In restricting land purchases by environmentalists, conservatives undermine the power of property rights as a path to conservation. It shouldn’t be that way. Read More… Some sects of environmentalists are well known for disrupting and interrupting land transactions for the cause of conservation, using whatever legal and regulatory means necessary to control, coerce, or prevent concerted human development. It’s bative legacy that has left many of their critics wondering: If land conservation is of such utmost importance, why not just...

munist oppression is so bad that desperate Hong Kongers are taking desperate steps to escape. munist party’s response to these attempts shows just why so many are trying to flee. Read More… Eight Hong Kongers who were involved in a 2020 attempt to flee to Taiwan via speedboat appeared in high court on Sept. 2, facing charges of perverting the course of justice within the restrictions set by Hong Kong’s National Security Law, or NSL, according to Hong Kong Free...

The amendments fall under Hong Kong’s Film Censorship Ordinance and require an official state-approved censor, who judges which movies endanger National Security. The law will also operate retroactively, and movies that were previously allowed to be screened could have the CCP’s approval revoked. Hong Kongers whose movies fall under the ban list could face up to three years in prison and a fine of HK$1 million ($128,400 USD). Read More… Hong Kong officials announced Aug. 24 plans to amend a...

Lai mented notably munist government tactics, saying, “If they can induce fear in you, that’s the cheapest way to control you and the most effective way and they know it. The only way to defeat the way of intimidation is to face up to fear and don’t let it frighten you.” Read More… Lai Chee-Ying, also known as “Jimmy Lai,” is a successful Hong Kong entrepreneur, media mogul, and democratic activist who fled, young and penniless, to Hong Kong from...

China’s National Security Law was implemented in June 2020, and bans what the CCP deems as secession, subversion, or terrorism. More than 100 activists have been arrested, countless others have fled, civil and/or political groups have disbanded, and businesses have been forced to shut down because of this policy. Read More… The Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, tightened its grip on public dissent Aug. 25 when party leadership announced its investigation into a leading pro-democracy group in Hong Kong. The...

Within the right ethical parameters, charging interest can be morally permissible and even beneficial. But we should always stay mindful of the real risk of exploitation. Read More… Interest-bearing loans monplace in today’s economy, but are a subject of great contention in many of the world’s great intellectual and religious traditions. The Mosaic Law dictates: “If you lend money to any of my people who are needy among you, do not be like a moneylender to him; do not charge...

Human beings are rational, free, social, creative, incarnate, and sacred. A proper understanding of human labor will take all of these facets into account. Read More… In the opening pages of Roald Dahl’s acclaimed children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, we meet the Bucket family, which includes young Charlie, his parents, and his four grandparents. The book relates that “life was extremely fortable for them all,” which isn’t surprising given that Mr. Bucket, the sole breadwinner for the family,...

Forgiveness is the summit of all the terrorists’ fears, for it renders terror impotent. If only we had the strength to forgive. Read More… “[A]t 12 O’clock … our country gained its full independence, praise and gratitude be to God.” Who said it? An American revolutionary on Sept. 3, 1783, at the signing of the Treaty of Paris, perhaps? Maybe a French soldier on Aug. 25, 1944, when allied forces liberated Paris from the Nazis? How about a Romanian civilian...

Empirical inquiry can provide evidence of existence, but it is greatly limited in its ability to explore meaning and purpose. Read More… Scientism, or the belief that all truth must be empirically verifiable, is growing in society. Given the philosophical and practical flaws inherent to this ideology, it is important to understand how it manifests in modern life. Adherents to scientism in the modern world can be classified into two categories: zealots and agnostics. The zealots are the apostles of...

Rather than using their power and privilege to preserve freedom and diversity, America’s educated upper class has coalesced around all-or-nothing advocacy, hoping the state does the heavy lifting of social harmonization. Read More… In 2000, columnist David Brooks wrote Bobos in Paradise, hailing the dawn of a new phase in America’s longstanding story of meritocracy. The “bobos” were a peculiar breed — part bohemian, part bourgeoisie — blurring class divides in a way that would introduce a new form of...