For most voters, the question of Barack Obama’s nation of birth was no longer an issue during his 2012 re-election campaign. When he finally released the original, long-form birth certificate on April 28, 2011, many people, myself included, wondered why he waited so long to debunk the conspiracy theories about his citizenship. The answer … Read more
Article One, Section 9, clause 2 of the United States Constitution decrees, “The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.” This protection against unlawful arrest and detention is derived from English common law first documented in … Read more
SPOILER ALERT: At the end of the movie Catch Me If You Can, Leonardo di Caprio’s character Frank Abagnale, Jr., a master forger, ends up working for the FBI. Why? Because he knew the counterfeit game better than most of the other criminals the FBI pursued. I’ve been thinking about this movie a lot lately. Last … Read more
On numerous occasions, U.S. presidents have claimed executive privilege to avoid releasing what they considered private conversations. They provide the following justification for their position. Without executive privilege, staff and associates will be unwilling to share candid thoughts with the boss. While many of you may disagree, personal experience tells me this stance is valid. … Read more
After losing the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections, the Republican Party conducted what it called the “Growth and Opportunity Project.” The final report, often referred to as “the autopsy,” included the following assessment. At the federal level, much of what Republicans are doing is not working beyond the core … Read more