What Is Totalitarianism? - Part II
Michael Kleen
2009-11-18 16:00
Exclusive to STR
In the first part of this essay, we defined totalitarianism as the state-orchestrated dissolution of the private sphere, initiated by an ideologically-driven political organization with the goal of exercising total control over the population of a country. In the words of the father of Italian fascism, Giovanni Gentile, the totalitarian state seeks 'total representation of the...
What Is Totalitarianism? - Part I
Michael Kleen
2009-11-11 16:00
Exclusive to STR
If the United States came under the control of a totalitarian regime, would we recognize it? This question is of utmost importance today, when many of us harbor fears that some time in the near future ideas such as freedom, liberty, and privacy will be alien to our society. But as we witness the regular passage of legislation designed to restrict and regulate, and the tendency of...
On Culture and Law
Michael Kleen
2009-09-23 15:00
Exclusive to STR
Proponents of individual liberty are often confronted by the argument that proper behavior must be enforced by laws. Whether it be calls to ban smoking in public places (coming to a home near you), texting while driving, wearing your pants too low, or other nuisances, both liberals and conservatives maintain that a government has the right and obligation to punish behaviors...
The Crisis of Confidence
Michael Kleen
2009-09-15 15:00
Exclusive to STR
There is a crisis of confidence in America’s political leadership, from the smallest municipality all the way to Washington DC. At bottom, this crisis means that trust between elected representatives and their constituency has almost completely broken down. Being from Illinois, where government has taken on the character of predator and the people its prey, I see this...
Keep Your Laws Off My Dice
Michael Kleen
2009-08-16 15:00
Exclusive to STR
I come from a long line of recreational gamblers. My grandpa was an avid poker player and a frequent visitor to Arlington Park . Late in her years, my grandma always had a stack of lottery tickets on hand. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of evenings with my father at Maywood Racetrack, which offered harness races accentuated by the perfume of fat cigars and horse manure...
Why So Serious?
Michael Kleen
2009-08-06 15:00
Exclusive to STR
Recently, Washington Post Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli canceled the web-series 'Mouthpiece Theater' after its hosts made a joke about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Bowing to pressure from an obscure organization called Action in the Media, the Washington Post reinforced the notion that any potentially offensive humor must result in a swift apology, perhaps even in...
The Culture War Turns Hot
Michael Kleen
2009-06-09 15:00
Exclusive to STR
June 10, 2009
As John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry was an ominous portent to Antebellum America, so should the killing of infamous abortionist George Tiller be considered a warning for contemporary times. With one shot, Tiller's assassin confirmed the fears of the radical Left and reignited America 's culture war, bringing us, once again, dangerously close to the precipice of...
The Creeping Hand of the State
Michael Kleen
2009-05-10 15:00
Exclusive to STR
On March 7, 2009, during a city council meeting in Duncanville, Texas, Councilman Paul Ford stood up to protest the city's new red light cameras. He wanted to amend the city code to allow a jury trial for motorists who contested tickets issued by the cameras, and had previously clashed with the mayor, David Green, over the issue. Instead of allowing Ford to have his say, Mayor...
Potholes and the Crisis of Confidence
Michael Kleen
2009-04-15 15:00
Exclusive to STR
April 16, 2009
Early in April, a group of neighbors on Chicago 's West Side purchased eight bags of cement mix and a push roller, gathered their shovels and rakes, and set to work fixing the potholes that plagued their street. The whole operation cost under $200.
Spending Our Way to Ruin
Michael Kleen
2009-02-25 16:00
Exclusive to STR
Economic downturns are inevitable under the capitalist system. Currently, we are paying for ten years of unprecedented economic growth with a harsh correction, yet few look at the reality of what we're facing and what it will take to dig us out of the hole. The "stimulus" bill just signed into law by President Obama is a fool's errand that will only make our situation...
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