Adam Dick

Ron Paul Institute Academic Board Member Walter Block has some clear advice regarding what the United States government should do about “evil dictators” around the world: Ignore them. After all, Block, an economics professor at Loyola University and prominent libertarian scholar, writes in a Tuesday lewrockwell.com blog post, there is “no country, no groups of individuals with the power, or the intention,” to invade or conquer America.

It took 45 years after the 1933 termination of the United States government’s alcohol prohibition for the US government to legalize beer home brewing and, then, another 35 years until in 2013 the last two American states legalized home brewing. In comparison, of the ten states where recreational marijuana has been legalized, only the Washington state government prohibits home growing of marijuana, and for years the US government has backed off from prosecuting people complying with the liberalized state marijuana laws.

In this way, freedom is being recognized more quickly under marijuana legalization than it was under alcohol legalization. But, the number of states that include prohibition of home grow in their laws generally ending marijuana prohibition may increase. In particular, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is proposing marijuana legalization that includes, consistent with a recently revealed request from some large marijuana companies, a ban on home grow.

Over the last few years, there has been action in the United States Congress regarding whether or not to expand Selective Service registration requirements and any potential military draft to include women as well as men. Much of the support for this move has been explained as an effort to advance “equality.”

It looks like the US courts may beat the US legislative branch to expanding this realm of submission to government dictates to include women. Gregory Korte reported Sunday at USA Today that US District Judge Gray H. Miller declared Friday in a court case decision “that the all-male military draft is unconstitutional, ruling that ‘the time has passed’ for a debate on whether women belong in the military.”

It is great to see exuberant praise for Walter Block, a Loyola University economics professor and Ron Paul Institute Advisory Board member, at Loyola University’s The Maroon on Sunday. In an editorial, Loyola student Nathan Fryzek offers several reasons fellow students should enroll in one of Block’s classes, including the “main reason” that Block’s classes “are just so darn fun.”

In his work opposing United States wars overseas, Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC), before his death Sunday, put much effort into seeking a repeal of the 2001 authorization for use of military force (AUMF) that has been used by successive presidents as a basis for intervention and war across the world in the name of fighting terrorism. In the week before Jones’ death, Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) introduced the Walter B. Jones Restoring Power to Congress Act (HR 966), with Jones as the original cosponsor, that would repeal that AUMF and thus eliminate a reason used for presidents to intervene overseas without particular congressional approval.