Category Archives: Political Commentary

Next Time, Don’t Stop

It looks like Amtrak needs new rules of engagement:

The attack occurred as the train from the Bay Area neared the I Street Bridge to Sacramento’s rail station and slowed for a signal, said Eugene Skoropowski, managing director of the Capitol Corridor, said. A group of people stood on the tracks to block the train, which stopped. When the engineer went downstairs and opened the door, he was dragged off the train and assaulted, Skoropowski said.

It wouldn’t hurt to let the engineers have firearms, either, if they’re trained.

“A Monopoly On The Use Of Force”

Professor Volokh has some thoughts:

I want to claim that this echo of Weber (who said “Today … we have to say that a state is a human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory”) is utterly inapt in gun control debates, at least such debates in a Western country.

To begin with, note that, read literally, my friend’s proposal is not “old-fashioned.” It’s not new-fashioned. It has never been the fashion in any jurisdiction in America.

“A Monopoly On The Use Of Force”

Professor Volokh has some thoughts:

I want to claim that this echo of Weber (who said “Today … we have to say that a state is a human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory”) is utterly inapt in gun control debates, at least such debates in a Western country.

To begin with, note that, read literally, my friend’s proposal is not “old-fashioned.” It’s not new-fashioned. It has never been the fashion in any jurisdiction in America.

“A Monopoly On The Use Of Force”

Professor Volokh has some thoughts:

I want to claim that this echo of Weber (who said “Today … we have to say that a state is a human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory”) is utterly inapt in gun control debates, at least such debates in a Western country.

To begin with, note that, read literally, my friend’s proposal is not “old-fashioned.” It’s not new-fashioned. It has never been the fashion in any jurisdiction in America.

Where Are The Grownups?

Peggy Noonan wonders (sorry, the Journal doesn’t seem to believe in permalinks for current articles):

The last testament Cho sent to NBC seemed more clear evidence of mental illness–posing with his pistols, big tough gangsta gonna take you out. What is it evidence of when NBC News, a great pillar of the mainstream media, runs the videos and pictures on the nightly news? Brian Williams introduced the Cho collection as “what can only be described as a multi-media manifesto.” But it can be described in other ways. “The self-serving meanderings of a crazy, self-indulgent narcissist” is one. But if you called it that, you couldn’t lead with it. You couldn’t rationalize the decision.

Such pictures are inspiring to the unstable. The minute you saw them, you probably thought what I did: We’ll be seeing more of that.