 23, 2016 By sirrahc

“[A]ll federal court judges, but most particularly Supreme Court justices, exert substantial influence on the development and application of the law over a long period, often for decades after the president who appointed them has left office…. The stakes are high indeed.” — John G. Malcolm, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center […]

Khizr Khan and Sharia Law

Published on August 7, 2016 By sirrahc

“We already have creeping Sharia law in this country.” — Mark Levin, political commentator, author, and radio host By now, we’ve all heard Khizr Khan’s speech (or part of it) at the Democratic National Convention, including his critical comments directed at Donald Trump and his ideas about banning Muslim immigrants. Khan had every right to […]